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Sixty Seconds of network news from
education.au |
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Volume:7
Issue:8
May
2008
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Latest from education.au
Gary Putland from education.au was a presenter at the Digital Education Revolution Symposium on 26 May, in Sydney. His presentation focused on the use and impact of ICT in education, the power of learning with technologies, the challenges and opportunities, tools used and characteristics of success.
The Australian Council for Educational Research and education.au supported by the Commonwealth Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR), are presenting a series of symposia to explore and illuminate the possibilities and the realities of the implementation of the Digital Education revolution (DER).
Where:
Brisbane, Novotel, Creek Street
28 May (8.30 - 3.30)
Adelaide, Stamford Plaza, North Terrace, Adelaide
2 June
Melbourne, The Sebel - Albert Park, Melbourne
3 June
Perth, Duxton Hotel, St George's Terrace
12 June
Program details, venues, dates and registration information are available from the symposium page. |
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The National e-Portfolio Symposium aims to bring together leading thinkers, policy and decision makers interested in e-Portfolio development to discuss key strategic issues and development.
education.au has invited stakeholders from the school and VET sector and industry to attend the symposium to develop recommendations to assist in the future development and implementation of e-portfolios for students, practitioners and others. Attendance at the Symposium is by invitation and you can contact us if you would like to be placed on the list.
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Our latest blog posts include:
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The National Careers and Employment Expo is making its way around the country. The Expo was a huge success in Brisbane, and now it’s Canberra’s turn to experience the fun, and find out more about how myfuture can assist with career development and planning.
The Career Services team from education.au will be available to provide information to students, parents and jobseekers, as well as answer questions from career practitioners and teachers who want to find out more about using myfuture as a resource. Visit the Canberra Exhibition Centre 21 May 2008 and be a part of the myfuture experience! |
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The professional networking service me.edu.au will soon include a blog as a significant new tool. This will coincide with me.edu.au moving from beta version.
me.edu.au provides a simple and easy to use service to connect people of similar interests. The blog will allow users to go into more detail about their views and interests and include the full range of blog features including images and videos.
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A new edna Group called Blogging Corner was launched 2 weeks ago and already vibrant discussion and sharing is taking place. This is a public group but requires login.
Blogging Corner is a place for bloggers, would-be bloggers, and blogging mentors. Whether you are just starting out on your blogging journey, are some distance along the track or have loads of experience, we hope there will be something here for you.
Current Topics:
- Where is Your Blog?
- Recommended blogs
- Widgets, Counters, Plugins and other tools
- Questions and Answers
- Blogs in the Classroom
- Brag- great activities and examples of work
- Blogging Events
- Monitoring Blogs
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edna's workshops provide training in the use of online services and collaborative tools. Each one day mini conference includes guest speakers, hands-on sessions and presentations about technologies transforming education. edna workshops also provide opportunities for networking with the edna team and other education professionals. In 2008, the theme for the edna workshops is edna and me. The next workshops will be held in:
- Hobart, Monday 21 July
- Sydney, Tuesday 29 July - (FULL)
- Darwin, Tuesday 5 August.
For more details see the edna workshops page. |
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Policy and Research
Australia’s best teachers should be paid almost $130,000 as a key step in recognising their value to society and strengthening the teaching profession, according to a new Business Council of Australia (BCA) paper. The paper also recommends creating two new levels of teacher certification beyond initial registration, to allow the best teachers to be recognised as ‘accomplished’ and ‘leading’, as part of a much needed overhaul of remuneration.
This paper, Teaching Talent: The Best Teachers for Australia’s Classrooms, comprises a paper prepared for the BCA by Professor Stephen Dinham, Dr Lawrence Ingvarson and Dr Elizabeth Kleinhenz of the Australian Council for Educational Research titled Investing in Teacher Quality: Doing What Matters Most, preceded by an introduction and recommendations authored by the BCA. |
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Interested Australians are invited to respond to a consultation paper on the development of the Government's new Future Fellowships scheme. In the Federal Budget, the Government met its election commitment to fund the $844 million Future Fellowships scheme for top mid-career researchers. The closing date for feedback on the Future Fellowships Consultation Paper is 27 June 2008.
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Senator Kim Carr, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research launched an Engineering Remote Laboratory at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS).
The unique laboratory will enable students to use equipment and conduct experiments from anywhere in Australia through the internet. This facility will significantly enhance Australia's research capabilities. |
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International students have expressed high levels of satisfaction in their courses of study and work outcomes in Australia, according to an international student survey recently released.
The survey found that 68 per cent of international students who had completed a higher education course held a full time or part time job, 18 per cent were doing further full time or part time study and not working, and 5 per cent were unemployed and actively seeking a job.
Of those who had completed a vocational education and training course, 67 per cent held a full time or part time job, 26 per cent were doing further full time or part time study and not working, and 4 per cent were unemployed and actively seeking a job.
The 2007 Follow-up International Student Survey is available from: Australian Education International website.
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An increasing number of Australians are enrolling in the new Productivity Places Program gaining skills for their career development and ensuring a skilled workforce for the future.
Since the program started in April 2008, over 3,200 people have enrolled in training in areas of skills shortage including in courses for aged care work, child care and security operations. A list of the top thirty qualifications by enrolment is also available from the media release page. |
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Australia’s universities will now be rewarded for improvement as well as excellence in learning and teaching. In the past only universities with the very best outcomes were eligible to receive funding with Learning and Teaching Performance Fund (LTPF).
The LTPF Advisory Group, made up of university representatives, will advise the Government on options for measuring improvement. Universities will have an opportunity to comment on the proposed process in the coming weeks.
In 2009, the Rudd Government will provide more than $74 million to universities through the Learning and Teaching Performance Fund (LTPF). |
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At the 15th meeting of the Online and Communications Council, held in Canberra, Commonwealth, state, territory and local governments agreed to create a national framework advancing the development and use of broadband.
Online and Communications Council delegates agreed to pursue a framework including:
- developing the capability of the National Broadband Network;
- providing digital content in priority areas, such as health and education;
- transforming the nature and delivery of key government applications and services;
- using the National Broadband Network to deliver certain Australian, State, Territory and local government services to Indigenous Australians; and
- streamlining planning process for broadband deployment into greenfield and other developments.
Further information on the meeting’s outcomes and resolutions are outlined in the communiqué available online at www.occ.gov.au |
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A new cyber-smart initiative has been announced by Australian Communication and Media Authority (ACMA) to teach children how to be responsible cyber-citizens.
The Australian Government has committed $125.8 million to a comprehensive range of cyber-safety measures, including law enforcement, filtering and education, over the next four years. Measures include:
- expanded online child protection capacity for the Australian Federal Police;
- ISP level filtering of illegal material such as images of the sexual abuse of children;
- a new educational web site specifically for children;
- education resources and a dedicated cyber-safety helpline;
- expand terms of reference for the Cyber-Safety Consultative Working Group;
- further Australian research into the online environment; and
- a Youth Advisory Group to ensure programs remain relevant and on target.
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Draft guidelines to improve the Australian Broadband Guarantee were released by the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy.
New Australian Broadband Guarantee guidelines include:
- A higher level of broadband service than currently required.
- A requirement to offer shaped data or excess data at a capped cost to minimise bill shock.
Standard contract clauses that protect the interests of consumers in a fair and consistent way. |
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A Cyber-Safety Consultative Working Group has been announced as part of the Government's $125.8 million program to improve online safety for children.
The Group will consider those aspects of cyber-safety that Australian children face, such as cyber-bullying, identity theft and exposure to illegal and inappropriate content.
For more information about the cyber-safety plan and the Group visit www.dbcde.gov.au. |
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To celebrate Library and Information Week (19 May - 25 May) the ABS has prepared the following snapshot on the theme of Libraries are for everyone.
- 46% of Australians aged over 18 years visited a library in 2006.
- Almost two-thirds (65%) of Australians aged 15 and over who had visited a library during the 12-month period 2005-06 had visited more than six times during that period, including 25% who had visited more than 20 times.
- 55% (1,467,500) of children visited a public library outside of school hours in 2005-06.
- 74% (1,984,000) of children read for pleasure in April 2006. While 80% of girls read for pleasure during the same period, only 69% of boys did so.
- 72,600 Australians reported unpaid involvement in libraries and archives in April 2007.
- Federal and State and Territory Government funding for libraries in 2005-06 was $394.0 million. This was a national average of $19.95 per person.
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Speaking at the recent CeBIT Conference, Finance Minster Lindsay Tanner revealed that the Rudd Government’s ICT plans will provide Australians with a “one stop shop” for online government services. The Government will redesign australia.gov.au to serve as the single site for Australians to seek out government services, with an anticipated relaunch for the first quarter of 2009. Users will be able to link their existing online Government accounts to an australia.gov.au account and work between the sites without having to constantly re-enter their identity details.
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A computer avatar called marvin™ is about to make a big difference for Northern Territory Indigenous employment and business opportunities and has been mentioned on the world stage by Microsoft founder Bill Gates.
marvin™ was created in 2003 to overcome cultural and language barriers in information and education campaigns, such as tackling substance abuse in remote communities. The flexible nature of marvin™ enables it to engage any community or classroom in the world in any language, with very little skills required, while being powerful enough to deliver broadcast quality animations.
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This is the first publicly available report on the annual activities of the National Vocational Education and Training Research and Evaluation Program, managed by NCVER on behalf of the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.
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This paper explores issues of engagement, response rates, access, confidentiality and security in relation to the Canberra Institute of Technology's move from a paper-based student experience survey to an online survey. It discusses a variety of theories and strategies which will inform the future development and implementation of online student experience surveys, including benefits such as lower costs, ease of administration, fewer errors and quicker data entry.
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