Government sector

How can I access learning objects and digital resources?

All Victorian government schools can now access The Le@rning Federation's online curriculum content through the Office of Learning and Teaching's new portal digilearn.

digilearn is an online tool that gives teachers access to digital learning resources anywhere, anytime.

This exciting new portal enables teachers to preview and download digital learning resources to enhance their curriculum planning. With new and advanced search capability, teachers can target resources in key dimensions. They can browse by Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VELS) domains or search by keywords. Students can work with complex concepts and ideas in dynamic multi-modal formats.

How can I create digital content?

As part of the digital content and creation initiative (delivered to schools in June 2005), all government schools were provided with Kahootz, a 3-D multimedia authoring software, to enable students to develop their own digital content. The Australian Children's Television Foundation has developed Kahootz to provide students with tools to create, share and collaborate on digital curriculum content.

Schools also received free Microsoft programs on the 'Learn IT, teach IT' CD-ROM, as part of the Release Two resource kit. Microsoft Photo Story 3 and Producer for PowerPoint are free programs that can be downloaded from the Microsoft website.

Microsoft Photo Story 3 allows you to create slideshows with special effects, and add soundtracks and voice narration. Microsoft Producer allows users to integrate multimedia elements with PowerPoint presentations to create more interesting and media-rich presentations.

Producer is not a creation tool as such – all of the source media files (video, sound, html, images or PowerPoint presentations) need to be created in other applications. Once the files are made they can be imported into Producer for use. In essence, Producer could be called presentation sequence software. Producer uses a timeline to sequence events. The events can be the running of a video clip, sound file, web page, PowerPoint or images.

What does this mean for me?

Digital content and creation resources can lead to positive impacts on learning and teaching, and can support VELS. Digital content supports:

• active and critical learning;
• decision making;
• experiential learning;
• visualisation;
• simulation;
• game formats;
• investigation and inquiry;
• modelling;
• problem solving;
• research.

Where can I find out more?

• Regional presentations were held throughout Victoria during March 2007 announcing the Department of Education's new digilearn portal. See Education Times for details.
• The Creating eLearning Leaders (CeLL) initiative is a key element of the Department of Education's strategy to develop teachers' ICT skills. Twenty-eight schools have been recognised as CeLL schools and are available to provide ICT training opportunities for Victorian teachers. CeLL schools offer a range of training including an introduction to digital content and creation resources. Refer to this link for further details on CeLL schools in your region: http://www.sofweb.vic.edu.au/ict/pd/CeLL.htm.
• Be involved in teacher professional discussions through a digital content listserve email mailing list. This provides teachers with the opportunity to discuss curriculum planning and teaching ideas – to join send a blank email to join-vic_dc@edna.edu.au.You will get a confirming email from Lyris that you need to reply to.
• Visit http://www.kahootz.com to see examples of Kahootz in the curriculum and download teaching activities and resources or enter the Kahootz competition – 'Celebrating Kahootz in Victorian schools'.
• Explore the printed samples of six unit plans that were included in the digital content and creation resources folder as part of the Release One resource kit, which has been delivered to your school. A further 60 unit plans are included on the 'Digital content and creation unit plans' CD-ROM as part of the Release Two resource kit.
• Explore the Sample learning materials section of TLF's website. This section showcases a sample of TLF online curriculum content, including learning objects and digital resources, and has links to descriptions of all content released. TLF's website provides information about using learning objects, sharing teaching ideas, accessing resources and engaging in professional discussions through the professional learning community.
• Support and training is available through regions, subject associations and the Australian Children's Television Foundation.