Lynley Clark's blog
Well that break went by quickly! Planning for the year ahead is well underway. As a sort of new years resolution I decided to write down things that I would like to achieve this year. They include the following:
- Blog more - This lead to a colleague of mine (Alison Hall) showing me a challenge that she had found on Flickr with the tag 2009/365photos. The aim of the project is to take a photo a day for 2009 which I will post to Flickr and then blog about on Blogger - http://yearlyfocus.blogspot.com/. It seems like a great and way to create a daily journal by simply using my mobile phone camera.
- Subscribe to more blogs - already found Kathy Schrocks and the Teaching Challenge blog by Penny Ryder with some great links.
- Discover more Web 2.0 tools for teachers to use and be wowed by! http://www.go2web20.net/
- Increase my edna groups/moodle knowledge - I've subscribed to Moodle.Org RSS feeds to keep up to date.
- Be active in eLearning! I've started to plan a course for 'Newbies' to undertake through edna groups which will encourage connecting with others, blogging, web 2.0 tools to use in the classroom, using google tools, and many other ideas. Stay tuned for more on this later!
Tags:
planning
planning and managing programs
preparation
Posted at 09:41AM Jan 09, 2009
by Lynley Clark |
Comments[0]
Wouldn't it be nice to say, 'we are winding down for the year.' When you are working for edna this is not the case. As the year comes to an end the Information Officers and Professional Learning teams are working hard planning for the New Year.
We are well underway with our planning of workshops which will be presented in each state by June 2009. New tools are currently being created and will be implemented to me.edu.au in 2009. Work is still to be carried out in groups with new modules being investigated and help documentation and video content to be updated and produced. Plus the other team in edna is working hard on other projects related to useability and functionality of edna.
So what have I learnt this year. Wow! I started the year out as the Schools Information Officer for edna and was lucky enough to secure a promotion to the Assistant Manager of Professional Learning and Online Communities. In this role I am part of a team of professionals who coordinate training and development in ICT's as well as using edna's tools such as edna lists, edna groups (moodle) and me.edu.au. The Professional learning support desk responds to approximately 300 enquiries a month related to edna tools such as groups, lists and me.edu.au. This figure doesn't include the general enquires that edna receives.
I've also learnt that I need to learn a lot more! I know a heck of a lot more about moodle (thank you colleagues); I've learnt a lot about the ups and downs of management. I've learnt more about Wimba Tools such as Live Classroom, Voiceboard, a bit more about ePortfolios, increased my knowledge of social networking and started blogging (in a small way.) I've increased my knowledge of project management from proposals to implementation and increased my knowledge of technical jargon, thanks to the technical team at Education.au!
Probably the most important thing I have learnt is that you never ever stop learning!
Merry Christmas to you all...looking forward to a busy New year.
Tags:
2008
wrap up
Posted at 12:32PM Dec 10, 2008
by Lynley Clark |
Comments[2]
I'm personally not a prolific blogger. I find it a little confronting to write and expect anyone to read it. I worry that some might not agree with what I have to say and I'm really not sure that what I have to say is worth reading. I'm yet to be swayed to this type of communication media and have wondered why some people love writing, subscribing and reading others blogs and I don't. Is it dependant on personality type or have I hit the nail on the head when I say I'm worried that my ramblings might be confronted by someone?
This is really not what I wanted to discuss today although I suppose in some ways it is related. What I really wanted to discuss was the notion of 'tone' when we write for an audience. I believe that like other forms of writing digitally we need to consider the tone in which we write blogs. How often have you received an email that you could have taken offence to? The same goes for this writing forum as well. Sometimes blogs that I have read have come accross as authoriative and probably without meaning to, they can offend.
Blogs can be a great way to open up a discussion, but I think we always need to consider the tone we take. and we need to teach students how to write in a clear but not abrupt way.
So what are some of the most important things to consider when communicating using blogs? Common and you would think basic ettiquette would suggest avoiding using inflamatory remarks. Always be polite and don't say anything in a blog that you wouldn't say to someone personally. A smily face at the end of a sentence doesn't necessarily take the sting out of your words!
For instance you could say "my understanding is...." rather
than a blatant "you are wrong" statement.
Being authoriative and confrontational about an issue I don't
feel lends itself to a good learning outcome. Telling someone in a
public place like a blog that they are wrong or that their actions
are, can be very damaging to someone's confidence and I feel a softer
approach would achieve a better outcome. Maybe a personal email
in the first instance, followed up with a blog response to the group
in a tone that is conducive to a discussion rather than a debate.
Tags:
bloggin
blogs
blogger
Posted at 03:48PM Oct 13, 2008
by Lynley Clark |
Comments[2]
Update
The upgrade of edna groups to moodle version 1.9.1 occured on the 13th & 14th September. Although the upgrade itself was successful, we are also aware of a few issues that we are trying to resolve. Thank you for your patience.
Lynley
Tags:
moodle 1.9.1
groups upgrade
moodle
edna groups
Posted at 09:38AM Sep 16, 2008
by Lynley Clark |
Comments[0]
With nervous anticipation edna prepares to upgrade edna groups to moodle 1.9.2.
On the 12th and 13th September
while the upgrade is taking pladce owners and users of edna groups can
expect a site outage. During this time it may be possible to access
your Group, but unlikely that you will be able to contribute to forums etc.
This upgrade will apply to all 1500 groups which currently
accommodate 20,000 members.
We apologise for any inconvenience that this might cause, but are excited about the opportunities the upgrade will allow. Including the introduction of Live Classroom! Stay tuned.
Lynley
Tags:
bloggingcorner08
edna groups
groups
moodle
Posted at 07:34PM Sep 10, 2008
by Lynley Clark |
It's been a while since I have had time to write a blog post. The team here at edna are currently upgrading edna Groups to moodle 1.9 and we have been busy testing and retesting to ensure a smooth transfer in a few weeks time.
We have a new Schools Information Officer Janette Carter, who will be writing and publishing the schools newsletter now.
The last newsletter published was themed National Threatened Species Day (7th September) and includes some great links to resources on an edna theme page
http://www.edna.edu.au/edna/go/schooled/school_theme_pages/pid/2518Some dates to include in your diaries are;
Paralympic Games 6 September 08
Roald Dahl Day, 13 September 08
Diabetes Buzz Day, 19 September 08
and Clean up the World Weekend, 19 September 08
You might also be interested to know that edna has been investigating Wimba Live Classroom and will be conducting more online workshops in the near future. http://www.edna.edu.au/edna/go/networks/workshops/pid/2730
A few of us will also be presenting at the ACEC conference in Canberra from the 29 September. It would be great to see you at our stand.
Tags:
edna school new
school education news
newsletter
news
Posted at 12:37PM Sep 04, 2008
by Lynley Clark |
Comments[1]
2008 Beijing Olympics
The Olympic games are an International Sporting event that happens every leap year. Originating from Olympia in Greece in 776 BC the Olympic games is now a multi-sport event divided into Summer, Winter and the Paralympics. edna has compiled a collection of resources including information about the games in ancient times, the Australian Olympic team, the sports involved and lesson plans etc. It is available from http://www.edna.edu.au/edna/go/schooled/school_theme_pages/pid/2401
Upcoming dates of interest include;
Wee Week, 20 July 2008
http://url.edna.edu.au/rcrZ
System Administrator Appreciation Day, 25 July 2008
http://url.edna.edu.au/2SkA
National Tree Day, 27 July 2008
http://url.edna.edu.au/vnKc
International Clown Week, 1 August 08
http://url.edna.edu.au/WVmR
Dental Health Week, 4 August 08
http://url.edna.edu.au/6aG2
Opportunities
National food safety week 2008
http://www.foodsafety.asn.au
The theme for National Food Safety Week 2008 is Food Adventures
- New Foods, New Techniques. The week will take place from 9 to 16
November. For those of you wishing to organise activities during this
time, a variety of resources will be available. An order form is
available by contacting Juliana Madden at the Food Safety Information
Council via email: foodsafety@ozemail.com.au.
Wonder School - Get new sports equipment for your school!
http://www.wonderschool.com.au/
Wonder
School encourages Australian primary school kids and their families to
eat well and get active. Wonder consumers can help their local primary
school redeem sports equipment just by collecting specially marked
empty Wonder bread bags from 1 July to 30 September 2008. Registration
is free!
Online Project
OzProject - Beijing 2008http://www.ozprojects.edu.au/course/view.php?id=20
Beijing 2008- an Olympic OzProject is now available for student enrolment and participation. This online project has interactive activities for students from all levels of schooling. Many activities are suitable for use on an interactive whiteboard. Use interactive maps to find out about China and Beijing and the route of the Olympic torch relay. Research an athlete and compare past and present Olympic achievements. Take part in online forum discussions about the Olympic Games and learn another language using the Language Phrases Calendar. There is also a link to a fascinating Olympic adventure game online - The Lost Ring. Up to date Olympic news from the Australian Olympic Committee and latest news about the Olympic Torch Relay is also constantly updated in the project via RSS feed. The project allows guest access at http://www.ozprojects.edu.au/course/view.php?id=20 , however to participate fully in all the activities enrolment in the project is essential. Enrolment details are available from the Support Materials block at http://www.ozprojects.edu.au/ . For further assistance contact Cecily Wright at cwright@educationau.edu.au or by phone: 08 83343288.
Have a good week........Lynley
Tags:
olympics
news
school education new
Posted at 12:26PM Jul 16, 2008
by Lynley Clark |
The last newsletter for the school sector was related to Drug Education. Below are links to resources in the edna database on this topic.
These resources are timely with recent media attention
on Binge Drinking and the upcoming International Day of International Day
against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, 26 June 2008
Also featured in this newsletter was a collection of resources for use with Interactive Whiteboards.
This theme page can be found at http://www.edna.edu.au/edna/go/schooled/school_theme_pages/pid/544
I hope you find the above collection useful for use in your classroom.
Regards........Lynley Clark
Tags:
drug education
alcohol education
Posted at 12:10PM Jun 25, 2008
by Lynley Clark |
News items added to the School sector of edna in the last week are listed below.
NSW schools choose Gmail over
Outlook
The New South Wales Department of Education
and Training will issue its 1.3 million school students with Gmail
accounts instead of using the more traditional Outlook.
School scraps subjects for themes
An
English school has abandoned the national curriculum for its year
7s, in favour of what it calls a 'foundation year'. With the
exception of languages and PE all subjects have been replaced
with themes.
Teacher's joy, a lifetime of
giving
Beverley Cook is Victoria's oldest primary school
teacher at 82. She is being nominated for a Pride of Australia role
model award by the Swifts Creek Primary school's principal, Ros Mudge.
Queensland schools to have solar
panels
Queensland Premier Anna Bligh has promised to
install solar panels on every state school roof.
Early Bird and Group Registration to ACEC 2008
extended
The early bird discounted registration for the
bi-annual Australian Computers in Education Conference has been
extended until 25 July 08.
Creative Economy Online
Teacher
librarians need to be at the forefront of curriculum change within
their schools. In their role as information specialists they are
well placed to facilitate the shift to a critical thinking, ICT
and personal learning framework such as that required by the new
Victorian Essential Learning Standards.
Survey shows digital woes for
teachers
Teachers want more training, technology and
support to take full advantage of the digital revolution sweeping
through the education sector, a survey has found.
Staffing in NSW public
schools - Vodcast
Principals online say schools will
benefit from new staffing procedures. A range of secondary,
primary and central schools principals explain how the new
staffing procedures will benefit schools.
Enviro Inspiro!
The
NSW Student Representative Council (NSW SRC) invites any team of
students (or Student Action Team) from a NSW government secondary
school to enter and be in the running to win great prizes.
WA Education Workforce
Initiatives Report
The Twomey report entitled 'If you
think education is expensive' has been released in Western
Australia. The Ministerial Taskforce: Education Workforce
Initiatives, was developed in response to the progressive decline
in the number of teachers available to work in WA. Extensive
recommendations cover remuneration, leadership and mentoring,
flexible learning, housing, vocational education and training,
workload, and career progression.
More next week!
Tags:
school news
headline
new
Posted at 11:52AM Jun 25, 2008
by Lynley Clark |
News items added to the School sector of edna in the last week are listed below.
National Enrol to Vote Week
http://www.enroltovoteweek.com.au/
Digital Education Revolution: Round One
http://url.edna.edu.au/t54s
WA education project wins international gold
http://url.edna.edu.au/CEUD
Take part in World Environment Day
http://efs.tki.org.nz/wed
Teaching for the digital age
http://url.edna.edu.au/fxhD
Push for home budgeting on curriculum
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/06/05/2265693.htm
edna newsletters keep up to date
edna publishes several free
newsletters for different audiences in the education and
training community. Choose from: Early Childhood News, edna for
schools, Higher Education Update, The Communicator, The Networker,
VET and ACE e-news.
http://www.edna.edu.au/edna/go/news/newsletters
Tags:
school news
headlines
australian education new
Posted at 10:34AM Jun 16, 2008
by Lynley Clark |
About Me
Alison Colbeck
Alison Hall
Al Upton
Andrew Williams
askedna edna
Chris Betcher
Belinda Spry
Barbara Tibbits
Carolyn Papworth
Cecily Wright
Concetta Gotlieb
Caroline Jasper
Alan Levine
Debbie Evans
Erika Dauner
Fiona Banjer
Frankie Forsyth
Gemma Mayfield
Pia Waugh
Harriet Wakelam