[Offtopic] Ultranet

Wed May 23 10:47:03 EST 2007

Education Department Guidelines for Management of Schools and Staff:
1) Always provide schools with retro software eg: CASES
2) Provide the most minimal information to employees as
possible-eg:Ultranet
3) Long Term Planning- "What's that?"
4) Spend as much taxpayer money as possible- The more money spent the
better it sounds
5) Send dead beat speakers around to all schools to waste staff time and
energy

I know some people outside the department (private sector) who have been
dealing with Ultranet and they say they like it- but who wouldn't if you
were being paid a truckload of money.  

The point is Ultranet has to deliver to thousands of schools and remain
updated and functional in all areas of school management and schooling
in general-class rolls, enrolments, curriculum, real time communication.

To date I can't think of many department initiatives that have been
successfully, (efficiently or effectively) implemented in schools around
the state.  VELS and the new report writing system is a case in point. 

So if one were to follow history and the trends things aren't looking
good.    

Zach Alexakos

Cameron Bell Said:
"I don't want to kick a system before I know anything about it, but
that's the problem, I don't. Does anyone know where the input is coming
from? Whether they will mandate all schools use this thing?
Where can you find out so that long term-planning can be taken into
account?"

-----Original Message-----
From: offtopic-bounces at edulists.com.au
[mailto:offtopic-bounces at edulists.com.au] On Behalf Of Cameron Bell
Sent: Wednesday, 23 May 2007 9:57 AM
To: Information Technology Teachers' Offtopic Mailing List
Subject: Re: [Offtopic] Ultranet

I didn't want to kick off the cynicism too early in the thread - you can

pull a hammy if you get started too early without warming up.
HOWEVER:
If a statewide system is introduced:
1) It will make moving between schools very easy. No new system to
learn.
2) Materials developed will be compatible across all schools. (Provided 
vendors don't impose their own file formats or systems on materials)
3) Group expertise while be huge and common help facilities will be 
understood across all schools.
4) Auditing of materials against the current standards, (at the moment 
VELS, but who knows what they will be by the time the Ultranet is 
running) should be easy

I don't want to kick a system before I know anything about it, but 
that's the problem, I don't. Does anyone know where the input is coming 
from? Whether they will mandate all schools use this thing?
Where can you find out so that long term-planning can be taken into
account?

Cameron

Jim Maunder wrote:
> What this thread needs is a little more cynicism. Let me tell you a 
> story.
>
> Some years ago I attended a meeting of those interested in tendering 
> for the provision of IT services to schools - the one where school IT 
> techs were paid for by the state - is it ITSA or something like that? 
> Now, most of the ppl at the meeting were from agencies, and in 
> hindsight, they must have seen the ITSA scheme as something they could

> get good money from for not much input. Naive techs like me just saw 
> it as a job opportunity.
>
> So, wherever there are governments there are consultants and agencies 
> and others who are only too happy to persuade the government to give 
> them money for whatever scheme they can think up.
>
> (It's a bit early in the morning and my blood/caffeine ratio is not 
> quite optimal yet, so the words are not coming out as smoothly as I 
> would hope, but I hope you get the idea.)
>
> Jim
>
> At 08:10 AM 23/05/2007, you wrote:
>> Why would you pay $61,000,000 for online collaboration tools when you

>> can already do a lot with the free stuff that Google and numerous 
>> others already provide? Must be a you-beaut system!
>> Cameron
>>
>> stephen at melbpc.org.au wrote:
>>> Bell rings for $61m net
>>> Chris Jenkins
>>> MAY 22, 2007
>>>
>>>
<http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,21770883%5E15319%5E%> 
>>> 5Enbv%5E,00.html>
>>>
>>> VICTORIA will soon announce a renewed IT services supplier panel as 
>>> it revs up its $61 million Ultranet schools network project.
>>> Speaking in Sydney last week after meeting with representatives of 
>>> the NSW IT industry, Victorian IT Minister Tim Holding said the 
>>> four-year Ultranet project, designed to deliver a suite of online 
>>> collaboration systems for students, teachers and parents, had been 
>>> opened to expressions of interest.
>>> Industry responses are due by July 11, with a request for tender 
>>> expected later in the year.
>>> The state would shortly announce the make-up of its new preferred 
>>> supplier panel for IT services for government agencies, Mr Holding 
>>> said.
>>> "We're in the process of refreshing the panel," and about 300 
>>> submissions had been made to join a panel that would include a 
>>> number of new categories, he said.
>>> Successful bidders are expected to be named by the end of the
month...
>>>
>>> The Australian
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Message sent using MelbPC WebMail Server
>>>
>>>
>>>
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> Ruyton Girls School
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