<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Well - I have $100 per year to spend on PD and puts many conferences out of reach. This year is the last year that people at this school will get any flexibility in what they choose to go to. All PD requests will now have to align with our strategic plan and be more rigorously vetted. For me the VITTA conference is simply way too expensive and have had to unsubscribe from email list to stop getting pestered. If they really wanted me to go then they have to make it affordable.<div>We have also started to really question the value we get from this style of conference /PD. People may be exposed to new and exciting ideas (excellent) but quickly come back to earth when what they have seen does not fit in with school priorities. We are now focusing on "just in time" pd on projects that are home-grown and fit into the school strategy. For example I got special dispensation to attend a skills session on using and administering our attendance program. </div><div>In recent years I personally started to find that there wasn't a lot at the conferences that I hadn't come across online or discussed online at some stage. Some sessions on Exam feedback and course outlines etc were valuable, but you shouldn't have to pay for that sort of thing - it should be an open resource for anyone teaching the course IMHO.</div><div>But have fun! :)</div><div><br></div><div>Cheers</div><div>Cameron</div><div><br><div><div>On 06/11/2009, at 12:04 PM, Roland Gesthuizen wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite">Yeah, it is far enough away but Iike the commedy festival and local
farmers market, I know how these things creep up on us until we are too
late and all the fresh fruit is gone. One my friends has already booked
accomodation for the ISTE conference in Denver June 2010! Geeze, I have
barely remembered where I have hung the christmas lights.<br><font face="Arial"><br>Registrations are
open for the ACEC2010 national conference in Melbourne - if you take advantage of the Early Bird
rate you can enter the draw for a dinner for two! Details below<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"></span></font> <a href="http://www.acec2010.info/">http://www.acec2010.info</a><br><br>Closer on my radar is the VITTA conference. Check out the website for the list of keynote speakers and latest changes. See you all back at <font face="Arial">Flemington Racecourse this November! </font><a href="http://www.vitta.org.au/conferenceinfo">http://www.vitta.org.au/conferenceinfo</a><br>
<br>I am hoping to sneak off to STAVCON, probably hiding in the inflatable planetarium wearing a disguise and carrying a cardboard satellite. That time of the year. Good luck with the start of your next report cycle. :-D<br>
<br clear="all">Regards Roland<br><br><br><br><div class="gmail_quote"><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;"><div class="gmail_quote">
<div style="word-wrap: break-word;"><div><div>
<div><font face="Arial"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><b>A reminder to register for ACEC2010 before 13 November to be in the running for winning two conference dinner tickets.</b></span><b> </b></font></div><div>
<font face="Arial"><b><br>
</b></font></div><div><font face="Arial">Hopefully, you should have received the latest conference brochure in the mail. You will know then, of the great early bird rate of $660 for the full conference which works out at $220 per day for an international conference - excellent value you will agree!</font></div>
<div><br></div><div><font face="Arial"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><div><font face="Arial">BYO your wireless device, connect to the world and lead your students into the digital sphere. Discover ways to improve learning for students, tune up your professional resume, and inspire staff through over 250 interactive sessions, workshops, networking lounges. Engage in the leadership forum which has become a beacon for political decision makers at both state and federal levels, and browse countless cutting-edge exhibits.</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial"><br></font></div><div><font face="Arial"><br></font></div><div><font face="Arial"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><div><font face="Arial"><b>Early Bird Ticket $660</b></font></div><div><font face="Arial">(Includes Wed 7 Apr, Thu 8 Apr, Fri 9 Apr - Early Bird ends 28 Feb 2010)</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial"><br></font></div><div><font face="Arial">Late Registration Conference Ticket $990</font></div><div><font face="Arial">(Includes Wed 7 Apr, Thu 8 Apr, Fri 9 Apr - Late Registration starts 1 Mar - 6 Apr 2010)</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial"><br></font></div><div><font face="Arial">Pre-conference Workshop Ticket $99</font></div><div><font face="Arial">(Tue 6 Apr)</font></div><div><font face="Arial"><br></font></div><div><font face="Arial">Leadership Forum Ticket $99</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial">(Tue 6 Apr)</font></div><div><font face="Arial"><br></font></div><div><font face="Arial">Conference Dinner Ticket $100</font></div><div>(Thu 8 Apr)</div><div><br></div><div><font face="Arial">Early Bird Day Ticket - Wed 7 Apr $250</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial">Early Bird Day Ticket - Thu 8 Apr $250</font></div><div><font face="Arial">Early Bird Day Ticket - Fri 9 Apr $250</font></div><div><font face="Arial"><br></font></div><div><font face="Arial"><a href="http://acec2010.info/" target="_blank">Purchase Tickets from www.acec2010.info</a></font></div>
</span></font></div><div><font face="Arial"><br></font></div><div><font face="Arial">How about this for starters!</font></div><div><font face="Arial"><br></font></div><div><font face="Arial"><b>Sylvia Martinez </b></font></div>
<div><font face="Arial">Sylvia is President of Generation YES, evangelizing student involvement in education reform through technology. Generation YES helps schools through a change process that includes student-centered teaching practices, encouragement of student voice, and technology combined with service-learning.</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial"><br></font></div><div><font face="Arial"><b>Alan November</b></font></div><div><font face="Arial">Alan is an international leader in education technology. He began his career as an oceanography teacher and dorm counselor at an island reform school for boys in Boston Harbor. He has been director of an alternative high school, computer coordinator, technology consultant, and university lecturer</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial"><br></font></div><div><font face="Arial"><b>Adam Elliot</b></font></div><div><font face="Arial">Adam is an Academy AwardŽ winning director and has become one of the worlds most celebrated animators. For almost a decade, his films, Uncle, Cousin, Brother and Harvie Krumpet, have been viewed by millions of people around the world and have participated in over five hundred film festivals. </font></div>
<div><font face="Arial"><br></font></div><div><font face="Arial"><b>Gary Stager</b></font></div><div><font face="Arial">Gary is Executive Director of The Constructivist Consortium. For 27 years, Gary Stager, an internationally recognized educator, speaker and consultant, has helped learners of all ages on six continents embrace the power of computers as intellectual laboratories and vehicles for self-expression. ACEC2010 marks Dr. Stager's 20th anniversary of working in Australia. He considers Melbourne his second home and first keynoted ACEC in 2004. </font></div>
<div><font face="Arial"><br></font></div><div><font face="Arial"><b>Chris Rogers</b></font></div><div><font face="Arial">Chris Rogers, Tufts University has started a number of new directions, including learning robotics with LEGO bricks and learning manufacturing by building musical instruments. He was awarded the Carnegie Professor of the Year in Massachusetts in 1998 and is currently the director of the Centre for Engineering Education Outreach (<a href="http://www.ceeo.tufts.edu/" target="_blank">www.ceeo.tufts.edu</a>). His teaching work extends to the primary school, where he talks with over 1,000 teachers around the world every year on ways of bringing engineering into the younger grades. He has worked with LEGO to develop ROBOLAB, a robotic approach to learning science and maths.</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial"><br></font></div><div><font face="Arial"><b>Tom March</b></font><font face="Arial">, 'Bright Ideas for Education'</font></div><div><font face="Arial"><br></font></div><div><font face="Arial">And '</font><font face="Arial"><b>On the Couch with Jeff Richardson</b></font><font face="Arial">' (ABC - The Coodabeens)</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial"><br></font></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: bold;">Want to get all the inside info?</span></div><div><font face="Arial">Create a profile on the ACEC2010 website, <a href="http://acec2010.info/" target="_blank">www.acec2010.info</a> on the top right hand side of the conference website, there is a sign up button. </font><font face="Arial"><b><i>T</i></b></font><font face="Arial"><b><i>his is not conference registration and does not cost. </i></b></font><font face="Arial">Creating a profile ensures you get the latest conference information, and full program access through email.</font></div>
<div><br></div></span></font><br></div></div></div></div></div></blockquote><div><br> </div></div>-- <br>Roland Gesthuizen - ICT Coordinator - Westall Secondary College<br><a href="http://www.westallsc.vic.edu.au/">http://www.westallsc.vic.edu.au</a><br>
<br>"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed it is the only thing that ever has." --Margaret Mead<br>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div>Cameron Bell</div><div>Mooroolbark College</div></span>
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