What’s the beginning of the school year without a bit of fear? After all, fear creates adrenaline and we’re definitely going to need that, students and staff alike as it’s going to be a big year.

We already have plenty of events on their way including the year 11/12 college ball, inter-school basketball and netball are starting up, our college council has been elected and named and there are a number of new faces around the campus. Of course, after all of this, we should not forget that we are now an Independent Public School (IPS) and we stand out from the crowd in many ways. 2010 is almost like a complete new start for BCC.

So, as we prepare ourselves for the remaining 36 weeks left in our school calendar, let’s welcome the new, embrace the old, and work together to do Better at Belmont.

It was a roller coaster of a year for not just students, but for staff as well. A defining moment, one could say, was the college being granted IPS status for 2010. This will be interesting and something that will enable BCC to stand out from ‘the crowd’.

We had emotional farewells for a large number of staff, including my good friend and fellow blogger, Mr Lasic. He will move on to Thornlie SHS and our loss is their massive gain.

We say goodbye to quite a number of other fantastic staff that have made an impact over the year.

Let’s now look forward to 2010 with positivity and a sense that things can only get better here at BCC.

To all involved here at BCC, staff and students alike, we here at the e-Voice bid you a very happy holiday season and look forward to a fantastic and prosperous new year.

Ciao, for now.

Mr Lasic, Jeong and Carabetta have been working hard with a number of dedicated and enthusiastic students to put this on for BCC. That’s only one half of the expo. The second half?

Everyone else.

As the slogan has been saying all week; this isn’t about computers, it’s about people. The story is about humans and human interaction. While a number of trade and technology expos around the world may be havens for ultra-skilled professionals and those with advanced technical knowledge, Web 2.0 is different. It’s inclusive, it is for everyone.

Simply put; the tools are not the whole story, they aren’t even half the story. The way that they are used is the story of this expo. The ways in which we can use Web 2.0 to improve our communication, learning and teaching. The ways in which we can collaborate with people from all over the world in ways that were not possible only a few years ago.

The global classroom is now a reality, not just a concept. We here at BCC have this opportunity to completely transform education – let’s grab that opportunity.

Thursday is the final day of the expo. Make sure that you get your teacher to take your class down so that YOU don’t miss out on this great experience.

More to come including full coverage of the expo and photographs later on today. Stay tuned.

That’s right, I’m definitely showing my age, but for those of you who remember those ‘poetic’ words from Vanilla Ice know that they meant absolutely nothing. However, at the Web 2.0 Expo this week, they mean absolutely EVERYTHING.

This is what it’s all about, people, not the technology. Creating in a collaborative way with people we connect with, whether it be socially or professionally. Web 2.0 is the new shift that the Internet has given us, and this week at BCC we get a first-hand look at how it can benefit education, especially at our school.

Mr Lasic and a number of students have worked tirelessly to prepare something particularly special and unique – this is for everyone – a showcase of what is on offer if you only open yourself up to the possibilities that you can create via the use of Web 2.0.

So, I won’t say much more than that because we want you to get down there today – the library, media lab and LOTE room are the expo venues. We’ll see you there!

That’s the slogan you can be sure to hear next week when you arrive at Belmont City College. The buzz around campus now is focussed on the Web 2.0 expo – 4 days of learning and living the social media/network experience in 3 different venues. The expo is for absolutely everyone here at BCC. Staff and students are welcome to attend and involve themselves in one of the most exciting initiatives that our college has seen.

Spearheaded by Mr Lasic, the Web 2.0 expo comprises of the 3 main aspects of Web 2.0 tools: Creation, Collaboration and Connecting. The main point is to show that this is not about technology, it is about how we use these tools to connect as humans, how we use them to create exciting products for the classroom, and how we come together to collaborate as a team on initiatives.

So make sure you come down to the Library, LC13 and E12 next week for one of the greatest learning experiences that you will have this year!

Over the next couple of weeks, hundreds of primary school students from the surrounding areas will get to see first hand just how talented our performing arts students are.

Photos from the production will be up on the e-Voice soon so stay tuned!

Quantum mechanics is a set of principles describing the physical reality at the atomic level of matter and the subatomic. These descriptions include the simultaneous wave-like and particle-like behavior of both matter and radiation.

In short: Quantum Mechanics is a mathematical description of reality.

One the most most popular and well known interpretation of Quantum Mechanics is the Copenhagen interpretation and it goes as follows;

“The state of every particle is described by a wavefunction, which is a mathematical representation used to calculate the probability for it to be found in a location or a state of motion..”

This covers the creation as it were of whatever it may be, read on for Einstein’s keg of gunpowder suggestion which summarises this theory.

“According to this interpretation, the act of measurement causes the calculated set of probabilities to “collapse” to the value defined by the measurement. This feature of the mathematical representations is known as wavefunction collapse”

In simplified terms, it is the condensation of physical possibilities into a single occurrence, as seen by an observer.

So what does this all mean? Erwin Schrödinger came up with the experiment of testing this strange theory using inspirations from great minds of the era; Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosen. Schrödinger and Einstein had exchanged letters about Einstein’s EPR article, in the course of which Einstein had pointed out that the quantum superposition of an unstable keg of gunpowder will, after a while, contain both exploded and unexploded components.

Schrödinger wrote:
“One can even set up quite ridiculous cases. A cat is penned up in a steel chamber, along with the following device (which must be secured against direct interference by the cat): in a Geiger counter, there is a tiny bit of radioactive substance, so small that perhaps in the course of the hour, one of the atoms decays, but also, with equal probability, perhaps none; if it happens, the counter tube discharges, and through a relay releases a hammer that shatters a small flask of hydrocyanic acid. If one has left this entire system to itself for an hour, one would say that the cat still lives if meanwhile no atom has decayed. The psi-function of the entire system would express this by having in it the living and dead cat (pardon the expression) mixed or smeared out in equal parts.
It is typical of these cases that an indeterminacy originally restricted to the atomic domain becomes transformed into macroscopic indeterminacy, which can then be resolved by direct observation. That prevents us from so naively accepting as valid a “blurred model” for representing reality. In itself, it would not embody anything unclear or contradictory. There is a difference between a shaky or out-of-focus photograph and a snapshot of clouds and fog banks”

“Schrödinger did not wish to promote the idea of dead-and-alive cats as a serious possibility; quite the reverse. The thought experiment serves to illustrate the bizarreness of quantum mechanics and the mathematics necessary to describe quantum states. Intended as a critique of just the Copenhagen interpretation (the prevailing orthodoxy in 1935), the Schrödinger cat thought experiment remains a topical touchstone for all interpretations of quantum mechanics. How each interpretation deals with Schrödinger’s cat is often used as a way of illustrating and comparing each interpretation’s particular features, strengths, and weaknesses.”
-Unknown Author (Wikipedia)

This is only one theory of theories, we cannot be 100% sure on any sort of QM experiment as it is on a level that we cannot properly research, hence the interpretations and suggestions, it is a use of phsyics to explain the very matter of the universe, in the future we may find out more but for now we only have so much. The world of Quantum Mechanics is a large one and there is much to read about it. The work of Stephen Hawking (Quantum Gravity – Eg: Black Holes) is a fantastic start. Also the theories of Dark Matter and Energy are wickedly interesting if this sort of science fascinates you.

Thank you for reading.

(ps; my apologies for the formatting here, wordpress kind of butchers word documents)

Stay tuned.

Yesterday, an article was printed which was a transcript of an interview with Mr Lasic. It was brought to my personal attention that this article contained a number of grammatical and spelling errors.

Of course, all articles that are written by our journos here at the e-Voice, go through myself for editing and approval. On this one occasion I failed to pick up on these errors due to the quickness with which I wanted the article published.

On behalf of the e-Voice, I apologise and remind all of our writers about our mission to publish quality material, free from errors.

At the same time, I will promise to edit all work much more closely and not rush a deadline if my writers have submitted a crudely written piece.

We sincerely hope that you keep visiting our fantastic journal, we have many exciting new features and articles coming up, so stay tuned.

Mr Carabetta

The e-Voice’s Anthony Wheeler conducted an interview with Mr Lasic last week. This is a look into the man that is, Mr Lasic.

Anthony Wheeler. What brought you to work at BCC?

Mr Lasic. Initially? Necessity. I needed a job in 2005 it was an odd occasion. I was asked by a friend if the position existed, it had just opened up and I happened to be at the right place at the right time. So I said yeah sure, absolutely and put my hand up for it.

Anthony. When you look at BCC how do you feel the school has changed over the years?

Mr Lasic. The most significant change occurred around before I was at this school. It was the period from 2003-2004 to the later periods 2006-2007 and 2008. What I call the process of renewal. When Belmont city college was identified…to put it bluntly as a school in trouble. And with a lot of work from staff and students we turned things around, so in that respect I don’t know how much has changed or how bad it was before but I do know based on the anecdotes and the things that we hear that the school has changed significantly. Sadly, it still has a tag somewhat of a bad school but it has gotten a lot better.

Anthony. What was your roll in the ICT department? What was that like for you?

Mr Lasic. Well at this school, it was the one area of profession that before coming to this school I was sort of interested in but it was in 2006 that the whole fire really took off and I was given time each week to coordinate what is considered one of the schools priorities which is the ICT department. It has really changed the course of my career. It has been phenomenal and it has really opened my eyes thanks to it. First of all I have really changed my class room practice to make it much easier on me and hopefully on students but that part of my professional experience really has been a rounding success and I loved every minute.

Anthony. Do you feel that the Philosophy and Ethics course was successful?

Mr Lasic. Overall, yes! Of course as I look back I see so many things we could have done better but considering that this is the first year we have run the course and this is the first year that I have run the course, I’ve done parts of it here and there at different schools even, but considering this was our first go at it I think we did a really good job and had a really good go at it. It’s not like most of the other subjects that the school offers, it’s different.

Anthony. Amongst your many accomplishments in the school is moodle and particularly the ‘have your say’ forum. How do you feel about them?

Mr Lasic. I think that listening to students voices is an absolutely vital part of this thing we call education. Without this voice, we are just technicians who administer things to machines. We are here for you guys, you are not here for us and I thought opening up a forum is one way to ensure that students are heard, at least have a space where you guys can voice your opinions safely and equally, even though there is a bit of spam and swearing, even though I said don’t but it’s no big issue. Overall the experience has been over whelmingly positive. I can’t see any other space physical or virtual where a year 8 can talk to a year 12 without any fear or influence from a teacher or whatever, that’s why I think it has been such a great success.

Some complaints have been made that the forum distracts kids from work and I respond by saying, well if they are not engaged then students will play up any way. I said half jokingly at least this way students are working on their literacy, which is not quite true. I do sincerely hope the forum keeps going. What I would like to see is more moderation by students, I don’t have time to police it. I love it I am on every day and look at all the threads and if I spot the odd bit of spam or swearing you know, I warn people but apart from that I really want to give the ownership of it to students at all times.

Anthony. Over your time at BCC what would you say that you are most proud of?

Mr Lasic. I think moodle would have to be one of my sort of legacies, if you will, because it has been taken on so well by both staff and students. I said jokingly to a colleague that you know moodle has really made it in a school when teachers start complaining loudly that moodle is down, and the howls come from round the school “oh moodle is down what are you doing?” its good it shows they care about it and they use it. So moodle and a lot of the work in ICT and introducing the staff to lots of things.

And secondly getting the philosophy and ethics course up and running because I feel that this is what our school needs; our school needs to stand out of the ordinary for something and not the things that we are perhaps usually known for. I would love for us to challenge the beliefs that this is just a school where you go to just get your WACE or whatever and philosophy and ethics is that difference. It’s something that you would not normally get, yet it was very popular. We had 25 kids enrolled, that’s twice the number of any other humanities subject, so it was one way to stand out rather then just doing what everyone else does.

Anthony. Are there any treasured memories you have from Belmont City College?

Mr Lasic. Oh Lots! Lots, lots, lots, lots, lots, lots, lots, lots. I just think it has been a fantastic five years that I have been associated with this school, but the best memories inevitably involve the students. It’s the simple things like getting a shoulder punch from a year 9 kid after a lesson I mean that is huge it’s just the little things like that despite something being so damn hard some times for whatever reason. It really makes it worthwhile and I will really miss this place…I really miss it.

Anthony. What are your plans for the future?

Mr Lasic. Next year I am going to Thornlie high school to hopefully stir some trouble. They will tell me I’m a nutter and I will wear it as a badge of honor. Some how though I don’t think I will stay teaching. I cant see myself teaching in the next 20 or 30 years. I sort of can’t stand still in one place for too long and do the same thing day in and out it’s just not me. So new challenges and school so we will see how we go.

Anthony. After teaching and working at BCC for five years what will you miss most about this school?

Mr Lasic. The kids and the colleagues, really. Whenever people ask me where do you work and I say Belmont, you know the blood just rushes out of their face and they are like oh my god do you wear a shield or something to work? And I say what are you talking about, but I think the vast majority of our kids are just fantastic they are loyal and honest, they care.

They are the things that no TEE school will show you or elite tables will show you, but they are the things Belmont has something going on with it. Even supporting a teacher that’s something that is an unrecognized strength of Belmont and I sincerely hope we hear more about it and people actually recognise it because it is such a strength of the school. Of course I will miss my colleagues, I mean these that I am working with are fantastic they are fantastic educators they are passionate they are creative, yeah we stir trouble some time but I feel we must to go forward and I sincerely hope, but I think I will be hard pressed to find other co-workers like this because, on a bad day there will always be someone who asks ‘are you OK?, and actually mean it. These people will sit and listen to you and share things with you and help you.

Anthony. Thank you for your time.

Mr Lasic. My pleasure.