<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Good to see. Just wondering who I should recommend it to.<div>Personally I am not mentioning the "its free" anywhere near as much anymore. I couch it in terms of accessibility. When I put material on our LMS, I use Open Office or pdf because it is the only way I can guarantee that all students can access it. Most might have MSOffice, but not all. Some may use Macs, Linux, so I tend to use the open file formats, cross platform advantages etc. <div>When I put my coordinators hat on, its the cross platform benefits that carry the most weight and I reckon a statewide Ultranet (IF implemented properly) will only emphasise this as people move from school to school and want to share resources.</div><div>Cheers</div><div>Cameron</div><div><br><div><div>On 26/03/2009, at 10:36 AM, Lisa Chadderton wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><p>Hello all, <br></p><p>VITTA is very pleased to announce that by popular demand we will be running an <b>Open for Education</b> Professional Development Day on Wednesday 29th April. This event includes a diverse selection of Open Source hands-on lab sessions and lectures. Labs will be popular and places are strictly limited so ensure that you don't miss out on your preferred session choices by registering early.</p><p>All attendees will be introduced to a variety of applications including online publishing, graphic design, animation and take home a complimentary CD with Open Source software and documentation that can be freely distributed. Interested in attending? Read more below or open the Open for Education brochure attachment. Register at <a href="http://www.vitta.org.au/trainingevents">www.vitta.org.au/trainingevents</a> See you there!<br> </p><p><b>OPEN FOR EDUCATION<br></b></p><p><b>Date: </b>Wednesday 29th April, 2009<b><br>Time: </b>8:30am - 3:30pm<b><br>Venue: </b>Forest Hill College, 178 -180 Mahoneys Rd, Burwood East, 3151 (Mel Ref 62 C5)<b><br>Fees:</b> VITTA Member - $240 | Non-Member - $300<br> <b>Register:</b> <a href="http://www.vitta.org.au/trainingevents">www.vitta.org.au/trainingevents</a><br></p> <h3>Why: the software is free</h3> There are many fantastic Open Source applications available to teachers and students for education. Open Source tools are free to use, and are distinct from Freeware. Open Source users have access to strong user and developer communities that teachers can tap into, supported by online documentation, help and examples.<br><br>This professional development day includes workshops of various best of breed Open Source applications for education, as well as sessions by experts about Open Source and open approaches to education.<br><br>All attendees will be introduced to a variety of applications including online publishing, graphic design, animation and take home a complimentary CD with Open Source software and documentation that can be freely distributed.<br><h3>Who: the experts</h3> <table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" width="558" height="199"> <tbody> <tr> <td><p><font color="#ff0000">Paula Christophersen</font>, ICT Curriculum Manager, Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) has managed the development of the ICT domain within the interdisciplinary learning strand of VELS (Victorian Essential Learning Standards)</p> </td> <td><font color="#ff0000">Donna Benjamin</font> is currently President of Linux Users of Victoria and was the lead organiser for Australia's largest free and open source conference, <a href="http://linux.conf.au">linux.conf.au</a> in Melbourne in 2008<br></td> </tr> <tr> <td><font color="#ff0000">Mark Richardson</font> is Professional Learning Officer for VITTA. He is also ICT coordinator at a primary school. His interests are in ICT professional development, teaching ICT, Web 2.0 and Macs in education<br></td> <td><font color="#ff0000">Jacinta Richardson</font> is a director of Perl Training Australia and open source advocate. She is a regular speaker at conferences and events around Australia.<br></td> </tr> <tr> <td><font color="#ff0000"> Pia Waugh</font> is an Open Source consultant and community leader who is passionate about creating better opportunities for people through open access to technology and education.<br></td> <td> <br><br><br><br></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <br> <h3>Program</h3> <a href="http://www.vitta.org.au/documents/item/173">Download the full Open Source for Education program</a> to find out about the range of presentations on offer. Choose from: <br> <ul><li>Open Source for Primary </li><li>Animation and Games </li><li>Graphic design </li><li>Online publishing for Education </li><li>Office Tools </li><li>Video & Audio Tools <br></li><li>plus many more... <br></li> </ul> <b>All</b> concurrent sessions are <b>hands on labs</b>! Hurry, all sessions are strictly limited so ensure that you register soon to secure your place. These sessions will sell out. <br><p><b>Register online at <a href="http://www.vitta.org.au/trainingevents">www.vitta.org.au/trainingevents<br></a></b></p><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>______<br>Lisa Chadderton <br>Senior Project Officer <br>VITTA<br>P: +61 3 9495 6836 <br> F: +61 3 9495 6834 <br>M: 0402522596 <br>E: <a href="mailto:lisa@vitta.org.au">lisa@vitta.org.au</a> <br>W: <a href="http://www.vitta.org.au">www.vitta.org.au</a> <br>Suite 209, 134-136 Cambridge St <br>PO Box 1099 <br>Collingwood VIC 3066<br> _______________________________________________ <br> <a href="http://www.edulists.com.au"> http://www.edulists.com.au </a> - FAQ, resources, subscribe, unsubscribe <br> eLearning Mailing List kindly supported by <br> <a href="http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au"> http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au </a> - Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority and <br> <a href="http://www.vitta.org.au"> http://www.vitta.org.au </a> - VITTA Victorian Information Technology Teachers Association Inc</blockquote></div><br></div></div><p></p><p><b>Important - </b>This email and any attachments may be confidential. If received in error, please contact us and delete all copies. Before opening or using attachments check them for viruses and defects. Regardless of any loss, damage or consequence, whether caused by the negligence of the sender or not, resulting directly or indirectly from the use of any attached files our liability is limited to resupplying any affected attachments. Any representations or opinions expressed are those of the individual sender, and not necessarily those of the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.</p>
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