Wednesday 24th February Think3 is presenting updated workshops on the use of Configurator 2 to manage iPads in schools. This workshops, for both existing Configurator users and those new to managing iPads, will cover: Methods for setup and management of shared or individual iPads Apple Volume Purchase Program (VPP) for purchasing apps Creating and installing Profiles to manage settings Using Apple … Read More
Is your school making the ICT transition?
Thursday 27th August 2015 Schools are moving from an ICT deployment model where desktop computers were located in secure computer rooms, to a model embracing the widespread use of mobile devices – available when and where they are required to support learning activities. Where is your school on this transition continuum? Read more (and download the transition indicators) >>>
Off the screen and into the playground
Monday 10th August 2015 At Ravenswood School for Girls the playgrounds are full of girls who are not texting or even updating their social media status. A large group of year 10 girls are shrieking with delight over a skipping game where at least 12 jumped together. A group of year 11 students try a new version of Twister. Other girls play the old-fashioned … Read More
Planning – ICT supporting the Curriculum
Thursday 23rd July 2015 ‘ICT in the curriculum’ is not the same as ‘learning about computers’. Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) can become an engaging tool to support the learning environment. Is your school developing school management and planning structures that foster the exploration of new and emerging technologies, to support and enrich classroom learning activities? Our goal is to ‘normalise’ technology use … Read More
Project grading rubrics
Tuesday 9th June 2015 Using new technologies, students are able to share their knowledge in a variety of modes and media. How do teachers grade assignments and projects that have been created using a variety of media? Check out these ICT project grading rubrics >>>
Powerpoint should be banned!
Monday 1st June 2015 “Invented in 1987, the Microsoft presentation software PowerPoint is reportedly installed on more than 1 billion computers around the world. It is estimated that more than 30 million PowerPoint presentations are given every day. “But as PowerPoint conquered the world, critics have piled on. And justifiably so. Its slides are oversimplified, and bullet points omit the … Read More
The Evolution of the Employee
Monday 18th May 2015 The structure of the corporate workplace can be very different to that found in schools. While the infographic below (reproduced from Jacob Morgan) is designed to demonstrate the differences that our current students might find in their future workplaces, it also neatly captures the structures and purposes of current K-12 school activities, and the role of … Read More
Cost of DEC LMBR Program to soar past $573m
Tuesday 16th December 2014 Agency to plead for more funds to finish troubled rollout. NSW Education expects to have spent $573 million on its troubled ERP overhaul by the middle of next year, at which point it will have to return to the state government for more funds to finish the mammoth project. In a report released today, NSW Auditor-General … Read More
Grade quizzes with Flubaroo
Wednesday 3rd December 2014 Flubaroo is a free tool that helps you quickly grade multiple-choice or fill-in-blank assignments created in Google Forms. More than just a grading tool, Flubaroo also: Computes average assignment score. Computes average score per question, and flags low-scoring questions. Shows you a grade distribution graph. Gives you the option to email each student their grade, and … Read More
Lucidpress – DTP in the cloud
Are you looking for a cloud replacement for Publisher? Need a desktop publishing app for your Chromebook? Check out Lucidpress >>>
Cloud Provider Policies
Wednesday 26th November 2014 How private is your data (and your students’ data) when it is stored with a commercial cloud provider? Will you and your students be targeted with advertising, based on the content of their emails and documents stored in the cloud? Who owns ‘your’ data, once it is stored on a remote server, possibly in another country? … Read More
eCarnival free for schools
Monday 27th October 2014 eCarnival is an iPad app, developed by a local Illawarra teacher, for recording results at school sports carnivals. And it is now available for schools for free! Use eCarnival to record your sports carnival results, and the app will generate sports house points automatically. With eCarnival you can:– Record results for Athletics, Swimming, Cross Country or any other … Read More
Techtool Pro for just $25
Wednesday 24th September 2014 If you support Macs in your school then Techtool Pro is a handy tool to have in your toolbox. Normally around $100, you can grab a copy now for just $25 – but don’t leave it too late! Check out Micromat’s 25th Anniversary special offer >>>
Google Forms Updated
Friday 5th September 2014 Google Forms has received a major makeover. Google has added a brand new collection of themes from which to choose, and these themes can be customised to fit your specific needs. Alternatively, you can start from scratch and create your own Form theme using your own images. Ad well as adding custom images, you can also change the … Read More
Minnesota rolls out iPads to 40,000 students
Monday 1st September 2014 Minnesota’s St. Paul School District is preparing to deploy tens of thousands of iPads to students in 37 schools around the city. Rather than purchasing the tablets outright, the school district will lease them from Apple. The cost of the program – which also appears to include more than 1,000 MacBooks – will begin at $5.7 … Read More
3/4C with Miss Bell
Thursday 28th August 2014 3/4C at Caves Beach PS are now online. Click on the What we are learning menu to explore their activities in Literacy, Maths, Creative Arts and Science. Drop by and say ‘Hi’ with a comment on 3/4c’s blog >>>
iOS apps for Google Docs, Sheets – and now Slides
Wednesday 27th August 2014 Google have announced the launch of their Slides app for iOS, along with updates to their Docs and Sheets apps. It is now possible to work on any file, on any device, at any time. The iOS apps save edits locally, syncing when you next have WiFi network access. Read more about the new apps at the Google Blog … Read More
Port Kembla PS – Student Showcase
Wednesday 20th August 2014 Visit the classes at Port Kembla Public School in NSW…. Class activities, performances at local schools, and excursions, are all documented on these class pages. Visit the PKPS Showcase >>> (Powered by Weebly)
Skaffl – 1:1 iPad classroom workflow
Tuesday 19th August 2014 Skaffl allows teachers to distribute and collect assignments electronically from students using iPads. Skaffl is free until the end of the year. With Skaffl….Teachers can:– Create activities for students to complete;– Plan ahead and save activities for distribution when you need them;– Collect student work;– Annotate and grade student assignments. Students can:– Receive their assignments and keep track of … Read More
NAPLAN test too confusing for students
Monday 18th August 2014 The NAPLAN writing test was so hard this year that students’ marks have slipped across the country and in NSW there has been a “substantial increase” in the number of students who will receive zero because the question was too confusing. The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), which runs NAPLAN, is investigating problems with … Read More
School Web Sites
Monday 4th August 2014 A school web site is often the first contact that a prospective enrolment’s parent may have with your school. Your school web site can also become a place for sharing resources and information with the school community. What does your school’s web site say about your school? Does your school’s site convey a sense of a … Read More
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
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
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
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
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 >>>
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
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 >>>
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
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
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