Government sector

Accessing learning objects and digital resources

Australian Capital Territory Department of Education and Training teachers can access The Le@rning Federation digital content through the management system Myclasses. The online content can be explored and added to electronic learning folios (eLFs) within Myclasses. These folios allow a variety of content to be added, including digital resources and learning objects, web links, file attachments and pictures, allowing teachers to create online content and lessons for students.

TLF digital content is beginning to be widely used across the system and the resources are proving very effective in providing engaging and relevant content for Indigenous and special-needs students. Teachers are also discovering the ways in which interactive whiteboards complement and allow interaction with TLF content.

Professional development

Many teachers across the ACT have received training, using the peer-mentoring model to provide support to colleagues in their respective schools. Teachers continue to have access to professional learning on Myclasses and TLF content through Embedding Learning Technologies workshops facilitated after school at the Centre for Teaching and Learning. Teachers also have access to onsite support from the Department's Learning Technology Officers.

Details of professional learning workshops can be found at the professional learning website: http://www.det.act.gov.au/teaching_and_learning/professional_learning.

Finding TLF content

The following guidelines for accessing TLF digital content are simple sets of steps for viewing the available assets. To insert the content into the Myclasses learning management system, interactive whiteboard files or podcasts, other guidelines are provided by the Teaching and Learning Technologies team members. A variety of professional learning opportunities are offered at the Centre for Teaching and Learning and in schools to promote access to digital content and to support the use of content in teaching and learning.

Searching by topic

Step 1: hover over the word 'Search' on the main page of your Myclasses Foyer. Then select 'Resources'.

You can search all available learning objects and digital resources simultaneously by selecting 'Federated Search' in the drop-down menu. Alternatively, you can search only objects or only resources by selecting 'The Learning Federation (Objects)' or 'The Learning Federation (Resources)'. The steps below describe a 'Federated Search'.

Step 2: Select 'Federated Search'.
Step 3: Type terms in the 'Search Text' field.
Step 4: Select the 'Detailed results' tickbox.
Step 5: Select 'Search'.

In the 'Federated Search' the results from your previous search will remain until you type in new search text. In this example the words ‘Snowy Hydro’ are still the key search terms. Please note that it is always best to use broad search terms and to keep the 'Audience' and 'Category' as wide as possible (or not enter them at all).

Step 6: results are displayed in menu tabs. Select the 'Learning Federation (Objects)' or 'The Learning Federation (Resources)' tab to begin looking through the available content. In the example below 'The Learning Federation (Objects)' tab has been selected. Note the number of results returned. In this example there are three learning objects that match 'Snowy Hydro'.

Step 7: read the information provided and then click on the name of the learning object to open and view it.

Step 8: after viewing, simply select the back arrow in your browser to return to the search results list.

Step 9: you can now look at the next result and so forth.

Finding digital resources from cultural and scientific institutions

Follow Steps 1 to 6 above, and select 'The Learning Federation (Resources)' tab.

Note the number of results returned. In this example there are 93 digital resources that match 'Snowy Hydro'.

Step 7: read the information provided and then click on the 'Educational Value' link to read further details about the digital resource. To view the resource, click on the name of the resource. It will open in the same window.

Step 8: after viewing, simply select the back arrow in your browser to return to the search result list.

Step 9: you can now look at the next result and so forth, using the same process and selecting to go to the next page when you have read through the first 20 results.