School Tech News Archive

Chalk 'n' Talk Cup - Registrations now open

(Friday 30th November 2007)
The annual Illawarra Teachers Golf day has been moved to 24th January 2008, due to the last day of the 2007 school year being so close to Christmas. The competition will be a 4 person ambrose, with rules similar to the Holden Scramble. Register on-line now.

Asus' Eee PC - The Disposable Computer? (SMH)

(Wednesday 28th November 2007)
"As of December 1 you'll be able to buy Asus' Eee PC baby notebook from Myer...... Weighing in at 920 grams, with a 7 inch display, the Eee PC would seem the perfect 'gadget on the go' for some people - assuming they've got small fingers. Just don't ask what's under the bonnet."

Paparazzi (Mac)

(Wednesday 28th November 2007)
Ever needed to make a screenshot of a web page for displaying on a classroom wall or noticeboard, but can't scroll to capture the entire page? Or the print-to-pdf option doesn't accurately reproduce the CSS page layout? Just enter a web address into Paparazzi and it captures the entire page - you can choose to save it as a pdf, jpg, etc.

Labor MPs Go Back to School (SMH)

(Tuesday 27th November 2007)
Federal Labor MPs will be visiting schools over the next two days to discuss with principals, teachers and students Labor's policies to put a computer on the desk of every secondary student in years 9 to 12. The new Labor government would carry out an extensive tendering process next year to select companies to supply the new computers and internet connections. "It is important that we get to work on this straight away."

Bento Preview (Mac)

(Tuesday 27th November 2007)
Filemaker has released a preview version of it's new personal database software. Looks very much like iWork, and requires Mac OS X 10.5. The full version will be released in January 2008. Approximately $50 US. Read the macnn first-look review.

Labor's School ICT Policy

(Monday 26th November 2007)
The recently elected Labor Government's National Secondary School Computer Fund provides funding for a school computer for every Australian school student in years 9-12. Individual secondary schools will be able to apply for capital grants of up to $1 million to acquire new ICT resources, or upgrade existing resources.

Australia Votes 2007

(Monday 26th November 2007)
ABC's election site - all the latest news from each seat in Saturday's election. Excellent research resource for students, in a variety of KLAs.

NSW DET to Replace E-mail System

(Friday 23rd November 2007)
The NSW DET has flagged plans to replace the email system currently used to provide email services to 1.2 milion students across the state. (Financial Review)

Library Enquiry for DET School Intranets

(Friday 23rd November 2007)
The NSW DET has provided a facility to search your school's Library records using a web browser. This search can be made from any computer on the school's network, rather than directly from a dedicated "enquiry terminal" in the school Library.

CAP Online Research Modules

(Thursday 22nd November 2007)
These research modules provide easy, guided access to Internet research for students and teachers. Each module is designed so that students are encouraged to not merely gather information but to select, analyse, organise and use information to provide creative answers or solutions to set questions or situations. Developed by the NSW DET Country Area Program.

Finn Cragg Animation Resources

(Wednesday 21st November 2007)
Wonderful animation resources that can be used to support English and Literacy, Media Analysis and Production, Texts, Traditions and Cultures, The Arts, Visual Arts, Visual Communication Design, Attitudes, Values and Beliefs, etc. Can be deconstructed and used in conjunction with iMovie, MovieMaker, Comic Life, Powerpoint, KeyNote, etc, etc.

Australia Votes 2007

(Monday 19th November 2007)
ABC's election site - latest election-related news, Antony Green's election guide, Pollie Tracker, blogs, forums, video on demand, Senate and House of Reps calculators and pendulums, Electorate Finder, etc. Enter your postcode to read some interesting history and trivia about your local electorate, as well as the effect of recent redistributions.

PCs Being Pushed Aside in Japan

(Monday 19th November 2007)
"The PC's role in Japanese homes is diminishing, as its once-awesome monopoly on processing power is encroached by gadgets such as smart phones that act like pocket-size computers, advanced Internet-connected game consoles, and digital video recorders with terabytes of memory." (Yahoo News)

Tony Abbott on Industrial Relations

(Friday 16th November 2007)
According to Tony Abbott (in a candid moment) Workchoices does not offer the same industrial protections that we had under the Industrial Relations Tribunal, and the best option for your IR protection is to quit your job!

A Computer for Every Senior Student? (mp3 - 12Mb)

(Friday 16th November 2007)
The Labor Party has promised to fund a computer for every student in Years 9-12, if they win the upcoming federal election. Hear what Julia Gillard has to say about this initiative, and how it might be implemented, in this Triple J podcast (This particular issue is discussed 12 mins into the interview). See also Labor's media release about this initiative.

Which Version of Server Admin? (Mac OS X Server)

(Friday 16th November 2007)
10.5 server admin tools or 10.4.11 server admin tools? When administering a Mac OS X Server from another Mac OS X computer, this document lists the compatible combinations of admin tools and system software.

ASTD 2007 - Now to make it all happen!

(Thursday 15th November 2007)
Some inspiring presentations yesterday, filling all our heads with stacks of interesting and innovative ideas! We have the tools, we have the ideas, now we just need the time to try it all out! Photos from ASTD 2007 now online.

New DET School Purchasing Guidelines

(Thursday 15th November 2007)
New NSW Govt procurement regulations mean that all DET schools must use State Contracts Control Board whole-of-government contracts, irrespective of the source of funds, where they are available when procuring goods and services. The exemption for best value purchases up to $1,500 in rural areas is still maintained.

How Everyday Things Are Made

(Thursday 15th November 2007)
If you've ever wondered how things are made - products like candy, cars, airplanes, or bottles - or if you've been interested in manufacturing processes, like forging, casting, or injection molding, then you've come to the right place. Some really interesting videos - presented by Stanford University.

Google Releases Android

(Wednesday 14th November 2007)
Checkout this video of prototypes of phones using Google's Android operating system, recently released for developers to begin writing programs for it's upcoming gPhone.

Crossing the Ditch

(Wednesday 14th November 2007)
James Castrission and Justin Jones set off yesterday to kayak 2200km across the Tasman Sea, from Australia to New Zealand. If successful, it will be the first ever crossing and the longest two man kayak expedition ever undertaken. The position of the kayak is charted on a map on this site, automatically updated every 10 minutes.

Comic Life - Now for Mac & Win

(Tuesday 13th November 2007)
The award-winning Comic Life is now available for both Macintosh and Windows. The latest update brings a range of new features and improvements, including the multiple tails per balloon, multiple images within the same panel, visual previewing of styles, plus much more. See also: How to use Comic Life in the Classroom.

Comic Life Deluxe - DET School Site License (DET Intranet access only)

(Tuesday 13th November 2007)
The DET Sydney Region have negotiated a site license for Comic Life Deluxe, for NSW DET schools. Mac & Win. An order form is available at the site.

National Computer Science School

(Tuesday 13th November 2007)
The National Computer Science School brings together talented young people for an intensive week of computer programming, web design and related activities in the School of Information Technologies at The University of Sydney, during the upcoming summer holidays.

Web 2.0 Workshop

(Monday 12th November 2007)
This online Atomic Learning workshop is free until the end of November. Learn all about blogs, wikis, podcasts, social networking, RSS, and tagging. No registration required.

Fun, sure, but it's time to face facts (SMH)

(Monday 12th November 2007)
"For the most part, Facebook is a diverting if fairly meaningless way to waste time. Applications made by third-party suppliers allow Facebook to precisely target the interests of its users."

Retrieving Sentral Data Backup (pdf - 524k)

(Monday 12th November 2007)
Information about how to retrieve data that has been backed-up from your OSX Server to a Sentral server, using Gprotect.

Kansas City School District Launches Laptop Program

(Thursday 8th November 2007)
Kansas City School District will lease 5000 laptop computers - one for each high school student in the district. Principals in the district believe that the Laptops for Learning project will better prepare students for their tertiary studies. (See also previous info about Indiana schools switching to Linux.)

Leopard Server v Windows Server (ComputerWorld)

(Thursday 8th November 2007)
A quiet read for the tech-heads! Compares the services offered by the two platforms, and their relative suitability in a number of different environments.

ThatQuiz

(Monday 5th November 2007)
Register at this site to design your own online maths homework quizes, or use the prepared graded exams. The site even marks your students' work and reports the results to you!

Internet4Classrooms

(Friday 2nd November 2007)
US site with links to a wide variety of curriculum-related web sites. Organised in Grade levels.

FunBrain

(Thursday 1st November 2007)
Stacks of games and activities to support numeracy and literacy.

MacEd Listserv

(Thursday 1st November 2007)
The MacEd listserv is a popular Australian mailing list supporting the use of Macintosh computers in an educational environment. The mail server hosting MacEd crashed a couple of weeks ago, and many regular subscribers' contact information has been lost. If you have noticed that you have not been receiving any posts from the list recently you will need to re-subscribe.