News Archives
This page contains all archived news that has been published on NEAL's front page.
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Moodlemoot.au 2012 Day 3 04/07/12 ---- Here is the final installment from the Gold Coast. Happy reading Day 3 Social networking driving boys in language learning Dr Jill Margerison, The Southport School, Qld Using discussion forums in a boys school to encourage more engagement with text. · ... |
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Moodlemoot.au 2012 Day 2 03/07/12 ---- Hi all, another fantastic day on the Gold Coast and a crying shame to be sitting inside the conference centre looking out at it. Fortunately the sessions were once again thought provoking and informative. My notes from day 2 are posted below, and agian please forgive the lack of editing as the... |
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Moodlemoot.au 2012 Day 1 02/07/12 ---- It is my very good fortune to be attending the Australian Moodlemoot on the sunny gold coast. There is some wonderful news about the pending release of moodle 2.3. Features such as Drag and Drop single or multiple files either into the file chooser or even directly onto the course page. If you drag... |
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Cloud Data for Schools 29/06/12 ---- There has been quite a bit of recent discussion on Cloud Computing and its perks, and potential pitfalls for schools. Many schools have already begun this journey with the increasing use of web based applications and programmes; many of which may not realize the extent to which being 'in the... |
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Web 2 Tools 28/06/12 ---- Web 2 is a frequently used tem, but what does it mean? In its first iteration, the internet was primarily a publishing tool. Content was created and made available through the internet for users to browse. Using internet is no longer a passive exercise, as users can now become publishers of... |
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Playbour - play plus labour 10/06/12 ---- Recently I was watching my son working with a friend to build a tree house. This may sound like a typical scene from our own childhood, except in this case the friend is on his own computer across town while my son is on our desktop in our sunroom. They are creating a virtual tree house in a... |
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Google Apps for Education NZ Summit 07/06/12 ---- Many schools have adopted the suite of tools offered by Google. We've delved into the power of the kingpin search engine, gmail, calendar, docs, and even some of the other tools neatly hidden away in the Google home page. Just how do we harness this great behemoth if we don't know what... |
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Government Reverses Decision on Education Cuts 31/05/12 ---- The outcry of New Zealanders has been heard, and today the government announced it would not be going ahead with its proposed cuts to education. The move is an important indication that the government is responding to the will of the people and that, despite the challenging economic times,... |
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Texting and Twitter ‘help students perfect poetry’ 16/05/12 ---- Parents no longer need to fret over how much time their teenagers (and younger) spend texting or twittering. In an item reported in The Telegraph in the UK in September 2011, Britain’s Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy was reported as saying that “Children who use social networking sites and text... |
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BYOD ready, steady??? 11/05/12 ---- Understanding why BYOD is the current hot topic is not rocket science. For cash strapped schools, the opportunity to have costly hardware provided by the students, or more accurately the parents, is obviously appealing. Like any new educational technology, BYOD raises as many issues as it... |
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Technology Gives Bullies Power to Multiply Pain 11/05/12 ---- There has been considerable attention given to issues of cyberbullying and its far reaching effects. Part of what makes this such a complex problem, is that many parents are often unaware of the powers of the technology being used by their children. This can lead to victims feeling... |
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Job Shortages After Teacher Flood 23/04/12 ---- NZ Herald: Hundreds of new teachers trained to overcome a staffing shortage in schools are struggling to find jobs. The Government spent millions on attracting new teachers to training schools, particularly in lower-decile areas. But students who went in thinking they had a guaranteed job at the... |
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Curious Parents Find Facebook a Treasure Trove of Secrets 23/04/12 ---- With over 800 million Facebook users and counting, the social media monster has reached further than anyone could have guessed. As a parent of two up and coming pre-teens, the lightbulb of interest for FB has already been flickering brightly. While there are many other diversions... |
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Google Responds to Privacy Concerns 01/03/12 ---- The Sydney Morning Herald published this interesting response from Google on its new privacy policy. This new policy took effect today, March 1st. Just about anyone searching, researching or interacting online uses Google in some way, so this is worth a closer look. If you use Gmail, YouTube... |
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Parents have paid up '$1bn in school fees' 27/02/12 ---- Parents have paid over $1b in fees over the past four years to prop up state school budgets, Family First NZ has claimed. According to information gained under the Official Information Act, the total amount of school voluntary donations or fees actually paid by families in the last four... |
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BYOD Brings New Set of IT 'Heroes' 08/02/12 ---- The dual trends of 'bring your own device' and the rise in mobile workforce have placed new demands on the IT team, particularly the help desk. But they can also have a positive impact on the team that has, or prepares for these trends, as demand grows for staff that are able... |
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Internet In Schools as 'vital as water' 08/02/12 ---- A Palmerston North principal believes the internet is as vital to a school as electricity and water. Ross Intermediate School is known for its high-end technology and equipment, and principal Wayne Codyre says the internet had a significant impact on students. "Absolutely, without a doubt, it does... |
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Government's Proposal For More Students Per Teacher 08/02/12 ---- The Treasury says student-teacher ratios in schools could be increased and some schools closed - with the savings used to improve the quality of teaching. Finance Minister Bill English has not ruled out implementing the advice given to him in briefing papers. "All Government departments are having... |
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Distance Education Conference 2012 17/11/11 ---- Plans are well under way for the next conference of the Distance Education of New Zealand (DEANZ) being held in Wellington in April 2012. This is always a very interesting event for all teachers, tutors, students and others involved in the field of open, flexible and distance education.... |
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7 Myths About BYOD Debunked 11/11/11 ---- 7 Myths About BYOD Debunked Lisa Nielsen, the author of "Teaching Generation Text: Using Cell Phones to Enhance Learning" and "The Innovative Educator" blog, believes it is time to shatter a few myths about students bringing their own devices (BYOD) to school. By Lisa Nielsen 11/09/11 More... |