New South Wales
Country Areas Program
Projects That Really Make a Difference!

Project Title: Distance Technology

Type: Moree District Initiative
Coordinator/s: Mr Tony Johnston
Participating Schools: Boggabri PS, Willala PS, Mullaley PS, Sacred Heart PS, Baan Baa PS
Attributes Addressed: Self, Self&emdash;Directed Learning, Communication, Global Awareness and Responsibility, Literacy, Numeracy, Technology

Overview:

This initiative seeks to develop an intranet of CAP schools within the Boggabri District. It is anticipated that teachers, parents and students of the schools will gain enhanced knowledge of computer communication, and information technology skills, facilitating communication between and among children, staff and communities at all levels. As the schools, classes and peer groups are small, such communication will facilitate the exchange of information, ideas, classwork, questions etc with other schools and peer groups in the CAP district. The creation of the intranet will permit the regular use of this technology to hold meetings and professional development activities without the current necessity for travel over long distances to meet on a face to face basis.

This program will provide students, teachers and their communities with hardware (video conferencing camera, scanner, printer and digital still camera), software; and the training and development to use computer based&emdash;technology successfully in their school and community.

Implementation:

The initiative will be undertaken in three stages:

1. Canvass schools to ascertain the current level of hardware and software available for use in this project. Canvass schools to ascertain the school community's current level of competence in using computer technology.

2. Purchase of hardware and software to enable program to proceed. Inservice the coordinator in the use of the hardware and software. The coordinator will travel to the participating schools to set up hardware, software and inservice school community in its use.

3. Students use the hardware and software to exchange information, ideas, classwork, inquiries etc with other schools and peer groups within the CAP Intranet. Staff/community from the participating CAP schools use the technology to hold meetings and professional development activities.

Anticipated outcomes of this initiative are:

* increased student confidence in the use of local technologies

* establishment of a formal electronic network of small schools to allow communication and sharing of learning experiences

* increased parent/community support for students in the area of multi&emdash;media presentation and communication

* increased teacher confidence in the integration of their school's technology in the classroom

* reduced feelings of isolation often associated with small schools

Indicators of these outcomes will include:

* smooth integration of technology in classes

* implementation of technology in all Key Learning Areas

* busy students who are confident in the use of internet and email

Further development of this project may result in the establishment of an intranet of CAP schools on a regional and/or state level which could be used by school communities for training and development or as a contact network.
Also, a website for each CAP school may be a future possibility.