01 - Department of Education and Communities - NSW Government

EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING AND LEARNINGTECHNOLOGY FOR LEARNINGComputers for SchoolsA total of 25,000 computers wasmade available to schools in 1997under the first phase of theGovernment’s $186.4m Computersin Schools Strategy. This phaseaddressed equity issues associatedwith schools which had limitedcomputer resources.A further 30,000 computers will bedistributed to schools by June 1998.In this second phase notionalcomputer entitlements will enableschools to select desktop,notebook, palm top or fileserverequipment according to local need.All computers distributed under theprogram are leased to ensure thatthey will be upgraded with newtechnology every three years.Support for Internet inClassroomsDuring 1997 the Internet became,for the first time, a major resourcefor student learning. A resourcecalled connect.edu: Internet inteaching and learning wasdeveloped to support teachers in theuse of the Internet in classactivities. The document providesexamples of activities and step bystep advice on how to use aspectsof the Department’s Internetservice.The document was distributed toevery school and is also availableon the Department’s Internet site,with regular updates provided online.The Minister launched the DSE’sNetwork for Education website inMay, offering the most extensiverange of resources ever compiledby the Department. The websitewill assist classroom teaching andlearning, encourage participationin classroom projects andcollaborative research and allowcommunication among students,teachers and parents around theworld.The new website has more than2000 pages and links to more than350 external sites. The site iscompletely interactive and is oneof the largest Australian educationsites on the Internet. It includes fourmajor segments: areas for teachers,departmental head office, parentsand the community, and aninformation fun area for students.The website can be found atwww.dse.nsw.edu.au.Nine student projects wereestablished in phase one ofNetwork for Education. Theseprojects addressed a range ofcurriculum areas and providedopportunities for students to usethe Internet to participatein collaborative activities,communicate with others andpublish to a wider audience.A growing number of studentprojects are being developed in eachKLA, as schools realise theInternet’s potential to provide astimulus to purposeful activities.Internet site reviews assist teachersin selecting quality, appropriatesites to support teaching andlearning across all KLAs and inpriority areas such as literacy,technology and AboriginalEducation.The choice of sites and theinformation contained in the reviewsalso assisted classroom teachers inselecting sites for use with students.Developsupportmaterials fortechnologyenhancedlearning.DSE Annual Report 1997 43