NSW Secondary Principals' Council- DER Update from the President

Jim McAlpine, President of the NSWSPC wrote 1 July 2009, in the SPC Bulletin, these comments about DIGITAL EDUCATION REVOLUTION (DERNSW:

"This is about to change the landscape of all of our schools from the start of next term, and a huge amount of time, energy and expertise have been expended this year in gearing up for it. Nearly all regional directors have arranged for briefings with their principals this term in anticipation of what will be one of the greatest challenges and one of the greatest opportunities that most principals will ever face.
I know that there were some well-intended criticisms of the SPC by some of our members early last year when we put our support into this program, and no doubt as difficulties emerge I will be reminded of these, but with a positive outlook by principals and teachers, this program should be a great educational benefit for our children, our schools and our educators.
I was given a laptop by our Chief Education Officer Stephen Wilson yesterday so that I can take it to meetings with principals around the state and explore its potential with colleagues. Congratulations to all who have been involved with this program, especially the SPC Digital Revolution Task Force, Stephen Wilson, Dianne Marshall, Terry O’Brien and Barbara Bober. There are many others in DET, including those in Bridge Street, in PLLD, in Curriculum and in CLI who have contributed and who will continue to contribute to make this a success!

My comments: I have also been following NSW public school teachers' comments on Twitter. Essentially, these are thrilling times for teaching and learning. Hasten slowly, but do not waste any opportunities to improve student engagement and learning.