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Site of the week

OzProjects
OzProjects website is a dynamic and interactive student project site created to encourage teachers and students to collaborate and share knowledge and resources. The virtual learning environment makes it easy to  learn about and  include Web 2.0 tools in online projects.  Collaborative tools such as forums, wikis and chats are available and learning experiences can be created around these tools.   Within the projects students can upload and share photos and assignments and contribute to shared glossaries.  

Have you ever wondered how your classroom space affects student learning? Debbie Diller has been an educator for more than 30 years and in her new book, Spaces and Places, Debbie uses pictures and text to demonstrate successful classroom spaces that improve student behaviour and independence.

Spaces and Places answers the tough questions, such as:

• What do I really need in my room and what's the best way to set it up?
• How does my physical classroom impact student learning?
• How can I find the space I need to teach more effectively?
• What can I get rid of and how?
• Where do I put all my stuff? More...

In Synchronizing Success, Maren Koepf takes you on a tour of one school's winning strategy for developing an efficient and effective network of literacy support from kindergarten through to Year 5. Beginning with a practical framework for continuous improvement, Maren presents three guiding principles that underlie the comprehensive system: continuity across practice, instructional language, assessment, etc.; ongoing professional development; and collaborative leadership.

Enriched with tools, tips and planning guides for incrementally managing positive change, Synchronizing Success provides literacy specialists, principals and staff developers the resources and action steps necessary for designing an integrated literacy system tailor fit to their school setting.  More...

VITTA is pleased to announce that registrations for Shift Happens: VITTA Annual Conference 2008 are now open! Visit www.vitta.org.au/conferenceinfo for more information or to register online.

Shift Happens ~ technology alone will not save us

The VITTA annual conference has established itself as the not-to-be missed event on the ICT education calendar. Spread over three days, the conference presents the latest developments in ICT education and industry with the goal of informing, inspiring and stimulating debate around the key issues faced by educators, students, policy makers and associated support industries.

The conference includes 3 days of professional learning with over 220 presenters and inspirational Keynotes, Early Years Day, Principals and ICT Leaders Day, 60 cutting edge ICT education services and suppliers in the Expo, practical workshops with 8 labs of computers - Apple, Desktops with Wacom tablets, OLPCs, Asus eeePCs, ACER Inspires, using the latest technologies for education. 

Why participate?

• Over 220 speakers
• Diverse range of sessions for all educators to choose from
• Explore the latest technologies to enable ICT best practice in class and across all school processes - iPods, blogs, digital tablets, multimedia, mobile and wireless technologies, robotics and more... 
• Update knowledge and requirements and provide feedback for the Revised Study Design
• Extend your professional and personal understanding of ICT in teaching and learning
• Learn about the latest global, national and local ICT curriculum developments
• Learn of new intiatives promoting ICT careers
• Get up to date with ICT leadership and technical initiatives
• Check out the Conference Expo - over 60 exhibitors who can assist the school's decisions in implementing ICT infrastructure and eLearning plans.

www.vitta.org.au/conferenceinfo

Nominations for the 2008 ACS Judith Leeson award close on Monday the 17th November 2008, at 5pm EST.

The ACS Judith Leeson Award celebrates the achievements of career advisers and teachers running careers or life/work education programs. If the careers program at your school deserves recognition then ask your principal to nominate the teacher responsible!

Prizes include $5000 for the winners’ school and $3000 for the runner-up finalists’ as well as flights and accommodation for four finalists to attend the 2009 CDAA Annual National Careers Conference in Melbourne, 15-17 April 2009, where the winners will be announced.

All schools, Primary and Secondary, may enter. Two winners will be selected, with the Primary and Secondary sectors being judged independently.

To enter go to the (new) Australian Careers Service website http://www.gooduniguide.com.au/acs/ and download the (short) application form. Contact Cameron Picton on (03) 9207 9632 or acsaward@curriculum.edu.au if you have any questions.

Our 2009 Primary and Secondary English catalogues are now available. Click here to request a copy. Please include your full name and postal address in your message.