Tēnā koutou, talofa lava, and welcome to the latest fortnightly round up for the start of June.

Universal Design for Learning group is back up and running and check out the Digital Citizenship group, which showcased five top tips to consider during Cyber Security Week.

You might be interested in viewing yesterday's webinar:

What does effective e-learning pedagogy and UFB look like? 5 June. In this webinar, Janice Gulbransen from Nayland Primary school, shared the journey of ultra-fast broadband in her school. Janice talked about leadership challenges and ways to support staff as they model effective e-learning pedagogy and innovative practice in the classroom. This webinar is also supported by a blog post, What changes when you get ultra-fast broadband?

Also, feel free to join us in the following up-coming event:

WEBINAR: Engaging with whānau and the wider community - a kura perspective: Wednesday 19 June, 3.45-4.45pm. Join Tui Yeager, Principal of Te Kura o Matapihi as she shares her story about keeping whānau and iwi connected, informed and encouraged to participate, with school. This webinar will look at ways to foster home/school partnerships through, with and about e-learning. REGISTER NOW!

Looking forward to ‘seeing you online’ this term - hei konā mai,

Karen, Tessa & Catriona | Blended e-Learning Online Team

In this edition we thank Karen Gilligan for getting involved and sharing her stories in recent conversations across the VLN/Enabling e-Learning community groups.

Karen is a resource teacher vision (RTV) working for the Blind and Low Vision Education Network, NZ (BLENNZ) in Wellington and supports students in early childhood and primary school settings.

Each fortnight, we like to say thank you by nominating a community member for active participation in the Enabling e-Learning / VLN Groups. Look out for these announcements in the coming weeks.

Leadership & strategic direction

Growing leadership of e-learning | NAPP Kōrero 6 – Resourcing: What kind of leadership skills and understandings are needed when planning to resource e-learning in your school? Some rigorous conversations in this thread. Does this fit with your thinking?

Principal ePortfolios: Should a leader have a blog? Should it be public or private? What’s the purpose? What are your thoughts?

Using the eLPF in a tertiary setting: Daniel Phillips leads the e-Learning team at a tertiary level is interested in adopting the e-Learning Planning Framework. He also wants to know if anyone else has used the eLPF in the tertiary sector. Can you help?

Check out Leadership and e-Learning via the Enabling e-Learning website.

Professional Learning

E- Portfolios and Performance Appraisal: Shane Ngatai is looking at incorporating performance appraisal systems into an e-Portfolio model. Does anyone have any examples of ideas to share with Shane?

Following Blogs: Leigh Hynes offers some advice about using Feedly as a reader, to help aggregate blogs feed notifications.

Check out e-Learning & Professional Learning>>the Enabling e-Learning website and in particular, the latest Reflections - VPLD hui 2012 video on the Virtual Professional Learning and Development programme (VPLD) page.

Teaching and Learning | Digital Citizenship

Cyber Security Awareness Week | 27-31 May 2013: During Cyber Security week, 5 top tips or steps to protect ourselves and others online, were shared.

Science Learning Hub: Look out for the iPad App and sign up free for MySci tool that enables you to bookmark useful items, as you browse through the Science Learning Hub.

No 2 bullying conference: Nicole Price shares an Australian initiative called, the 'Back me up campaign', where students produce video clips for a competition, to educate bystanders about standing up to cyberbullying.

The world needs programmers: Here’s an interesting YouTube clip where ‘famous’ people talk about the virtues of computer science/coding/programming. What are your students doing in this area of e-learning?

Writing and use of keyboards? How do you balance handwriting vs typing during writing? Want to wade into the discussion here?

Number of posts: Suzie Vesper comments, that in a busy classroom, should we take the pressure off and set a minimum of a couple of posts? What do people think?

What is your best practice: Lenva Shearing invites us to look at best practice, using Google Apps. What do you do in your classroom that is innovative, fosters learning and engages students?

Interested in conversations about our priority learners?

Māori and Pasifika achievement at secondary school: If you missed the original post, here’s a Radio NZ National podcast, highlighting how one Auckland secondary school has made dramatic improvements in the achievement rates for their Maori and Pacific students.

Ngā mihi o te Tau Hou - Happy New Year: Anaru White welcomes in the new year as we celebrate the rising of Matariki and Puanga. What do you have planned for Matariki and Puanga? Anything digital to share?

Vaiaso o le Gagana Sāmoa | Samoan Language Week 2013: Last week marked a special celebration of the Samoan language throughout the country. Do you have any celebrations from last week you’d like to share?

Samoan Language week 2013: Togi Lemanu shares some simple phrases for Samoan language week, which can be used any day of the year.

Options in your classroom? Chrissie Butler shares a video, where Joe comically illustrates the limitations of hard copy text. Chrissie asks, how do you provide options to support access to information and the engagement of all learners in your classroom? Where can the effective use of technology make a difference?

Teaching Without Words--Using Visual Interactive Games with Informative Feedback Patrick Pink shares this video, 'Teaching Without Words', where Matthew Peterson has created visual interactive games with informative feedback, to teach maths and science, word-free.

Some stories and ideas around dyslexia: Patrick Pink shares some inspiring stories, videos and links to strategies and technology, that may be interesting to explore further - when working with young people who experience dyslexia.

Poetry in emoticons, an alternative to text: Chrissie Butler shares a video by Rives – an example of presenting poetry to students by using symbols instead of text.

Check out e-Learning and Teaching>>> the Enabling e-Learning website and the latest videos from Parkvale school as they provide opportunities for personalised learning with their 1:1 netbook programme. You can find these the new school stories on the English and e-learning page on Enabling e-Learning.

Technologies & Infrastructure

What changes when you get ultra-fast broadband? Here’s an image showing when ultra-fast broadband first went live in one school. But is that all? What else changes when ultra-fast broadband comes to your school?

Can you help?

1:1 computing devices in maths: Rebecca Ronald is wanting to know how you are using netbooks with your year 7 to 10 maths classes? Ideas, please!

Dropbox and/or Google apps Teacher Taskboard: Rachel O'Connell wants to know what the benefits are for using Dropbox as well as Google apps? Is one preferrable?

For other techie support and help, check out the following threads:

Mobile technologies

iPad apps and proxy settings - filtering...... Craig Chapman does a wonderful job of demonstrating Internet filtering using a proxy. It’s a bit like catching a fish!

For all other mobile technology trends:

Bookmarks

Writing on a Mobile Device - Interesting article about using mobile devices for writing. Bookmark added by iDave.

A great guide on teaching students about their digital footprint. Here's some relevant questions, resources, images and videos you can use in the classroom - to help teach students about their 'digital footprint'. Bookmark added by Tessa Gray.

Allanah King has added the following bookmarks:

5 Critical Mistakes Schools Make With iPads (And How To Correct Them) |Fluency21 – Committed Sardine Blog. Good stuff around what to focus you energies on - getting the iPad use right!!

Android vs. iPad: What platform will be the long-term winner? Not an entirely unbiased view, but an interesting article all the same.

Karen Melhuish Spencer has added the following bookmarks.

Blogging resources | Enabling e-Learning - A collection of resources and blogs, curated by Enabling e-Learning, including guidance on effective use.

'Should you be Quadblogging?' Interface Magazine, May 2013. Looking for an engaging way to improve technology, literacy and social skills all in one go? QuadBlogging could be the answer.

Check out e-Learning and Technologies on the Enabling e-Learning website.

Beyond the Classroom

The Rise and Fall of the School Newsletter: Allanah King prompts us to think that, with the rise of social media, where does the school newsletter fit? Are emailed school newsletters are thing of the past? What do you think?

Video series - How best to engage Pasifika learners and their families: A number of videos, focused on how best to engage Pacific Island students and their families, have now been released.

Check out Beyond the Classroom on the Enabling e-Learning website.

For your calendar...

Enabling e-Learning events

Enabling e-Learning forums and webinars: Check out what is coming up for the rest of Term 2, in the Enabling e-Learning calendar. Add these events to your own calendars!

WEBINARS: Find the recordings here for 2011/2012/2013 sessions you may have missed, including using leadership and resourcing of e-learning, BYOD, mobile technologies in a junior classroom, social media and ethics for teachers, LEARNZ field trips and many more!

e-Learning events around NZ

Emerging Leaders Summit, 15th & 16th June 2013, Albany Senior High School, Auckland

EduCampNZ: Events happening all over NZ. Check out one near you - or start one yourself!

ULearn 2013, 9-11 October, Hamilton.

Images courtesy of Creative Commons Google images, Flickr and freedigitalphotos.net

Virtual Learning Network

e-Learning Round-Up | 6 June 2013