It was fascinating to be part of a panel at the National Symposium at Sydney Opera House on their Broadband Enabled Education and Skills Services Project last week. The Symposium was at the conclusion of the project that saw the Opera House deliver eight new digital learning programs across seven states and territories to 1200 participants; supported by rigorous evaluation by the University of Technology, Sydney. The symposium explored key project findings and outcomes, featuring presentations from their project partners (including Sydney Symphony Orchestra, The Australian Ballet, Bell Shakespeare and Monkey Baa Theatre Company), artists, technicians and academics in the field.
The panel I was part of discussed a range of issues, after being inspired by the keynote Speaker, Professor Stephen Heppell, who is, according to Microsoft, 'Europe’s leading online education expert'. He shared his insights on how children learn best; how schools can better serve children's learning and how learning has to be our single most important investment in a rapidly evolving world.
Discussion on questions such as “Why should organisations like the Opera House invest in digital learning experiences? most interested me. To me the expanded audience that digital learning provides is a compelling argument to be part of it. Schools can visit a museum virtually many times a year – unlike excursions which are harder to organise regularly due to the disruptiojn the y cause in school. A digital learning experience could happen for each topic as it can be done in the lesson time, and in the classroom. For schools it expands the students learning beyond the classroom walls and allows the students to see this real world connection to their in class studies. It also gives the students access to experts that can make their learning so much more authentic. It also allows for more regular collaborations, with experts or between students, leading to the development of digital citizens.
Does digital learning have a place in schools and museums? Be it web based, such as Lync, or high definition video conferncing, I would say most definitely!
The panel I was part of discussed a range of issues, after being inspired by the keynote Speaker, Professor Stephen Heppell, who is, according to Microsoft, 'Europe’s leading online education expert'. He shared his insights on how children learn best; how schools can better serve children's learning and how learning has to be our single most important investment in a rapidly evolving world.
Discussion on questions such as “Why should organisations like the Opera House invest in digital learning experiences? most interested me. To me the expanded audience that digital learning provides is a compelling argument to be part of it. Schools can visit a museum virtually many times a year – unlike excursions which are harder to organise regularly due to the disruptiojn the y cause in school. A digital learning experience could happen for each topic as it can be done in the lesson time, and in the classroom. For schools it expands the students learning beyond the classroom walls and allows the students to see this real world connection to their in class studies. It also gives the students access to experts that can make their learning so much more authentic. It also allows for more regular collaborations, with experts or between students, leading to the development of digital citizens.
Does digital learning have a place in schools and museums? Be it web based, such as Lync, or high definition video conferncing, I would say most definitely!