Dear Colleagues,

The Learning Technology team invite you over the next two terms to participate in our exciting discovery program, Learning 2.0.

Learning 2.0 is a simple and fun way to discover more about the wide array of Web 2.0 or “read-write web” tools now available on the Internet. Don’t know what Web 2.0 tools are? No idea how to use them? Then Learning 2.0 is for you.

As a special incentive, St. Michael’s staff who complete all ten activities in Learning 2.0 will earn for their class an mp3 player with built-in
voice recorder. This also applies to non-teaching staff – teachers’ aides,
for example, could still make use of one in their work with children.

Learning 2.0 officially launches next Monday, 30 April. Take the time from Monday onwards to look at the first activity, then get started on Activity 2 when it’s up and running and get yourself registered. Remember that you have two whole terms to complete ten simple activities, so you have plenty of time to get involved and complete the activities.

Go to the Learning 2.0 website and find out more: http://stmbtech.pbwiki.com/Learning-2

This term, Multimedia Monday sessions will be open-library sessions. The library will be open, and Robert and Judy will be on hand to provide support to people who need advice with their Learning 2.0 activity, wherever they’re up to.

We invite you to participate in Learning 2.0, and use the library computers on Monday afternoons to complete your activities. That way, you also have your colleagues around to share ideas and ask questions.

The library will be open for Learning 2.0 business on the following Multimedia Mondays:

30 April (Week 2) – take this chance to learn about Learning 2.0 and complete Activity 1

7 May (Week 3)

21 May (Week 5)

28 May (Week 6)

Week 4 is not included as it is a Staff Development Day.

 
We look forward to you joining us on the Learning 2.0 journey.

With less than 24 hours to the start of term two, here’s a quick update on what we have planned for staff professional learning in technology this term.

Learning 2.0 will be a self-discovery program open to all staff to explore the world of Web 2.0 and the many tools that form a part of it.  Over the course of this term and the next, you will be invited to complete a collection of simple tasks that introduce you to the world of Web 2.0, or what is also dubbed “the read-write web”.

Multimedia Monday sessions will essentially provide staff with an “open library” with the computers, the time and the support from colleagues to complete your activities.  There will also be incentive to complete the project, so make sure you stay tuned.

When Learning 2.0 gets up and running, you will find all the information you’ll need to get through it on Technowiki – that’s right, we now have a Learning Technology wiki as well as a blog. 

We’ve decided to set up Technowiki using the pbwiki service.  Like some other providers they provide free wikis, but are also now providing ad-free wikis for educators.  I have looked at, and even used other wikis, but am now giving pbwiki a go because their site look and feel is a little more appealing, without sacrificing any ease of use.  This is something you could definitely get your class into using.  Perhaps after learning a little bit more about wikis in Learning 2.0 you’ll have the confidence to give it a go.  You can find out more about pbwiki at their site – just click on the logo below.

Hi everyone.  I hope everyone is having a good Easter holiday.

I know it is holidays, but I’m just writing a quick post as I didn’t get time to update people before the term ended on our progress with our IWB setup.

Finally, we have a projector.  Nathan and I reviewed all the paperwork that was piled up on my desk to decide on the BenQ MP721c data projector.  Looking at the criteria from our last projector post, here are the features that got it across the line.

• Lumens: 2200 of them.  That should make for some bright images in our classrooms
• Resolution: XGA.  If we wanted to save more money, SVGA could have sufficed, but it would have been almost impossible to discern detailed images from the back of the room
• Noise: only 28 dB (24 in eco mode).  Most products in this price range are over 30 dB
• Lamp Price: mid-range.  Fairly standard for projector lamps, and often vary from supplier to supplier.  Given this projector was ahead in all other categories, this was not going to rule it out
• Projector Price: the standard price was highly competitive against other brands
• Overall, we had been happy with the BenQ we bought in 2004, so we had our own brand recommendation.

Finally, after making the decision, we had to get a good price from one of the many suppliers out there.  If you’re from another school and ever need to do this, I can’t over-emphasise the need to shop around!  We made enquiries with 5 suppliers, got back quotes from 3, pushed another 2 and searched the net for suppliers to make sure we were getting a good deal.  Even dangling the carrot of wanting 9 projectors wasn’t enough to push some “business and education” suppliers below some Internet prices for 1.  Fortunately, Nathan again got on the phone and got a really great deal from Queensland-based Direct National, who we bought our last BenQ from.  My best advice is to search the net for prices to learn what you should be expecting to pay.

So now, with the first term ended, we have:

• Ordered our 8 new ActivBoards (our Year 1 classes are also getting the new ActivWand to help with reaching the top of the board)
• Ordered our 8 projectors
• Arranged for an installer to visit our classrooms during the holidays to prepare a formal quote
• Requested quotes for sound equipment to support the full multimedia capabilities of the technology

So we’re well on track.  We should have things up and running in Term 2.  Once we know for certain all our expenses in setting up these rooms, then we can look at buying our extra computers!