Monday 8 August 2011

Dates for the Diary

Tuesday 16/8/11 5.30-8.30pm Coal Point School Hall
Sustainable Neighbourhood Community Action Planning Workshop, RSVP to 49210333
 
Wednesday 17/8/11 

Positive People in Business Breakfast Network session -phone Keryl for details  0421 041 987
 
Local Landcaring Thursday -Ring Robyn for details
 4959 1507
Landcare Green Team Days
  • August 11th - Yarul & Ambrose St
  • Sept. 1st - Hampton St
  • Oct. 6th - Burnage
  • Nov. 3rd - West Ridge
  • Dec. 1st - CBW/L
Sunday 4/9/11 10am-3pm
Awabakal Wildflower Walk
Come along anytime during the day and join a guided tour through the spring wildflowers of the coastal heath against the backdrop of the Pacific Ocean.
All members of the public and all ages welcome. Easy walking along sandy tracks. Bring a hat, a camera, and something to drink.
For more information phone John Simpson 0400 882 897,Maree McCarthy 0410 405 815,Greg Giles 4961 1105 (A.H.)

Monday 5/9/11 7-9pm
CPPA Committee meeting @ Hall , all welcome
 
Wednesday 7/9/11-Friday 9/9//11
Landcare Week Workshops at the Landcare Resource Centre, Teralba
A BBQ will also be provided please RSVP 4921 0392
Saturday 10/9/11 8am-2pm
Landcare Mini-Muster and Native Plant Giveaway, Landcare Resource Centre, Toronto Rd, Teralba
 
Sunday 18/9/11 2-5pm
Toronto Tidy Towns Fundraiser at Progress Hall

The Future’s so bright I got to wear shades

There are quite a few opportunities available at the moment to input into the future of our local community and the City as a whole.
The Sustainable Neighbourhood action planning workshop is a great process to get ideas for the future, recognize the wealth of opportunities that exist and create the place we want to live. The workshop is a well thought out, tried and tested process and will be a fantastic opportunity for all who want to contribute to have their ideas heard.
If you’ve ever thought wouldn’t it be great if we could … this workshop is just the place to see if it can become a reality. 
Hopefully everyone has received the invitation to the Sustainable Neighbourhood Community Action Planning Workshop to be held at Coal Point School Hall on Tuesday 16th August 5.30-8.30pm.
Don’t forget to book on 4921 0333 or email sjordan@lakemac.nsw.gov.au

Are you on your Bike?

Tour de Point…it would be good if we could and there is an online opportunity to put ideas forward to advance Lake Macquarie’s Cycling Strategy
The aim of the survey is to better understand the barriers to getting on your bike. If Council understands what is preventing people from cycling, they can build actions into the strategy to encourage people to cycle more.
The cycling strategy will play a key role in increasing the city’s environmental sustainability, by reducing the number of cars on our roads.
Cycling currently accounts for less than two percent of all trips in Lake Macquarie.  The strategy aims to increase this number to five percent over the next 10 years.
The survey is available until Monday 15th August.

Toronto Tidy Towns Fundraiser at Progress Hall

Toronto Tidy Towns are holding a fundraiser on Sunday 18th September 2-5 pm at Progress Hall. You can check out the new paint job. 
BYO picnic lunch, beverages (hot and cold) and some friends and settle in to an afternoon of acoustics music with Blackheart , widely regarded as the fastest rising new stars of the British 'Urban Folk'.  Enquiries and bookings to Lyn Pascoe 0404 002 006.
More information will be shared next month.

A little local history from 1894


Carey Bay...with the Anderson's Norfolk Pines
The Anderson family made its mark on Lake Macquarie by planting identical gardens of Norfolk Pines and Magnolia grandiflora on their waterfront properties at Belmont and Carey Bay.
John and Grace Anderson settled at Belmont in 1870, and their eldest son George and his wife Amy (nee Clack), lived at Carey Bay. Amy’s parents had settled at Carey Bay in 1894.
It was the responsibility of John Anderson’s employee, Ahfong, to communicate between the father and the son by rowing back and forth across the lake. The trees were used as markers.
The Norfolk Island pines have gone from the old Carey Bay Anderson family site, struck by lightening, but the great twin Magnolia gandifloras, now significant Lake Macquarie trees, still stand.
The original house remains, although altered by subsequent owners, and looks across the water towards Belmont and Anderson’s Hill where Norfolk Pines and a giant Magnolia grandiflora dominate the landscape.
Family still live on a section of the original land at Carey Bay. 
Many thanks to Pat McKensey for the information and the picture of Carey Bay

DA daze no more

The Progress Association was fortunate to be able to meet with Council’s planning gurus recently to gain a better understanding of the Development Application (DA) process and how the community can participate more effectively.
The hierarchy of planning instruments was explained. State legislation requires all councils to have a Local Environmental Plan that provides the overarching guidelines of what is permissible in the various zones.
The Development Control Plans are the Council’s detailed design guidelines that determine how developments impact ‘on the ground’ and the controls that can be put in place, to get the best outcome that fits in with the City’s Vision.
When a DA is lodged a council officer is allocated to the project depending on the experience of the officer, workload and the complexity of the application.
One of the most interesting bits of information gleaned from the meeting was that not all DA’s have to be notified. DA’s that do not require notification include 

  • Development of a minor nature that will not adversely affect the amenity of adjoining land or locality.
  • New residential dwelling houses up to and including two storeys, with a maximum height of eight metres measured from existing ground level; and
  • Additions to residential dwelling houses up to and including two storeys, with a maximum height of eight metres measured from existing ground level.
The details of the other exemptions from notification are in DCP Section 1.9. 
The most effective way to get your views on DA’s heard is to make your views known…to Council, to Councillors, your neighbours, your friends and even your long lost aunt if she has a connection to the community. The more people that contact the Council the more ‘complex’ the application and more senior people will have to consider the merit of the proposal. The more community comment the more personnel involved. If it becomes ‘controversial’ or is very expensive, Councillors will also be involved. Most applications are dealt with under delegated authority to Senior Council staff not the community elected Councillors.
Getting your point across is important too. You don’t have to have a planning degree but you do have to plan what you say. Emotions cloud the issues so try and make logical arguments based on your understanding of the community and the impacts of the development. Some of the areas you may want to make comment on scenic quality, tree preservation, heritage, waste management, stormwater, transport and access, community character, landscape design. You can have a look at the DCP guidelines  to get a feel for some of the areas you may want to comment.
The ‘planning gurus’ said that talking about your broad concerns is very valid as well and the final bit of advice was to use your Council Officers and talk to them.
Keeping up with what developments are happening locally has been made easy by Councils Development Tracking System which also includes a map and recent listings.
Sincerest thanks to LMCC for providing the staff and the time to talk to the Progress Association about the community concerns over recent developments.

The Green Thing

This came through the email and is worth sharing...

In the line at the store, the cashier told an older woman that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment.   
The woman apologized to him and explained, "We didn't have the green thing back in my day." 
The clerk responded, "That's the problem today.  Your generation did not care enough to save our environment." 
He was right -- our generation didn't have the green thing in its day.  
Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over.  So they really were recycled.  
But we didn't have the green thing back in our day.  
We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks.  
But she was right. We didn't have the green thing in our day. 
Back then, we washed the baby's nappies because we didn't have the throw-away kind.  We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts -- wind and solar power really did dry the clothes.  Kids got hand-me down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But 
that old lady is right; we didn't have the green thing back in our day.  
Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house -- not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of movie cinema.  In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us.  
When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used a wadded up old newspaper to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.  Back then, we 
didn't fire up an engine and burn petrol just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power.  We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a gym to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.  But she's right; we didn't have the green thing back then. We drank from a bubbler when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water.  We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.  But we didn't have the green thing back then.  Back then, people took the tram or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their mums into a 24-hour taxi service.  
We had one power point in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances.  And we didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 3,200 kilometres out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.  But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the green thing back then? 

On the Waterfront

Being a waterfront community it’s not surprising that queries arise from time to time about who can do what and where along the foreshore.
The Progress Association has been sifting through two areas of late, dinghy management and foreshore fencing.

How far can your fence go?
With regard to fences the LMCC DCP 3.1 Lake, Waterway and Coastline Development document outlines what is permissible.
The overall aim is that structures such as fences, walls and enclosures are restricted in height, location and materials, to limit any potential for adverse visual impact, environmental impact, scenic quality or accessibility.
In order to achieve this aim
  • the height of any fence or wall or enclosure within a Foreshore Building Line can not exceed 1.2 metres. 
  • The fence, wall or enclosure can not be constructed of masonry.
  • No part of the fence, wall or enclosure can be within 6 metres of DHWM
  • No fencing, wall or enclosure extends into the Lakefront Area Development Zone.
  • Fencing, walls or enclosures in the Lakefront Area Development Zone are no higher than 1.2 metres.
This link will take you to the DCP with all the details

The Dinghy Dilemma

Another item that was investigated was what to do about dinghies. LMCC has a succinct Dinghy Management Policy that defines a dinghy as a single hulled vessel up to 4m long. It also describes what is not a dinghy and includes vessels such as catamarans, canoes and sailboats.
The policy allows dinghies to be stored on public land as they are essential for accessing moored vessels and to enjoy the Lake. The policy also states that storage is not to impact on native vegetation, established groves or individual trees or impede access to or along the shoreline.
The Progress Association is keen to investigate what options for storage of dinghies are possible within our reserves. Council will regulate storage where environmental and safety issues emerge and CPPA is looking for a long term solution that addresses all of the issues and needs of the community.
If anyone is interested in being on a working group to pursue this matter please contact the CPPA. We are investigating funding options for storage and there are several rather large (but interesting) hoops to jump through to achieve an outcome.
The Dinghy Management Policy can be found online. 

Local Landcare

Another successful National Tree Day was held recently at Threlkeld Reserve where 44 canopy trees were planted to grow and shade out the exotic grasses. When grown the right conditions will be established for the next generation of local groundcovers to thrive. A dozen people participated and enjoyed the glorious sunshine and physical activity that landcaring provides.
The 2011 National Tree Day Landcarers

During the morning we heard about the plight of a local Squirrel Glider, found mummified in a nest box. The find raises more questions than answers…why did it die, are the nest boxes being used still, how many Squirrel Gliders are left, how does a local community care for a threatened species? If you are interested in working on a plan to support the ongoing care of Squirrel Gliders in our community please contact us. cppalandare@gmail.com. Here's a link if you’re interested in Squirrel gliders.  

Some other interesting faunal news was provided in the April site report from LMCC’s Ecosystem monitoring project where Wallaby scats (poo) were found in the Stansfield Close reserves. A local has since reported seeing a dead wallaby on the foreshore at Gurranba Reserve. If anyone has seen a live wallaby or more scats it would be great to hear about it.

Home business-Small business-local business


The Toronto Chamber of Commerce supports businesses throughout the community with a range of opportunities for learning business skills, networking and growing your business. Each month there is Twilight @ Toronto a social, fast paced networking opportunity, Market Days to inspire shoppers, Morning coffee to gather opinions and feedback and Positive People In Business sessions to network with an education slant (17/8/11). For more information contact Keryl on 4950 5216 or info@toronto.com.au

Progress Hall Paint Job

Before the paint job
The funds raised at last year’s Art & Craft show to paint the Hall have been well spent.
Progress Hall is looking picture perfect once again thanks to the craftsmanship of Geoff Smith and Crew. The job was completed from start to finish in under two weeks, attention to detail and a successful colour scheme have created a great finish.
Sincerest thanks to all who have contributed to a great outcome for our community asset.
After the paint job

What happened at the WEEC?

I would like to thank the Progress Association for supporting me to attend the recent World Environmental Education Congress in Brisbane. The international gathering aimed to share learning and experiences in environmental and sustainability education.
It was both an overwhelming and inspiring affair. The Congress started with the science of climate change, 98% of scientists agree that human induced climate change is happening. In a session entitled ‘Creating Hope’ we heard that Himalayan vegetation is shifting 1.5-3.4m/year in altitude, the Rhododendrons are blooming a month earlier, glaciers retreating and bird distributions diminishing…I wasn’t feeling too hopeful by the end of the session.
It was also explained that the assumption that increased awareness will change attitudes and behaviors IS NOT supported by research.  It is people’s worldviews and belief systems, philosophical and political positions which shape their interpretations and understandings…this was where being over-whelmed kicked in.
Some things seemed obvious, people learn and act as social beings, but in the context of sustainability it meant that goals should be framed democratically-empowering learners as individuals and collectives, just like the Sustainable Neighbourhood approach in our own backyard… hope was returning
Many speakers commented that at this point in history we’re in a predicament but we need to remove the doom and gloom, restore the fascination with nature and empower people to create a positive vision for the future.
Some of the workshops were about using our natural spaces to reconnect people with the nature around them. Thoughts of toddler trails through our local reserves, paths through the bushland that everyone could safely navigate seemed like real solutions.
A significant section of the congress was dedicated to empowering people, especially youth. There was a recognized skill gap towards empowerment but the Australian Youth Climate Coalition http://aycc.org.au/  is set on a path to build a generation of sustainable leaders…more hope.
Even Early Childhood Educators agreed that active participation and action taking was necessary and that children need to be recognized as change agents within their community.
The take home message for the attendees was that the mass media are not going to be much help in moving people towards sustainability. It is the role of educators to understand where people are at, to engage people in a process that creates a dialogue to determine a common vision for a world where our children will live in happiness and with hope.
The really hopeful bit was there is an opportunity to do just that with the Sustainable Neighbourhood workshop on Tuesday 16th August at Coal Point School.
If you would like to read the other notes and thoughts that I gathered at the WEEC they’ll be posted on the Progress blog.
All the best Suzanne Pritchard
P.S I am the person who writes the Chronicle each month and the President of the Association for the past 16 years.

Notes from the WEEC

held in Brisbane 19-22 July 2011
Explore, Experience, Educate
by Suzanne Pritchard

Thoughts about what to CPPA could do
  • Have a local youth event – collaborate with school
  • Investigate features in the reserves that are children friendly- seek funding to implement them
  • have walks/exploratory sessions that showcase the beauty of the environment in which we live
   Toddler Trails being developed in the reserves-Knox City Council
   Frog identification workshop- frog noises on blog
  • Powerful communities- connected, collective
  • Relationship + interest= commitment
  • connections to actions and emotions
  • We’re in a predicament-“Remove the doom and gloom and restore the fascination with nature”
  • How to encourage creativity in the system.
  • Facebook as a social tool and requesting donations through it

Community Focussed energy monitoring
  • Auzion brochure
  • connected household monitoring
  • potential to determine energy usage across the community

The Earth Charter
  • promoting change for a sustainable future
  • a declaration of fundamental principles
  • Could promote it within the Chronicle- personal choice on how to live

Educating to ecological virtues
  • ecological education has to promote ethical responsibility to reorient the way of being in relationship to the natural world.
  • Ethical education as education to virtues- Socratic approach
   Virtues include sobriety/temperance, courage, respect, justice, benevolence

Smart Living Campaign

Public Art in place making
  • CPPA grant for public art  in the parks
  • -different age groups focus with the parks
  • Research- work with schools to develop walking track and distance markers

Public Spaces
  • Public spaces can nurture enquiring minds
  • Public Space-community access and usage
  • Pocket gardens, sensory gardens
  • food gardens adjacent to restaurants
  • roof top gardens
  • Enquiring minds- adults to children- visitors in transition
  • Invitation to something special in the space
   welcome gates
   Promise of adventure- Everett Adventure garden
  • Transformative experience

Eco literacy is the keystone for sustainability education- Eric Bauer
Eco-literacy has to have a context for people in a place
  • ‘don’t know what they don’t’ know’
  • Ecoliteracy includes attitudes-skill-knowledge
   Dichotomy: complexity/simplicity- reductionist thinking runs contrary to practice
  • Leadership and trust are required to educate
  • Learner influence dictates how the message is transferred
  • Action Inquiry- requires empathy and critical thinking
  • Engagement-draw people in
  • Dialogue-communicate
  • Praxis-act and reflect


Ecological praxis-learning by doing-Luke Edwards
Catholic Schools – Earthcare mandate
Organisations as living systems
  • call to participatory leadership
  • The success of an intervention depends on the interior condition of the intervener.- need to understand internal motivator
  • What to change: Thinking from  Reductionist to systems approach
U Journey
  1. co-initiating: build common intent
  2. co-sensing :observe
  3. presencing:connect to the source of inspiration
  4. coevolve:embody the new
  5. cocreate:prototype the new
Accessing one’s inner knowing in the basis for all innovation
  • Observe, observe,observe
  • retreat and reflect-
  • act with understanding
  • participation not perfection

Empowering the next generation- various
Ahri Tallon- Australain Youth Climate Coalition-Young people and environmentalism
  • We live in an educated affluent society and  have the power to make change
  • Projected 95% extinction –Permian age by end of century
  • How do we build a generation of sustainable leaders
   Operate on short term political change for long term environmental gain
   Educate-inspire-mobilise-empower
   Social-action-celebrate
   Create a culture of hope and opportunity
   Positivity – the heaven to create not the hell
  • Override a culture of individualization and careerism,
  • Affluence runs contrary to a social movement
  • Sustainability needs to be connected to community and not compartmentalized by short term govt.
  • Skill gap towards empowerment to create a movement
  • Get active beyond the job,
  • Get involved in a deeper way
  • Encourage and create pathways
  • Need support to empower
Connect-create-collaborate

Liz Clarke-Aboriginal traditional ecological knowledge (ATEK)
  • Concern about loss of traditional knowledge
  • Increase awareness and knowledge
  • Incorporate traditional knowledge
  • Ref: Deborah Bird Rose-Nourishing terrain

Julie Davis- Early childhood
  • Active participation and action taking
   Power taking
   Collective action
   Effective, rapid communication
   Optimistic
   Work from a strengths perspective-incl indigenous perspectives and participation
   EfS should not add to marginalization
   Actively engage in inclusion and reconciliation- a filter through which to view the decision making process
  • Need to recognise children as agents in their community


Creating Hope
Emeretta Cross- Pacific hope and vision
  • We’re in a predicament-Remove the doom and gloom and restore the fascination with nature”
  • The message-children need the option of choices, inspiring, creative and passionate choices
  • Relationship with people and networks vip
  • Instead of reinventing wheels lets connect the cogs.
  • Gaps in the chairs, everyone has something to share
  • Displacement Solutions- endorsed by UN habitat- Victim or refugee

Justin Dillon-Science Education
Kings College London-editor Science Education
  • How to make hope realistic?
  • We understand the science, how do we move people forward
  • Deniers ‘pernicious evil’ push for complete ignorance.
  • Doom and gloom doesn’t work must move beyond it
  • Why are educators important- based on trust, responsibility comes with it.
  • Good practice-Odyssey school, Denver- challenging people to think and go on a a learning expedition
  • Strong and weak Climate models- understand risks
  • Continuum of credibility Blog->scientific journal
  • Problem in getting people to think-Everyone underachieves in education it’s a matter of reaching you full potential.

Dr Hum Gurung-CEO Bird Conservation Nepal
Identifying impacts and planning adaptive management responses to climate change in Asia.
Birds, Glaciers
  • Birds as indicators of a changing world-Birdlife International Project
   distribution models show a grim diminishing of habitat
  • Impacts on ecosystems-Himalayas
   Vegetation shifting 1.5 to 3.4m /year in altitude
   Rhododendrons blooming earlier 1 month earlier
   Fungus harvesting-affected, snow melt quicker less fungus growth
   Invasive weeds spreading, Mikania
  • Mt Everest turning to a rocky mountain
   Drying of water sources-climate change refuges of Dhe village
   Glacier lakes, landslides when they burst
   Landslide blocks the rivers
   Electricity supply interrupted due to hydro supply
  • Understand at the local level
   Livelihood needs to be addressed
  • Integrated adaptation approach
   Climate science
   Policy
   Communication and Env Ed
   Capacity building

Research and Policy in action-Bob Stevenson

Implications for practice
  • Research is about reducing ignorance not searching for truth
  • Assumption that increased awareness will change attitudes and behaviors- THIS IS NOT SUPPORTED BY RESEARCH
  • Complex web of attitudes, beliefs, expectations

What was learnt
  • Peoples worldviews and belief systems, philosophical and political positions shape the interpretations and understandings
  • The context in which people live and work shape their behaviors-large systems affect options
  • Worldviews are linked to identity- biographical, geographical, cultural, spiritual affects interpretation of environment
  • People respond emotionally to educational/learning
  • Language and discourse  influences individual and collective thinking and action
  • People learn and act as social beings- social collaborative learning and community actions

Key Points
  • Who decides on the goals
  • Goals should be framed democratically-empowering learners as individuals and collectives
  • Central role of engagement and what contributes to that
  • Treat all people in inquiry as responsible agents capable  of participating in , changing

Lessons and questions for practice
  • Try to understand what meaning people are constructing of environmental issues and what is shaping or influencing their understandings
  • Think from the students’ or learner’ perspectives
  • Engage learners intellectually and emotionally in environmental issues
  • Think and act locally & globally
  • Where can we situate hope?
  • How can we construct ourselves as environmentally orientated educators?

Evaluation capacity- Michaela Zint
  • EE programs that foster changes in behaviour
  • Have behavioural outcome objectives
  • Are designed based on behaviours theories and models
  • Consider participants needs
  • Are participatory
  • Have long term learning

Schools Information
TIN/L4Y- Facebook page that can generate donations of items
Habitat Heroes- free virtual world game with environmental messages embedded in the games.Saving the planet one game at a time.
  • www.HabitatHeroes.com.au

Green Lane Diary
  • Identify problems, solve and love environment
  • Scientists are optimistic-one person can make a difference
  • Enable students to engage with achieveing outcomes-crowded curriculum, searching for great ideas and resources.
  • Emphasis on what are you going to do about it?

Knox City Council- Little Green leaves- Early Years sustainability framework
L4Y preschool support
  • subscribe to newsletter

Knox City Council
  • EYLF embedded sustainability
  • Knowledge gap between staff and skill level
  • Sustainability messages targeted to young families
  • Values and dispositions
  • Audit and baseline data collection
  • Partnerships and overall embedding in councils sustainability plans

Promotion-Intro to program, info on policy and procedure
Commitment- all services offered- MOU
Environmental Action Plan-baseline data audits, training for educators and families- Water, Waste,Energy, biodiversity
  • Resource kits, online resources, learning opportunities, newsletters
  • Action-implementation-Evauation-findings, presentations, case studies, data tracking

Kindergardens for Wildlife- MOU
  • Natural play spaces- making places that children can be immersed
  • All working together, children participatory
  • Honour board- leaf, bird etc
  • Policy and procedures, resource development, evaluation
  • Utilised including councilors for promotion opportunities
  • Knox 155,000 population

Evaluation- AuSSi

Certificate- ‘this is to certify that ___________is an Landcare School

  • Partnerships important to develop.
  • Involvement –development of SEMPS commitment of school, leadership teams, empowerment of students
  • Project Officer- support professional learning – related to Australian Curriculum, inquiry learning in science.
  • Inquiry model and how to evaluate learning
   Ref. Lorna Earle-
   assessment of learning 
   assessment as learning
   assessment for learning

Evaluation tools
  • Student interviews
  • Team meetings
  • School newsletters
  • Expert feedback

Informal evaluation
  • Conversations with teachers, students community
  • Conversations with sustainability experts
  • Professional learning
  • School visits
  • Study tours

Formal evaluations by project officers of and as learning
  • SEMP
  • School reporting processes
  • Kids4kids workshop
  • School case studies
  • Survey twice a year
  • Case study booklet

Independent formal evaluations
  • Hierarchy of outcomes
  • School, project and individual outcomes
  • Developing networks and partnerships
  • Improvement in teacher understanding
  • Effectiveness of officers

Characteristics of evaluation
Student survey- wiki workshop- guidelines on how to establish a wiki, place to put together all the information to share.- Hutchins School

Approach to evaluation- AuSSi-Tas wikki for ideas
  • Used social media  set up questions and framework and empower people by participating in the process
  • Commitment to inspiring learning
  • Teachers and student learning
  • Empowering and developmental learning

Participatory evaluation-
  • Using social software- survey monkey
  • Negotiation- flexible guidelines
  • Survey monkeys, 50% responses

Behavioral change-
  • more connected, purposeful and that they could make a difference,
  • acceptance and sharing of  ideas,
  • self esteem, curiosity, professional learning all valued

School Online Resources-
  • google docs
   presentations, sites- websites
  • Glogster- online poster
  • Wiki
  • Facebook as a people mobiliser