SIMERR December 16, 2007
Posted by Steve in CSTA, Elearning.trackback
SIMERR stands for: Science, Information and Communication Technology, and Mathematics Education for Rural and Regional Australia.
This entity was responsible for distributing funds to different organisations whose task was to look at the problems / difficulties that are experienced by students and teachers in rural Australia. A comprehensive list of activities took place during 2006 and 2007 but it has yet to be seen if these activities will actually have impact.
The computing area had specific activities to focus on. In 2005 the Australian Council for Computers in Education (ACCE) was successful in obtaining a grant. Each Computing Education Group (CEG) in each Australian state was given a task to carry out. The NSWCEG asked the CSTA to participate.
The CSTA had a group of people meet over a weekend where they came up with a large list of Bookmarks that were placed at the Delicious site. It is envisaged that rural teachers and students will find some of the bookmarks useful. It is also acknowledged that those areas that have broadband will be able to make more use of the bookmarks. It is my understanding that the different CEG activities will be collated onto a CD. I would imagine it will be distributed to rural schools.
A national portal will be set up in early 2008. The national portal will comprise of resources for computing studies teachers. It will contain information about resources of existing networks, resources from the rural and regional projects hosted by the CEGs and information about any related sites.
It is envisaged that a new server using Open Source applications, services and online tools will be established for professional learning and / or to explore new ideas with classes. This is particularly focused on schools that are not yet offering such services.
An online survey was undertaken late in 2006 to profile the state of the teaching of Computing Studies in secondary schools in rural and regional areas and consider the needs of Computing Studies teachers in these areas. The survey gathered data about the teacher’s school, the teaching of IT in their school, the profile of the teacher and their professional learning needs..
A total of 343 computing studies teachers from across Australia completed the survey. Results from the survey will inform any future actions that ACCE may undertake as a result of the National Summit and this Discussion Paper.
A National Summit took place in Adelaide October 5, 6 & 7th with the theme Open Learning Approaches to Computing Studies.
The goals of the Summit were:
• increased awareness and understanding of how to ensure equity of learning outcomes for students of computing studies regardless of school or location
• the publication of a discussion paper and recommendations for the future in relation to the issues around the use of technologies and appropriate pedagogies to deliver quality computing studies program to all students, particularly in rural and regional Australia.
The goals were achieved by:
• scoping the existing territory in relation to open/distance learning
• sharing existing teacher exemplary practice
• exploring relevant online delivery systems and appropriate pedagogies to support open/distance learning
• showcasing possibilities for the future
• identifying and sharing resources.
The Summit was attended by in excess of 45 computing studies teachers and other educators from every state and territory. In addition, 41 computing studies teachers registered to participate in the Summit online from around Australia via Centra - an internet based conferencing and meeting tool. Access to Centra was provided courtesy of the South Australian Department of Education and Children Services
Glenda (Past CSTA President) and I attended the National Summit and it was very good to see how the rest of the states had participated. There were several guest speakers and the entire summit was broadcast via Centra and the South Australian Education Department. One facilitor presented from Queensland in real time to we, the audience, in South Australia.
It is hoped that there will be more practical activities undertaken to give assistance to those in rural Australia. It was a satisfying experience to be involved in the creation of the Delicious bookmarks and to attend the National Summit where the loose ends came together.
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