FEDERAL Member for Leichhardt Warren Entsch says a new report from NBN Co shows tech-savvy mums and dads in Cairns are gearing up to swap book lists for app lists ahead of the new school year.
“NBN’s Digital Parenting Report shows three-out-of-four parents (75 per cent) are ready to embrace a new ‘flipped’ way of learning – where students research and learn from home through online tutorials, videos and research on the web, and then bring the things they learn to the classroom,” said Mr Entsch.
“It reduces the amount of teacher ‘talk’ and instead leads to greater class discussion.”
While the research shows parents are willing to embrace this new way of learning, two-out-of-three parents (65 per cent) acknowledge that the way they learnt things at school is very different from how their children learn; and 1-in-4 parents admit to lacking the skills to help their children with internet applications.
Additionally, one third of parents (34 per cent) believe that having the Internet in the home levels the socio-economic playing field.
NBN Co’s Queensland Corporate Affairs Manager, Kylie Lindsay said that while there were many benefits to online education at home for children, it did not reduce the importance of face to face time with teachers.
“The internet is a powerful tool and aids students in research and learning both at school and at home, no matter where they live.
“That said, getting face to face student-teacher time and social skills development through interaction with teachers and other children is extremely important and will not be replaced by online learning.
“Even through flipping the classroom is a very broad change to traditional teaching methods, improved access to broadband through the NBN means that children have speedy access to the sort of information their parents could have only dreamed of when they were at school,” she said.
Anytime, Anywhere Learning Foundation, Managing Director, Bruce Dixon said: “The NBN network is helping to breakdown the walls of the classroom by providing access to experts, experiences and information which were previously unimaginable.
“We have found that online, collaborative learning supported by access to fast, ubiquitous broadband in the home and the school can motivate children to become even more engaged and successful in the subjects they learn.”
