"A one-stop knowledge resource, Emerging Technologies in Distance Education showcases the international work of research scholars and innovative distance education practitioners, who use emerging interactive technologies for teaching and learning at a distance.
This widely anticipated book harnesses the dispersed knowledge of international experts who highlight pedagogical, organizational, cultural, social, and economic factors that influence the adoption and integration of emerging technologies in distance education. Emerging Technologies in Distance Education provides expert advice on how educators can launch effective and engaging distance education initiatives, in response to technological advancements, changing mindsets, and economic and organizational pressures. The volume goes beyond the hype surrounding Web 2.0 technologies and highlights the important issues that researchers and educators need to consider to enhance educational practice."
"The e-Framework for Education and Research is an initiative by the UK's Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) and Australia's Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST). The primary goal of the e-Framework is to facilitate technical interoperability of core infrastructure as well as effective use of available funding."
"Interested in linking your school SMS to the LMS, with data moving automatically between them? Staff from schools, vendors and the Ministry can posting issues, problems, observations, thoughts, insights, possilbe solutions and successes so we all learn quicker and with less pain."
"We define managed learning environments (MLE) as "the software and digital content that support learning". Whether you just sit on the edge and watch or join the discussion the group 'belongs' to all of us, whether you associate closest with a school, an ICT vendor or the Ministry [of Education in NZ]."
"The purpose of the synthesis is to consolidate the international and New Zealand evidence around the emerging knowledge base about how to promote teacher learning in ways that impact on outcomes for the diversity of students in our classrooms."
"The Open Clipart Library (OCL) is the largest collaborative community that creates, shares and remixes clipart. All clipart is release to the public domain and may be used in any project for free with no restrictions."
Nevertheless, as Nick pointed out, the technology is not the teacher; the technology is the tool or vehicle to enable effective learning. That’s why Nick prefers to call the e-portfolio “the container”.
The NZ Curriculum states, “Schools should explore not only how ICT can supplement traditional ways of teaching, but also how it can open up new and different ways of learning”.
Nick pointed out that it’s not a case of choosing the technology and then fit the teaching; rather, it’s a case of fitting the technology to your learning goals.
you shouldn’t fit your pedagogical goals and process to the technology; you should look for the technology that fits your goals! First, you must plan.
The management of an e-portfolio system
In order to be effective and support the process of student learning, e-portfolios:
Should be embedded into your teaching and learning
Require a high level of access to technology
Require you to set aside time for students to first learn how, and then to actively reflect and give feedback on learning.
press release about the allocation of money for expert practitioners and changes in allocating money by the MoE in the next years to aid student achievement and re-think teacher development -> may also mean new ways for use of technology