18 July 2002

NZ – Australia Learning Partnership

New Zealand’s involvement with a major e-learning project for schools has been discussed at a meeting of Australian and New Zealand Education Ministers in Auckland today says Education Minister Trevor Mallard.

New Zealand has joined the Australian Learning Federation Project, which is developing digital learning objects for schools in Australia and New Zealand.

“The development of digital learning objects is fundamental to the growth of e-learning in New Zealand. E-learning, the provision of learning through the electronic media, has the potential to be an enormously useful education tool,” Trevor Mallard said.

“A digital learning object may be a text document, animation, photograph, audio, video or a composite of all of these elements.

“The Government has budgeted $7 million over four years for New Zealand to be a partner in this project.

“By working with the Australians, we will get a much better product than we would ever be able to provide alone and our participation will ensure suitability for the New Zealand school curriculum.

“The project to develop digital learning objects across a range of learning areas is well underway and the details of the agreement are being finalised this month.

“The first set of science objects is being trailed now and will be published in November 2002. These will be followed in April 2003 with Maths 1, Literacy 1 in June 2003 and Chinese and Japanese in July 2003.

“I’m also pleased to note that a New Zealand group, Maths Interactive Consortium (MIC), has been selected as one of the developers to create online maths resources that will be made available to teachers and students throughout New Zealand and Australia,” Trevor Mallard said.

Ends

© Scoop Media