me.edu.au

Two snippets of news in The Australian today: NSW government schools getting computers under the NSSCP will have to get laptops. And NSW 1.5 million students are going to get a special version of Gmail as their mail service.

My blog post says this in a bit more detail, but isn't there a lack of appreciation that this initiative by the federal government a very good thing? (see links) Lack of computers has been a really major factor in not getting the benefits that the digital revolution promised for the last 15 years. It would be nice if we could focus more on the opportunities rather than the barriers.

The first round of schools has been approach to apply under the National Secondary Schools Computer Fund NSSCF by April 4th. The funds are only for computers (until the school reaches the 1:2 ratio) and schools or systems are responsible for networking, ISP, furniture, etc etc. So there will be substantial demands on school funds. Schools need a Strategic Plan and details of what is planned by April 4. What are the options, best approaches? One significant system has decreed that no desktop computers can be purchased under the scheme!

The Julia Gillard interview [links] is interesting from a couple of points of view. 1, that the media are picking up on the notion of "your promised a computer for every kid" and 2. that she seems to be saying "yes, but the specifics of how it happens is up to the school"

I've just put up a blog post where I've pointed people to the Digital revolution website and talked about what I see as some of the issues. http://url.edna.edu.au/j4Vt I think there are elements, in school infrastucture for example, that the funding round won't address. You might like to add comments to my blog.

Did you know that the Education Tax Rebate for school students (for computers) will cost more than double the $1bil allocated for secondary school computers? This is the dark horse of the new government plans, providing a 50% rebate for computer related expenses and text books. This will make a home computer or an additional one for students very affordable. A family with one secondary and one primary child will get up to $1,125 a year. It is a rebate, not tax deductible, which means that low income families get the same benefit as high income ones. Presumably this will mean that a high proportion of students will have a home computer in a year or two. (Families will get their refund from July 2009)

Just listened to an overview of the progress of the Smart Classrooms strategy in Queensland government schools, presented by Dr Richard Eden (Assistant Director-General, Strategic Information and Technologies). Some promising initiatives. It would be great to learn from QLD teachers about implementation issues.

Early announcements about the secondary school computers program indicate that by July $100m will be allocated to schools with the highest need and which indicate 'readiness' to benefit. The grants are likely to be substantial and continue over several years. I wonder what directions schools my go in applying them? One could obviously create a couple more computer rooms and just increase overall student access this way, but there are a multitude of possibilities: develop particular faculty classrooms, focus on a particular year level, focus on portable devices or mobile ones. I would be very interested to hear what the options might be.

Staff in Australia's Schools survey A landmark education survey released today highlights the urgent need to implement the Rudd Government's Education Revolution and ensure every secondary school student can participate effectively in a digital world. http://mediacentre.dewr.gov.au/mediacentre/MinisterGillard/Releases/StaffinAustraliasSchoolssurvey.htm

One Laptop Per Child dead? Not according to an interesting item in the reputable 'O'Reilly Radar' [see links]. This issue may well be relevant to this Community. As the writer says..."But what does "fail" mean in the market OLPC is trying to serve? Regardless of whether it's the XO laptop, Intel's Classmate, Pixel Qi, or some other endeavor, it's now far more likely that ultra-low-cost PCs are going to be made available in quantity for a developing world that needs them. (It needs clean water and vaccines more, of course, but it needs inexpensive and efficient IT as well.) And, most important, even if the XO laptop fails in the marketplace, none of this activity -- commercial and otherwise -- would have happened without the breakthrough OLPC project to start it."