Plan B Forum

New portal gives students better access to schools
Released 25/05/2010

038/10

A new education portal that gives students the ability to listen to past lessons as podcasts, videolink with other students for language practice and check on their homework requirements will be rolled-out to every ACT public school.

Eight ACT public schools are currently piloting the new Connected Learning Community (cLc) provided by ASI. All schools are expected to be online for the start of the 2011 school year.

“The cLc is revolutionising teaching in ACT schools,” Minister for Education and Training Andrew Barr said today. '

Mr Barr said the new technology would be extended in future to help parents and carers be more involved in the education of their kids.

“Students do the best when they are taught by great teachers and when they are supported by their families,” Mr Barr said. “We are working on attracting the best teachers to the ACT by offering $100,000 salaries and promotion based on performance rather than seniority.

“As this education portal is further developed over the next 18 months parents and carers will have greater access to what their kids are doing at school. This will make it easier for parents and carers to get involved in their kids’ education.”

Teachers will also benefit from the cLc. The new virtual learning environment will encourage greater collaboration between schools at local, national and international level, allowing a sharing of information and networking to help shape best practice.

The cLc will also have functions such as online markbooks, self-marking tests and a Clickview multimedia repository which will assist with lesson planning.

The roll-out of the program is part of the ACT Government’s $20 million Smart Schools: Smart Students initiative.

Schools taking part in the pilot are Hawker College, Lake Tuggeranong College, Stromlo High School, Alfred Deakin High School, Campbell High School, Weetangera Primary School, Ngunnawal Primary School and Wanniassa Hills Primary School.

Each pilot school will also receive a classroom refurbishment which will allow students to experience the new technology in a contemporary learning environment.

http://www.chiefminister.act.gov.au/media.php?v=9565

#1
ash.wello
19:53, 25 May 10
i’m a current student at hawker college in year 12, today i watched mr barr in my library give a report on the new Connected Learning Community. i can tell you right now. nobody is interested.. about 50 percent of students at my school actually use the computers and the other half have never logged onto my classes the whole time they have been here, we just don’t care really. i’m sure parents will begin caring once it is annouced in newsletters that they can start keeping track of their children’s homework. but how many will? and what about the small percentage of people who still don’t even have a computer at home. i think we are too dependant on technology, and the minutes my fellow students and i have spent watching our teachers struggle to use the smartboards and seen machines play up have actually eaten into our learning time. don’t get me wrong, the whole catching up when your sick thing is great, but its just the same as coming back to school and collecting the worksheets you missed out on. classes before us graduated without this help so i really don’t think its needed.