The Ultranet

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Comment by Suzanne Duggan on February 19, 2012 at 14:55

I would like to thank the Ultranet coaches in our area for the fantastic work they did getting schools up and going and informed of problems and of course the 'possibilities!' I know that schools in our area were extremely disappointed when these positions were cut. However, like all schools, we soldier on and work together to keep the Ultranet happening in our community. Thank you once again Ultranet crew for your expertise and patience. 

Comment by Pam Remington-Lane on August 9, 2010 at 8:14

Thanks, Jason, we all needed to hear what you have eloquently expressed.

Comment by Mark Richardson on August 8, 2010 at 21:44

Jason, these are thoughtful comments which I agree with. Well done!

Comment by Jason Pell on August 8, 2010 at 21:31

Aaron, I can understand where you are coming from interms of the gap between those that work collaboratively and those yet to work that way. In the past I have used wikis, blogs and nings to support myself and others and I know teachers who have used wikis to collaborate on a global scale. I am unsure of the technical nature of the issues the Ultranet has recently had however I believe that tomorrow will be a valuable day.
People use web 2.0 tools to collaborate because they see the benefit. We need to be careful of the messages we send out - intentional or not - in relation to the Ultranet. For those that don't collaborate, hearing people that use collaborative tools bagging the Ultranet helps them justify why they haven't developed themselves as educatiors. We do what we do for the students. Worksheets don't foster critical thinking and creativity, authentic learning experiences do. The big advantage of the Ultranet is that users will be using the same space to collaborate, making searching for quality resources easier. FUSE is great and I prefer it to the search functionality of the Ultranet.Surprisingly, there are still a large number of staff in schools who have never heard of it. There will be no hiding from it now.
You may be right about the possibility that the Ultranet isn't quite ready yet, and in a way I would be happier tomorrow knowing that it isn't available. I say this because for those yet to understand the concept of 21st C learning, having to click here and there, add things etc will be daunting. A day where we can highlight 21st C learning, reflect on current practice and then begin to share resources will be more valuable. I guess if we can see/show the potential, the 'too hard basket' is a little further away.

Comment by Aaron Cox on August 8, 2010 at 21:05

Jason, I suppose one of my points is that collaboration takes place already through sites like FUSE and nings just to name two for those so inclined.

I feel the Ultranet targets those that have do not have good ICT skills and will therefore try to advance their IT skills. These people need to be given the best possible environment to engage and succeed and through my experience when technological things are not trusted to work as prescribed those with less skill are the first to put it all in the "too hard basket" and walk away. And at the moment despite all the efforts of the Ultranet team this becomes a very real possibility because maybe, just maybe, its not quite ready yet.

Comment by Aaron Cox on August 8, 2010 at 20:45

Anne, absolutely I would agree that there is true value for those teachers that do not have good ICT and Web 2.0 skills. This will surely help those teachers start to (hopefully) become 21st century teachers.

Comment by Jason Pell on August 8, 2010 at 20:22

Hi Pam :)
It is a good clip. i love it!

Comment by Jason Pell on August 8, 2010 at 20:20

Today hasn't been the best day for the Utranet. We can debate all day the value of what you call the 'white elephant'. I have had much success within the ultranet, but most importantly i understand WHY we are heading in this direction. Yes, it has been slow and has had issues when switching between versions. Nowhere else in the world has anyone attempted such a shift in the way we work. Will it increase workload for teacher, initially it will. Will it have issues, yet it will, however there is a more important issue than speed, flash and time and that is the reason for doing this. How many of your colleagues create their own curriculum? why? do we really need 1600 schools across the state creating a unit on gold, the water cycle or dinosaurs? how much collaboration exists within any given school? across their network? region? state? How do we know what we do is the best thing for our students when we have taught the same way for years? This ning connects us to innovators across the state. We are part of this ning because we see the value in collaboration and hearing the mesage of others. The ultranet will allow this, as well as supporting school staff to see what others can achieve and utilise a variety of web 2.0 tools. Schools have worked to develop their own content management system which is rarely utilised by a critical mass.this is a great starting point. There is a new video on ted.com about 'when ideas have sex' which really help to understand why we should collaborate. i dont know any teacher, regardless of their excellence' who cannot learn more from others.
The Ultranet isn't complete yet, it is about setting up contacts, forming teams and sharing what we do. In september we will get the rest which will bring more value to parents, increased communication and enable users to create an authentic learner profile which will be worth the effort. We all make choices with the time that we have, and some use it to collaborate, to search for leading practice and share it.
Running sweepstakes shows ignorance and a lack of understanding of what the Ultranet team is working their butts off to achieve. The Ultranet is the first of its kind in the world, there will be teething issues and i understand that these can be frustrating.
For those who still don't see the point in collaborating and offering a range of authentic learning tasks you can alway send them to the 2010 DEECD innovation showcase site and get them to watch Adrian Camm's keynote.
One person can make a difference. The Ultranet will allow people to be that person.

Comment by Anne Mirtschin on August 8, 2010 at 20:19

@Aaron I am also frustrated today, as I planned to spend most of it, getting super organised for tomorrow. Even now, I cannot get into the community express spaces. I have taken lots of screen shots and we have alternatives should/when the ultranet goes down. We are just hoping our internet is up!
However, I think that the ultranet has a lot of positive attributes especially for staff who have not used technology and web2.0 tools in their classes, and especially for connecting with our fellow Victorian teachers/students. The community aspect is one that will be valuable for our school, as I teach in a rural, relatively isolated area.

Comment by Pam Remington-Lane on August 8, 2010 at 20:10

To lighten up, go to Youtube and watch Hitler and the Ultranet.

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