School Tech News Archive

Server Cleanup 3

(Thursday 30th October 2008)
Beta version for Leopard server. All the usual Server Cleanup features.

Microsoft Unveils Windows 7 Features

(Thursday 30th October 2008)
The next version of Microsoft Windows will nag users much less than its much-maligned predecessor, Vista. PC users will be able to test the new edition early next year. (SMH)

Google Earth for iPhone & iPod Touch

(Wednesday 29th October 2008)
With just a swipe of your finger you can fly from Peoria to Paris to Papua New Guinea, or anywhere in between. It may be small, but it brings all the power of Google Earth to the palm of your hand, including all of the same global imagery and 3D terrain. You can even browse any of Google's 8 million Panoramio photos or read related Wikipedia articles. (See also: SMH and Washington Post reports.)

Finland is the shining light

(Tuesday 28th October 2008)
In England, a market approach to schools has created a bewildering hierarchy - from the elite private schools for the most powerful and advantaged families to the "bog-standard" comprehensive for the most disadvantaged and least powerful. Is this what Australia needs? (Peter Mortimore - SMH)

Avoid school league tables says expert

(Tuesday 28th October 2008)
Peter Mortimore, a former director of the British Institute of Education, says rather than adopt Britain's "failed" policies, Australia's Education Minister, Julia Gillard, should look at countries such as Finland, which support high-level teaching. (SMH)

NSW to censor student laptops

(Tuesday 28th October 2008)
The NSW Department of Education and Training (DET) last week revealed plans to limit internet access on the laptops given to the state's senior students under the "digital education revolution" to a pre-approved list of websites. (ZDNet)

Schoolies Reconsider Trips to Bali

(Monday 27th October 2008)
Large numbers of young Australians have been asked to reconsider their plans for travelling to Bali as part of their end-of-school celebrations. (Department of Foreign Affairs - SmartTraveller) See also: SMH report.

Bean (Mac)

(Monday 27th October 2008)
Do you really need a full 'office' text editing application for your class activities? Bean is a fast, easy to use word processor. Ideal for younger students. Free.

Open Office 3.0

(Monday 27th October 2008)
Full-featured, free 'office' software for Windows, Linux and now native for the Mac OS X Intel platform.

Filtering out the fury: how government tried to gag web censor critics

(Saturday 25th October 2008)
The Federal Government is attempting to silence critics of its controversial plan to censor the internet, which experts say will break the internet while doing little to stop people from accessing illegal material such as child pornography.

Gerringong PS DigiMix 08

(Friday 24th October 2008)
Digital Art using Mixed Media was the theme for the 2008 digital art workshop presented at Gerringong PS. A combination of digital tools and more traditional media provided a challenging environment for this group of talented students.

Keith Loutit's Videos

(Friday 24th October 2008)
Here is something that may be of interest to the creative folk in your school. By combining a photographic method called "tilt shifting" with traditional time-lapse photography, this Sydney-based photographer has produced a video series that transforms some of the city's classic beauty spots into a miniature toy town. Very clever!

Labor MP breaks ranks over 'Education Revolution'

(Wednesday 22nd October 2008)
The Federal Government's "education revolution" has come under attack from one of its own backbenchers. In an outburst in Parliament, New South Wales MP Julia Irwin called for a massive Commonwealth allocation of resources for public schools. (ABC)

New Apple Get-a-Mac Ads

(Wednesday 22nd October 2008)
Not content with just criticising Windows Vista itself, Apple has launched two new TV ads (Bean Counter and V-word) that accuse Microsoft of launching its own recent ad compaign to distract the public from the problems with it's Vista software.

SweetHome 3D (Mac, Win, Lin)

(Tuesday 21st October 2008)
An interior design application that helps you place your furniture on a 2D house plan, with a 3D preview. (Free)

ABC 40 Hour Drought

(Monday 20th October 2008)
The 40 hour drought is a community activity designed to get people to change their behaviour, so they understand what it would be like for people who are forced to use a minimal amount of water every day, but also to reduce their water usage. People measure their actual water consumption and then over a 40 hour period, they try to reduce it.

Award Offer for NSW DET Teachers (pdf)

(Monday 20th October 2008)
The NSW Department of Education has proposed a salary increase of 11.4% over three years to be paid to all staff covered by the school teachers award. The proposed increases are linked to a wide range of "trade-offs" which are detailed in this document.

Things That Make a Difference

(Wednesday 15th October 2008)
Is your school considering the application of ICT in the curriculum, and the associated professional development needs of teachers? This site provides some thoughtful discussion.

School ICT Planning

(Monday 13th October 2008)
Will your school be commencing the planning cycle for the 2009 school year during this term? Some useful reading and resources to assist schools to develop an ICT plan that successfully supports learning outcomes.

Google's eye in the sky starts snapping

(Monday 13th October 2008)
"A Google-sponsored satellite has beamed its first picture back to Earth in a successful test of a camera that will supply images for the internet giant's free online map and navigation services." (SMH)

NSW Schools in Second Round of Computers Fund

(Friday 10th October 2008)
"More than 20 NSW government schools have defied a state order and proceeded to apply for the second round of the federal Government's computer grant scheme." (Australian IT)

Starting to choke on this gravy train full of lumps

(Wednesday 8th October 2008)
"The public service in NSW has become a black hole into which 50 per cent of government revenues - our taxes - are sunk. And yet the State Government operates on management principles that would make most companies blush....How did it get this bad?" (SMH - Opinion)