[Yr7-10it] VELS and IT

Mon Jun 26 21:46:15 EST 2006

On the Explorer thread .. IE TAB is a very handy plugin for Windows Firefox
users. It can even handle the WindowsUpdate check and works by clicking on a
statusbar icon. I wasnt noticed with a Vista beta release that IE 7 is
remarkably like Firefox. (As with Win98, XP users shouldnt hold their
breath)
     https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/1419  to download IE Tab

Regards Roland

On 20/06/06, Leanne Wright <barbarloot at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> I am encouraged  by the news that the SSMS site will actually work with
> Explorer. I have tried to apply twice and each time windows has crashed -
> maybe third time lucky
> Leanne Wright
>
>
> *"Mclean, Rachelle L" <Mclean.Rachelle.L at edumail.vic.gov.au>* wrote:
>
>  Like, the SSMS site that handles applications for examiners that only
> will work with Internet Explorer.  What about those who haven't sold their
> souls to Microsoft?
>
> Rachelle McLean
>
>  ------------------------------
>  *From:* yr7-10it-bounces at edulists.com.au [mailto:
> yr7-10it-bounces at edulists.com.au] *On Behalf Of *Roland Gesthuizen
> *Sent:* Monday, 12 June 2006 2:00 PM
> *To:* Year 7 - 10 Information Technology Teachers' Mailing List
> *Subject:* Re: [Yr7-10it] VELS and IT
>
> Last year, futurist Dr Damian Conway gave a good talk at a Monash Alumni
> breakfast about some of these technological changes and the convergence that
> is happening. The MP3 download of the one hour presentation<http://audio.monash.edu.au/alumni/conway.mp3>is 28 Mb but worth listening to with a good
> summary by Bill here<http://billkerr.blogspot.com/2005/07/four-funerals-and-wedding.html>
> .
>
> It is sad that many schools ignore these 'disruptive technologies', the
> benefits of Open Source software, the challenges of the Web2 or a
> "read-write" Internet, rejecting good ideas behind a small suite of
> shink-wrap software and corporate licences.  Whilst they are playing safe by
> firewalling themselves from the world outside the school, they could become
> irrelevant, sugar-coated centers of learning that are stuck in the
> technological dark ages.
>
> It is hard to engage students and be an agent of change with your head
> firmly cemented in the sandpit.
>
> Regards Roland
>  On 12/06/06, *Bill Kerr *<billkerr at gmail.com> wrote:
>  As well as the skills - taught through both conceptual understandings
> which hopefully will be developed at Paul's wiki and immersion (great
> discussion b/w Paul and Tony about this at Paul's wiki)
> http://pdchandler.wikispaces.com/computing_concepts
>
> I've been thinking that attitudes (perhaps stemming in part from beliefs)
> and environments are also v. important
>
> Some users have the attitude of mastering the machine, of looking behind
> the screen, of exploring it more deeply. One tiny example, I've noticed how
> much more proficient those who learn and become fluent with keyboard
> shortcuts are over those who just rely on the mouse. (but of course there is
> far more to it than that)
>
> Environment is so important IMO. Brian Harvey used to give his students
> the key to the computer lab. The trend increasingly on my patch is to lock
> everything down and to restrict options rather than expand them.
>
> 1. Censor-ware
> 2. MS Agreement is bad in a number of ways. The MS UI is dumbing down (eg.
> hide file extensions), also the agreement restricts the uptake of Open
> Source, which is far more compatible with an educational philosophy (sharing
> stuff)
> 3. Copyright Law (now out of date due to technological advances)
> 4. DRM (restrict ability to copy to prop up ageing business models)
> 5. Locally many schools are obsessed with security (perhaps for good
> reasons)
>
> I call these things the instruments of torture, analogous to the
> instruments of torture shown to Galileo to restrict his freedom of thought.
>
> Taken as a group: skills, attitudes, environment - how are we going in
> schools at the moment?
>
> Not very well, I would suggest.
>
> --
> Bill Kerr
> http://billkerr.blogspot.com/
> http://beam.to/billkerr
> skype: billkerr2006
>
>
>
>
>  On 6/11/06, *Dr Paul Chandler* < paul.chandler at yvg.vic.edu.au> wrote:
>  In an earlier post, I suggested that what we need, first of all, some
> vigorous discussion, some postulates, of what are some conceptual
> understandings which 'really matter' - those that 'the better' computer
> users have that 'the strugglers' don't yet have.
>
> In this context, Tony Forster observed:
>
> > Imagine that its 1986, you are learning Wordstar on DOS or CPM. With the
> > wisdom of hindsight, what are the generalised, higher order skills which
> > will  still be useful in 2006? More importantly, how would you have
> > recognised them back in 1986? If you can answer that, then you are on
> the
> > way to knowing what is important to teach now.
>
> Thanks, Tony.  Interesting stuff to think about ... my thoughts for the
> moment ...
>
> Not everyone on the list will be able to date themselves back to Wordstar
> in 1986 (I can only just do so).  The things that were true then which seem
> to be true now are:
> - the document and program you are working in, exists within an 'external
> context' (hardware, operating system and filing system).  So that, if you
> turn off your computer before saving your work, it's gone; if you type long
> enough, you'll make a document too big for the computer to handle, and
> you'll probably lose it; if you don't have your printer turned on and
> plugged in, printing will be either lost or be in jibberish; etc etc
> - if you select chunks of text they can be manipulated in various ways;
> these 'various ways' include its location in the document and format
>
> Anymore contributions, anyone?
>  Now, I'm not sure that we need to back-track into history all the time to
> identify 'key concepts', but sometimes it might sharpen our thinking.  For
> instance, in the early days of the Macintosh, the word processor MacWrite
> had a concept of 'inserting a ruler' and certain formatting applied from
> that ruler until the next ruler encountered.  MS Word (and possibly
> wordperfect before it) gave us the idea of a paragraph as a 'grouping' of
> certain formatting options.  The fact that the MacWrite idea has largely
> gone by the board does not change the fact that 'the ruler' was a vital
> concept for those who were using it at that the time.  I don't think the
> 'important concepts' have to have extreme longevity, but they need to be
> applicable t! o how we are worki! ng now.
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: yr7-10it-bounces at edulists.com.au on behalf of Tony Forster
> Sent: Sat 6/10/2006 11:09 PM
> To: Year 7 - 10 Information Technology Teachers' Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [Yr7-10it] VELS and IT
>
> > I'm teaching "about IT", I find it _really_ hard to move beyond
> knowledge.
> > To do things such as summarize, describe, interpret, apply, demonstrate,
> > calculate, analyze, separate, order, explain, connect, classify,
> combine,
> > integrate, modify, rearrange, substitute, assess, decide, rank, grade,
> > test,
> > measure, or recommend ... All the "higher order" skills is just so hard.
>
> > I'd suggest that this is because we are too bothered with ensuring that
> > the
> > students have "the skills" rather than "the concepts".  If we were
> > orientated towards "concepts", then then higher order stuff would come
> > easier.
>
> Imagine that its 1986, you are learning Wordstar on DOS or CPM. With the
> wisdom of hindsight, what are the generalised, higher order skills which
> will  still be useful in 2006? More importantly, how would you have
> recognised them back in 1986? If you can answer that, then you are on the
> way to knowing what is important to teach now.
>
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> --
> Roland Gesthuizen - ICT Coordinator - Westall Secondary College
> http://www.westallsc.vic.edu.au
>
> "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can
> change the world; indeed it is the only thing that ever has." --Margaret
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> ------------------------------
> Sneak preview the all-new Yahoo.com<http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=40762/*http://www.yahoo.com/preview>.
> It's not radically different. Just radically better.
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-- 
Roland Gesthuizen - ICT Coordinator - Westall Secondary College
http://www.westallsc.vic.edu.au

"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
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