[LINK] NBN, education and health

[stephen at melbpc.org.au]

On 2011/04/07 1:50 PM, Robin writes:

>> No-one has responded with concrete arguments about why the NBN goals,
>> price and schedule are realistic, or why this is the best way taxpayer
>> money can be used to acheive a range of goals in telecommunications,
>> health and education, especially outside the major population centres.
>
> And, Greg writes
>
> NBN is an investment + recursive deja vu develops into a feedback loop:



But overall a postiive feedback loop. Especially for Au school education.

With multiples of 25 (a normal school class) surely, Skype etc needs NBN?

Skype in the Classroom opened last week. So we have global citizens with
Skype video phones, with EdDepartment notebooks, and NBN at home so 24/7.

Less tryanny of distance. True global citizenship. Outstanding, Mr Chips. 


  <http://education.skype.com>

 Welcome to Skype In The Classroom

 Meet new people, discover new cultures and connect with classes from
 around the world, all for free and without leaving your classroom.

> Introducing Skype in the classroom
>
> Skype in the classroom is a free community to help teachers everywhere
> use Skype to help their students learn.
>
> It's a place for teachers to connect with each other, find partner
> classes and share inspiration. This is a global initiative that was
> created in response to the growing number of teachers using Skype in
> the classroom.
>
> Here's what you can do
>
> * Collaborate on projects
>
> Projects are ways for teachers to find partner classes, partner teachers
> or guest speakers for a specific learning activity. You can create your
> own project or find one where your help is needed.
>
> * Connect with other teachers
>
> Use the directory to find like-minded teachers all over the world. You
> can search by keyword, or explore the directory by ages taught, a
> teacher's location, or subjects of interest.
>
> * Discover new teaching inspiration
>
> The resource section of Skype in the classroom is stacked with videos,
> links and tips. Add resources of your own or favourite the ones you like
> best to create a huge, shareable library of teaching ideas.
>
> What you can do on Skype in the classroom
>
> Skype in the classroom brings together a community of people and
> information to save teachers time, and help you make the most of Skype
> and the international teaching community.
>
> Once teachers create a profile that sets out your interests, specialties
> and location, you can create projects. Projects are ways for teachers to
> find partner classes, partner teachers or guest speakers for a specific
> learning activity. You can browse through projects or even search by
> keyword, which makes it easy for teachers to share expertise and
> collaborate on projects even when you don't already know each other.
>
> Teachers can also browse through a members-only directory to find
> teachers who can offer you help, or whom you might be able to help. Once
> teachers find someone you'd like to connect with, you can add the person
> as a Skype contact. There's also a directory of resources to help
> teachers share inspiring videos, links and tips around using Skype in
> your classroom.
>
> Until very recently, Skype in the classroom was in beta, which meant we
> were gathering lots of feedback from early users. The site you see is
> the result of feedback from teachers who took part in the beta phase.
>
> Although we are out of beta, we are still very open to feedback as to
> how we can improve Skype in the classroom.



Cheers people
Stephen Loosley
Member, Victorian
Institute of Teaching