Friday 30th May 2014 A class web page can be used to share links to web sites and other resources that support your class activities – but how do you find sites that are suitable for your students’ reading level? Google can filter your search results based on the reading level of the pages in the results…. Learn how to filter search … Read More
Inspired peddling
Thursday 29th May 2014 Would you like to encourage a cycling activity with your students? Maybe you have some experienced students that need something a bit more exciting to ponder? Then check this out…(The risk assessment forms might be a challenge though!)
Chromebook and Google Apps Showcase
Wednesday 28th May 2014 Arthur Phillip High School invites Principals and Technology Coordinators to a showcase of digital learning. This event is an opportunity to hear the story of the school’s journey from DER to BYOD with Chromebooks and Google Apps for Education. Following morning tea in the Governor’s Room, school principal Lynne Goodwin will lead a presentation describing the circumstances and … Read More
Class size DOES make a difference.
Tuesday 27th May 2014 David Zyngier has undertaken a study of the effects of class size on student academic performance. He finds: The more years students spend in small classes during grades K-3, the longer the benefits for achievement last during grades 4-8. Smaller class sizes are especially important for children who come from disadvantaged families. Read more of David Zyngier’s … Read More
Transitioning your school to the new ICT era
Monday 26th may 2014 A key goal of teachers using technology to support the curriculum has always been the integration of new and innovative technologies in day-to-day classroom activities. Unfortunately, the cost of new technologies has always been a hurdle to achieving this goal. When ‘technology access’ is located in a secure ‘lab’ in another building in the school – accessible once a week … Read More
Blended Learning Resources (NSW Rural & Distance Ed)
Friday 23rd May 2014 Blended learning is a teaching practice that has developed to meet the needs of 21st-century learners. It is methodology that can be used in all learning contexts, from face-to-face classrooms through to totally online learning environments. The NSW Rural and Distance Education site provides useful resources for educators in a wide variety of environments to integrate new technologies in … Read More
Apple recycling program for schools
Thursday 22nd May 2014 Register your school now for free electronics recycling from Apple. Register by 15th June 2014 and an Apple recycling partner will pick up your unwanted Mac computers, PCs, and qualifying peripherals from any manufacturer by 31st July – for free. Download the flyer >>>
Showbie Pro Update
Wednesday 21st May 2014 Have you checked out Showbie yet? The video below demos the latest release of Showbie Pro, and gives a concise overview of the features of the app. There is also a free version for classes of up to 35 students, with similar features. Definitely worth checking out. Visit the Showbie site >>>
Environment report provides sneek peek into iCloud data centre
Tuesday 20th May 2014 Ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes when you send that email, or connect for a Facetime chat? This NBC report about Apple’s solar power initiatives give a rare sneak peek inside their iCloud data centre. Go to original NBC video >>>
BYOD at Sydney Boys HS
Monday 19th May 2014 Year 9 students at Sydney BHS are expected to bring their own computing device to school every day. The school makes recommendations as to the model of device students may choose to bring, or students can choose an alternative device that meets the school’s specifications. The site includes information and links to documents outlining school policy, student charter agreements, and device specifications. … Read More
Digital storytelling with Animoto
Friday 16th May 2014 Animoto is an online and mobile video creation service that makes it easy for students to create and share videos using their own pictures, video clips, words and music. Students choose a theme, then upload pictures and video clips to the video editor. Next, they personalize their movie with text and music, then click a button to create their digital masterpiece. … Read More
Going 1:1 in 2014
Thursday 15th May 2014 The two articles below , published by Dominic Norris at Innovate My School, discuss reasons why schools are choosing tablets to fulfil their 1:1 ambitions and suggests a slight tweak on how this by-now-familiar formula might be improved. As Dominic writes…. Fundamentally, schools want to bring the undoubted benefits of a really powerful and functional device to every … Read More
Slow Internet? – Check your WAPs
Wednesday 14th May 2014 How old are the Wireless Access Points (WAPs) on your network? Could they be responsible for slow network speeds in your school? Last week I visited a school that was having issues connecting to the Internet using their wireless network. In the staffroom an old Airport Extreme (spaceship) base station was being used for wireless Internet access. The data … Read More
BYOD Sandpit
Tuesday 13th May 2014 Thinking about implementing BYOD in your school? The BYOD Sandpit contains support documentation and resources developed by teachers, school communities and consultants. The material at BYOD Sandpit is provided to help inform discussion on the implementation of BYOD in K-12 schools. There is a great deal of info on this site relating specifically to NSW DEC schools, including step-by-step … Read More
Whatever happened to Netscape?
Monday 12th May 2014 For those old enough to remember… When the web first made an impact on the broader population, Netscape was really the only web browser available. In August of 1995 Netscape was valued at $3 billion. So, where did it all go pear-shaped for Netscape? Read the full story at Engadget >>>
North Baddesley Infants School (UK)
Friday 9th May 2014 Discover what is happening at North Baddesley Infants School in Hampshire in the UK. This engaging site provides the school community with a clear insight into various aspects of school life. Great example of a school web site. Visit North Baddesley Infants School >>>
What do we want kids to do with technology?
Thursday 8th May 2014 A few years ago I walked into a classroom with a local District IT manager. The class of 9 and 10 year olds were working in groups, all engrossed in producing videos about their chosen topics. Some groups were constructing stop-motion videos, others were outside the classroom conducting hard-hitting interviews with staff. Other students were off in … Read More
Google to stop scanning apps inboxes for ads
Wednesday 7th May 2014 Google has announced that it will stop scanning students’ Apps for Education accounts to target ads at them. What was somewhat lost in that announcement was that Google will also make similar changes to other account types. Google will also soon stop scanning the accounts of Google Apps customers with Business, Government and legacy accounts for the free version. … Read More
Faster School Internet access
Tuesday 6th May 2014 Every time a student clicks on a link to a web page, resources are downloaded over your school’s Internet connection to the student’s computer – using valuable bandwidth. So, imagine if you could store commonly used web resources inside your school network, and encourage students to use those common resources from inside the network, rather than repeatedly downloading … Read More
Why you need a Gigabit connection for your WiFi
Monday 5th May 2014 If you have 20 wireless devices connecting to a single Wireless Access Point (WAP), those wireless devices are sharing the bandwidth that is available to that single WAP’s connection to the network. If your WAP is connected to the network (via an Ethernet connection) at 1000 Mbps then each of those 20 wireless devices can expect … Read More
New Google Docs and Sheets Apps
Friday 2nd May 2014 Google has announced that its Docs, Sheets and Slides apps, currently part of Google Drive, are being broken out into separate mobile apps. Docs and Sheets are available now on the App Store and Google Play. Slides will be available soon, along with a new version of the Drive app. One of the major new features of these stand-alone apps … Read More
Showbie for iPad
Thursday 1st May 2014 Showbie makes it easy for teachers to set assignments and for students to submit assignments, all in an iPad environment. Teachers can also use Showbie to provide feedback to students. Watch the video below, or for more info visit showbie.com >>>