Ultranet

= Ultranet Update =

The deployment of the Ultranet is on track with the first schools due to be “turned on” starting May 3rd The Ultranet will be progressively rolled out over two week cycles (except for cycle 1 which will be 3 weeks) Lead User training will be held at Wattle Glen PS on the first Monday and Tuesday of each cycle. Lead Users will need to bring their own laptops to the training and they will log into their own school’s Ultranet portal. Access to the Ultranet for teachers is via their edumail user name and password. Access to the Internet will be provided for each lead user through Wattle Glen’s wireless network. There will be two releases to schools during 2010.

Release 1
Each teacher (& student) will have: § **A** **Personalised home page for teachers** § There is a Home Page for all users. § Home pages will be configured to suit the individual needs of the different users. § Some applications will appear by default for all teachers (My Places, My Notifications and their own timetable - timetable information will not be available until 2011). § Teachers can customise the remainder of their home page to meet their needs. § Each teacher will have access to a range of applications which they can make available on this page and other pages within the Portal. § The Web 2.0 tools will support users to access or create virtual communities to support student learning. § iGoogle provides a good example of the functionality of this space.

§ **eXpress spaces for teachers** § eXpress spaces are a personal space for teachers. The landing page is similar to a Facebook or Myspace page. § It has a varied range of spaces within it that can be configured to meet a range of needs. § Users will be able to easily add pages and applications and also select from a range of templates and themes. § Some pages will be built into each teacher’s eXpress space by default. They include a portfolio, a space for blogs and another space for a teacher’s resources. Each teacher will therefore have a space for a professional portfolio that they can set up as they choose. § My Resources will include the Document Library and My Bookmarks applications.

§ **Collaborative Learning Spaces** § In this space, teachers can set up collaborative learning activities for students, using Web2.0 collaborative tools. § Note: Video and audio conferencing won’t be available until release 2

§ **Design Spaces** § Design Spaces are only available to teachers. Design Spaces are not viewable by students. § These spaces provide flexible spaces where teachers can interact with other teachers to design/plan curriculum and learning activities before they are released to students in the Collaborative Learning Spaces. § On the Design Spaces home page a teacher will have the ‘My Design Spaces’ and the ‘Manage Design Spaces’ applications. § These spaces have the same functionality as other portal spaces, especially the Collaborative Learning Spaces, however they are not shared with students. § Teachers can also have shared discussions about resources, research, problems of practice etc. § **Teachers will be able to interact with other teachers from within their school or across government schools within these spaces, increasing teachers collegiate support.**

§ **Communities – Teachers and Students** (release 1) § Communities is another set of social collaboration spaces that can be used by both teachers and students. § In the communities space, teachers can create and communicate with groups that share a common purpose. § It should be noted that all communities must be moderated by at least one teacher. § This space can be used to set up communities for the following: o school administration eg: curriculum committee, student clubs, school council, planning committees etc o extra-curricular activities eg: sporting clubs, chess club etc.

§ **Content – Teachers and Students** (release 1) § **The Ultranet will be a one-stop-shop for content.** For the first time content will be in one place, and teachers will not need to go to numerous places in search of digital learning resources. § Teachers and students will be able to search for quality assured curriculum resources from within the Ultranet. Teachers and students can search a combination of their school content and tap into system content which is available in FUSE like Connect, Digilearn resources and resources being developed by a range of cultural organisations. FUSE content will be continuously updated and extended. Over time exemplar teacher-created resources will go through a quality assurance process and be made available to all schools. § All curriculum resources that are produced within a school will be searchable and available to all other teachers within the school.

§ **Email – Teachers & Students** (release 1) § Every student and teacher will be able to access email from within the Ultranet. § Teachers existing Edumail account will be linked into the Ultranet.