Wednesday 30th July Discussion around the lunch table recently turned to online office software, with a colleague expressing concern that Google Apps for Education (GAFE) would only be ‘free’ for a limited amount of time, then once everyone was hooked there would be an annual fee imposed. Maybe. But I doubt it. Read why at The Staffroom >>>
Check out Haiku LMS
Monday 28th July 2014 Use Haiku to create an online learning environment for your class. Create classroom pages, add and organize content blocks, change layouts, embed content from YouTube, Google Docs, Maps, Skype, etc. Resource sharing in Haiku lets you share your classes, pages, and content blocks with any other Haiku user–and use content in your own class created by other teachers. … Read More
11 things to know about the new Google Drive
Friday 25th July 2014 Google Drive has a brand-new look and there are a lot of changes to discover. While many of theses changes are design and user-experience improvements, Google also added some new functions. Check out the video along with a list of some of Google Gooru’s favorite changes >>>
Solutions for the cross-platform classroom
Thursday 24th July 2014 The modern tech-savvy classroom can be a complicated mix of devices and software. As technology becomes more ubiquitous both at home and in the classroom, schools find themselves in a more blended world. As educators in the 21st century, we must be prepared to tackle education in an environment that is cross-platform and multi-device. How do we provide an effective, innovative and … Read More
DIY Cabling – New ACMA Regulations
Wednesday 23rd July 2014 In years gone by general ‘computer network cabling’ was exempt from the various rules and regulations that applied to telecommunications cabling. As of 1st July 2014 the regulations set by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA – a Federal Govt Authority) require that technicians who are installing computer network cabling to be registered, after satisfactorily completing … Read More
Checked your Google Drive lately?
Tuesday 22nd July 2014 Google have announced a redesign of Google Drive, and it is now being rolled out to all Drive accounts. Log into your Drive account to see if the upgrade is available, and follow the prompts to activate the new interface. The video below provides an overview of the changes…
School Jargon Busters
Do parents at your school find themselves wondering why their children talk about playing under the school COLA? Are they baffled at parent-teacher discussions about KLAs? They are not alone! Schools sometimes have their own language, so this site has busted this list of common acronyms, abbreviations and terms to make the world inside the school gates seem a little more familiar. Check out … Read More
Reclaiming our lives from Social Media
“While my early adventures on social sites were exciting and novel, increasingly, my time spent on these services is starting to feel like a lot of wasted time. Like a virus slowly invading its victim, social media has methodically started to consume every hour of my day. Morning coffees, lunchtime breaks, time before bed, was once cordoned off for books, or … Read More
Cloud Compare
Friday 18th July 2014 Dropbox was the first online file storage company to capture widespread public interest. It is a great service, with an easy to use interface, and apps for all mobile devices and OSs. However, Dropbox is no longer the only cloud file service available – there are plenty of others, often with better options for storing and sharing files. And all … Read More
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
The NSW Government has reminded it’s agencies that all NSW Govt websites, including school websites, are required to conform to the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 by the end of 2014. This is inline with similar Australian Government requirements. These guidelines are designed to make websites accessible for people with disabilities, and include requirements to Provide … Read More
Have new technologies brought new learning opportunities?
Monday 14th July 2014 Today is a ‘student free day’ in local schools, with many teachers involved in professional learning activities focussed on the use of new technologies to support the curriculum. But are these new technologies bringing new learning opportunities to classrooms, or simply providing students with a new typewriter interface? The SAMR model provides a framework to define the impact of technology in the … Read More
Aphelion Day – Earth farthest from the Sun
Friday 4th July 2014 At about 3pm (GMT) on the July 4th, the Earth will reach that point in its orbit where it is farthest from the sun. Known as Aphelion, this location in Earth’s orbit puts the planet about 152 million km (94.5 million miles) from the sun. That’s about 4.9 million km (3.1 million miles) more than the Earth’s closest distance … Read More
Mobile anti-virus not needed: Google
Thursday 3rd July 2014 Mountain View, California: The majority of Android smartphone and tablet users do not need to install anti-virus and other security apps to protect them, despite dire warnings from security companies selling such products, Google’s head of Android security says. Adrian Ludwig, the lead engineer for Android security at Google, said there was “a bit of a … Read More