"Building professional communities is a process and relies on professional dialogue. It is not a one-off process and is not achievable by building products such as static Web sites". - Education Network Australia (EdNA) July, 1998 The environmental context in which school teachers’ work has undergone rapid change in recent years. Political, social and technological changes have meant that Australian teachers face an increasing responsibility to keep abreast of educational trends in order to maintain their effectiveness. One such change is in the use of learning technologies, both within the classroom and in terms of a teacher’s approach to professional development. Over the last few years, educational authorities in all Australian states and territories have been developing policies that provide a significant increase in resourcing for learning technologies. It is within this framework that the current invitation to develop a mailing list for staff in Western Australia’s Catholic education sector has been offered. myinternet is now delivering SINA and the myinternet desktop software to the Catholic education sector, thus providing a channel through which education communities can develop. Currently there more than 1600 subscribers to 16 myinternet community curriculum and technical mailing lists covering issues from peer support and general curriculum resources, to the use of ICT in the classroom. In addition to teachers, mailing lists are also valuable for technical support and administration staff in a school as they often work alone, with limited resources. The collective knowledge and experience that a large group brings is invaluable, hence the purpose of the myinternet mailing list is to provide a forum for the exchange of information and experiences within a supportive, positive environment. With all of the shared information archived, current and future subscribers are provided with an invaluable resource. An opportunity currently exists for all staff within the Catholic education sector to participate in a mailing list that will be hosted by myinternet Limited. Interested parties are asked to email Renee Hoareau at:
Staff may also join existing mailing lists or suggest a list to be hosted by myinternet. All suggestions can be forwarded to Renee at the above address.
Current mailing lists that may be of interest to staff in Western Australia include:
EdForum Share resources, problems, ideas and solutions with other educators nationally
English Share ideas, problems and resources with other English educators (also available for ESL, Art, Mathematics, Music and Primary Library) mac-edu Ideas, problems and solutions in relation to Macintosh computers in schools Viscomm For secondary Visual Communication and Graphic Communication educators to share ideas, problems and discuss issues
For information relating to involvement in the projects contact Dr Peter Carey, General Curriculum Consultant for Technology & Enterprise and the Arts at the CEO, on 9212 9243 or carey.peter@cathednet.wa.edu.au
Sam Oriti, Catholic Education Network Consultant and operator of the myinternet help desk can be contacted on 9212 9332 or oriti.sam@cathednet.wa.edu.au