Helen Davey, ANSN Networker, WA

What a fantastic workshop!

Perth had the honour of hosting a Better Together: Schools and Communities workshop on 21 and 22 August. Considering that many schools in WA have a ban on professional development (PD) at the moment, due to a shortage of relief teachers, we did well with over 50 people attending for the two days. They ranged from principals, deputies, team leaders, teachers, union reps, parents, chaplains and AEIOs, to community members, youth workers and more!

Members of the Board of Big Picture Company Australia are planning to work with Elliot Washor, Dennis Littky and their leadership coaches to design a leadership program for people who wish to work in

ANSN members may be interested in this article from BECTA ICT Research - What the research says about interactive whiteboards.

Moorditj - a Noongar word for "strong or excellent"

Having launched the series with the Gracemere story, the second Snapshot we are introducing is from Moorditj Noongar Community College, WA, a school with approximately 140 indigenous students enrolled from K-7.

Jane WilsonWritten by Jane Wilson, Assistant Principal and Head of the Middle School at Paralowie R-12 School, it describes Supersize Me with Science, a project that addressed the following research question: “How does authentic assessment, when used with student-centred learning about dietary habits and global food issues, help empower students to become more discerning about their diet and more active participants in society?”

Gracemere State School is located 10 km west of Rockhampton in the central Queensland town of Gracemere. the school has fewer than 300 primary children from prep to grade 7, with a high proportion of lower income, single parent and indigenous students.

Anne-Maree and Leanne Paxton from Gracemere State School have written this KidSmart Snapshot based around investigating the following key question their school.

"How can we use ICT as an integrating tool to increase motivation and participation of boys in multiliteracies?"

Snapshots are occasional papers about areas of interest for Network members.

ANSN is committed to making available quality to resources to help teachers and schools improve their work.

On Tuesday 10 October 2006, ANSN held its inaugural Habits of Mind Expo in Melbourne. More than twenty schools from Victoria and interstate shared their Habits of Mind experience with the more than 200 visitors who attended the Expo. Keith Redman, Editor of ANSN E-News, interviewed Nick D'Aglas at the Expo and this ANSN Snapshot is drawn from that conversation.

ANSN Board Member Margaret Vickers, from University of Western Sydney, is Program Director for a project to support the learning of Sudanese immigrants. She has provided this report.

Informal report of a conversation with Viv White about her study tour to the US, undertaken in late 2006