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Category Archives: Australian education


The future of the textbook

September 19, 2008 – 10:43 am

This posting really follows on from my earlier one: e-textbooks - will they ever become a reality?
I do think that there is a future for the text book, but that it will probably not be the hold-in-the-hand, underline, highlight, paper-based one that our education systems use now. I think the not-so-distant future holds a version […]

By Kerrie Smith | Also posted in Educationau | Comments (1)

21st century skills

September 12, 2008 – 2:07 pm

I’m a bit worried by some discussion I’ve come across of 21st century skills that seems to be saying that these are new things, never around before.
I came across a report called Beyond the Three Rs: Voter attitudes toward 21st century Skills.
It’s key findings:
[Bear in mind that it is an American survey conducted in 2007, […]

By Kerrie Smith | Also posted in Educationau | Comments (2)

Heralding a new era of reform

September 2, 2008 – 11:23 am

Julia Gillard, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Education opened the ACPET (Australian Council for Private Education and Training) 2008 conference on Friday 29 August.
The speech that she gave is available here.
The focus of her speech was “the need to modernize, expand and strengthen Australia’s vocational education and training industry.” It really ties in well […]

By Kerrie Smith | Also posted in Educationau, digital education revolution | Comments (2)

Should July 9 be Australia Day?

July 11, 2008 – 10:16 am

I’m recalling all the controversial discussion we’ve had in the past about the appropriateness of January 26, the date of Cook’s landing at Botany Bay in 1788, and the consequent annexing of Australia to the British Empire by the simple planting of a flag that ignored the rights of the traditional owners, as a day […]

By Kerrie Smith | Also posted in Educationau, national curriculum, Australian history, significant dates | Comments (2)

Inhibitors to Online learning

July 2, 2008 – 2:14 pm

The transition of the internet into a more interactive read/write phase has had huge implications for teaching and learning, both for students and for teachers.
Online learning is very different when it is not simply a matter of finding resources in a cyber library. It is far more engaging when the learners can actually participate.
We […]

By Kerrie Smith | Also posted in Educationau, online technologies, professional learning | Comments (0)

School Libraries in the Digital Education Revolution

May 21, 2008 – 9:00 am

Those who talk up the role of ICT in education often refer to the internet as a”cyber library”. They believe books are obsolete technology, that libraries will become an anachronism, and the economists have even been heard to say that schools will be able to save money by doing away with their libraries.
Back in 2000 […]

By Kerrie Smith | Also posted in Educationau, digital education revolution | Comments (2)

Complex Digital Divides

May 20, 2008 – 3:07 pm

The issue of digital divides is a very complex one and, as I see it, like a prism with a number of facets. In Australia each obvious digital divide has more divides within it, depending on your point of view.
For example, let’s think about the DD in the school sector. There is, some literature/anecdotal research […]

By Kerrie Smith | Also posted in Educationau, digital divide | Comments (0)

Digital Education Revolution - things will be different

May 15, 2008 – 12:18 pm

A discussion here yesterday with colleagues at education.au got me thinking about how different things might be once you can assume that every Year 9-12 secondary student has access to a computer all the time while at school.
One of our group commented that everything that has happened so far in the last 20 years with […]

By Kerrie Smith | Also posted in Educationau, online technologies, learning environments, web 2.0, future schooling, digital education revolution | Comments (1)

Moodle Moot AU 08

May 9, 2008 – 3:59 pm

Today I got notification that my presentation for the Moodle Moot in Brisbane 2-3 October has been accepted. So hopefully I will be meeting up with some of my “virtual friends” there.
Currently the organisers are still looking for presenters.
The keynote speakers are

Martin Dougiamas, Founder and Lead Developer of Moodle
Professor Erica McWilliams, assistant Dean(research) for the […]

By Kerrie Smith | Also posted in Educationau, moodle | Comments (2)

AICTEC Learner Research Project

April 24, 2008 – 2:54 pm

The Australian Information and Communications Technology in Education Committee (AICTEC) is a national, cross-sectoral committee responsible for providing advice to all Australian Ministers of Education and Training on the economic and effective utilisation of online technologies in Australian education and training. AICTEC Website.
Most recently published:
Students’ voices learning with technologies: Students’ expectations about learning with technologies: […]

By Kerrie Smith | Also posted in Educationau, teaching and learning, statistics, digital divide | Comments (0)