The Hon Peter Garrett MP
Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth

Senator the Hon Stephen Conroy
Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy
Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate
Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Digital Productivity

Enhanced learning as students access ABC’s archive via new NBN education portal

Australian students will be able to access exciting, new innovative and interactive educational resources for teachers and students via a new $19.94 million National Broadband Network-enabled education portal.

The portal will also provide access to, and allow the use of, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's (ABC) comprehensive database of contemporary and archival content which will be digitised and linked to the Australian Curriculum under a funding arrangement with the ABC and Education Services Australia (ESA).

Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy and Minister for School Education, Peter Garrett, said the free portal was an exciting learning tool for use at school, and importantly, at home.

The portal, which will be launched in the second half of next year, will enhance skills development and allow students to work collaboratively with students across Australia.

Resources could include a free online tutorial service and the ability to take part in self-directed interactive learning activities using games, video, reading material, and quizzes.

"The Gillard Government is committed to assisting students, teachers, parents and their communities reap the educational benefits of our world class NBN," Senator Conroy said.

"The portal is a free, public, online portal that provides students, families and teachers with access to an extensive library of educational content and services for use in classrooms and homes across Australia.

"Students will be able to watch, listen, read, remix, tag and recommend resources. They will be able to have virtual tours of educationally relevant places, events or communities and participate in interactive games, in 3D immersive environments."

Mr Garrett said the new portal would provide access to interactive learning resources, which will support the implementation of the Australian Curriculum. It is being developed by the ABC in collaboration with Education Services Australia (ESA).

"Students across the country will be able to access the ABC's huge archive – television footage, audio items and online content – which will be directly linked with the new curriculum content," he said.

"The portal, which will be accessed over the NBN's high-speed broadband connection, will provide a rich interactive experience as students are able to mix, mash and adapt content according to their learning needs.

"It will also complement the Gillard Government's $2.4 billion investment in the Digital Education Revolution, including our rollout of more than 780,000 school computers for senior high school students."

The portal builds on the archival content to develop interactive, educational resources linked to the curriculum.

DATE: 15 December, 2011

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Minister Conroy's office: Lyall Johnson 0408 258 457
Minister Garrett's office: Lisa Miller 0419 124 717