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<TITLE>Re: [Year 12 IT Apps] McKinnon classes 2011</TITLE>
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<FONT FACE="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:11pt'>Dare I say it but maybe the ‘reviewer’ or the ‘system’ cannot distinguish between ‘factors within our control and factors outside our control’??-<BR>
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Zach Alexakos<BR>
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On 11/09/10 10:56 AM, "Roland Gesthuizen" <<a href="rgesthuizen@gmail.com">rgesthuizen@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<BR>
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</SPAN></FONT><BLOCKQUOTE><FONT FACE="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:11pt'>Three years ago, my VCE IT classes got shouldered with the Arts block so the my students are generally drawn from Maths-Science to Business Studies-Arts. Most have an ESL background and my most 'accademic' IT student has only been in Australia for a couple of years and struggles with many basic computing ideas. I am still smouldering by the reviewer who openly ticked me off for a decline in IT results. Explaining to a bean-counter about small sample sizes, teaching for all and shifting cohort groups doesnt cut much cloth when they wave their moderation wand.<BR>
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Oddly enough, I have more girls in my year 12 class than boys. I put this to the splendid Go-Girls-Gor-For IT seminar we ran for the year 10s a couple of years ago. My guess is that if I hadn't done this, we would also be down to just one class. The pictures speak for themselves and I believe they are running the event again.<BR>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/plakboek/sets/72157624373556087/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/plakboek/sets/72157624373556087/</a><BR>
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Lock and load .. <BR>
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Regards Roland<BR>
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PS: My biggest challenge is enthusing kids to return to school / class following the term break for revision and sticking it out. For the past couple of years, I sit outside the examination room to fire off a threatening glare for anybody that even just dates to think about leaving early (sigh) .. some later admit that the thought of a grumpy Mr G lurking outside keeps them indoors.<BR>
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PSS: Increasingly like the idea of switching to offering SD instead next year.<BR>
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On Fri, Sep 10, 2010 at 10:23 AM, Brendyn Hancock <<a href="BHancock@nagle.vic.edu.au">BHancock@nagle.vic.edu.au</a>> wrote:<BR>
</SPAN></FONT><BLOCKQUOTE><FONT FACE="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:11pt'>M<BR>
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Many of our kids are taking classes with fancy names and little content. Many of them are going for classes that require less of them. Many of the VCE kids are going to VCAL/VET.<BR>
Lots are going to more social based content classes. Environmental Studies. Social Justice studies. Art.<BR>
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My observation.<BR>
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B<BR>
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<B>Brendyn Hancock<BR>
</B></SPAN><FONT SIZE="2"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:10pt'><I>ICT Manager<BR>
Nagle College<BR>
PO Box 507<BR>
BAIRNSDALE VIC 3875<BR>
p 03 5152 6122 ext954<BR>
f 03 5152 6220<BR>
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</SPAN><FONT SIZE="2"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:10pt'><B>From:</B> <a href="itapps-bounces@edulists.com.au">itapps-bounces@edulists.com.au</a> [<a href="mailto:itapps-bounces@edulists.com.au">mailto:itapps-bounces@edulists.com.au</a>] <B>On Behalf Of </B>Mark KELLY<BR>
<B>Sent:</B> Friday, 10 September 2010 9:59 AM<BR>
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<B>To:</B> Year 12 IT Applications Teachers' Mailing List<BR>
<B>Subject:</B> Re: [Year 12 IT Apps] McKinnon classes 2011<BR>
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Do you know where they're going instead?<BR>
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On 10 September 2010 09:46, Brendyn Hancock <<a href="BHancock@nagle.vic.edu.au">BHancock@nagle.vic.edu.au</a>> wrote:<BR>
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Mark<BR>
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Was just about to post this same discussion. We seem to be all re-visiting this.<BR>
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Nagle has an enrolment of 950. 2011 classes have just been drafted. Unit 1-2=8 students, Unit 3-4=1 student<BR>
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Interesting to note we can only raise 2 classes of 25 student for a term elective of gamemaker in Y10 as well.<BR>
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Trends are trending away from us..<BR>
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Cheers<BR>
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B<BR>
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<B>Brendyn Hancock<BR>
</B></SPAN><FONT SIZE="2"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:10pt'><I>ICT Manager<BR>
Nagle College<BR>
PO Box 507<BR>
BAIRNSDALE VIC 3875<BR>
p 03 5152 6122 ext954<BR>
f 03 5152 6220<BR>
</I></SPAN></FONT><SPAN STYLE='font-size:11pt'> <BR>
Disclaimer: This email and any attachments may be confidential. If received in error, please contact us and delete all copies. Before opening or using attachments check them for viruses and defects. Regardless of any loss, damage or consequence, whether caused by the negligence of the sender or not, resulting directly or indirectly from the use of any attached files our liability is limited to resupplying any affected attachments. Any representations or opinions expressed are those of the individual sender, and not necessarily those of Nagle College. < <a href="http://www.nagle.vicedu.au">http://www.nagle.vicedu.au</a> <<a href="http://www.nagle.vic.edu.au">http://www.nagle.vic.edu.au</a>> ><BR>
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</SPAN><FONT SIZE="2"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:10pt'><B>From:</B> <a href="itapps-bounces@edulists.com.au">itapps-bounces@edulists.com.au</a> [<a href="mailto:itapps-bounces@edulists.com.au">mailto:itapps-bounces@edulists.com.au</a>] <B>On Behalf Of </B>Mark KELLY<BR>
<B>Sent:</B> Friday, 10 September 2010 9:01 AM<BR>
<B>To:</B> Year 12 IT Applications Teachers' Mailing List; Year 12 Software Development Teachers' Mailing List<BR>
<B>Subject:</B> [Year 12 IT Apps] McKinnon classes 2011<BR>
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It's really odd! <BR>
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ITA, which has run continuously <B>forever</B> with good numbers has barely scraped a class together for next year by combining year elevens and twelves into one small ITA class.<BR>
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SD, which has only run every 3 or so years (with a small cohort when it did run), is nearly over-subscribed.<BR>
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There don't seem to be any clear local causes for such a great change of attitude (e.g. changes of teachers or big changes in middle-years IT offerings) so I can only put it down to either something in the water, or the changes to the study design.<BR>
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To be fair, I haven't heard kids explicitly blaming the ITA study design, and for some reason they seem dead keen on programming in our year 10 Info Systems elective. My year 11 IT classes have been dead quiet for 2 weeks with the kids busily coding in VB6. Last year I had to beat them with chairs to finish the VB material... this year I can sit up the front folding paper aeroplanes and clipping my toenails while they beaver away and sort out problems within their own ranks.<BR>
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Odd!<BR>
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