Learnshifting

Graduating – Celebrating and Life Long Learning

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31 years ago, after being told that I didn’t really have any skills apart from being able to speak Chinese and Indonesian, I embarked upon and completed a Graduate Diploma in Computing at the then Chisholm Institute of Technology which later merged into Monash University.

Sebetulnya kemampuan dengan bahasa sangat penting…terutama dalam dunia yang terus berubah…

其实语言技术很重要 – 特别在我们总是有变化的世界.

I completed the course but never graduated as I was busy becoming a consultant and travelling overseas to create my own stamp on life.

Recently, seeing the wonderful graduation ceremonies of friends, nieces and nephews and the various accolades our own son has achieved – I thought it would be both personally satisfying and I hope a little inspirational to attend my own graduation ceremony and receive this qualification.

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Using OneNote in the Classroom

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I prepared an episode of the video seminar I conduct at work called smoothies. These are short 15 minute webinars aimed at passing on a tip or two for our ICT teachers in our schools. Although aimed at primary school ICT teachers, I really enjoy the input received from dedicated ICT managers in the higher education schools.

I had a chance to visit a primary school and see firsthand the interaction between teacher, student and a large presentation screen controlled by notebooks on the network. Although this alone represented a considerable amount of investment it made me think about the software application that could be used to both present, collaborate, review, mark and return work without the need for cables or emails.

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Create QR codes in MS Word

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Normally I would use inDesign to create QR codes and I don’t recommend using free online QR code generators online – mainly because there is no such thing as a free lunch. Recently I had an email from an educator wanting to share his students’ resumes using a QR code link to a stored online copy…

I wanted to ensure as much privacy as possible, despite the fact that the content, a resume, was meant to be shared with prospective employers – ie members of the public.

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Teaching your kids about financial literacy (and maybe yourself)

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Scott Pape, the barefoot investor, is the name on the lips of many people trying to manage their finances. Another name, ASIC’s Moneysmart is also a great resource for teaching both young and old about financial matters we all look back on and wish we’d either listened more or followed advice… Unfortunately when I was growing up there were no free webinars about financial management or barefoot investors to explain things in simple terms.

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Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in Humpty Doo!

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As a young boy my Mother worked in the Paspalis drive-in located in Nightcliff, where the current day Nightcliff Woolworths shopping centre exists. We saw films there until after I had completed high school.

The advent of video tapes and the cost of land began to put an end to drive in theatres. In the current Netflix generation, the notion of video tape contributing to the demise of drive ins may seem far-fetched but it was true.

Cinemas faired better, although the theatre where I watched Chitty Chitty Bang Bang as a young boy was not the victim of technological advancement, but rather the fury of Cyclone Tracy which destroyed most of Darwin in the wee hours of Christmas Day 1974.

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Education Services Australia (ESA) Cool sites for students and teachers

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ESA build and maintain some great websites. Scootle is probably the best known, but here are some links to other great sites they curate… The Digital Technologies Hub and Student Wellbeing Hub are additions to the stable of websites including the myfuture, Scootle, and SCIS websites which have continued to provide and improve their services. … Read more

Before steam there was…email?

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I visited two great schools last week in our rural area – Howard Springs and Girraween Primary school. My purpose for the visits was simply Service Improvement. Those who are the recipients or deliverers of service know that there is nothing simple about good service.

It’s like trying to grow coriander in the Top End (Northern Territory of Australia) – it’s very difficult due to our humidity, soil and pests – and at the end you get a small handful of leaves you chop up and put on a bowl of noodles… oddly, coriander is a vegetable/herb which garners as many love/hate comments as State of Origin allegiances which is probably appropriate for what I want to share next…

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Home Automation – first step – Go to Bunnings

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With all the hype around home automation, flying cars and robots greeting you in restaurants, I thought I would resist the urge, but then one day I went to Bunnings, that ultimate man-cave where many a dad and husband can be seen wandering the aisles (pc link here). I strayed into the lighting aisle after snapping up a bargain on a desk lamp (with LED globe) for 4 dollars and I thought about a problem I have in Darwin with a dark area between my garage and my back sliding door.

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Upgrading my TAE qualification

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First mistake… Don’t use unexplained acronyms! But I admit I did it on purpose as will be explained. Although search engines help and actually guide people to pages like this… but only if they are familiar with the subject. In the world of teaching and training, there are requirements to hold qualifications and certification. For example when I worked in Singapore as a Senior Lecturer at a polytechnic back in the early 90s, I provided my qualifications and certificates, which didn’t include the need to supply a working with children “certificate”. Working in an education department since 2009 and after the introduction of the “ochre card” for that territory, I duly submitted my application and received my clearance… a step I am now repeating in Victoria so I can work voluntarily with young adults. This is a good thing and although having one of these clearances doesn’t preclude potential abuse, it does place it on the list of things that must be considered – by employers and employees… along with things like providing a safe workplace, guarding against bullying, being inclusive and many other things that may have been practised here in Australia and indeed in Singapore in the 90s, but now have a formalised process and accountability attached to them.

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