Welcome to all those new members of the eLearning groups here on the VLN. Here's this week's round-up of elearning goodness from across the VLN Communities.

eMember of the week

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

• Michael Fawcett: He teaches Year 3s in Hamilton. Known for his sense of wonder, his beard and awesome helmet, Michael recently blogged his thoughts on the EduCamp Auckland event.

Group of the week

• eLearning: Professional Learning: This groups focuses on connecting anyone interested in exploring what makes for effective learning for teachers, in the context of e-learning. This week people have been sharing thoughts on the most powerful professional e-learning experience they’ve had.

A sneak peek: eLearning on the VLN

Leadership

• The golden rules for your school's elearning strategy. Conversations emerging about the importance of a shared vision for e-learning.

Professional Learning

• EduCamp Bay Of Plenty: The most recent in the EduCamp series. Check out the video from Simon Evans.

• Want to pursue an e-learning passion?: CORE Education awards are open for applications until 29th August.

• Virtual versus face-to-face PLD (.flv): This clip has been uploaded from ICT Enhanced Learning where two groups of teachers debate arguments around face-to-face and virtual professional learning.

• Buddy observations: Terry Maloney shares how his school is planning to document teacher progress in the use of technology through buddy observations.

Teaching and Learning |  Digital Citizenship

• Do you flip?:  Exploring how we can use tech to flip our classrooms to support content exploration, and to foreground ideas for inquiry (e-Learning: Teaching group)

• Year 9 blogging at Mount Aspiring gets underway, as bookmarked by Florence Micoud.

• Cyber safety discussion with Malvern ICTPD lead teachers: An informal discussion based on how the lead teachers felt internet blocking worked at their school.

• What are people doing this term? Share your e-learning focus, and connect with others doing the same (e-Learning: Teaching group).

• Mixing and mashing: How do your students manage copyright? A discussion about how to support students as they copy, paste, use and share (e-Learning: Teaching group).

• ePortfolio collections on Scoop.it!: Nick Rate shared collections of ePortfolios news and happenings, tutorials and general assessment practices.

Technology

• Ultra-fast broadband: We have started to pull together resources and connections across the VLN for schools who are looking to make the most of the potential of UfBIS (e-Learning: Technology group)

• David van der Kundert's blog on UfBIS: The follow-up to his July post shows that progress to get connected has been productive.

Beyond the Classroom

• The eWrapper reflective summary offers an insight into how other schools are facilitating community connections (profiled in ICT PD Online group).

• Computers in Homes: Leanne Apiti shares recent updates on how this programme helps close the gap between child and parent knowledge of technology. (Home-School Partnerships group).

• Connecting by blogging: Emma Watts and others shared their ideas on how to promote blogs with parents/whānau (Whakatu cluster).

Upcoming Events

• 5th Annual Education Leaders' Forum: This Wellington conference at the end of August strongly features new technologies to enhance the way schools manage learning. 

• Educamp series: Next stop is EduCamp Dunners in Dunedin on 27 August
  

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

• Learning@School Conference: Registration now open. Call for papers due by 16^th September.

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