Networking and clarifying direction: a platform for action

On behlaf of the NATA project team I would like to thank all of those partners who came along to the NATA meeting in Sydney earlier this month. It was highly beneficial for not only the project, but also the sustainability of the Network to have everyone get together, share ideas and engage in shaping the direction of the Network. I would also like to say a special thanks to Karen Halley for her fantastic work in organising the logistics of the two days.

Please be in touch if you have any questions or would like a copy of the minutes and have not already received them. If you were at the meeting you are likely to have also received the reworked outcomes matrix. As indicated in the email, we would greatly appreciate your feedback on that document by the 9th of November.

NATA Parter Meeting - Tuesday 16th & Wednesday 17th of October

Next Tuesday and Wednesday we will be hosting the second face-to-face partner meeting in Sydney and we look forward to using this as a chance to strengthen network connections, introduce new people to the network and really focus on the network's activities over the coming period.

For those attending please access your dropbox folders to find the most up to date versions of the meeting materials. If you have any travel questions please be in contact with Karen Halley 02 62015176 or  myself for more general queries (nhard@csu.edu.au).

Please note, Mike Keppell has started his new role as the Director of the Digital Futures Institute at the University of Southern Queensland now and can be contacted at mike.keppell@usq.edu.au.

PLANE - Pathways for Learning, Anywhere anytime - a Network for Educators

What is PLANE? . . . . and what can it do for you?

PLANE is an acronym for Pathways for Learning, Anywhere, anytime – a Network for Educators. PLANE is an innovative and fun educator community, networking space and virtual world that provides accredited professional online learning, courses and quests, multi-media resources, ICT skills development, an e-portfolio, collaborative tools, game-based-learning peer coaching and other professional learning opportunities. PLANE is online and accessible anywhere anytime. PLANE is managed by a consortium consisting of the NSW Department of Education and Communities, the Catholic Education Commission NSW, the Association of Independent Schools NSW and the Council of Deans of Education NSW together with industry partners Adobe and Microsoft.

Our Mission:  To utilise cutting edge technology and best practice methodology to ubiquitously empower all educators to learn, create, collaborate, innovate, and transform their teaching practices to, in turn, inspire and enable their own 21st Century students.

For more information on the network or their upcoming national launch on 19-20 Oct at the Seymour Centre in Sydney please visit their website www.plane.edu.au

Keep up with SANTPEN at their new website

The OLT supported Promoting Excellence Network for South Australia and the Northern Territory (SANTPEN) now have a website at http://santpen.weebly.com/ where you can access resources, contacts and other relevant information.

Call for Participation for THETA 2013

Reminder - The Call for Participation is open for THETA 2013, 7-10 April in Hobart.

Submissions in the form of a 500-1200 word abstract are due 22 October 2012. If your abstract is accepted you will have the option of submitting a full paper for peer review.  Submitting a full paper is not required.  Please read the guidelines carefully and then make your submission at: https://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=theta13

Who should participate?

Anyone with an interest in promoting the intelligent use of information technology in higher education, including:
• IT practitioners and managers
• Librarians and knowledge managers
• Teaching and learning technology practitioners and managers
• Developers of information technologies and services for higher education
• Teaching academics, academic developers and educational designers.

Theme and topics

The conference theme is The Edge of the World. Tell us about the new territory you are exploring at the edges of technology in higher education.


THETA 2013 will include a diverse number of presentations, from the traditional to the more unique, creating a dynamic program encouraging engagement and interaction. Submission types include:
• Presentations
• Flipped sessions
• Point/counterpoint debates
• Lightning rounds
• Communities of practice
• The Lounge
• Posters

Contact

For more information about the conference see the THETA website http://theta.edu.au/ or for enquiries, please contact theta@caudit.edu.au or phone Conference Logistics on +61 2 6281 6624.

Q-PEN Network Forum

The Queensland Promoting Excellence Network (Q-PEN) is holding their next network forum on Friday October 12, 2012.  This full day event will be hosted by the University of Queensland in Brisbane for Q-PEN members. 

For more information please contact: g.tkacz@griffith.edu.au

Evaluation Meeting with Tom - Some key considerations

September 5, 2012.

Mike and I met with Tom to discuss key ideas, assumptions and suggestions about the project that Tom had shared with us. Some of the key points from this discussion can be seen below:

• It is important to be cognisant of what ‘sustainability’ (long-term) means, looks like and whether it is favourable?
• The refined process of evaluation involved a two-level model whereby level 1 related to the Key Objectives and level 2, a Whole-of-Project Evaluation. The level 1 evaluation would involve reflections or partner organisations in response to a set of questions to be refined at the October meeting as part of the evaluation discussions. 
• It is important not to focus too heavily on evaluation and lose sight of the project’s activities and objectives

We are happy to note that Tom will be joining us at the upcoming October Meeting (16th & 17th).