CORPORATION NEWS
1. Professional reference library
2. New school resources
3. Online resources made relevant
4. Values Education
1. Professional reference library
Just In Time Technology:
Doing better with fewer
Jamie McKenzie
$40.00
0 96740 784 2
order here
'The technology binge is over along with the dot.com.bubble', author Jamie McKenzie comments, 'and schools can ill afford to squander scarce resources on frivolous, untested gimmicks and gizmos. We are emerging from a foolish experiment with just in time technology—loading up classrooms with equipment.'
Just in time technology is a notion whose time has come. This book argues that smart schools, students and teachers learn to be discerning and strategic users of technologies. They share, take turns and move tools about to optimise return on investment. When selecting a tool they give full consideration to all technologies ranging from books and the human question to probes and digital cameras.
Smart schools are neither digitally obsessed nor technologically possessed. They have learned to say 'No!' to distractions, silly toys and untested innovations that might reduce their focus on education's bottom line—the improvement of student learning.
This new title, from well-known educationalist Jamie McKenzie, describes strategies to make the most of new technologies while preserving the best of classical tools and practices.
Australia's Democracy:
a short history
Special EQ subscriber offer (expires 30 December 2002)
$24.95 hardcover
1 86508 846 3
order here
Australians did not invent political democracy, but they have created a unique form of it. Australia's Democracy traces the growth of democratic rights and freedoms from convict times until the present. It charts the transition from the era when racism limited political rights to today's concern that everyone's human rights be respected; from the demand that governments be free to carry out the people's wishes to the current desire to see all government power checked and controlled. It examines notable Australian innovations like the secret ballot, the basic wage and the practice of democratic manners.
Australia's Democracy also explores the oddities of Australia's democratic society—one where there has been strong opposition to military conscription but not to compulsory voting; where egalitarianism and the belief in 'a fair go' has not led to a universal welfare system nor prohibited the growth of private schools; where the people have been scornful of British snobbishness but loyal to a British monarch and where men have been keen about mateship, leaving women to take citizenship seriously.
By John Hirst, one of Australia's most notable historians, this is the first book written on Australia's democratic history, bringing the history of our particular democracy to life in a lucid, entertaining and vivid way. A valuable asset for every personal library, Australia's Democracy is the latest title from the Discovering Democracy project managed by Curriculum Corporation.
top2. New school resources
Problems are the Solution
$44.00
0 9586340 7 6
order here
Problems are the Solution is a user-friendly book containing theoretical underpinnings to problem-based learning, together with examples of problems or scenarios developed by classroom teachers and teacher librarians. It is designed to support teachers in developing teaching strategies to:
- engage, motivate and foster a love of learning in students;
- enhance higher-order thinking skills for students;
- develop students' ability to offer original ideas or solutions to a problem;
- enable students to make informed choices or decisions;
- assist students to understand how they learn;
- minimise plagiarism;
- provide opportunities for students to transfer learned skills to their world beyond the classroom;
- enhance a desire for lifelong learning;
- empower students to cope confidently in a complex and uncertain future.
This book, edited and compiled by Steph Capra and Jenny Ryan, contains articles and chapters by world-renowned information literacy specialists, and includes examples of tasks and suggestions for problem-based units for secondary schools.
top3. Online resources made relevant
Reading Enriches Learning
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Reading Enriches Learning features a collection of carefully selected reading materials for students in the middle years of schooling. Each title has teacher support prepared by Curriculum Corporation, including free online student activities and outcome checklists.
Reading Enriches Learning— Collection 2 is now available online.
This collection comprises six new titles:
Fries by Ken Catran
No Regrets by Krista Bell
Swan Song by Colin Thiele
Stone Baby by Beth Norling
Portal Bandits by Jim Schembri
Rock Dancer by Bronwyn Blake
Each of these books addresses the theme of Responsibility and deals with a range of issues that young people from 10–14 years old will enjoy discussing.
Students will gain valuable skills and experience as they read, discuss and analyse the selected texts.
Go to www.curriculum.edu.au/rel to access this new literacy resource for your classroom.
The six titles are published by Lothian Books and are available from Curriculum Corporation.
resourcebank
Individual primary and secondary resources
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After managing resourcebank for a third party, Curriculum Corporation has now been given permanent responsibility for this online resource. This move has permitted us to revise resourcebank into a suite of individual Key Learning Area resources featuring topic-related tasks, tips to support student work, word glossary and educational weblinks that extend the task research base. A new subscription price complements the individual titles with the bonus provision of 24-hour access to all subscriber school teachers and students. We believe many more schools will now be able to access the unique content offered by resourcebank and incorporate its content into daily classroom activities as extensions to lesson plans, for revision work and after hours as a planning or homework tool.
The new KLA structure offers:
resourcebankMathstasks
resourcebankEnglishtasks
resourcebankSOSEtasks
resourcebankSciencetasks
Available from the beginning of fourth term 2002, subscriptions run on a 12-month cycle. Call our Sales team on (03) 9207 9600 to enquire further.
top4. Values Education
The Minister of Education, Dr Brendan Nelson, recently wrote to all Australian schools inviting them to participate in a national study promoting Values Education in Australia. Schools involved in the study may apply for grants of up to $7000. A cluster of two schools may apply for $14,000 and a cluster of three schools may apply for a grant of up to $21,000.
The grants are for short-term action research case studies demonstrating what schools are doing or developing in Values Education. Funding is available for at least 60 case studies across the country. Enclosed with the letter were application forms and further information about the Values Education Study that Curriculum Corporation is conducting on behalf of the Department of Education and Science.
Enquiries should be directed to Barbara Bereznicki, Project Officer, at Curriculum Corporation.
topEQ Summer 2002 © Curriculum Corporation