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Issue 26 - 2017 │T2 │W9

 

Link - access past issues in the archive

Our days at EduTECH 2017 News item

NSW Public Schools were well represented at EduTECH (8-9 June) with a giant Futures Learning Space showcasing innovation driving change in teaching and learning through the use of multiple technologies. Our stand provided a hands-on, real world interactive sandpit to challenge and inspire pathways to a future-focused educational reality. With more than 8,000 attendees from across the globe, we took the opportunity to highlight the exciting things happening in our schools across seven core experiences. The impact of our Futures Learning Space at EduTECH was clearly positive and engaging and the team looks forward to expanding our presence in 2018.

Click for a larger image

Chromebook pilot update News item

In our previous issue we announced the Chromebook enrolment pilot which is now complete. The pilot tested an option recommended by Google that creates and stores local user profiles on each Chromebook. This option has advantages and disadvantages for schools to consider:

  • If a student uses a Chromebook on which they previously setup their user profile, logging on is extremely quick and easy - click your photo on the logon screen and enter your DoE password. The single authentication gets you into all aspects of G Suite and you can start working right away.
  • The initial setup of a user profile requires a few steps and only 18 separate user profiles per Chromebook can be stored. This means always using the same Chromebook to avoid having to recreate your user profile each time.

Storing local user profiles benefits schools that have enough Chromebooks to allow for better than one Chromebook per 18 students and can manage the allocation of Chromebooks with their classes. Evaluations from pilot schools have been received and some have indicated a preference for Public Sessions instead of local user profiles. We continue to work with Google and hope to provide a further update in early term 3.

Citrix Receiver client News item

Any new computers introduced to your school that need access to OASIS, EBS4 or SAP GUI will need to install the approved and supported Citrix client. Citrix Receiver v14.3 is available for eT4L Schools for easy deployment to eT4L desktops, laptops and tablets using the Universal Desktop Manager (UDM) tool. For the small number of schools not yet migrated to eT4L services, the installation of Citrix Receiver must be performed manually. Installations on Apple OSX devices must also be completed manually. Full instructions are available at the Citrix Receiver Installation site.

Apple Macbook changes Information item

With recent product announcements at their World Wide Developers Conference in the U.S., Apple have requested the department remove purchasing information for the current Macbooks in the standard devices for schools. New versions of the Macbook Air and Macbook Pro 13 inch will be tested before they are placed back on the list for discretionary purchase. Other announcements include price drops for the 21.5 inch iMac desktop and the Mac Mini, which we recommend for use as an Apple Caching server.

Google's free Toontastic 3D app Information item

Not many apps these days have the holy grail of desired characteristics: 1. FREE - 2. No ads - 3. No in-app purchases.
But Toontastic 3D does! This iPad and Android app lets students turn their brilliant ideas into 3D cartoons. You can give students a creative outlet while teaching them the basics of a story arc and plot points (setup, conflict, challenge, climax, and resolution) and explore each point in more detail. Each scene can record up to 60 seconds of voice narration and movement. The last step is to add an appropriate musical score. Once finished, story pieces are put together in a single animated video. It may take some trial and error to get the hang of the different ways to customise a story, but the basics of dragging and moving characters around while narrating a story are easy. Learning about all features is left mostly to experimentation, but most aspects are very intuitive.

Toontastic app from Google

School Servers (RDS) update Information item

As advised in our previous issue, the new RDS service via the staff portal was deployed on 2 June. Unfortunately, Oracle released a new version of their Java SE Runtime Environment a few days prior and it was incompatible with the new RDS service. Any user that updated their Java client found that RDS stopped working. We provided advice about this to affected schools and offered a workaround. The issue was promptly reported to F5 Networks, the developers of the new RDS product, who acknowledged the issue and released a hotfix for our RDS service. The hotfix underwent testing and will be deployed before school on Thursday 22 June. This will work with the newest and previous versions of Java.

Free Adobe webinar this Friday Link item

If you have a spare 45 minutes at 11am on Friday 23 June, Adobe and their training partner, Learning Plan are presenting a free Webinar. They'll be demonstrating the new Adobe Captivate 2017 as well as the newest versions of Presenter and Presenter Video Express. The session will be run via Adobe Connect, so all you need is a computer with speakers or headphones. To attend and get details for joining the webinar, you need to register first. If you've never had the chance to see how you might be able to use these great tools in your teaching, these quick demonstrations might just stir your creative thinking.

 

ICT Thought of the day Fun item

Image: Get help from Yammer

What is T4Lengage? News item

ITD has published a great new resource called T4Lengage which collates the new FUTURE.tech fact sheets we launched in our last issue of news.T4L together with our brand new FUTURE.stories pages. Some NSW public schools have been blazing a trail for other schools to follow when it comes to integrating new technologies into their teaching and learning. Widely sharing the experiences of these schools is a great way for other schools to get started with concepts like
makerspaces, online collaboration, robotics and multimedia production. Read all about how some schools are already doing it in our FUTURE.stories! We'll remind you here whenever we add new tech or stories to the T4Lengage website.

image: T4Lengage website

Digital learning resources survey Link item

Online technologies have provided teachers with access to numerous digital learning resources to incorporate into their teaching programs. What type of resources do teachers really want? What works and what doesn't? By completing this survey, developed by the Learning Systems team, you will be helping us understand the digital needs of teachers and students, and improve the usefulness of future digital learning resources developed by the department. Participation in the survey is voluntary. Responses will be confidential.

Our team at EduTECH 2017 News item

The great success of our Futures Learning Space at EduTECH would not have been possible without the collaboration that occurred across many fronts of the department:

  • School Journeys - Thirteen partner schools showcased their school journeys with topics ranging from STEM to Makerspaces. The schools involved were: Hoxton Park Public, Carlingford High, Banks Public, Cambridge Park High, Parramatta Public, Epping North Public, West Wallsend High, Casula High, Kurri-Kurri High, Killarney Heights Public, Murray Farm Public, Paddington Public and Aurora College
  • DoE collaboration - Working together - Information Technology Directorate, Futures Learning, Learning Systems, Curriculum, The Arts Unit in combination with our partner schools, delivered a showcase to be proud of: Virtual Reality, Robotics, Crack the Code, Future Libraries, 3D Design and Print, Virtual Schooling and Social Media

Click for a larger image

Discretionary device price drops News item

From July 3, scheduled price drops from contracted vendors will be reflected on our standard devices for schools page. Each device model's price drops every quarter throughout the life of the contract until it is replaced by new models. This ensures schools and the department are provided with value and savings in line with government contract agreements.

eT4L Tier 1 updates Information item

As part of the regular maintenance by ITD of the fleet of eT4L-built Windows desktops, laptops and tablets in schools, the next cycle of Tier 1 application updates is scheduled to be automatically deployed. The Tier 1 applications that will be upgraded in this cycle include:

  • Flash Player - 25.0.0.171
  • Adobe AIR - 25.0.0.134
  • Shockwave - 12.2.8.198
  • Java 8.111 - 8.131
  • Silverlight - 5.1.50906.0
  • CDBurnerXP - 4.5.7.6623
  • 7-Zip - 16.04

Uluru virtual walks on Street View Link item

It's sad to think that due to its remoteness, the majority of Australians will never see the majesty of Uluru in person. But Google delivers the next best thing with a "walking" tour now available via Street View. Recently launched, people across the world can now visit Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park on Street View and virtually walk on the desert sand, enjoying the vibrant hues of the rock. Multiple tracks have been captured and are all accessed using the arrows at the top. Walk around the entire base and take a 360 degree view of the flatness of its surroundings. It's a great classroom discussion starter and just one of the new virtual excursions that can be found at the Street View site.

Uluru on Street View

More news.T4L in Week 3

Information Technology Directorate publishes news.T4L three times each term. Remember to share each issue with your staff!

NSW DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION - INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DIRECTORATE