School Tech News Archive

State May Scuttle Computers-in-Schools Deal

(Monday 30th June 2008)
The federal government has been embarrassed by revelations that it was advised to make a $245 million secret deal with NSW to avoid "a big political problem" and secure support for its election promise to give computers to high school students. (SMH)

Tuxpaint Aussie Stamps

(Friday 27th June 2008)
A collection of stamps and other resources for Tuxpaint, for use in Australian schools. Includes Australian coins, bank notes, signs, animals, plants, state flags, etc.

SAM Animation (Mac, Win)

(Thursday 26th June 2008)
Stop-motion software designed to give students an alternative expressive medium for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education, allowing them to match their learning styles to the way they present and communicate ideas. (Thanks to Wendy at Mt Terry PS for this discovery!) See also Wazza's Video Utilities for links to other stop-motion software.

Easy iWeb Publisher (Mac)

(Wednesday 25th June 2008)
Recently updated - provides quick and easy uploading of iWeb sites to a non-dot-mac web host. Set your preferences to update only those pages that have changed.

NSW DET Students Move to Gmail

(Tuesday 24th June 2008)
The NSW DET will move 1.5 million student email services to a customised version of Google's Gmail service, increasing student email storage to 6GB. NSW teachers will be moved to the DET's corporate e-mail system rather than being allocated Gmail accounts. (Australian IT)

iMovie 08 & QuickTime Video Effects

(Tuesday 24th June 2008)
Where the new iMovie 08's powers fall short in the video effects department, the built-in Mac OS X QuickTime features take up the slack.

Cost Shock Puts School PCs at Risk

(Monday 23rd June 2008)
A brawl is brewing between the NSW and Federal governments over the Federal Digital Education Revolution program, risking the roll-out of thousands of computers to NSW schools. States are warning the Federal Government that it's pledge to spend $1.2billion on computers for schools could cost the states up to four times that to implement. (Kerry-Anne Walsh)

Google Docs Offline

(Friday 20th June 2008)
Google Docs provides an online Web 2.0 Office suite. You can now access Google Docs offline, with your edited Docs syncing when you are next online. See also: Introductory Video (YouTube). (Think - iPhone, Netbook, etc).

NSWCC Wiki

(Friday 20th June 2008)
Information and guides supporting the role of Computer Co-Ordinator within a NSW Department of Education School.

Low Marks for Computers in Schools

(Thursday 19th June 2008)
"The digital education revolution remains a long way off, with a report suggesting the use of computers in schools is limited, largely ineffective and teachers are sceptical about their application. ... Professor Pegg said many schools were still teaching computer skills rather than using computers as a teaching tool." (Australian IT)

280 Slides

(Tuesday 17th June 2008)
Online applications are rapidly becoming more polished and sophisticated. This presentation software is worth checking out to see where the game is up to. Can you see a place for applications like this in a K-12 environment - senior "netbook" laptops maybe?

Firefox 3 to be Released Tomorrow

(Monday 16th June 2008)
A new version of the Firefox web browser is scheduled for release on Tuesday 17th June (US time), with "improvements in security, speed and design".

Dear 'Me'....

(Friday 13th June 2008)
The apparently deceptive behaviour of the NSW Education Minister continues to disappoint those who expect better standards of leadership in public education. (ABC) See also Dear me: Della penned Iguanas apology (SMH)

Digital Education Revolution - Round 1 Allocation

(Thursday 12th June 2008)
The Federal Minister for Education has today officially announced the list of successful schools of Round One of the National Secondary School Computer Fund. Of the 902 schools that applied for Round One funding, 896 schools were successful. This will see 116,820 computers provided to these schools, improving the computer-to-student ratio from 1:8 or worse to a target ratio of 1:2.

Beautiful Dorena (Mac)

(Thursday 12th June 2008)
Kids' stamping and art program, very similar to Kid Pix. Written by Craig Hickman, who wrote the original Kid Pix! Free.

Time to Cut the Minister Loose

(Wednesday 11th June 2008)
"The picture is already clear enough for Mr Iemma to sack Mr Della Bosca. It is unthinkable that he should be turning up at schools to open new classrooms or otherwise act as head of the state's education system." (SMH Editorial)

New Stuff at Apple's WWDC

(Tuesday 10th June 2008)
Some much anticipated announcements about the new iPhone 3G, now enabled with GPS, and the upgrade of .Mac to the MobileMe service. Watch 'guided tour' videos of the new stuff.

Sydney Apple Store to Open next Week

(Tuesday 10th June 2008)
Apple have announced that their new flagship store in Sydney will open for business at 5pm on Thursday, June 19. The new store will occupy three-floors of a newly-refurbished building on the corner of King and George Streets in the Sydney CBD.

RapidWeaver 4.0.1 (Mac)

(Tuesday 10th June 2008)
The forerunner to iWeb has had an upgrade. Includes over 40 customisable themes, and one-click instant publishing. Check out the QuickTour page for a short Getting Started video tutorial.

Minister's Job On Line (SMH)

(Monday 9th June 2008)
Following yesterday's allegations of inappropriate behaviour at a nightclub on the Central Coast (see below), it has been revealed that the NSW Minister for Education spoke at least four times by telephone to the owners of the nightclub, before nightclub staff issued an apology, withdrawing their version of events. The phone calls from Mr Della Bosca to the nightclub owners raise concerns that the minister may have pressured the club into changing its version of events. We are talking about the Minister for Education. Great role model. Great leadership.

Della Bosca in Scrap With Restaurant

(Sunday 8th June 2008)
How much longer do we have to put up with this behaviour? Education Minister John Della Bosca and his politician wife, Belinda Neal, have been kicked out of a Central Coast restaurant after allegedly "carrying on like pigs". What a disgrace.

It's Raining Laptops

(Friday 6th June 2008)
Two major Taiwan computer sellers have launched low-priced mini laptops at Asia's biggest computer show on Tuesday, both forecasting the shipment of millions of units this year. This product range is of particular interest to NSW DET schools as the DET considers plans to follow the mini-laptop path for it's senior-school rollout. (SMH)

Apple's New iPhone Launch

(Friday 6th June 2008)
The wait is almost over. On Monday (US time) Apple CEO Steve Jobs is expected to take the wraps off the new iPhone in a calculated show of bravado intended to wow the world. (SMH)

Ballmer Touts Vista-to-XP Downgrade Program

(Friday 6th June 2008)
Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer said his company's licensing policy allows for customers to install the previous generation of Windows, should the use of Vista be an issue. (Information Week)

Get to Know the Mac in Your Classroom (pdf - 965Mb)

(Wednesday 4th June 2008)
This seminar (Wollongong Northbeach, Thursday 12th June, 4-6pm, Free), will be covering an iLife '08 session with best practice workflows providing practical examples on how to create Podcasts, with a focus on specific links to current curriculum standards. It will also contain some examples on how iWork '08 is becoming a powerful creation and management tool in the classroom. Refreshments from 3:30pm!

A Day with Leopard Server

(Wednesday 4th June 2008)
A hands-on 1-day workshop designed for school computer coordinators and technical staff as they prepare to deploy the latest version of Mac OS X and Mac OS X Server v10.5 in their school.

End of the Line for Soul

(Wednesday 4th June 2008)
Soul Communications, known internally by some staff as "Two.Tel", is currently under investigation in four states for failing to pay wages and entitlements to staff. (Australian IT)

Google Sites

(Tuesday 3rd June 2008)
Another addition to Google's Web 2.0 offerings. Watch the tutorial video to get an idea of the collaborative possibilities.

Our Leaders Stuck in Political Quagmire

(Monday 2nd June 2008)
If politicians are really interested in the welfare of our children, then how about funding a decent public education system, or a decent healthcare system, or supporting teachers and child-protection workers with appropriate conditions and adequate compensation? What is more important in protecting the welfare of our children - removing 25 Henson photos or neglecting our education system? (SMH)

School Site Licensing for iLife and iWork (Mac)

(Monday 2nd June 2008)
iLife and iWork are powerful tools that engage students and inspire creativity and individual expression - all while making learning more relevant. Now you can deploy both software suites on all your school's computers for minimal cost. (See the Mac1 Flyer (pdf - 1.1Mb ) for purchasing details).

Jamberoo PS Online

(Monday 2nd June 2008)
Jamberoo PS have adapted commercial Web 2.0 technologies to provide news and calendaring services for their DET school web site.