The average of teachers in Australia is 43, and when they were teenagers, the first PC wasn’t even on the market. Teenagers now, mine included, can't comprehend it when we start talking about the old pre-computer days. So it’s no surprise that some teachers might need a course on what it means to be a teenager nowadays with the world at their fingertips, and all the issues that might bring with it.
Janison, whose average age is probably a bit younger than the teacher population, were excited to be chosen to work on the Connect.ed project for a few reasons. For us it was a bit like the yin and yang of the web – the program itself highlights the dangers and challenges that face kids when they go online, but at the same time, the development of the program allowed us to show how we could utilise the power of the web to create the Connect.ed website.
Janison, with our head office in Coffs Harbour, collaborated with the Australian Communications and Media Authority based in Melbourne, ArtistMade in Adelaide and 3030 in Sydney, to create a vibrant interactive experience for teachers to simulate the experience they might have online if they were a teenager. It’s challenging to think of yourself as being 30 years younger ( and for some of our staff that would mean they weren’t even born), but we think the course has done a pretty good job of it. We used a number of avenues to communicate with each other which not only enhance the processes but offered us opportunities and efficiencies to streamline what needed to be done. At any time from any place in the world, the teams who were working on the program, were able to log into our collaborative space and either update material, leave messages, check on progress or set new tasks. This was pretty exciting to everyone involved and confirmed for us that distance is no barrier to collaboration.
Over 800 teachers have registered on the site during the first week, there’s obviously a keenness to become cyber savvy, and I am pleased and proud to have used our expertise to make the experience accessible.
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Listen to what one teacher, Gail Tarrant from the Catholic Education Office said about the program when she was interviewed by Fiona Whyllie on the ABC shortly after Connect.ed went live. It’s great to feel like you are able to make a difference.
Wayne
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