Licencing

Spent a few hours at Data #3 today discussing licencing issues, with particular reference to Microsoft products and a renewal of our virus software licences next year.

I am looking at the following Microsoft options in licencing for our schools:

• Select Agreements - applications bought on an individual basis as the need arises. Purchasers tend to keep these for a set period ie 3- 4 years before rolling over to new versions when a new licence must be purchased.
• System Agreement - requires a minimum of 2500 units to be licenced. A number of options for software suites, including Office, Desktop, etc - prices vary depending upon software required and paid annually. Includes all updates and rollovers to new version, such as Office 2003 to Office 2007
• Consortia Agreement - a minimum of 2500 units, but can be made up of a number of schools all with a range of software to suit their individual needs. Licencing costs vary from school to school as a result. Licences includes all updates and new versions.
• School Agreement - individual schools enter into an agreement to have a suite of software tailored to their own needs. This being the most expensive option. Licences include all updates and new versions.

Schools will be informed of this discussion and invited to participate in system wide debate to assist with the development of a proposal to take this to the next stage. I would anticipate having something in place for the beginning of the 2008 school year.

Prep Learning Profile

Today saw a big step forward for our Prep teachers and the options they have for recording of student achievement and progress.

There has been much discussion for many years regarding record keeping in the early years, generally called portfolios. Teachers have been struggling with the whole concept and attempting to keep records that are anecdotal and provide samples of work as evidence. One enterprising individual within our system had devised a system of linked powerpoints, illustrating student progress throughout the year. A novel approach though somewhat cumbersome.

Last year this concept was taken and developed into a computer application we call "The Prep Learning Profile". The PLP being the result of input and collaboration from people working in the areas of IT, Programming, Curriculum and a number of practising teachers. The result being an application that is not only able to track progress in the early years, but has the potential to extend up to year 10.

Today we rolled a trial version out to our prep teachers, with the intention of having a fully operational application by the end of this term. This is a major achievement and shows what is possible when people come together, each with their own area of expertise, and pool their knowledge.

School Online

Just been out to one of our country schools to finalise the installation of a server (the first they have had), complete infrastructre installation and the approve the purchase of new hardware. This has proved to be one of the highlights of my year to date. To see a school go from running a peer to peer network on PCs that are at least 5 years old, via cat 5e cables running across the classroom floor, to a fully integrated network with mostly new hardware. The staff are keen to get and use the new gear and provide students with the experiences they should have been having but have not.

Hardware includes new PCs, laptops, 2 wireless access points for both staff and student use.

Discussion with the teachers has seen them participate in PD in many areas of ICT including the installation of an interactive whiteboard. We are planning to have years 5-7 develop basic webpages and introduce BLOGS later in the year.

This is ICT in action, online communication and collaboration at the classroom level, and illustrates just how ICT can provide isolated students and teachers with the opportunity to access the wider community.

Online Communication

I created this BLOG quite some time ago and have been somewhat lapse in getting back to it. I believe that this is specifically associated with the nature of online communication and the demands it places upon the user. It is no longer acceptable to comment and leave it at that, the user is expected to continue the communication and even develop the argument in some cases.

The type of communication demanded in a course such as this entails the user committing a considerable amount of time to merely read and become familiar with comments made by others. I find this to be difficult whilst also working online in my current role. Not that this a fault of the course, it is something I have to develop for myself in the allocation of time and acknowledge that it is ongoing, ie access must be daily in order to move ahead.

In working online we are not only using the internet for social interaction, but at a far deeper level we are creating communities that are able to support users in their personal and academic development. This may in time put us all into contact with people and communities we would have no hope of reaching using the more conventional means of communication that were available 20 years ago. This course alone has people participating from a number of different countries and is indicative of how the internet is providing a new and immediate means of communication for a group of people who would not have "met" if it had not been for this technology being available. It is also a graphic illustration of how far USQ has come with the development of its online courses and its promotion of such.