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Category Archives: learning environments


21st century Learning Spaces

May 22, 2009 – 1:05 pm

Some time ago, in Redesigning our Physical Spaces, I blogged about how to get full benefit of the Digital Education Rollout (DER), we couldn’t just take the computers on offer and plug them into our conventional classrooms.
I asked Have Australian schools had to alter the layout of their classrooms to accommodate the DER? […]

By Kerrie Smith | Also posted in Educationau, future schooling, digital education revolution | Comments (0)

Check your technologies in here please

May 11, 2009 – 9:26 am

The recently published CoSN report Leadership for Web 2.0 in Education: Promise and Reality says that despite “a growing body of evidence that the collaboration inherent in the participatory
nature of Web 2.0 tools can be leveraged to deepen student learning through authentic, real-world learning…. too many are being asked to check their technologies each morning […]

By Kerrie Smith | Also posted in Educationau, online technologies, web 2.0, future schooling, changes in education | Comments (2)

Just sprinkling technology on the top?

January 9, 2009 – 6:00 am

Isn’t that a delightful concept?
I came across it in a posting titled What should we do with those computers? Admittedly that blogger didn’t create the phrase. Yosif quotes Eileen Lento:
“If you’re just sprinkling the technology on top of the curriculum, it’s not as compelling,” says. Intel’s [Eileen Lento, a government and education strategist]. “Then you […]

By Kerrie Smith | Also posted in Educationau, teaching and learning, online technologies | Comments (2)

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, Australian education, web 2.0, future schooling, digital education revolution | Comments (1)

Shock! Horror! Second Life can educate!

April 24, 2008 – 2:14 pm

This article comes from eSchool News for April 22. Educators attending a webinar on gaming in education agreed that online gaming can help students develop many of the skills they’ll be required to use upon leaving school. such as critical thinking, problem solving and creativity.
Many education groups, such as ISTE and the Discovery Educator Network […]

By Kerrie Smith | Also posted in Educationau, Second Life, virtual environments | Comments (1)

UNESCO Online Discussion - Inclusive Education

April 3, 2008 – 2:03 pm

International discussions like this one are important for Australian educators, to increase our understanding of global education problems. You will see below that Theme number 5 is a forum for for children and young people to exchange their views. Perhaps you might like to help your students contribute and participate.
Join the forum here There […]

By Kerrie Smith | Also posted in Educationau, Australian education, future schooling, inclusiveness | Comments (1)

Struggling with cyber safety

April 1, 2008 – 4:22 pm

Parents and education systems alike share anxiety about protecting children online.
A recent UK report that is the result of a six-month study by child psychologist Dr Tanya Byron tries to tread a delicate line between tighter regulation and better coordinated parental education. Obviously the education systems will have to match the duty of care that […]

By Kerrie Smith | Also posted in Educationau, internet safety, Australian education, blogs | Comments (0)

Digital Education Revolution

February 7, 2008 – 7:29 am

The Australian Government has established a Digital Education Revolution website at http://www.digitaleducationrevolution.gov.au/. The main items on the site at present are a definition of the program as it relates to Australian schools, some information about the broadband fibre scheme, a short FAQ page, and information about a subscription service that will notify subscribers of significant […]

By Kerrie Smith | Also posted in Educationau, teaching and learning, schools, online technologies, Australian education, digital divide | Comments (3)

Why blog? or don’t you?

February 6, 2008 – 9:00 am

To blog or not to blog is the question the current issue that edna’s e-learning insights is focussing on. The producer, Kerry Johnson, reports that the result of a recent Blogging Vox Pop was a rich cross-section of view points from educators across sectors and nation wide. Listeners submitted their responses by email or by […]

By Kerrie Smith | Also posted in Educationau, blogs, social networking | Comments (1)

Emerging technologies or practices

January 31, 2008 – 4:11 pm

The Horizon Report 2008 edition, a collaboration between the New Media Consortium and the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative, describes six emerging technologies or practices that will likely enter mainstream use in learning-focused organizations within three adoption horizons over the next one to five years. Also highlighted are a set of challenges and trends that will influence […]

By Kerrie Smith | Also posted in Educationau, teaching and learning, online technologies, Australian education, collaboration | Comments (0)