About this blog

Ian McLean is a retired Australian primary (elementary) teacher-librarian with the NSW Department of Education, based in Sydney, who spends way too much of his spare time blogging in cyberspace. He is a former editor of the Department’s professional journal, Scan (1998-2002), and a past President of the School Libraries Section (NSW Group) of ALIA (Australian Library and Information Association). Ian especially enjoys integrating information and communications technologies (ICT) in education. He has also reviewed children’s literature and teaching resources professionally for Scan journal, CBCA NSW (Children’s Book Council of Australia’s NSW Branch) and the NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge Committee.

I’ll be right on it!
“I’ll be right on it!”

This blog began life as a series of personal, professional reflections, always taking the “glass half full approach” to any problem. Over time, it became an online program for collaborative teaching and learning, and a repository of useful URLs and video clips that puts such resources in a context of how Ian intended to use them. Ian worked collaboratively with all class teachers K-6. Aspects of that collaboration are expanded upon in his professional journal articles and teaching resources. This web log commenced: 22nd January, 2008.

In 2019, he commenced a full-time Diploma of Remedial Massage Therapy course with Endeavour College, Sydney. Currently, Ian is pondering how this blog might evolve to encompass the new challenges of his latest ventures into further education. Send him an email from here.

City2Surf 2019

One thought on “About this blog

  1. I am wondering if you ever run guest blogs by writers?

    My sister Belinda Murrell and I (Kate Forsyth) are both well-known children’s authors who have new books being launched on the same day – Monday May 2nd!

    How often does that happen?

    We are also the descendants of the author of the first children’s book in Australia, and 2011 is the 170th anniversary of that publication. Our great-great-great-great-great-grandmother, Charlotte Waring, wrote A Mother’s Offering to Her Children which was published in 1841.
    To give you a little more information about our new books: Mine is a fantasy adventure story for readers aged 10+, called The Starkin Crown. It is a companion book to The Starthorn Tree and The Wildkin’s Curse, and tells the story of Prince Peregrine and his search for the lost spear of the Storm King. I have also published the award-winning Chain of Charms series, which begins with The Gypsy Crown, The Puzzle Ring, and a series of fantasy novels for adults, entitled The Witches of Eileanan and Rhiannon’s Ride. Here is the link to my last youtube trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DfrYkFMl7g

    Belinda’s new books is called The Ivory Rose, and like her earlier books, The Ruby Talisman and The Locket of Dreams, it is a time slip story – this one is a Gothic ghost story set in contemporary Sydney and Annandale in 1895 in the spooky old Witches Houses. She is also the author of the Quest for the Sun-Gem trilogy.

    I hope you’d like to do something with us – an interview or some guest blogs or a list of our favourites kids’ books – whatever you like!
    all my best

    Kate Forsyth

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