Websites of Interest - November 2011 Issue of Notepad

Amplified is a relatively new website set up by Andrew Thompson, Bruce Wilson, Peter Cole, Dahle Suggett and other Victorians. 

It is self described as the leading online community for everyone who cares about education and wants to make a difference. 

It aims to capture the attention, imagination and emotion of parents, teachers, policy makers, and others seeking to align themselves with important stories about what's happening in our schools by providing expert commentary and analysis of key issues and developments in education -  challenge perceptions on what is driving change in schools and providing the understanding and tools to empower its community to contribute to debate and take positive action.

Amplified provides a forum for action, sharing of ideas and impetus for improvement. 

A sample of their articles follow:

Dahle Suggett, 21st Century skills - beyond the smoke and mirrors

Curriculum change has a history of pressing hot buttons for the public. But when the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) put the capabilities that are essential in the 21st Century out to consultation in the first half of this year, their approach seemed half-hearted and the response was disappointingly low key.

Bruce Wilson, Have you met a teacher recently?

My parents never sought a second opinion from a doctor. What a doctor told you wasn't an opinion: it was holy writ. Seeking a second opinion would be like asking God if he was entirely sure about the Ten Commandments. The only authority higher than a doctor was Phonse Kyne, the Collingwood coach, and Phonse wasn't giving opinions. When I was a child, doctors had authority.

Andrew Thompson, The Performance paradox

Peter Garrett, Minister for Education recently put out a press release about the 2011 Australian Science and Maths Olympiad team.  Twenty-three young students are off to compete on the world stage against students from 100 countries.  Good on them!  No Australian would hope for them to do anything less than bring home the gold.  Being competitive is in our nature.