Privacy Awareness Week

May 1 marks the start of Privacy Awareness Week 2011. 


The theme this year is  'Privacy: it's all about you'. During Privacy Awareness Week, people are encouraged to exercise their privacy rights and to take steps to make sure their personal information is handled appropriately. 

Privacy Awareness Week is a joint Asia Pacific Privacy Authority (APPA) initiative.

The focus of this year's joint campaign with the Asia Pacific Privacy Authority (APPA) has been making everyone who uses social networking sites aware of how to protect their personal information, by utilising the privacy settings.

Remember 'PPP': protect your privacy profile.

Top 4 privacy safety tips online - You are your best protector online.

1. Information about you is valuable.  If it is not clear, ask what your information will be used for and whether it will be given to anyone else.  Find out what information your favourite online functions or apps collect about you.

2. Manage your online reputation and remember that the more embarrassing a photo is, the more likely it is to travel around the world.  Think before you post!

3. Privacy settings quickly become out of date as sites change their policies and practices.  Review your privacy settings regularly. 

4. Identity theft is big business.  Use secure internet connections if you are giving information out online and be sure who you're giving it to.

from: 

Cyber safe and savvy information sheet
How private is your profile?
Privacy: it's not a secret

7 Things You Should Know About Privacy in Web 2.0 Learning Environments | EDUCAUSE

In addition to the survey and animation on social networking and privacy developed with the Asia Pacific Privacy Authorities, there is also a range of awareness materials for you to use during Privacy Awareness Week.
The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse provide  ten tips below to minimize your risk of identity theft, protect your personal information and assert your rights to privacy.

1. Be assertive in guarding your privacy when you are asked to provide sensitive information that you do not feel is necessary.  If someone (including healthcare providers, government agencies and employers) asks for your personal information, ask these 5 questions:

1. Is providing my information required or voluntary? (Provide only the minimum information necessary.)
2. Why do you need this information and how will it be used?
3. Do you have a written policy regarding the request for information?
4. Who will have access to my information and how will it be protected from unauthorized access?  (Remember to ask about third parties!)
5. If, when and how will the records be discarded when they are no longer needed?

 Guard your mail.  Your mailbox often may contain letters which if lost or stolen can   result in identity theft.
 Check your credit reports. 
 Find out what’s in your consumer specialty reports.
 Avoid using debit or check cards.  Credit cards provide better consumer protections, and help protect your bank account from fraudulent activity.
 Sign up for the National Do-Not-Call List to limit unwanted telephone solicitations.   www.donotcall.gov.
 Stop pre-approved credit and insurance offers in the mail. 
Understand the benefits and risks of social networking.

NSWDE(t)C staff also have The Privacy Page which tries to explain our privacy obligations  

 as a NSW public sector organisation and to provide practical guidance to schools in how to deal with privacy issues. 
There are privacy bulletins and a link to NSWDE(t)C  privacy code of conduct available.

Free NAPLAN support for your students

Enjoy the bonus NAPLAN support from this fabulous free site.

Studyladder is an online english literacy & mathematics learning tool.


"Studyladder is a highly effective, logically organised, Mathematics and Literacy program. It has been developed by experienced educators to inspire and motivate learning.
It is suitable for Primary students and is very easy to use - students simply login with a username and password to access all the learning material. Teacher accounts are free and if you have a smarkiddies account you can use your existing username and password."
Barbara Schaffer School Tools blog Study Ladder

I think it is time...do you?

Have a read:

A new vision for a new paradigm: An open letter to 

the Australian School Education Minister from Karen Knock

Karen is the Director of Development at Sydney Centre for Innovation in Learning (SCIL), the research and development centre located within Northern Beaches Christian School on Sydney's northern fringe.

Lead the change

SCIL is focused on people, places and pedagogy as catalysts for change in education. Founded as a school-based research and development unit at Northern Beaches Christian School in Sydney, Australia, SCIL is the voice of change, sharing the work of NBCS with a world-wide audience.
SCIL Research Papers

Karen asks:
"What does it take to inspire, empower and equip leaders for world where change is the only constant?" What do you think? Would you like to add any other important comments or ideas to this open letter?  
There are a few things I would like to add to this letter but I will reflect on them for a little while first.  

Digital Citizenship must be taught...but where? how? when? by whom?

Dr Tanya Bryon is a clinical psychologist and head of the independent review into how we can help parents and their children get the best from new technologies while protecting children from inappropriate or potentially harmful material. 

On 6 September 2007, the U.K.Prime Minister asked Dr Tanya Byron  to conduct an independent review looking at the risks to children from exposure to potentially harmful or inappropriate material on the internet and in video games.

The Byron Review is about the needs of children and young people. It is about preserving their right to take the risks that form an inherent part of their development by enabling them to play video games and surf the net in a safe and informed way. 

• Safer Children in a Digital World: Full Report (PDF, 2756kb)
• Safer Children in a Digital World: Executive Summary (PDF, 110kb)
• Safer Children in a Digital World: A Summary for Children and Young People (PDF, 970kb)
• Safer Children in a Digital World: a summary for children and young people (126kb, PDF)
• There are some very interesting comments, drawings and presentations by children in this article. 
• For those who are time poor- Dr Tanya Byron's conclusion:
• "My Review has never been about stopping you from having fun or taking 
• advantage of  the many different opportunities in games and on the internet. 
• It is about making sure you can still do everything that you really enjoy, 
• in the safest possible environment and in ways  that are right for your age. 
• I just want to make sure that all the protections that are available in the real 
• world to keep you safe are present in your ‘virtual worlds’ too.
• 
  
• For example, when you go swimming in the real world, there will always be 
• a number of safety measures to stop you getting injured or drowning
• – there will be clear signs around the pool; arm bands for beginners; 
• shallow ends for younger children; and lifeguards on standby to assist. 
• This is just how it is online where websites are sometimes tailored for 
• younger users, so there is nothing inappropriate in them. So, they may
• check your age before they allow you on the  site, and instead of lifeguards
•  there may be  ‘moderators’ to keep checking everything is alright. And, just 
• as you are  taught how to swim, you will be taught by your parents and  
• other adults in your life how to stay safe online, especially if you find 
• yourself in difficult  digital waters.
• 
  
• We’re all encouraged to have balanced diets in order to grow 
• healthy and strong, and in  the sameway we should think about having 
• healthy and balanced media diets. This means  we should think about
•  the amount of time we spend playing video games and going on the internet 
• and make sure we still spend time with our  families and friends, 
• having fun in other ways. We need to make sure that you and your 
•  parents have all the support you need to make the most of these 
• new technologies with confidence, and be ‘NetSmart’ and  ‘GameSmart’.
• 
  

NSWDET change to DEC....stay tuned

• Our Acting Director-General, Pam Christie, announced: "Under the new arrangements the name of our Department is now the Department of Education and Communities and will be responsible to three new Ministers:
• The Honourable Adrian Piccoli MP, Minister for Education
• The Honourable Victor Michael Dominello MP, Minister for Citizenship and Communities, and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs
• The Honourable Graham Annesley MP, Minister for Sport and Recreation.
 

The new Department of Education and Communities will bring exciting opportunities for all of us in Education and Training to work in closer collaboration with our new colleagues in Children's Services and the Office of Sport, Recreation and Communities."

The Department of Education and Communities will have two main offices:

1. The Office of Education - this will comprise the current Education and Training functions and include Children's Services.
2. The Office of Sport, Recreation and Communities -The Office of Sport, Recreation and Communities comprises the following:
   • Aboriginal Affairs
   • Commission for Children and Young People
   • Community Relations Commission
   • Hunter Region Sporting Venues Authority 
   • Illawarrra Venues Authority
   • NSW Institute of Sport
   • Office of Volunteering 
   • Parramatta Stadium Trust
   • Sport and Recreation
   • Sydney Cricket Ground 
   • Sydney Olympic Park Authority
   • The Children's Guardian
   • Youth
   • Veterans' Affairs

For more detailed information read: Public Sector Employment and Management (Departments) Order 2011

The old NSWDET department is making a number of changes to its key communication materials to reflect its new name - Department of Education and Communities.

These materials include the department logo and stationery. The new logo and electronic stationery have been developed, however, we are holding off implementing them until we have more information.. 

#Coming soon- a temporary website (to reflect the scope of the new department) and content adjustments to the existing DET corporate site. More details to follow- Log in to the Intranet to The Buzz for future updates.

YouTube intend to send people to Copyright School

Help is on its way!!
YouTube launched a redesigned copyright center and a brand new copyright school . These new services are designed to educate YouTube users about what is and is not a copyright violation .  " It's ultimately your responsibility to know whether you possess the rights for a particular piece of content before uploading it to YouTube" from THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2011

YouTube Copyright Education (remixed) "If we receive a copyright notification for one of your videos, you'll now be required to attend "YouTube Copyright School," which involves watching a copyright tutorial and passing a quiz to show that you've paid attention and understood the content before uploading more content to YouTube."


Check out the Copyright Education page for information on:

World Autism Awareness Day

Message for 2011

Classroom Ideas for Children with Asperger's Syndrome

Important Things for Teachers to Consider About Students with Asperger's Syndrome

Cyberbullying 'Turn It Around'

Visit our Cybersafety resource page and our Internet Safety resource page.

Teachers and students in the 21st Century classrooms are:

This wordle was created by staff and students in 1074EBL Learning with ICT, Griffith University, Queensland, Australia. Students were asked to list verbs representing what teachers and students do in 21st Century classrooms.
It is interesting to see what they have observed so far.

Exploring the new digital world and its implications.

Copyright-What's copyright?

Copyright & commons on Prezi

JewelBeat Use these free royalty free music tracks & free sound effects for any production - advertising, education, video, photos, YouTube...etc.


Royalty free production music by JewelBeat

Copy of Creative Commons on Prezi

Flickr Creative Commons

The Frank Hardcase animation is the part of a Crime Stoppers Australia initiative against music piracy. The video features animated character Frank Hardcase as an investigative journalist whose light hearted but insightful reports provoke students to think about the effects of the illegal file sharing of music.

Helping dyslexic children within the classroom.

Dyslexics in the Classroom -  One of the astonishing things a recent United Kingdom study  discovered was that 75% of the population claim to understand little or nothing about how dyslexic people think.
With dyslexic thinkers making up an estimated 10% of the population, most people have either a friend, loved-one, relative, colleague or client with dyslexia. So why are we so in the dark about how dyslexics think? 
Dyslexics in the Classroom
Full Story 


Frequently asked questions about dyslexia

No two dyslexic children are exactly alike, and the symptoms listed below are just the more common ones:

• a noticeable difference between the pupil's ability and their actual achievement;

• a family history of learning difficulties;

• difficulties with spelling;

• confusion over left and right;

• writing letters or numbers backwards;

• difficulties with maths;

• difficulties with organizing themselves;

• difficulty following 2- or 3-step instructions.

Recognising dyslexia.

"Beneath The Surface"
By Alexander aged 9 years
Winner in a DI "As I See It" competition 

Helping dyslexic children within the classroom.

There is a wide range of teaching methods available to assist with teaching dyslexic children.

News and Dyslexia Research

Working towards digital citizenship.

Shifting from Cyber-Bully to Digital-Citizen on Prezi
Ben Jones:  presented  to North Sydney Region Teacher Librarian's about leading Digital Citizenship in their school

Read: Digital Citizenship | Arncliffe PS for a great outline to suit primary school.

NEW National Professional Standards for teachers announced

Education Ministers announced the release of the National Professional Standards for Teachers on 9 February 2011.  The Standards were endorsed by Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs (MCEECDYA) in late December 2010. 

The Standards support the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians and the National Partnership on Improving Teacher Quality.  

Glossary available 

National Professional Standards for Teachers Frequently Asked Questions FAQS

Related articles

• Thinking about teaching & Graduate Standards (heyjude.wordpress.com)