Getting Started - Release 1 Resource for Teachers

8/9/2019 Getting Started - Release 1 Resource for Teachers

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RESOURCE FOR TEACHERSGETTING STARTED – RELEASE 1

www.ultranet.vic.edu.au



FOREWORDMINISTER PIKE

The Victorian Government is committed to providing every child with every opportunity to succeed. The introductionof the Ultranet upholds this commitment by using the latest technology to connect the whole school community tosupport quality learning and teaching.

In line with the Blueprint for Education and Early Childhood Development, the Ultranet will unloc the full potential of information and communications technology in Victorian government schools and facilitate partnerships with parents.

The Ultranet brings to mind the concept of a ‘classroom without walls’ – a space where learning continuity ismaintained as students move from class to class, year to year, and even from school to school. This is why havingone online system for every Victorian government school is so important.

The Ultranet provides the opportunity for us to more easily differentiate the learning e perience for students – usingtechnology, tools and applications that are relevant to their l ives. It also supports teachers to collaborate, shareprofessional practice and interests with colleagues – not just in their own school but, for the rst time, across Victoria.

As educators, we need access to the tools that will e tend our creativity and innovation as 21st-century learning andteaching practice evolves. The Ultranet is one way that we can achieve this, as teachers can now access a powerfulset of digital learning tools, resources and student data in one place – available anywhere, anytime.

From the end of September 2010, we will begin to invite parents onto the Ultranet, giving them a new window intotheir child’s learning. Parents will be able to gain a better understanding of what teachers are trying to achieve withtheir child, facilitating open communication, shared understanding and common goals.

I loo forward to watching our schools harness the endless possibilities the Ultranet offers for innovative learning andteaching practice.

Hon Bronwyn Pike MPMinister for Education, S ills and Wor force Participation


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CONTENTS

FOREWORD

PART ONE – gETTINg STARTED

INTRODUCTION 2

WHAT IS THE ULTRANET? 3

NAVIGATING THE ULTRANET 4

PART TWO – PRIVACY AND RESPONSIBLE USE

PRIVACY 5

WHO CAN SEE WHAT? 7

SAFE AND RESPONSIBLE USE 8

COPYRIGHT AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY 10

PART THREE – ULTRANET SPACES

COLLABORATE, COMMUNICATE, CREATE:INTRODUCTION TO ULTRANET SPACES 12

HOME 14

ExPRESS SPACE 16

DESIGN 18

COMMUNITY 20

COLLABORATIVE LEARNING 22

PART FOUR – CONTENT AND APPLICATIONS

CONTENT 24

APPLICATIONS – OVERVIEW 26

APPLICATIONS – BLOGS 28

APPLICATIONS – WIkIS 30

LIST OF APPLICATIONS 32

SUPPORT AND RESOURCES 33


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INTRODUCTION

If every aspect of school improvement depends onhighly s illed teachers and leaders, then the Victoriangovernment school system is ready to embrace thepotential of the Ultranet.

There is increasing ac nowledgement of the wor of Victorian government schools and the achievementsthat have been realised through all levels of our systemwor ing together. The number of educators who haveparticipated in, and made a commitment to, their owndevelopment in order to provide high-quality learningenvironments for our students has been recognisedinternationally.

Schools in our system are places where everyone hasthe opportunity to learn and grow. It is within this conte tthat teachers and school leaders will determine howthe Ultranet can support more powerful teaching andlearning, and how the e pertise of colleagues throughoutthe system can be drawn on to bene t all students.

The Department of Education and Early ChildhoodDevelopment (DEECD) considered the Ultranet in early2004. Since that time a proof-of-concept has beentrialled and the mar etplace tested prior to entering intoa contract with Australian rm CSG, using predominantly

Oracle software. This contract is being delivered inpartnership with the Of ce for Government SchoolEducation and will result in the creation of a virtuallearning environment accessible to every student,teacher and parent in Victorian government schools.

Over the last decade, we have increased our nowledgeabout how effective schools create the conditions thatsupport high-quality instruction and learning. With this inmind, we have implemented system-wide strategies tosupport our wor force to engage in this important wor .The Department also initiated a wide range of projectsthat were designed to ensure that the full bene t of the

Ultranet would be realised for every user.E amples of these projects include:

> The provision of a high-quality broadband service toevery school.

> The provision of a free internet service to everyschool.

> A large scale pilot of netboo s and an evaluation of their impact by the University of Melbourne.

> The creation of a standard suite of applicationsfor all DEECD devices, including over 70 softwareprograms suitable for students in all year levels.

> The training of 70 Ultranet coaches whose brief isto support Ultranet implementation and to train leadusers in every school.

> The purchase and trial of a large number of digitallearning objects and sequences that will complementthe e tensive resources already available in FUSE.

> An increase in the level of technical support availableto schools and an assessment of each school’shardware and infrastructure to determine technicalreadiness for the Ultranet.

> A substantial upgrade of the wireless environment inall Victorian government schools.

> The development of an instructional model, e 5,to support greater understanding of the role of ateacher in generating improved learning for their students.

The Ultranet is the result of e tensive collaborationbetween all levels of our system, and it has emergedthrough the persistence of a large number of peoplewho understand the importance of this framewor , themissing piece of the technology puzzle . This group

of people wanted to ensure that Victorian educators,students and parents have access to an intelligent andresponsive nowledge management framewor that isweb-based and accessible at all times.

The Ultranet can connect people, places and spacesto this information right across our state. Enjoy thisopportunity to propel Victorian government schooleducation into an e citing future; a future that embraceseveryone.

Victorians log into your future … the Ultranet is here.

Darrell Fraser Deputy SecretaryOf ce for Government School EducationMay 2010



1 .

GE T T I N

G S T A RT E D

WHAT IS THE ULTRANET?

The Ultranet is an online student-centred learningenvironment that supports high-quality learning andteaching and connects students, teachers and parents.

It is a 21st-century online learning platform that ta eslearning beyond the walls of the classroom and providesa rich nowledge management framewor for schools.

The Ultranet will:

> provide online anytime, anywhere access for students, parents and teachers;

> capture a complete record of student learningprogress over time, from year to year and schoolto school;

> provide you with a rich, readily accessible sourceof information about each learner to informpersonalised curriculum planning and delivery;

> provide you with the ability to readily plan, deliver and assess curriculum online;

> allow you to incorporate the use of Web 2.0 technologies to enable your students tocommunicate, collaborate, publish and share withpeers within and across schools;

> provide ready access to quality digital learningresources;

> enable students to ta e greater responsibility for their own learning;

> enable you to communicate each student’slearning progress more easily with parents/guardians;

> allow you to collaborate with colleagues in your school and in schools across Victoria; and

> facilitate nowledge transfer and sharing across

schools and the system.

HOW TO LOg IN

Before you rst log into the Ultranet, you must register

in the Department’s Identity and Access Managementsystem (IDAM).

Re isterin in the Identity and AccessMana ement System (IDAM)

1. Go to http://idam.education.vic.gov.au/ rstuse

2. You will be presented with a screen to enter your Edumail username and password. Onceentered, clic ‘Continue’.

3. You will be presented with a second screen tocon rm your Edumail password. Click ‘Submit’

to complete the registration. You only need todo this once.

Lo in into the Ultranet

1. Go to http://www.ultranet.vic.edu.au

2. Enter your Edumail username and password.

3. Clic on and read the Ultranet Terms of Service.

4. Tick the box to con rm that you will comply withthe Ultranet Terms of Service.

5. Select ‘Login’ and you will be directed to your personal Home page.

‘The Ultranet is a high-tech vehicle;it will take a while to learn how todrive it but the journey and thedestinations will bene t those whoclimb aboard.’ Graeme Henchell, Ultranet Coach



NAVIgATINg THE ULTRANET

gLOBAL NAVIgATION – RELEASE 1

The Global Navigation icons appear at the bottom of the screen, allowing you to navigate easily to the spaces and toolsavailable in the Ultranet. The icons are grouped into four colour themes: reen (personal or collaboration spaces), blue (learning spaces), purple (content), and oran e (resources, and tools for managing and customising spaces).

CollaborativeLearnin

Home

eXpress

Space

Desi n

Community

My Content

Connect

Actions

Utilities

Collaborative Learning is a place for student collaboration and learning, wherestudents and teachers can engage in learning activities using a range of Web 2.0applications, including blogs, wi is and polls .

Home provides a personalised home page for all users. It provides easy access to theUltranet spaces and your most frequently used applications.

express Space is a personal space viewable by your Learning Contacts and Portfolio

Viewers. This is where you can nd your Wall, Pro le, Portfolio (and for students, their Wall, Pro le, Learning Portfolio and Learning Goals).

Community is a place for your school’s communities. This includes a space for your entire school community as well as other groups that e ist within your school or e tend across schools in Victoria.

Design is a place for professional collaboration and learning facilitated by a range of Web 2.0 applications, including blogs and wi is (not available to students).

My Content is a place for teachers and students to store and search for personal,school and quality-assured digital learning resources.

Connect is a place for students to nd reviewed websites and online activities.Connect is only available for students, and it lin s e ternally to the Connect Primaryand Connect Secondary FUSE site, depending on the age of the student.

Actions is a pop-up menu where you can choose your applications for each page andcustomise each space. Select from Manage Pages, Change Layout, Add Applications,Edit Controls, and Flag Inappropriate Content (only appears in some spaces).

Utilities is a pop-up menu providing access to the Control Panel, Email, Find People,Log Out, View Moderator Requests, the Bastow Institute of Educational Leadershipand the Ultranet Support site.

Learner Pro le

LearninTasks

Learning Tas s is a place for teachers to plan, deliver and assess learning activities,and for students to view and participate in learning activities (Release 2).

Learner Pro le is a place to nd and record up-to-date information about each studentyou teach (Release 2).



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PRIVACY

THE ULTRANET AND YOUR PRIVACY

As the Ultranet contains some personal information, it isimportant that all users understand their privacy rightsand responsibilites. The Victorian Information Privacy

Act 2000 provides privacy standards when operating ina physical and/or an online world. Privacy law and policye ists to protect personal information from misuse.

The rst thing to remember is that the Ultranet is notthe internet – it is a closed, secure space for students,teachers and parents/guardians who are members of the Victorian government school community.

The Ultranet has strict access controls – only certi edusers are able to access it. These users must always login with a username and password. All users are requiredto have a comple seven character password (in linewith whole of Victorian government guidelines) and thelevel of access that a person has, depends on their role.

‘Who can see what?’ on page 7 shows you how accessis controlled in Release 1.

How the Ultranet protects your privacy

> De ned roles and access rights control who canaccess information.

> Password policy in line with whole of Victoriangovernment guidelines.

> As a teacher, you decide who sees your personalspace (express Space).

> Time-outs after 15 minutes and ma imum sessiontime of four hours.

> Staff personal information is ta en from CASES21and limited to name, photo and Edumail address(note that staff Edumail addresses are note posed to students or parents).

> Ability to opt-out of having your photo displayedon the Ultranet.

> All online community spaces are moderated bya teacher. It is easy to report any inappropriatecontent.

> No anonymous postings are possible – allpostings are logged and can be audited.

> Processes developed for e piry, destruction andarchiving of information.

How to protect your privacy in the Ultranet

1. Don’t share your password.

2. Shut down your browser when you nish asession (especially on shared computers).

3. Don’t disclose personal information in onlinecommunity spaces.

4. Understand who can see information about youin the different spaces on the Ultranet (see ‘Whocan see what?’ on page 7).

PHOTOS IN THE ULTRANETOf cial school photos of you will be uploaded

annually from the school administration databaseinto the Ultranet.

The use of student and staff photos is integral tothe objectives of the Ultranet and, in particular,to supporting connections between studentsand their teachers. The Ultranet is a contained,secure environment with a speci c educationalpurpose. Your photo will only be visible to teachersand students in your school and against your contributions within collaborative or communityspaces.

If you do not want your photo to be uploaded to

the school administrative database or the Ultranet,please notify your school.

Having access to a range of information about students hasmajor bene ts for teachers; however,it carries with it a responsibility totreat this information in line with

privacy laws.



PRIVACY

THE ULTRANET AND STUDENT PRIVACY

STUDENT INFORMATION

While the Ultranet will provide teachers with a richsource of up-to-date information about the learningprogress and attendance of students within their school(in Release 2), it will not contain personal informationsuch as contact details, date of birth or any medical,welfare or behavioural information.

Having access to a range of information about studentsthrough the Ultranet has major bene ts for teachers;however, it carries with it a responsibility to treat thisinformation in line with privacy laws. It is important tominimise the ris of misuse of student data, while stillallowing teachers access to the data they need.

Therefore, the only purpose for which teachersshould use student data from the Ultranet is whenit is necessary to enable them to ful ll their of cialteachin or pastoral care duties to that student.

Student privacy is protected in the Ultranet in similar ways to teachers (see previous page). Students canalways see who has access to their express Space,even though their teachers are automatically given

access when they apply to be a Portfolio Viewer.

THE ULTRANET STUDENT gUIDEInformation about privacy and safe and responsible usewill be provided in the Ultranet Student Guide. This isto be distributed and e plained to students when theyreceive their Ultranet Welcome Letter. The Ultranet Student Guide is available on the Ultranet Support site:www.ultranet.vic.edu.au/portal/web/support/home

The only purpose for which teachersshould use student data from theUltranet is when it is necessary toenable them to ful l their of cial teaching or pastoral care duties to that student.

Protectin the privacy of others in the Ultranet

> Only access information on a need-to- nowbasis and ensure access is justi ed (related toeducational or pastoral care).

> Don’t ma e comments/observations about othersor upload content that is:

• not related to the educational conte t. Thisincludes comments or information which refer to a student’s medical history or behaviour;

• unsubstantiated, based on hearsay,misleading or out of conte t; or

• offensive, defamatory, racist, se ist,homophobic or bullying in nature.

> Don’t use material/content that you nd on theUltranet for purposes other than education.

> Don’t disclose personal information about other people.

> Don’t upload photos of, or information about,others without their permission.

> Before sharing student wor , consider whether you need to obtain their consent.



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WHO CAN SEE WHAT?

* Years P–6 students can be Learning Contacts with other students in their year level in their school. Years P–6 students cannot beLearning Contacts with students in other year levels. Years 7–12 students can be Learning Contacts with other students in their year levelin their school, as well as one year level below and above, e.g. a Year 8 student may have Learning Contacts in Years 7, 8 and 9, and aYear 12 student may have Learning Contacts in Years 11 and 12. Un raded students cannot have Learning Contacts on the Ultranet.1 DEECD staff – all school and corporate staff; 2 School staff in all Victorian government schools; 3 Students in all Victorian government schools.

I am a...Landing Page

and Wall Pro le Learning Goals Learning Portfolio Portfolio

StudentMy Learning

Contacts & PortfolioViewers

Members of my schoolcommunity

My Portfolio Viewers My Portfolio Viewers For staff only

Teacher My Learning

Contacts

Students inmy school &

DEECD staff 1For students only For students only My Portfolio Viewers

SchoolLeader

My LearningContacts



Non-teachingschool staff member

My LearningContacts



CorporateDEECD staff member

My LearningContacts

DEECD staff 1 For students only For students only My Portfolio Viewers

Who can see my... expressSpace

Type of Space

Community(General)

Community(My School) Design

CollaborativeLearning

Open

School

staff 2 cansee and joinautomatically

Members of my school

community cansee and joinautomatically

DEECD

staff 1 cansee and joinautomatically

Students 3 and schoolstaff 2 can

see and joinautomatically

Restricted

School staff 2 can see

and requestmembership


can see andrequest

membership

DEECD staff 1 can see

and requestmembership

Students 3 and school

staff 2 can seeand requestmembership

PrivateSchool staff 2

can be invited


can be invited

DEECD staff 1 can be invited

Students 3 andschool staff 2

can be invited

Who can see/join...

I am a...LearningContact

PortfolioViewer

StudentStudents * &

teachers in myschool

Teachers in myschool

Teacher

Students in

my school &DEECD staff 1

DEECD staff 1

SchoolLeader


DEECD staff 1DEECD staff 1

Non-teachingschool staff member


DEECD staff 1DEECD staff 1

CorporateDEECD staff member

DEECD staff 1 DEECD staff 1

Who can be my...

Learnin Contact: A person that the user has invited, or has accepted following a request, to view the user’s express landing page and Wall.

Portfolio Viewer: A person that can view a student’s Learning Portfolio, Learning Goals and express landing page and Wall, or a staff

member’s Portfolio. When a teacher requests to be a Portfolio Viewer of a student within the school, access is automatically granted, bute pires on the 31st December each year. See pa e 17 for more information about Learnin Contacts and Portfolio Viewers.



SAFE AND RESPONSIBLE USE

A teacher’s duty of care to students e tends to theUltranet. Schools and teachers need to ta e positive,reasonable steps to protect students from harm whenusing this technology.

Teachers have an ongoing role in preparing andsupporting students to use online environments safelyand responsibly. While the Ultranet is a controlledenvironment, it is still an online space. Web 2.0 haschanged the way we interact with technology. TheUltranet will open up the classroom to new learninge periences; however, it also presents some challengesin managing appropriate online behaviour.

Guidelines on safe and responsible behaviours whenusing the Ultranet need to be determined at a schoollevel and students made aware of them. Students needto be taught how to eep both themselves and otherssafe on the Ultranet and more broadly on the internet.

The following diagram provides a useful way to thinabout the various types of online spaces that we use.Online spaces can be considered in terms of who theaudience for that space is, or more simply ME, WE or SEE spaces. Each space has different levels of privacyand security. As users, whether we are teachers or

students, we need to understand what type of onlinespace we are in and the implications for using that space.

WE SEEME

With permission: Professor Stephen Heppell.

ME SPACE

> A private ‘Me’ space where I am free to re ect,record my thoughts, ta e responsible ris s and trynew things. Only I can see it.

> E amples include noteboo s, netboo s, personaldevices and mobiles.

> The Ultranet Home pa e and My Content areME spaces.

WE SPACE

> A collaborative ‘We’ space where I am able toshare my wor with a controlled/ nown group of peers or colleagues. I now who sees my content.

> E amples include SuperclubsPlus and schoolintranets.

> The Ultranet eXpress Space, Desi n,Collaborative Learnin and Communityspaces are WE spaces. The Ultranet itself is aWE space.

SEE SPACE

> A public space where the whole world can ‘See’what I publish.

> E amples include: World Wide Web, schoolwebsites, online published newsletters, webconferencing events, published FUSE content,nings and Teacher Tube.

> There are No SEE spaces in the Ultranet

It is important to note that the Ultranet has only ME(private) and WE (controlled/ nown) spaces for teachersand students.

FOR ALL USERS, BEHAVINg SAFELY ONTHE ULTRANET MEANS:

> Not sharing your password with anyone – toprotect your own (and others’) privacy and personalinformation;

> Being aware of what space you are using, and whocan see your comments;

> Understanding and modelling safe, responsible andethical practices;

> Not uploading, or passing on, any content that maybe harmful or hurtful to others;

> Not uploading content about or by others withouttheir consent, e.g. photos, pieces of wor ; and

> Being proactive to act on or report issues or behaviours of concern.

‘A positive school culture can helpdevelop responsible, ethical and resilient digital citizens who do theright thing, “even when no one iswatching”.’

Robyn Treyvaud,Director of ‘Cybersafe Kids’

With permission: Professor Stephen Heppell



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SAFE AND RESPONSIBLE USE

HOW CAN WE SUPPORT SAFE ANDRESPONSIBLE USE OF THE ULTRANET?

Safe and responsible use of the Ultranet can beachieved through a mi of technical controls and schoolpolicies and programs, as outlined below.

TECHNICAL CONTROLS1. The Ultranet has the following built-in controls:

> All users have to log in.

> All Collaborative Learning, Community andDesign spaces must have a teacher as aModerator.

> Students can easily ag inappropriate content inany space to which they belong.

> There are no anonymous postings. All postingsare logged and can be audited.

> Every time they upload content, students willbe presented with a message that they may notupload content that may be hurtful or harmful toothers.

> There are lters for bad language.

> A user must agree to someone being their Learning Contact. The relationship is reciprocal.

> Once registered as a Portfolio Viewer, teachersare able to view and chec all the spaces withina student’s express Space – this includestheir landing page and Wall, and the LearningPortfolio, Learning Goals and Pro le.

2. The Department’s Internet Service Provider (ISP)provides schools with a ltered internet servicewhich will prevent users from lin ing to inappropriatee ternal content while at school.

This will not prevent students from ma ing lin s toinappropriate content when at home. These lin s willbe visible to users, but they will not be able to accessthem when using the Ultranet at school. However,teachers need to be aware that lin s to inappropriatecontent will still be accessible to users outsidethe school’s ISP (e.g. at home). Furthermore, theschool’s ISP will not detect inappropriate content inuploaded les (e.g. an MS Word or PDF le).

Teachers therefore need to review the spacesthey moderate on a regular basis and respond tomoderation ags as quickly as possible.

SCHOOL POLICIES AND PROgRAMSThe Department is clear that every student has theright to feel safe from bullying at school. All forms of bullying, whether physical, verbal or cyberbullying, arenot tolerated in Victorian government schools. The whole

school community needs to be involved in ensuring thatstudents are aware of and use safe and responsiblebehaviours when using the Ultranet and other digitaltechnologies.

Schools have the following policies to support safe andresponsible use:

> Student Engagement Policy; and

> Acceptable Use Agreement.

All teachers need to ta e responsibility for being aware of,and reinforcing, the behaviours outlined in these policies.

CYBERSAFETY PROgRAMS > School-based cybersafety programs are a critical

component of providing a safe and secureenvironment for students. Cybersafety awarenessand action needs to permeate all aspects of online interactions. Cybersafety programs shouldnot be ‘one-off’ programs – supporting studentsto use the Ultranet safely and responsibly isa ey responsibility of every teacher, in everyclassroom, every day. Part of this responsibilitye tends to teachers modelling safe andresponsible behaviours.

> Teachers and parents need to ensure thatstudents understand and ta e responsibility for their own online behaviour. This is more li elyto occur when students are involved in ongoingdiscussions and decisions regarding safe andresponsible online behaviours.

> Teachers also play an important role asModerators of online spaces. Moderators of spaces are responsible for reviewing contentregularly to chec its appropriateness. Seepage 13 for more information.

For further information, go to the DEECD website‘Learning On Line’ – a school resource for the safeand responsible use of digital technologies:www.education.vic.gov.au/cybersafety

‘The fact that students appear to betechnologically “savvy” does not mean that they have developed theskills and competencies that will make them responsible, critical and creative users of technology.’

Are the new millennium learnersma ing the grade?

OECD, 2010



COPYRIgHT ANDINTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

THE ULTRANET AND COPYRIgHT LAW

The Ultranet allows the sharing of materials, whichmeans that we all need to be vigilant about usingmaterial that is not our own wor . Uploading content tothe Ultranet which is not your own can be a breach of the Commonwealth Copyright Act 1968 (Copyright Act).

Ensuring that the Ultranet is compliant with theCopyright Act is everyone’s responsibility.

HOW THE ULTRANET HELPS YOU MEET YOUROBLIgATIONS

The Ultranet will prompt all users when they uploadcontent to consider copyright and intellectual propertyimplications. Teachers will be required to referencethe source of any third-party content that is added to theUltranet.

HOW TO AVOID COPYRIgHT BREACHESIf you are not using your own wor :

1. Link to third-party content

Work that is not your own is de ned as third-partycontent. Whenever possible, lin to third-party content

and objects, including images. You can lin to anycontent or objects, including images, without breachingcopyright. By lin ing, the content has not been copied,cut and pasted or plagiarised.

2. Use endorsed content from the Ultranet repository

Endorsed Content from the Ultranet repository hasbeen copyright cleared. However, it still carries usageconditions as outlined in the simple traf c light systembelow:

Colour code

Endorsed Content in the Ultranetrepository

White content can be copied and modi ed(can be used anywhere)

Blue content can be copied, but notmodi ed (can be used anywhere)

Green content can be copied and modi ed(Victorian educational use only)

Yellow content can be copied, but notmodi ed (Victorian educational use only)

3. Use external content that you know you have aspeci c licence to use, modify and shareAn e ample of content that is legal to use is contentsourced from Creative Commons atwww.creativecommons.org

4. Use content in line with Part VA or Part VBLicence under the Copyri ht ActAs teachers, you may use some copyrighted content for education purposes under Part VA and Part VB of theCopyright Act. Teachers can use:

> 10 per cent or less of a third-party text,

including sheet music, literary or dramaticpublications. This is allowed under Part VB of theCopyright Act. Content must be labelled ‘Copiedunder Part VB’ and the copyright owner attributed.

> Ima es that are surrounded by text. Under Part VB you are also allowed to copy images,provided they are sourced from material wherethey are accompanied by te t (i.e. no standaloneimages). Content must be labelled ‘Copied under Part VB’ and the copyright owner attributed.When possible, lin directly to the site where theimages were sourced. They can then appear inthe Ultranet without breaching copyright (becauseyou have lin ed).

> Movies or pro rams broadcast on televisionor radio. You may copy and communicateprograms broadcast on television under Part VAof the Copyright Act.

> Music in limited circumstances . Incorporatingmusic in a wi i or blog, or otherwise widelysharing it, is li ely to infringe copyright, e cept inlimited circumstances. For more information seewww.smartcopying.edu.au . You may copy and

communicate programs broadcast on radio under Part VA of the Copyright Act.

‘It’s what I love about the Ultranet … teachers are their own best resource, so quality teacher-generated content can be shared.’ Angela Houghton, Teacher,

Murrumbeena Primary School



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COPYRIgHT ANDINTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

STUDENTS AND COPYRIgHT

Teachers need to ensure that information about students’copyright responsibilities is regularly communicatedto them. Students may use some copyrighted contentfor research and study or for assessment purposes byrelying on Fair Dealing under the Copyright Act.

Information for students

> Students can lin to content or objects, includingimages, without breaching copyright;

> Students can use content from the Ultranet‘endorsed’ repository;

> Students can use licensed content, such as thatavailable from Creative Commons or NEALS;

> Students can copy and communicate up to 10per cent of any material under the Fair Dealingdefence of the Copyright Act for research andstudy or for assessment purposes. However, theycannot legally copy and communicate materials toother students to assist them with their researchand study, unless:

• they are engaged in a joint collaborative tasfor assessment;

• there is a direct licence permitting them to dothis; or

• they have directly obtained the copyrightowner’s permission.

The Ultranet will direct students to both their teacher andwww.smartcopying.edu.au when they upload material tothe Ultranet. Supporting documentation will accompanythese prompts.

OTHER ISSUES TO BE AWARE OF

Teachers cannot rely on Part VB of the Copyright Actwhen uploading information that is not for educationalpurposes.

When you use someone else’s wor you are required tolabel the source of the content to identify the copyrightowner. For e ample:

> when using a web resource, reference the name of the author or the copyright owner of the site and theURL address;

> when using a boo , the reference should state thename of the author, title, publisher, edition and ISBN;and

> for further information refer to the following labellingwor sheet: www.smartcopying.edu.au/scw/go/pid/530

When relying on the Fair Dealing 10 per cent or lessrule under the Copyright Act, if more than one personuploads content from the same source they are li ely tobe breaching copyright, as the total sum available on theUltranet is li ely to e ceed 10 per cent. To reduce thisris , minimise the duration of time the content is on theUltranet, i.e. remove and store it in My Content when not

in use, use lin s and remove multiple versions.If you now of infringing material on the Ultranet youshould see to have it removed as soon as possible.



COLLABORATE, COMMUNICATE, CREATEINTRODUCTION TO ULTRANET SPACES

The Ultranet provides teachers and students with accessto Web 2.0 applications and tools in many of its spaces,enabling users to communicate, collaborate, share andco-create nowledge easily with each other. This isespecially true in the Collaborative Learning, Design,and Community spaces, where users can set up onlinecommunities.

WHAT IS WEB 2.0?

The term ‘Web 2.0’ describes the changing trendin the use of the World Wide Web and web designthat enhances creativity, communications, secureinformation sharing, collaboration and the functionalityof the web. See ‘How does Web 2.0 support ICTfor Communicating?’ at www.education.vic.gov.au/studentlearning/teachingresources/ict/communicating/web.htm

E amples of Web 2.0 include web-based communities,hosted services, web applications, social-networ ingsites, video-sharing sites, nings, wi is and blogs. AWeb 2.0 site allows its users to interact with other usersor to change website content, in contrast tonon-interactive websites where users are limited to thepassive viewing of information that is provided to them.

Web 2.0 is all about applications that are contentrich, where content is presented exibly to allow for interaction. Sites such as Wi ispaces, Google, Blogger,Delicious, Digg, Faceboo , MySpace, You Tube andTwitter ma e use of Web 2.0 applications to allow usersto publish their own content and share it with others.

AS A TEACHER, WHY SHOULD I USE WEB 2.0?

Web 2.0 enables teachers to:

> create online communities which support purposefulinteraction between students, teachers and e perts

using wi is, blogs and discussion forums; > create online learning spaces that enable students

to share and collaborate with students within your school and across the state. This will supportteachers in some schools to reduce the effects of disadvantage and distance;

> create interactive and rich media content thatcomplements e isting learning activities and engagesstudents in dialogue and deep e ploration of concepts and ideas;

> readily share ideas with colleagues about effectivecurriculum planning and teaching strategies;

> be involved in professional dialogue with colleaguesin different schools.

USINg ULTRANET SPACES TOCOLLABORATE, COMMUNICATE ANDCREATE

Many teachers already use Web 2.0 applications to

support student learning and their own professionallearning. The Ultranet will open up the classroom tolearning opportunities and e periences that utilisethe power of Web 2.0. Collaborative spaces in theUltranet are more protected than many of the onlineenvironments that students currently access via theinternet.

Teachers are able to set up and join online communitiesto collaborate, communicate and create within theUltranet. You can set up or join online communitiesquickly and ef ciently within Collaborative Learning,Design and Community. These communities can e ist

within a school or be set up across schools, enablingyou to be part of an online community with students and/or colleagues from across the state.

‘The aim of teaching is not only totransmit information, but also totransform students from passiverecipients of other people’sknowledge into active constructorsof their own and others’ knowledge.The teacher cannot transformwithout the student’s active

participation ...’ Richard F. Elmore, Education for Judgement:The Artistry of Discussion Leadership , p.xvi.



COLLABORATE, COMMUNICATE, CREATEINTRODUCTION TO ULTRANET SPACES

SETTINg UP AN ULTRANET SPACE

When you set up a community in the Ultranet (whether itis for your colleagues, your class, a group of students inyour class, selected students in a year level or studentsfrom another school doing a project with your students),you need to decide if it will be:

> Private – viewable and accessible only by thoseUltranet users that you as the Space Owner invite toparticipate. These communities cannot be seen bypeople who are not part of that space;

> Restricted – viewable by all Ultranet users acrossthe state , but they must see your permission to beable to join and access the space; or

> Open – viewable and accessible by all Ultranetusers across the state.

When you set up a space, thin carefully about thetype of community you want it to be and who youwant to participate in it. Restricted and Open spacesare viewable by all Ultranet users and may attractparticipants from across the state.

When you invite someone to become a part of a spaceyou own, they automatically become a member of that

space. You can search for teachers from across thestate to invite to join a space, but you are only able tosearch for students within your school. If you want to setup a shared space for students across schools you willneed to wor with a teacher at that school to organise it.

Namin and describin your Ultranet spaceConsider the name and description you will give to thespace, especially if it is a restricted or open community:

> Use the space description to outline the targetparticipants and purpose of the space. Include thedate of posting and the owner.

> Provide a name that will ma e sense to users acrossthe state. As a minimum, include a reference to thetar et participants and then the topic or title of thespace.

> Target participants could be at the school, networ ,region or system level. This will enable you to identifyusers you wish to participate. Topic/Title couldinclude a reference to a year level, VELS/VCE or area of interest.

Example space names within the Ultranet

Healesville Primary School – Year 5 Maths

Yarra Valley Networ – Student Creative Writing

For more advice go to the Ultranet Support site:www.ultranet.vic.edu.au/portal/web/support/home

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MODERATOR ROLEModerators of spaces in the Ultranet are responsiblefor reviewing content regularly to chec itsappropriateness.

Members of a space are able to ag inappropriatecontent at any time using the ‘Flag InappropriateContent’ action on the Action menu of the GlobalNavigation.

When this occurs the Moderator of the space willbe sent an email asking them to review the agged

content and to ta e corrective action if required, byediting or removing the content from the space.

This would occur if the Moderator determinedthat the content is defamatory, abusive, obscene,threatening or illegal, and/or that it infringes on theability of others to enjoy the space or infringes on therights of others.

Mana in your Ultranet spaceOnce you have set up a space for your community, youthen decide what it will loo li e and what applicationsyou will add to it. You also need to assign appropriate

permissions so people can contribute to the space.All communities must have at least one Space Owner (this can be a teacher or a student) and, in the case of spaces set up by students, a Moderator (this must be ateacher). When you set up your own space as a teacher,you automatically become the Moderator of that space.

jOININg AN ULTRANET SPACEWhen you to go to Collaborative Learning, Design or Community, a portlet named ‘Manage Learning/Design/Community Space’ will appear by default on the screen.This portlet lists all of the spaces within that particular

place:1. Spaces that you own or co-own (i.e. you are the

Space Owner).

2. Spaces that you have joined (i.e. you are not theSpace Owner).

3. Spaces that are available for you to join (these will berestricted or open communities).

When you select the third option (Available Spaces)you will be provided with a list of all of the Open andRestricted Communities that you can join.

You can choose to join any available Open space

without requesting permission. You can request to joina Restricted space, however, your request must beaccepted by the Space Owner before you will be able toparticipate.



HOMEPERSONALISED HOME PAgE FOR ALL USERS

The macro navigation allows users to more easily ndthe spaces they want. Themes with macro navigationhave been designed particularly to support younger students. More themes will be available in Release 2.

How to chan e the theme on your Home pa e

1. Using the Actions icon, select ‘Manage Pages’.

2. Select the theme by clic ing on the icon.

3. Then clic on ‘Return to Full Page’ and thetheme of your page will be saved.

WHY USE HOME?

Home provides the entry to other spaces available toyou. It has by default a number of useful applicationsthat you will use regularly:

> Learnin Contacts is a list of people (teachersor students) you have invited, or have acceptedfollowing a request, to view your express landingpage and your Wall.

> Notices (for teachers) is for viewing and creatingnotices for all the communities and spaces you

belong to, including your school community.

> Notice Viewer (for students) displays notices inpictorial format with a te t summary for all thecommunities and spaces the student belongs to.

> Moderator Requests informs you if any studentshave requested you to become a Moderator of aspace that they have set up within the Ultranet.

HOW TO CUSTOMISE HOME

THEMES

Home and the express Space have a range of themeswhich you can use to customise these spaces. Allthemes are available to all users. Some themes includeicons at the top of the page (called macro navigation).

Student Home ExampleDefault applications: Learning Contacts and NoticeViewer.

Teacher Home ExampleDefault applications: Learning Contacts, Notices andModerator Requests.

WHAT IS HOME?

Home is where Ultranet users land after they have logged into the Ultranet. It can be personalised and is designedto provide easy access to the Ultranet spaces and to your most frequently used applications. By changing the themeand layout, and adding and deleting applications, you can customise your Home page to suit yourself. Only you canview your Home page.



eXpress SPACEMY PERSONAL SPACE

EXPRESS SPACE FOR TEACHERS

eXpress Space is a place where teachers can:

> easily communicate with Learning Contacts (seene t page);

> maintain a professional Portfolio, which couldinclude evidence of professional learning,development of professional learning goals,feedbac from colleagues and performance plansor strategies that have led to improved studentlearning;

> select to be a Portfolio Viewer (see ne t page).

WHY USE THE EXPRESS SPACE?

The express Space is available for students andteachers for communicating, sharing and re ectingon their learning using a suite of Web 2.0 tools andapplications including Blogs, Wi i, Polls Display andImage Gallery.

EXPRESS SPACE FOR STUDENTSeXpress Space is a place where students can:

> easily communicate with Learning Contacts abouttheir learning (see ne t page);

> share their thoughts and ideas regarding their learning;

> document their Learning Goals;

> collect evidence of their learning in their LearningPortfolio; and

> see who their Portfolio Viewers are.It is important that teachers support students tounderstand that the Web 2.0 tools in the eXpressSpace are to support their learnin – they are for educational purposes only.

Student eXpress SpaceStudents can access their Wall, Learning Goals,

Learning Portfolio and Pro le from this space. Bydefault, on the student express landing page are theImage Gallery and Blogs applications.

Teacher eXpress SpaceTeachers can access their Wall, Portfolio and Pro le

from this space. By default, on the teacher expresslanding page are the Image Gallery, Blogs and LearningContacts applications.

WHAT IS THE EXPRESS SPACE?

The express Space is an individual’s personal space. It has a landing page and a Wall where users are able toquic ly and easily communicate with their Learning Contacts about aspects of their learning. It also has pages for theuser’s Pro le, which displays their name and photo, Learning Portfolio (or Portfolio for staff) and Learning Goals (for students only). This space allows students and teachers to easily communicate with others about their learning and tocapture, plan and re ect on their learning.

‘Young people have becomeincreasingly reliant on social networking technologies to connect,

collaborate, learn and create.’ Equipping every learner for the 21st century,Cisco, 2008



eXpress SPACEMY PERSONAL SPACE

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WHO ARE LEARNINg CONTACTS?

A Learning Contact is a person that you wish to easilycommunicate with about your learning. Learning Contactrights are reciprocal – when you submit or accept arequest to be a Learning Contact, you give that personpermission to view and share aspects of your learning.That person can see your express landing page andWall, and you can see theirs.

Your Learning Contacts cannot see your Portfoliounless they request to be a Portfolio Viewer. A list of your Learning Contacts is provided on your Home page

and the application can also be added to your expresslanding page.

WHAT HAPPENS FOR STUDENTS?

Students can have Learning Contacts. A student mayas you to be a Learning Contact or you may as astudent to be a Learning Contact. It is up to each user todetermine who they will allow to be a Learning Contact. Auser can choose to delete a Learning Contact at any time.

WHO ARE PORTFOLIO VIEWERS?

A Portfolio Viewer is a person who can view your

Portfolio. You can invite others to be a Portfolio Viewer or they can request to be a Portfolio Viewer. You controlall requests. You are able to see a list of your PortfolioViewers by adding the Portfolio Viewer application toyour express landing page.

WHAT HAPPENS FOR STUDENTS?

All teachers and school leaders can select to be aPortfolio Viewer of a student in their school. Teachersshould only request to be Portfolio Viewers of students they teach or for whom they have a pastoralresponsibility. Class teachers would normally request

to be a Portfolio Viewer of all students they teach atthe beginning of the year. All Portfolio Viewer rights areautomatically removed at the end of each year.

As a Portfolio Viewer, you will be able to see a student’sLearning Portfolio and Learning Goals. Once yourequest to be a student’s Portfolio Viewer you will alsobe automatically provided with access to their expresslanding page and Wall. Students are able to vieweveryone who has access to their express Space as aPortfolio Viewer.

See ‘Who can see what?’ on page 7 for a detailedoutline of which users can see what within teacher andstudent express Spaces.

IDEAS FOR USE > Request other teachers to be your Learning

Contact so you can start communicating with them;

> Write on a Learning Contact’s Wall and invitethem to write bac ;

> Create an image gallery: upload photos, les,documents and videos;

> Explore different ways to re ect on your learningin your Portfolio, such as writing, capturing videoclips, audio clips and images;

> E plore the applications that can be added, for e ample a Publications list or RSS feed;

> Create a blog, write posts, become a blogger bywriting comments on other blogs;

> For ideas on how to use these spaces withstudents, refer to the Getting Started InformationGuides – Learning Portfolio and Learning Goals at:www.ultranet.vic.edu.au/portal/web/support/home



DESIgNA PLACE FOR PROFESSIONAL COLLABORATION AND LEARNINg

Desi n HomeDesign spaces are only accessible to teachers and invited guests.

WHAT IS DESIgN?

Design is a place for professional collaboration and learning and is only accessible by staff and invited guests (guestscan only be invited from Release 2). It is a space where teachers can interact, engage in professional dialogue andplan curriculum/learning activities with colleagues from within the school and across schools.

HOW TO USE DESIgN

You can choose to set up your own Design space/s or join spaces that have already been set up by colleagues.The ‘Manage Design Spaces’ application, which appearsby default on the Design landing page, will enable youto do this.

To create a new Design space, go to ‘Add Design Space’on the ‘Manage Design Spaces’ application. Don’t forgetto assign permissions to members so that they cancontribute.

Four Design templates are available to assist you to setup your space.

WHY USE DESIgN?

Design is an area for teachers to wor collaborativelyas part of a professional learning community. Itprovides a space for the professional dialogue andintellectual e change that is an essential part of teacher professional practice. You can use this space tocollaboratively design curriculum and student learningactivities. Design can also be used for any collaborativeactivity, including mentoring or coaching.

Through Design you can interact easily with colleaguesat your school or in other DEECD locations, e tendingyour relationships and learning networ s. In Design,diverse perspectives can be captured to develop sharedunderstandings. Design will provide an alternativeto the need to always meet face-to-face, particularlywith colleagues from other schools, and is designedto enhance collaborative and nowledge-sharingprocesses across the state.

‘Using Design, we can share theworkload by planning curriculumcollaboratively.’

Heather Carver, Ultranet Coach



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1. Blank templateAllows you to fully customise the space to meet your needs.

3. Knowled e Builder Facilitates shared nowledge-building and contains the Wi iapplication for collaboration and the Reference Library andBoo mar applications for nowledge-building.

2. Idea Exchan e TemplateFor collaborating and sharing ideas on a speci c topic. Itcontains a Publication Display, to e plain the purpose of thespace, and a blog for collaborating and sharing ideas.

4. Learnin To ether Facilitates collaboration and enables resources to beshared around a speci c focus. It has three pages whichare tabbed: Home contains the Wi i application for collaboration; Resources contains the Blogs, ReferenceLibrary and Boo mar applications; Photos contains theImage Gallery and Slide Show applications.

DESIgN TEMPLATES

IDEAS FOR USE > Create your own spaces or join Design spacesthat have been set up by other teachers acrossthe state;

> Create an online space for your professionallearning team to communicate and collaboratearound aspects of shared wor . For instance,what we mean by high-quality instruction;

> Enable teachers in a learning area or year level team to collaboratively develop, plan anddocument curriculum. This can occur within aschool or across schools;

> Set up a space for a less e perienced teacher(s)to be coached by another teacher;

> Enable teachers in small or remote schools tocollaborate and share curriculum materials withteachers across Victoria;

> Create a space for principals in a networ tocollaborate and share professional dialogueand resources. This could include a space tocollaborate on Instructional Rounds;

> Create a space for curriculum/literacy/numeracycoordinators across a networ to collaborate andshare;

> Enable teachers involved in a Bastow program,networ or regional professional learning activityto communicate between and after sessions; and

> Create a space where teachers can share andmoderate pieces of student wor .



COMMUNITYA PLACE FOR MY SCHOOL’S COMMUNITIES

School Community SpaceThis space provides information about a school for their community.

WHAT IS COMMUNITY?

Community is a place for your school’s communities.There are two purposes for Community on the Ultranet:

1. Schools can set up their own School Communityspace, and restrict access to members of their school community; and

2. Users can set up a space for a speci c communitythat may be within their school or e tend acrossschools.

Li e other spaces in the Ultranet, Community has

Web 2.0 functionality so the Wi i, Blogs, MessageBoards and other applications can be added as required(see page 32 for a list of applications).

How to set up a school community spaceYour School Portal Administrator will create your SchoolCommunity space using the Control Panel functionon the Utilities menu (in the Global Navigation). Oncethe space is created it will be maintained from withinthe School Community space. The School PortalAdministrator will be responsible for:

> creating the required pages within the SchoolCommunity space;

> setting all the permissions for accessing the school’spages (who can add and view content);

> entering custom style guides (setting the loo andfeel of the space); and

> adding the school logo to the space.

WHAT IS A COMMUNITY SPACE?

Community supports collaboration and easycommunication for a range of school-based groups,such as school clubs, school teams, committees, specialinterest groups, staff and school communities. Althoughprimarily a place for a particular school, Community isalso able to be used by communities that e tend acrossschools and regions.

For e ample, schools within a networ may set upa Community space for a chess club or a dramaprogram. The space can also be used to set up generalCommunity spaces across schools, for e ample a spacefor school Sport Coordinators to share programs, datesor results. These communities can be set up by anyuser. They do not need to be set up by the School PortalAdministrator.

HOW TO USE COMMUNITY

To create a new Community space, go to ‘Add

Community Space’ on the ‘Manage Community Spaces’application on the Community landing page.

Students are also able to create Community spaces, butthey must have a teacher agree to be a Moderator of thespace, before it becomes active.

Three Community templates are available to assist youto set up your space.

WHAT IS A SCHOOL COMMUNITY SPACE?

A School Community space is where a school caneasily communicate with its entire community, ma ingitems such as newsletters, calendars, policies and other information readily available. Schools can use thesepages to pro le their activities to students, teachers andparents. It can function li e your e isting school websitebut instead of being available to the world, it is onlyavailable to members of your school community.

A School Community space is created by the SchoolPortal Administrator. This person can delegateresponsibilities to different people within the schoolto maintain pages within this space. The SchoolCommunity space can be customised by the SchoolPortal Administrator to include school logos and coloursas part of the design.

Once this space is set up, school community memberswill be able to access it through the ‘My Organisations’portlet on the Community landing page.



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3. Interest group template

Has four pages which are tabbed: Home contains the Wi iapplication for collaboration; Resources contains the Blogs,Reference Library and Boo mar applications; Photoscontains the Image Gallery and Slide Show applications;and Calendar is where events can be scheduled and viewed.

2. Class group templateCan be used to showcase a class and its activities. It hasthree pages which are tabbed: Home contains the Wi iapplication for collaboration and Resources contains theBlogs, Reference Library and Boo mar applications.

COMMUNITY TEMPLATES

IDEAS FOR USE

SCHOOL COMMUNITY SPACE

(contains similar information to your school website/portal)

> Newsletters

> School policies

> School calendar

> Uniform list

> Boo lists

> Images and videos

> Curriculum

> Parent–teacher nights

> Assessment and reporting information

STAFF COMMUNITY SPACE

> Duty rosters

> E tracurricular rosters

> Staff meeting agendas and minutes

> School processes – (e.g. PE equipment)

> Boo ing sheets (e.g. hall, computers, library,common spaces)

> Induction material

> Bulletins

> Resources – new to school

SCHOOL COMMITTEE SPACE

(for e ample, School Council, Parents’ Club,Curriculum Committee)

> Members

> Agenda

> Minutes

> Upcoming events

CLUBS AND TEAMS

> Fi tures

> Members

> Calendar of events

> Scoreboards

> Images and videos

> Blogs



COLLABORATIVE LEARNINgA PLACE FOR STUDENT COLLABORATION AND LEARNINg

Collaborative Learnin HomeYou control who can view and the levels of interaction for any space you create.

WHAT IS COLLABORATIVE LEARNINg?

Collaborative Learning is a place for studentcollaboration and learning. Students, their peers andtheir teachers can communicate and collaborate onaspects of learning and co-create nowledge. Thisspace provides access to Web 2.0 applications and toolsand creates opportunities to e tend learning beyond theclassroom. You can nominate whether a CollaborativeLearning space is open, restricted or private (see page 13,‘Introduction to Ultranet Spaces’).

A range of applications that facilitate collaboration,communication and nowledge creation may beused within this space including the Wi i, Blogs,Polls, Message Boards and RSS applications. Theseapplications can be used by teachers to facilitatesubstantive conversations between groups of students.Collaborative Learning spaces may be used for a groupof students within a class or a whole class, or to connectstudents across a school or across different schools.

Teachers will most commonly set up CollaborativeLearning spaces, but students are also able to setup spaces. Students are not able to set up a spaceunless a teacher agrees to be a Moderator. Moderatorsare responsible for reviewing content and, if deemedinappropriate, for editing or removing it (see page 13,

‘Introduction to Ultranet Spaces’ for more information).

From Release 2, guests can be invited to join aCollaborative Learning space. Guests could be ane pert on a topic being discussed, such as a scientistor an author. Guests will need to be registered by your school in the Identity and Access Management System(IDAM) before they can access the Ultranet.

HOW TO USE COLLABORATIVELEARNINgTo create a new Collaborative Learning space, go to‘Add Learning Space’ in the ‘Managing Learning Spaces’application on the Collaborative Learning landing page.Four Collaborative Learning templates are available toassist you to set up your space.

Tips: Settin up a Collaborative Learnin Space

> Be clear about what you want to achieve;

> Ma e sure the name clearly describes your project;

> E plore whether a similar project already e istsand if it would be useful to join it instead;

> Start planning early and eep the scope small andfocused;

> Align your project with your curriculum andidentify speci c tasks and outcomes;

> Consider whether you should involve other students/classes;

> Decide whether you will ma e the project open,restricted or private;

> Ma e sure you discuss safe and responsiblebehaviours with your students; and

> Allow time to re ect at the end of the project.

WHY USE COLLABORATIVE LEARNINg?

Collaboration is a social process that supports learnersto collectively deepen their nowledge, understandingand s ills. Collaborative Learning is about studentsconnecting for a common purpose – to search for understanding, meaning or solutions, or to createan artifact or product of their learning. CollaborativeLearning can be used to create a space for a group of users with a common learning focus.

‘Students are capable of performing at higher intellectual levels whenasked to work in collaborativesituations than when asked towork individually. Group diversity interms of knowledge and experiencecontributes positively to the learning

process.’ Vygotsky, Mind in society: The development of

higher psychological processes,1978



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3. Knowled e Builder Contains the Wi i application for collaboration, a ReferenceLibrary and the Boo mar application to facilitate shared

nowledge-building.

2. Idea Exchan e templateContains the Publication Display application to e plainthe purpose of the space and the Blogs application for collaborating and sharing ideas.

COLLABORATIVE LEARNINg TEMPLATES

IDEAS FOR USE IN THE CLASSROOMCollaborative Learning spaces can be used for:

> Small roup tasks : create a wi i that posesan inquiry question, such as ‘Do we need toconserve water in our community?’. Invitestudents in the group to respond to the questionthrough comments on the page. You can addresources you want students to use;

> Whole class pro ect: create a unit on Chinaby posing questions and including supportinginformation such as images, videos, messageboards and hyperlin s to other internet resources.Add a blog to promote re ection, asking studentsto re ect and comment on a podcast or a video.

Alternatively, add a blog as ing for comments onwhat action students will ta e as a result of their new learning on this topic;

> Cross-class pro ect: studying a boo . Studentsand teachers discuss and share ideas aboutcharacters, themes or the plot. Students areinvited to collaborate and contribute designs for alternate boo covers, rewriting blurbs, or writingcharacter references;

> Plan an excursion or camp: create a spacewhere an e cursion to the museum is jointlyplanned by all involved; and

> Prepare a list of class norms in relation to safeand responsible behaviours when participatingin online communities li e the CollaborativeLearning Space.

4. Learnin To ether Has three tabbed pages: Home contains the Wi iapplication for collaboration; Resources contains the Blogs,Reference Library and Boo mar applications; and Picscontains the Image Gallery and Slide Show applications.



CONTENTA PLACE TO FIND AND STORE DIgITAL RESOURCES

WHAT IS CONTENT?

The Ultranet contains high-quality digital resourcesor content that the Department has made available toschools through FUSE, the digital content library of theUltranet, including resources from Connect and TheLearning Federation.

The Ultranet enables teachers to easily locate theseteaching and learning resources and incorporate theminto Collaborative Learning, Design and CommunitySpaces to support student learning.

FUSE content sourced via the Ultranet is quality-assuredand copyright assessed. This content is referred to asEndorsed Content. Much of it has been recommendedby teachers and includes interactive learning objects,videos, audio, websites and professional learningresources. Endorsed Content will continue to grow,providing you with a ban of quality online digitallearning resources.

As well as Endorsed Content, the Ultranet holds contentfrom your school, Ultranet spaces and your personalspace.

Connect – Primary StudentsA place to nd websites and online activities.

HOW DO I SEARCH FOR CONTENT?

Content is accessed through a search function. Searchis available from every page on the Ultranet, in the topright-hand corner, and is nown as ‘Ultranet Search’. If you enter a search term into Ultranet Search it will returnresults from the following Scopes (a Scope refers to thearea where the content is added and housed):

> Endorsed – Department quality-assured contentavailable to all schools through FUSE;

> Personal – Content added to your personal storagearea. This is where you store your personal les towhich only you have access.

> School – Content that has been added to your schoolrepository by teachers within your school. Note thatthis is only available to teachers and students in your school;

> Spaces – Content that has been added to:

• your express Space, including Portfolio; and

• Learning, Design and Community spaces.

Once the results are returned, you can re ne your search using any of the Scopes listed above. You mayalso use an Advanced Search function if you have morede ned search criteria, such as keywords, author, date,title or tags.

Di ital Learnin ResourcesInteractive resources for incorporating into curriculum plans.

‘The Ultranet has an amazing collection of quality resources for students. It saves teachers timewhen researching topics and is easy to navigate and use.’

Teacher, Western Metropolitan Region



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HOW DO I ACCESS AND MANAgE ‘MYCONTENT’?

My Content is a place within the Ultranet where you areable to access, manage and store your own content. Itis accessible from the Global Navigation. In My Content,you can view and manage all content that you haveadded to any area within the Ultranet.

My Content is also where you manage your quota.Teachers are given 400 Mb of storage quota. Contentadded to the express Space and your personal storagearea contributes to your quota. Student quotas vary

based on year level. Content added within a sharedspace, such as Collaborative Learning, does not counttowards your personal storage quota.

My Content is also where you add, manage and view allcontent within your:

> Personal storage area – content that is only ever accessible by you; and

> School repository – content that is added by teacherswithin your school but is accessible by both studentsand teachers within the school.

RELEASE 2 CONTENT FUNCTIONALITYThe content and search functionality of the Ultranetwill be substantially improved in Release 2.Release 1 provides only an initial release of the

Ultranet’s content management solution. Release 2will provide a more intuitive interface with improvedoptions for:

> searching;

> re ning searches;

> viewing content;

> boo mar ing; and

> adding content, including multiple les.

HOW DO I ADD CONTENT?

You can add content from many sources, including theinternet, your networ or local drive. You can do this intwo ways:

> through My Content you can directly add to your personal storage area and/or school repository; or

> into a space through an application such as a Blog,Wi i or Reference Library. Whenever you addcontent within a space, it is stored within the Ultranetagainst the area of that space. For e ample, contentadded to an express Space is given the Scope‘express’.

When adding content you are prompted to applyeyword tags, which ma e your content both browsable

and searchable. For further information, refer to theOnline Simulations on the Ultranet Support site at:www.ultranet.vic.edu.au/portal/web/support/home



APPLICATIONSOVERVIEW

You can add applications to your Home page, express Space, Design, Collaborative Learning and Communityspaces from the wide range available in the Ultranet. The following is a sample of some of the applications that canbe readily used to support teaching and learning. Separate guides have been developed for the Blogs and Wi iapplications on the following pages. A full list of applications can be found on page 32.

Ima e gallery / Slide ShowImage Gallery is used to create lin s to pictures, images or photos that are stored in the Content repository. Images canthen be displayed in the Slide Show application.

Messa e BoardsMessage Boards allows you to e plore a particular subject or arange of related subjects in a collaborative manner. A MessageBoard consists of ‘categories’, ‘threads’ and ‘messages.’ Athread is a series of messages about a particular topic and eachmessage is an individual contribution to a conversation thread.

Publication DisplayThe Publication Display allows you to view all types of noticesreceived in one location. You can also create and publishpublications to other users within the Ultranet. PublicationDisplay can be customised with the use of templates.

Ideas to try

Set up a Community space for your home group or class

and add a calendar which highlights important dates for your group, e.g. e cursions or special events.

Calendar The Calendar allows you to create calendars, manage events,specify types of events, repeat events and set reminders.The calendar application can be added to any CollaborativeLearning, Design or Community space.

Ideas to try

Teachers can create image galleries containing e cursion,camp and school activity photos or selected theme or

topic-based images for use in Collaborative Learning andCommunity spaces. Ensure permissions are in placebefore usin student ima es.

Ideas to try

Who or what am I? Groups of 2–4 students use a messageboard to discuss ve clues that a student has posted anddecide on an agreed answer.

Ideas to try

Publications can be used by students and teachers tocreate templates for newsletters and digital stories. Use

Publications to create a descriptive and engaging header incollaborative spaces .



APPLICATIONS

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OVERVIEW

Quick NoteQuic Note is a tool which can be dragged onto a page multipletimes to enable you to jot down quic notes. You can selectfrom four colours for the bac ground to differentiate the type of note.

Notices

Notices can be created by teachers and school staff. Whencreating notices you can select the audience so that they areonly sent to relevant groups. Using the Notice Viewer allowsyou to view all notices received in pictorial format. You only seenotices that are relevant to you.

RSSRSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds are an easy way to

eep up with information without having to constantly visitspaces or websites. RSS feeds are accessible from blogs, wi isand news-related sites. Using RSS saves you time because you

don’t need to visit each site individually to chec for updates.

Polls DisplayThe Polls Display is a tool that allows you to create singlequestion multiple-choice polls to collate votes, gain opinions or

invite feedbac . You can create several polls in a space andview the results in graph form.

Reference LibraryThe Reference Library enables you to add lin s to documentsfrom the Content repository into a space. You can createreferences to relevant pieces of content for that space. AReference Library can be added to all Community spaces andyour express Space.

Ideas to try

Teachers and students running clubs can send messagesout to their members via Notices. A school could consider using this application to create its Daily Bulletin.

Ideas to try

Use Quic Note in your Home or express Space to setreminders or create a ‘to do’ list. The notes can be removedas tas s are completed.

Ideas to try

To inform arguments in debates s tudents could poll studentsto gather data.

Ideas to try

Prior to commencing a unit of wor , a teacher could adduseful documents to the Reference Library for easy access.

Ideas to try

Students could use the default RSS feeds from NationalGeographic and Discovery Channel as a literacy activity.Encourage students to add RSS feeds from other sources.



APPLICATIONSBLOgS

Example Blo – Learnin goalsThe creator of a blog can post a topic, question or image. Readers of the blog may comment on the post.

WHAT IS A BLOg?

Shorthand for ‘web log’, a blog is an online, chronological collection of personal commentary and lin s. It is a Web 2.0application that provides a communication space with an authentic audience, where readers are invited to becomewriters, and comments are recorded in a reverse chronological order. Regular updates and descriptions focusing on aparticular topic can be posted on a blog. Users can share ideas and opinions in a conversational style. Blogs usuallyinclude te t and still or moving images.

WHY USE A BLOg?

A blog can be used as a communication andcollaboration tool for teachers to use with students, or

for students to interact with a wider audience. It can alsobe used by students in the form of a personal journal, or as a re ective space related to a particular structuredactivity. Readers have the ability to leave comments,which create an interactive environment. Students areinvited to read and provide written responses to a topicof interest and engage with other writers.

A blog provides the opportunity for views to be shared toa wider audience, giving it an authentic purpose. Blogsmay be used within a class, across a school or acrossdifferent schools. They may also be used for a range of purposes throughout different spaces in the Ultranet.

‘Blogging gives my students a platform to connect, communicateand collaborate with an authentic audience that includes students,teachers, parents and other communities.’

Anne Mirtschin, Teacher,Hawkesdale P-12 College

‘It provides an opportunity to re ect on their learning and improvetheir literacy and ICT skills while

providing an authentic purpose for writing.’

Kathleen McGeady, Teacher,Leopold Primary School



APPLICATIONS

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BENEFITS OF USINg BLOgS

Blogs have been used effectively in many classroomswith the following bene ts:

> An authentic audience is available;

> Blogs suit all learning styles;

> Increased motivation for reading and writing;

> Improved con dence levels for students;

> Students ta e pride in their wor ;

> Blogs allow the use of te t and multimedia,including widgets, audio and images;

> Improved proofreading s ills;

> Supports sharing and peer-to-peer mentoring;

> Supports collaborative learning with students andstaff;

> Students have an opportunity to showresponsibility and trustworthiness, engenderingindependence;

> Prepares students for digital citizenship as theylearn about cybersafety and responsible internetuse; and

> Students can set the topics for posts, leading todeeper thin ing activities.

HOW TO USE A BLOg

Blogs are a default application on the student andteacher express landing page and on the studentLearning Portfolio page. Users should consider thepurpose of their blogs and who the audience is beforeadding entries. Users can control who can contribute toand view the blog via the Permissions icon. Blogs can

also be added to other spaces as required.

BLOgS

Example Blo – Thou hts for the DayIn their express Space students can write comments,opinions or questions on daily news items or issues of interest to them in their blog.

Example Blog – My Learning Re ectionsOn the Learning Portfolio page, students can ma ere ections about their learning in a blog.

IDEAS FOR USE IN THE CLASSROOM

Blogs can be a repository, a re ective,communication or discussion space and used for personal or collaborative projects. Teachers needto oversee and model how to provide constructivecomments when giving feedbac to blog entries.Possible activities include:

> Creating a personal writing space;

> Students writing about class topics, using subjectarea vocabulary words;

> Students writing responses to thought-provo ingquestions, photos or videos;

> Creating a collection of sentence starters for students to write various endings, for e ample,‘I need to improve ...’, ‘I am most proud of ...’,‘I feel con dent in ... but I need to work more on ...’;

> Creating an online boo club;

> Creating a blog to e press opinions on topicsbeing studied in class;

> Showcasing student art, poetry, and creativestories; and

> Communicating with another class, in another school.

VIDEO RESOURCE: BLOgS IN PLAIN ENgLISHhttps://edugate.eduweb.vic.gov.au/sc/sites/eastern/media/Blogs%20in%20Plain%20English.wmv



APPLICATIONSWIKIS

Example Wiki – Solar Power A sample wi i created to encourage students to develop their understanding of solar power. Students also have easyaccess to a range of resources through the Reference Library application.

WHAT IS A WIKI?

A wi i is a Web 2.0 application that allows you to quic ly create and edit a webpage. People can be invited to becomea participant of a space containing a wi i, where they can collaborate, create and e change ideas relating to aparticular topic.

WHY USE A WIKI?

Wi is are a useful tool for involving students in their learning to construct nowledge and understanding.Wi is can be created and edited in almost all of the

spaces in the Ultranet. They can be enhanced byincorporating the RSS, Blogs, Poll Display, MessageBoards, iFrame and Image Gallery applications.

A wi i can be used in a range of ways to enablecollaboration. They may be used within a class, acrossa school or across different schools and may beinterdisciplinary or domain-based, and/or about a projector tas .

Why use a wiki?

> Wi is encourage participation, collaboration anda strong sense of common purpose, therebydeveloping participants’ s ills;

> Wi is are a tool for active learning, whereall learners are as ed to be collaborators,synthesisers, e plainers and problem-solvers inrelation to activities with a common purpose;

> Wi is can build creativity and s ills in elaborationand uency;

> Teamwor s ills can be developed where anumber of contributors wor together around acommon tas and all have an equal say;

> Through wi is people can develop communication

s ills, including consensus-building andcompromise through problem-solving; and

> Wi is are a tool to promote communities of practice that engage in negotiating meaning.

VIDEO RESOURCE: WIKIS IN PLAIN ENgLISHhttps://edugate.eduweb.vic.gov.au/sc/sites/eastern/media/Wi is%20in%20Plain%20English.wmv



APPLICATIONS

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WIKIS

Example Wiki – Learnin goals

IDEAS FOR USE IN THE CLASSROOM

> Students could use a wi i for collaborativestorytelling. Students contribute to the storybased on certain instructions they have beengiven to create a story together;

> Students wor collaboratively to develop aglossary of new vocabulary for a topic, for example, scienti c terms with illustrations;

> Students and teachers create an onlinemuseum of artefacts and pictures of their localcommunity, which could include interviews of local personalities, images and maps (past andpresent), transport systems and timelines;

> Students wor in teams to complete a Web Queston the class inquiry focus;

> Students collaborate to solve a maths problem;

> Students can wor on a structured projectcreating a wiki to discuss the ve Ws: the when,what, why, who and where (and how) of a giventopic;

> Students collaborate by adding their results froma scienti c study to collate class results andrecord ndings in tables, graphs and diagrams;

> The class can collaborate to create a class codeof conduct where all members agree to a set of shared norms;

> Upload some images and as students torespond to questions such as: ‘What is happeningin this picture?’; ‘What would be happeningoutside the frame?’; ‘What other events or

images does this image bring to mind for you?’;and ‘Write a caption for this image’;

> Discuss the need for safe and responsiblebehaviours when using wi is.

BENEFITS OF USINg WIKIS

Wi is have been used effectively in many classroomswith the following bene ts:

> Access and equity – high-level access withlow-level technical nowledge required.

> Collaboration and distribution – wi is facilitateongoing sharing and discussion and informationcan be easily distributed to groups.

> Engagement and connection – wi is areaccessible and engaging. Teachers and studentscan wor collaboratively online.

> Authenticity and relevance – wi is use socialmedia that is part of student’s lives. Employabilitys ills are developed when students wor in teamsto collaborate and create.

> Production and re ection – both individual andshared wor can be authored. Wi is foster criticalre ection, comment and evaluation. However itis important to discuss with students appropriatebehaviours around:

• editing other users’ contributions

• overwriting / deleting others’ wor

• ma ing inappropriate statements

> Identity and accountability – groups can contributeand have a sense of belonging. Group members’contributions can be viewed by members of thecommunity and assessed.

> Fle ibility and diversity – wi is can be used for open-ended and structured activities across allcurriculum areas.

Sources:

> Michele Notari, How to use a wiki in education: Wiki-based effective constructive learning,www.wi isym.org/ws2006/proceedings/p131.pdf ; and

> kevin R. Par er and Joseph T. Chao,Wiki as a Teaching Tool ,http://ij lo.org/Volume3/IJkLOv3p057-072Par er284.pdf

HOW TO CREATE A WIKI

Wi is can be set up in a number of ways within theUltranet. Advice on setting up wi is can be found on theUltranet Support site:www.ultranet.vic.edu.au/portal/web/support/home

It is strongly recommended that you read this adviceprior to setting up a wi i.



APPLICATIONSLIST OF APPLICATIONS

ToolsContentManagement People Collaboration News

Quick NoteOnline ‘stic y notes’ for setting reminders andrecording tas s.

Ima e galleryCollates pictures,images or photosthat are stored in theContent repository.

Learnin ContactsProvides a view of Learning Contacts andallows you to removecontacts (see page 7).

Blo s

A personal journalor a collaborativewor space.

RSSViewer for an RSSfeed that you havesubscribed to.

BreadcrumbDisplays where youare within a space.

Slide ShowDisplays a slide showbased on images froma folder within theImage Gallery and canbe added to any pagewithin the same space.

Portfolios I ViewA list of student andstaff Portfolios that youhave permission toview (see page 7).

Messa e BoardsAn online discussionsite that allows you topost a statement or question.

NoticesCreates a simplemessage with anactive date period.

Nested PortletsClusters multipleapplications (such aswi is) in the one place.

Asset Publisher Collates content fromPublications, Blogs,Wi is and MessageBoards.

My Portfolio ViewersA list of users who canaccess your Portfolio,express landing pageand Wall (see page 7).

WikiFor collaboration oninformation or thee change of ideasrelating to a particular topic.

Notices Viewer Notices in a pictorialformat with a te tsummary of the notice.

Calendar A simple calendar function.

PublicationsCreates articles, butunli e the Blogs andWi i applications,

this one enables youto use templates todesign publications.

Moderator RequestsTeacher applicationthat displays requeststo be a Moderator for

a space.

Wiki DisplayDisplays a single wi iand allows you toedit it.

Community

My Or anisationsProvides lin s toorganisations (such asyour school) of whichyou are a member.

iFrameEnables you to displaythe content of ane ternal webpage,including video.

Publication DisplayDisplays the te t froma Publications article.

MembersLists all the membersof a space.

Pa e CommentsAllows you to addcomments to a pagewithin a space.

Navi ationDisplays the structureof the pages within aparent page.

Publication SearchEnables searchfunctionality for Publications withinspaces.

RequestsDisplays the requeststo be your LearningContact and PortfolioViewer (for teachers).

Pa e Ratin sAllows you to addratings to a page withina space.

Site MapCreates an inde for you to navigate withinyour space.

Reference LibraryProvides lin s tocontent stored withinthe Ultranet.

ActivitiesLists a summary of activities completed byLearning Contacts.

Polls DisplayCreates multiplechoice polls anddisplays the results onthe relevant pages.

goo le MapsShows a map of aspeci ed place.



The Ultranet has a support site that you can access at:www.ultranet.vic.edu.au/portal/web/support/home

SUPPORT AND RESOURCES

Starting Points:

Quic Wins for SchoolsA list of possible starting points for schools as they begin to use the Ultranet.

Online Help and SimulationsA comprehensive suite of online simulations to demonstrate the functionality of

the Ultranet. Follow these simulations for step-by-step guidance.

Getting Started InformationGuides

Available as PDF documents, these guides conte tualise Ultranet functionality,outline the ‘what, how and why’ of the Ultranet and provide ideas for use in theclassroom.

Online Support Modules

Online professional learning support for teachers in how to use the Ultranet tosupport learning and teaching. These modules are designed to be used onlineand are self-paced or can be used as part of face -to-face professional learningactivities at school.

Ultranet Help Des

The Ultranet Help Des is available to assist you with technical or systemfaults. Teachers, students and school administrators can log a query during thefollowing hours:

> Monday to Friday: 8:00am to 8:00pm > Saturday to Sunday: 10:00am to 5:00pm.

Fortnightly NewslettersUsing the Ultranet in the classroom: practical ideas for teachers, including storiesfrom teachers sharing their e periences.

Ultranet Guide for Students Introductory information for students.

Don’t forget – your Lead Users are available inyour school to provide ongoing support.



Published by the Department of Educationand Early Childhood Development

Melbourne, May 2010

© State of Victoria (Department of Educationand Early Childhood Development) 2010

The copyright in this document is owned by theState of Victoria (Department of Education and Early

Childhood Development), or in the case of somematerials by third parties (third party materials)

An educational institution situated in Australiawhich is not conducted for pro t, or a bodyresponsible for administering such an institution,may copy and communicate the materials, other

than third-party materials, for the educationalpurposes of the institution

Getting Started - Release 1 Resource for Teachers

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Transcript of Getting Started - Release 1 Resource for Teachers