Today our region got a glimpse of the Ultranet. Being an Ultranet Coach last year, I was very keen to see what it had to offer. From what I have seen it looks like there has been a good push towards student learning and collaboration, which is great. There are many aspects to the Ultranet that were described today. Key features that have stood out for me are -
Home page – a “landing’ space that can be personalised by each student and teacher, a bit like iGoogle.
The Learning Portfolio – a place for the students to reflect on their learning journey, with examples of their achievements and work samples. Teachers can also use a portfolio to reflect on their practice and professional learning.
Collaborative spaces – where teachers can set up spaces for projects to happen with other students in the school or with other classes across the state system – a chance to learn with others beyond the four walls of the classroom.
Learner profiles – student will be able to see their own progress and learning plans and tasks. Teachers will be able to view their students’ profiles and parents will be able to access their own child’s profile over the course of their schooling in the state system. All this will be fully secured.
Web 2.0 – blogs, wikis, video conferencing, forums and instant messaging look to be part of the Ultranet too.
What I am not sure about yet -
Access to the www and possible Internet restrictions through the Ultranet.
Its ability to keep up to date with the rapid changes in technology in order to sustain interest and relevance for our students and teachers.
How global partnerships will be supported in this environment?
Ultimately, I see the goal for our schools will be to create richer learning environments for the students that allows them to be at ‘the centre’ of a connected network. I think there are exciting times ahead.
Increasingly these days, conversations about student learning, ICT and Professional Learning, have some references to social media. Whether it is about designing more engaging learning opportunities for students to connect and collaborate with other students, or for teachers to access professional learning when and where it is most convenient and purposeful, social media is on the agenda. Gary Hayes’ Social Media Count is a great visual tool depicting this rapid trend. For me it just brings home how pervasive social media is and how worthwhile it is for us, as educators, to embrace these technologies.
A couple of posts ago I reflected on three themes – CREATE, COMMUNICATE & COLLABORATE. I like the way the Wollongong Catholic Education Office have captures this in a clean and simple presentation.
Our cat has been with us now for nearly 10 years. He is a lovely cat and full of personality. He was taken to emergency care last weekend after he came home damaged from a fight with another cat. He has used up so many of his lives and has become quite a regular visitor to the Vet. He is well again..until next time!
Whilst looking for a new photo to use for one of my avatars, i came across a way to blog from Flickr straight to my blog.
Just for fun I have decided to use a photo of my dog. He is cute, naughty, hairy but very lovable. I swear he thinks he is human, or is it that I treat him like a human (child)!!
Anyway, thought I would test this out and perhaps use it in a different way next time.
This week I was lucky enough to be invited to present at the Lynbrook PS ICT Conference. This was the second conference of its sort held at the primary school. I didn’t get to attend last year but this year I did as a presenter and a participant.
The day began with a live meet up with Marco Torres from US via iChat. Three main points that Marco made were – Think Big, Think Bold and Think Ahead. There’s a lot to be said about this as often we go gently, gently.
What I liked about this conference was that it was held on a school day. It was lovely to see real teachers (and students) presenting in a school using real examples of student work. From a list of many sessions I was able to attend one on Blogs and Wikis and one on SuperClubPlus. Both were informative and practical. There were many other sessions which also wish I had had the chance to attend. Lucy Barrow has taken some photos of the day here.
When I look back to my blogging efforts last year, I was learning so much so quickly. I could barely take in one exciting new tool or new concept before tackling a new one. This continued for me throughout the year and I was able to learn and grow as an educator through a dedicated network of teachers, mostly who I had met online. Exciting times alright!
This year has certainly taken a different slant. Home and work have certainly dished up some new challenges. For those who follow me on Twitter would know I have changed jobs, so no longer an Ultranet Coach, but now Assistant Principal (ICT & Student Learning) at a brand new P-12 college that has just opened this year. This has been an amazing journey which will no doubt form the basis of many future posts.
Also those who follow me on Twitter will have heard about the trials and tribulations of our house renovation and extension. There are so many wonderful outcomes of the project but there have also been many difficulties. We are still hopeful that these difficulties will be resolved so that we can enjoy our new spaces.
After a full four months of not posting to my blog, I think it is time to return
It’s been a year since I started keeping a blog and I have been tagged on a couple occasions. This time I have been tagged by a fairly new addition to my PLN, mrrobbo, a year long colleague, Anne Mirtschin, and Lee Mowbray, another Australian blogger.
The idea behind this meme is to find out a little more about people in your network. So here are my 7 things you don’t need to know about me!!
1. I love open spaces and the feeling of freedom. That’s why my new extension has the indoor/outdoor feel about it. In fact the outdoors have been flying and slinking their way in the last couple of days – a bird and a lizard have made their way in.
2. I have two sisters, two daughters, three nieces, and two male pets!
3. I won the Minnie Mouse Award in Year 11 because I was so quiet in class. I’m still fairly shy but have pushed myself with the career moves I have made through teaching, presenting at conferences and running adult learning workshops.
4. I won the Outstanding Primary Teacher of the Year Award in 2006, which is something I am very proud of.
5. I used to sell children’s clothing in the 1990s whilst my girls were young. I managed to go on three Club Med trips based on my sales. During one trip to Vanuatu I successfully completed a trapeze upside down swing and catch!! Seriously!!
6. During my college years my friends and I traveled to Tathra, NSW for our end of year vacation. I got to meet Michael Hutchence of INXS in the local newsagency.
7. My hubby and I married in Fiji in 2004. My daughters were the bridesmaids and only guests We were all dressed in white (beige pants for hubby) and in bare feet. The ceremony was in the gardens of the resort and we had the village choir for our background music.
Today is Christmas day and a time to be with the family. As we often do, we went to my parents’ home to celebrate. My parents could be described as typical Macedonian village folk who migrated to Australia in the 1950s. Their home is complemented with a vegie garden and fruit trees in the backyard. They take particular pride in their garden and we, as their children, often reap the benefits with tomatoes, onions, lettuces of different varieties, pumpkins and peppers. Photo of backyard
Being such a major part of their lifestyle, my father has even set up a rig to frighten away birds if they come too close to the garden. It is a rope that stretches across the yard from the kitchen to the back of the yard. He has attached cans, cloths etc to it so when he pulls at it, it creates movement and noise. This scares away the birds from eating the fruit and vegies.
Today I was alerted to an ad on TV for the Woolworths/Safeway campaign that my brother in-law created. And here are my mum and dad recreated! -
Earlier this year I wrote a couple of posts about developing a PLN (Professional Learning Network), and just last week I presented at the VITTA Conference about ‘The Power of the online PLN’. It was very much a reflection of how I had developed my own network over the year as a direct result of me needing to learn more about new technologies and online tools for learning, for my role as an Ultranet Coach.
The talk I gave highlighted four key tools that got me connected -
Now I am moving into a new role, that of Assistant Principal for a new college (currently undergoing a name change) with a focus on ICT and Student Learning for the 21st Century. With this in mind I am planning on developing learning programs that exploit networking tools and new technologies.
Our students are widely connected in their own lives and would benefit from having similar networks cultivated for their learning to become richer and more meaningful.
Only last week a colleague, Stony River, sent me a link to a great video called “The Networked Student”. I think it is great video that will help me promote this style of learning to my staff, students and parents.
