Welcome to all those new members who joined the e-Learning groups here on the VLN.

Here's this week's round-up of e-learning goodness from across the VLN Groups.

Member of the week

Each week we'll profile someone who has made a valuable contribution to our e-Learning community. This week, it's....

• Stephanie Thompson:  Stephanie is a student teacher with a passion for e-learning. She is her completing Grad Dip in Primary teaching online via Victoria University of Wellington. Visit her blog for a great example of reflective learning.

Group of the week

• Digi-Advisors: Now Suzie Vesper and Rochelle Jensen, Digi-advisors, have their own space to support teachers using digital content, especially Digistore. Visit them in their Digi-advisors group, a sub-group within e-Learning: Teaching.

A sneak peek: eLearning on the VLN

Leadership

• Are you leading an e-learning initiative in your school?: We'd like to hear from you in the e-Learning: Leadership group.

• An Open Letter to a Principal: 5 Leadership Strategies: What are your thoughts and how would you respond?     

• Building principals' e-capability: The Aoraki Cluster is exploring ways to build principals’ capability in e-learning.

Professional Learning

• Teachers using e-portfolios to support their own learning: Read how the Digital Daze cluster is fostering collaboration as part of professional learning using e-portfolios.

• New thread: Are you building a wall - or a house? A discussion about how to align professional learning with the other initiatives going on in school.

• Teaching as Inquiry - Goal setting and strategies: Check out this video that shows how Malvern Cluster has supported teachers to develop their own e-learning inquiries

• How do we help students to become digital citizens?: Aoraki Cluster is sharing their planning with us.

• Exploring Registered Teacher Criteria 4: How do you use technology for your own learning?

Professional Learning Events

• Next Hotseat/Pae pae session: Jill Hammonds - ICTPD National Facilitator, Core Education will explore Learning as Inquiry (21 September). Sign up for this free online session via the VPL-D space.

• ULearn Conference:18-21 October in Rotorua: Open for registrations now.

• Learning@School Conference: (26-27 January 2012) - Registration now open. Call for papers due by 16^th September.

Teaching and Learning |  Digital Citizenship

• Fostering student leadership in technology for learning: Read about the TeKids programme in their blog.

• The Whakatu Cluster are sharing their digital citizenship journey.

• Mixing and mashing: How do your students manage copyright? This thread continues to explore the challenges of ownership and acknowledging, as well as sharing great free use resources.

• New thread: Why students need a 'professional learning network' too: How are your students pursuing their own inquiries?

• Creating learning pathways using Digistore: Read Rachel Roberts summary of Suzie Vesper's hotseat session and listen again.

Technology

• Managing multiple devices: From iPods and PCs, to laptops and tablets - a lively discussion exploring the challenges of having a range of different types of computers in school in school.

• App sharing: Some great ideas being shared here. The more we understand what apps can offer, the easier it is to see opportunities to enhance an aspect of learning.

• Do you use Voki in the classroom?: If so, Simon Evans of Software for Learning would like to talk to you.

Beyond the Classroom

• Continued conversations from Whakatu cluster on Fostering Home/School partnerships

• How might we use Facebook/social media to connect to our school community? The thread continues ...

VLN Groups: Tip of the week: Dashboard

Your dashboard is your home: Make it work for you. You can choose a number of widgets to keep you in touch with what’s going on, and then move them around the page. We like: Group Discussion, Users Online, Latest discussion, Blogs, Groups and Friends. For more help, How to set up your dashboard.

e-Learning on the Wire…

The Wire is the micro-blogging stream in the VLN…Here’s what we heard:

• Gerard Macmanus: "Working through theming our school moodle, running online subject selection and opened up google apps for all students today."   

• chrissy: "At Muriwai School today and enjoying working with the tekkie children around digital citizenship..creating powerpoints are awesome."

Images: photostock |  renjith krishnan  |  fotographic1980  |  jscreationzs ... all @ FreeDigitalPhotos.net