Innovate
I am currently a computing teacher and a part-time elearning integrator at my current school. My subjects range from Technology to Stage 6 Software Design and Development and Information Processes and Technology.
As I reflect on the past, I seem to have devoted a huge amount of my time trying out new strategies that relate to technology. Some of them include:
- Joined Telstra’s Telememo to make use of command line email with MCI Mail in North America
- very expensive, typed up a text file then uploaded and emailed to relatives
- could be printed out at a post office and delivered physically. Time: 3 days
- an Apple IIe clone with an internal 300 bits per second modem was the platform of the day
- exchanging floppy disks with ozzie students’ creative stories and students in North America
- ozzie students always were critical of other students’ writings. It motivated them to do better
- exchange of disks took about 10 days
- Participated in one of the first Newsday where students created newsletters and exchanged them.
- Particpated in the first Global School House website design competition
- web authoring was new
- made the local radio station news
- winners obviously had parents who knew about html coding
- first what -you -see -what-you-get web authoring software was written in Visual Basic by an Australian
- I would have been one of the first teachers to use a black and white Cu-See-Me web video conference with a school in Japan (300 bits per second)
- had to write up questions for both Japan and Australia e.g. Do you wear a school uniform? This was done by sending email back and forth.
- had to remain stationary in front of the camera for 30 seconds
- Japan had to ring on a mobile phone during the exchange because we could not cope with audio and mono vision
- When doing my graduate diploma in computing, we had access to the Internet before the invention of the web browser
- Approached the local university to gain access to the Internet for the school via a phone line (approved)
- eventually the school had to abandon the university access due to pressure from newly established local Internet Service Providers
- Created and uploaded my school’s IPT website 2 years before my current school developed their own website.
- content is important, not the bells and whistles
- still operational at the time of this writing
- Learned how to make use of Flash to enough depth that it could be used in the classroom
- Started delivering 2 hour workshops to fellow computing teachers with the CSTA
- Learned how to make use of Game Maker so that it could be used in the classroom
- Learned how to make use of Director MX so that it could be used by extension computing students
- Learned how to make use of HotPotatoes
- Learned how to make use of video editing software. End product used at Y12 Presentation Evening
- Spent a week at Sydney University’s Computing Summer School to learn Python and better prepare my first SDD students
- Discovered a great reference to create games using Python using Object Oriented Programming
- Students who go to the summer school, do very well in the SDD exams
- Experimented with Moodle to a good depth
- 2006: involved in Robotics and work experience with 3 Year 11 students and their facilitator located in Newcastle
- distance may not be a factor when working with information technology
- worked in conjunction with Wollongong High School
- the information system that was used, was clumsy at best
- At the forefront of making use of Web 2.0 services with students
- Used Captivate 1.0 to make interactive lessons with Geography and Science. (Huge success).
To conclude, I like to think that I am always beating the bush for innovative ideas to use at the coal face in the classroom.
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Hi Steve,
Thank you for filling us in on your background! The IT components of our Honours Programme are in very capable hands!! We are very fortunate to have you on board and I can already see what a difference it will make to its efficacy.
Hoping you’ll have some rest over Easter,
Margaret