Category Archives: News

Cyberbullying

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After the tragic consequences of the recent incident in Geelong that apparently had links to cyberbullying, here are some websites that teachers and students may like to know about. Jo Robinson, from Orygen Youth Mental Health Services suggests:

Other resources include:

  • Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800
  • Lifeline 13 11 14
  • SANE helpline 1800 187 263

The Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development has a Cybersafe  Classroom page while the Australian Media and Communications Authority has developed cyber(smart:) resources for students (of all ages), parents, schools and libraries. ACMA also offers Internet Safety Presentations. 

There was also an article in Saturday’s Age that might be of interest to teachers and parents.

Students as Documentary Makers with Mitzi Goldman

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Victorian teachers are invited to participate in this free professional learning session.

Students as Documentary Makers with Mitzi Goldman

Throughout this session teachers will find out how media is a deeply engaging tool when students use it to express their learning about the real world.

When: Monday 31st August 2009, 4pm. Sign up here – http://www.knowledgebank.global2.vic.edu.au

Where: Online in Elluminate. This event is free but you need to sign up – http://www.knowledgebank.global2.vic.edu.au

Who: Mitzi Goldman has spent 25 years as a film maker and educator in the Australian film industry. She has directed and produced over ten documentaries for television including international co-productions. Mitzi was Head of Documentary at the Australian Film and Television School for six years and is now executive director of the Documentary Australia Foundation. Mitzi is now focussing on sharing her educational vision of students as documentary makers.

What: In this online conference with Mitzi Goldman, teachers will find out how media is a deeply engaging tool when students use it to express their learning about the real world. Mitzi will engage participants in a discussion about the educational and social benefits of using media to produce documentaries. Teachers will learn the basics of documentary making and how they can get started in their classrooms. They will find out how media can be used as a tool to express the learning that takes place when students are given the tools to deconstruct, analyse and understand the information they encounter all around them.

This event is free but you need to sign up – http://www.knowledgebank.global2.vic.edu.au

For more information email knowledgebank@edumail.vic.gov.au

Readers Cup

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A reminder that registrations for the 2009 Readers Cup Victorian State Final close on Friday 31 July. You don’t need to have run a Readers Cup in your school to participate. You only need to register and enter a team (or teams) that have read the books (and composed a creative piece) by 27 November.  Registration form can be accessed here. Book lists available at http://readerscup.global2.vic.edu.au

Don’t demonise internet

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The following letters were published in today’s Australian under the heading ‘Don’t demonise the internet.

WHILE it’s understandable that the bereaved parents will look for someone or something to blame when their daughter kills herself (“Chanelle, 14, joins college’s tragic suicide toll”, 22/7), the truth is that the vast majority of young people who take their own lives have depression, usually unrecognised and undiagnosed. Youthbeyondblue strives to make people understand that depression is an illness. Chemicals in the brain, which regulate how one thinks, feels and behaves, get out of balance. No amount of love and caring or effort to build up the self-esteem of someone suffering from depression can alter their misperception that their situation is hopeless.

Demonising the internet is unwise; teaching young people how to use it safely and what to do when cyber-bullied is preferable.

Dr Michael Carr-Gregg
(Adolescent psychologist)
Balwyn, Vic

FOR far too many years the issue of cyber-bullying of and by young people has been placed on the merry-go-round of “it’s not my problem”. Schools have used the excuse that because it happened out of school hours, it’s not their problem. Police have said it’s not their problem, so parents have returned to the schools demanding that they deal with it to be sent away again.

Whilst the actual bullying comments may have been posted out of school hours, when cyber-bullying is between students in the same school, it does become a school problem. Schools have to deal with the fallout and are confronted with fractured friendships and the breakdown of the social cohesion of the class group involved. Invariably kids will take sides, and much of what occurs online is continued in the playground.

International research and evidence of best practice tell us that cyber-bullying is a whole-of-community problem and one that must be addressed with the coordination and cooperation of a range of professionals. Schools must do more than just have a policy that says don’t do it. Teachers must be given the training to understand these issues and deal with them promptly and confidently. Parents must embrace cyberspace and feel confident in their ability to set boundaries and rules and to instil in their children a sense of respect and responsibility for both themselves and others when online.

Finally, and most importantly, kids need to be taught about cyberspace and it must start early. The how, what, when and why. Kids have the technical skills but no understanding of the reality of cyberspace.

Susan McLean
(Susan McLean is a former Victoria Police officer who specialised in cyber-bullying and young people)
East Doncaster, Vic

Tomorrow when the war began to become a movie

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The Australian newspaper reports that the John Marsden classic is about to be made into a movie.

Film boost for NSW

Imre Salusinszky

A MAJOR new Australian film will be shot in NSW, generating 200 jobs and $60 million in economic activity for the state, according to Premier Nathan Rees.

Rees has this morning announced production of Tomorrow: When the War Began will be based at Sydney’s Fox studios and will include extensive filming in the Hunter Valley, near Newcastle.

“This is a big tick for NSW and especially the Hunter region,” Rees said.

“Securing this movie will also ensure that our skilled film crew are kept working in NSW.”

Tomorrow: When the World Began will be the first film produced from the highly successful series of young-adult novels by popular Australian author John Marsden.

The series tells the story of the fictional invasion of Australia by an an-named foreign power, as seen through the eyes of a teenage girl, Ellie Linton.

Following a jobs summit in February, Rees announced a number of incentives to secure major films for NSW, including payroll-tax rebates.

“This policy is already paying off,” Rees said this morning.

“Films like this invest heavily in the local economy and (there are) flow-on effects for local services such as transport, construction and the hotel industry.”

Filming of Tomorrow: When the War Began will begin later this year.

Bookmarks Galore!

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Helen Boelens has kindly forwarded the following information:

IASL 2009 Annual Conference

Abano Terme (Padua), Italy, 2 – 4 September 2009 – Bookmarks Galore

Join in on this joint ENSIL-IASL event, initiated by Helen Boelens and Angelina Pereira.

The project to display Bookmarks from around the world at the IASL Berkeley Conference 2008 was so successful, that people would like to do it again. If you or your students would be interested in making bookmarks to share with conference delegates, please feel free to do so. If they could focus on the conference theme, – School Libraries in the Picture: Preparing Pupils for the Future , Information Research through the School Library – that would prove interesting.

If you have other bookmarks (handmade, commercial etc.) which you would like to donate, these are also welcome. Bookmarks which are donated to the IASL will be available for sale at very reasonable prices. Many librarians have bookmark collections and love to swap. If you have bookmarks which you would like to swap with other collectors, please bring these along to the conference.

If you can’t come to the conference, please

(1) send your bookmarks BEFORE 10 AUGUST to Gerald Brown, 3403 -55 Nassau St, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3L 2G8, Canada, or

(2) forward them to Helen Boelens, at Botdrager 10, 3641 LA Mijdrecht – Netherlands, or

(3) forward them to Angelina Pereira, at Praceta Altino Coelho 35 hab. 1.4 4470-556 GUEIFAES PORTUGAL

(4) send them with someone you know is coming to the conference.

The bookmarks will be displayed during the conference. At a time appointed by the auctioneer, the bookmarks will be offered for sale at a bargain rate, and all funds raised from this activity will go to the Support a Member fund. A location will be arranged for the bookmark swap.

Let your creativity run wild; add to the festivity; and spread the word about the themes for the conference.

If you have any questions, please contact Gerald Brown or Helen Boelens or Angelina Pereira.

Inky awards

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From the Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development‘s KnowledgeBank comes the following information:

Join us for the launch of the 2009 Inky Awards.

When: Thursday 20 August at 1.15pm

Where: Online in Elluminate. This event is free but you need to register. Sign up at http://www.knowledgebank.global2.vic.edu.au

Who: This event will be great for teachers and students. If you’re a teacher who’d like to attend this event with your class and you’re not sure how, contact us and we can talk you through it.

What:
There’s no other award in Australia that reflects what teenagers want to read, rather than what we tell them to read. The Inkys are international awards for teenage literature, voted for online by the readers of insideadog.com.au. There are three awards: the Golden Inky for an Australian book; the Silver Inky for an international book, and the Creative Reading Prize, won by a young person for a creative response to a book they love, in any format they choose.

Join us for the launch of the 2009 Inkys and the announcement of the longlist. Featuring special guests, including authors and some of our teenage judges.

For more information – http://knowledgebank.global2.vic.edu.au/or email knowledgebank@edumail.vic.gov.au

This event is free but you need to sign up – Sign up at-  http://www.knowledgebank.global2.vic.edu.au

Access is available for all Victorian teachers and their students.

ISLM Bookmark project

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Rick Mulholland, the International School Library Month Bookmark Project Coordinator has released the following information:

Once again the ISLM committee is organizing a bookmark exchange project. Currently, we have a shortage of participants from outside of North America.

The details of this projects is as follows:

The ISLM Bookmark Project involves matched schools making homemade bookmarks (any style, shape etc. – be creative) that reflects International School Library Month’s theme of: School Libraries: The Big Picture. The bookmarks must be mailed to your matched school in October 2009.

If you would like to become involved in this project, you will need to send the following information to the bookmark coordinator:

– your school’s name

– your school’s location (city , state/province/ country)

– the grade/age level of the students to be involved

– number of students involved (this is very important to ensure that you are matched to a school of similar size)

– the contact information (name and email address – include an alternative one where you can be reached during any school holidays)

Every few weeks until early September 2009, a new list of schools will be sent to the participating schools to choose a match.

For more information or to add your name to the list of participating schools, contact:

Rick Mulholland

Bookmark coordinator

conri@shaw.ca

This could be a fun project for students. It could be incorporated into Book Week activities.

Media Learning Week – August 24 – 28

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A number of free professional learning sessions are being offered by SYN and the State Library of Victoria during Media Learning Week, August 24-28, 2009.

Some of the sessions include:

  • gaming and learning
  • video workshop
  • media careers and planning pathways

Please be aware that even though the events are free, bookings are essential. The attached program outlines more details.