educators and ict - connecting repositoriesproportions were education administrators, education...

Commercial in Confidence 2008

EDUCATORS AND ICT USAGE Market Research Report

© education.au 2008 of 108

Table of Contents

Background ............................................................................................ 4

Methodology ............................................................................................................... 6

Executive Summary ............................................................................... 7

Quantitative Summary Key Findings ....................................................................... 7

Qualitative Summary Key Findings ......................................................................... 9

Conclusions and Recommendations ..................................................................... 18

Online Survey Analysis ....................................................................... 21

Role in Education ..................................................................................................... 23

Educational Sector Mainly Worked In .................................................................... 24

Government or Non-Government Sector .............................................................. 25

Use of Internet for Work-Related Purposes .......................................................... 26

Location of Internet Access for Work-Related Purposes .................................... 27

Use of Internet/ Online Services Weekly or More Often ...................................... 28

Online Sites, Services or Tools Used Most Frequently ....................................... 30

Purpose of Internet Usage ...................................................................................... 31

Barriers to Teaching and Learning with Online Technology .............................. 33

Importance of the Internet ....................................................................................... 34

Reasons for Opinions Regarding the Importance of the Internet ...................... 35

Use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) ............................ 36

Comments on ICT .................................................................................................... 38

Opportunity for Teaching and Learning With Internet Services and Tools ....... 39

Most Valuable Professional Support in Online Teaching and Learning ............ 40

Prompted Awareness of EDNA (Education Network Australia) .......................... 41


Use of EDNA Services ............................................................................................. 42

Focus Group Analysis ......................................................................... 43

Current usage of online services by educators ................................................... 43

Early Childhood Education (Adelaide) .................................................................. 43

Primary schools (Melbourne) ................................................................................. 46

Secondary Schools (Adelaide) ............................................................................... 47

Regional Primary & Secondary Schools (Murray Bridge) ................................... 48

VET Institutes (Adelaide) ......................................................................................... 49

VET institutes (Melbourne) ..................................................................................... 50

Higher Education (Adelaide) .................................................................................. 52

Higher Education (Melbourne)............................................................................... 54

Adult and Community Education (Adelaide) ........................................................ 58

Perceived needs of educators in relation to on-line services ............................. 61

Early Childhood Education (Adelaide) .................................................................. 61

Perceptions of edna ................................................................................................. 75

Perceptions of education.au and other services it provides .............................. 88

Communications issues .......................................................................................... 93


Background

education.au is a shared company of the Ministries of Education and Training from each

of the States, Territories and the Commonwealth. It provides innovative technology

solutions for education and training, primarily for use by educators in the key sectors of the

education system:

• Early Childhood Education

• Schools

• Vocational and Technical Education

• Adult and Community Education

• Higher Education

education.au has commissioned this research using McGregor Tan Research in order to

provide it with the level and quality of knowledge necessary to enable it to develop and provide

the products and services relevant to education in its key markets.

More specifically, the purpose of this research is to:

• Identify the user needs of educators, including services which may not be currently

provided by education.au

• Identify which sources educators currently access to utilise the services they

require

• Ascertain the preferred methods of delivery of these services, whether through

online libraries, blogs, forums etc

• Determine the level of awareness of education.au and the services it provides

and the satisfaction levels of those who use them

• Determine how the services provided by education.au could be improved


Ultimately, the reason for commissioning this research is to help education.au

develop a successful marketing and communications plan to keep it at the forefront

of choice among educators in Australia.


Methodology

McGregor Tan Research has used both qualitative and quantitative techniques in providing

this research.

This report covers both the qualitative and quantitative phases. The qualitative phase

comprised nine focus group discussions in Adelaide and Melbourne, broken down as follows:

• Early Childhood Education (Adelaide)

• Primary schools (Melbourne)

• Secondary Schools (Adelaide)

• Regional Primary & Secondary Schools (Murray Bridge)

• VET Institutes (Adelaide)

• VET institutes (Melbourne)

• Higher Education (Adelaide)

• Higher Education (Melbourne)

• Adult and Community Education (Adelaide)

The qualitative research was conducted in Adelaide, Melbourne and Murray Bridge in October

2007.

The quantitative research was conducted via an online survey which was hosted by McGregor

Tan Research during the period from 29th February to the 9th May, 2008. The survey was

accessed by 1,067 participants.


Executive Summary

Quantitative Summary Key Findings

Most of those who responded to the Online Survey had worked in the

Education Sector for a considerable period of time, with more than two

thirds stating that they had worked in the sector for ten or more years.

A similar proportion of those surveyed also identified themselves as

educators – teachers, lecturers, trainers and tutors, while relatively small

proportions were education administrators, education

advisors/researchers, ICT administrators and librarians.

Respondents participated in a range of sectors, mainly covering

education and training, higher education and primary education. Further,

almost all stated that they worked in the government sector, such as

public schools, TAFE and universities.

The overwhelming majority of those surveyed (85%) indicated that they

use the Internet once a day or more often, with a small proportion using

the Internet less frequently. The vast majority also indicated that they

access the Internet at work.

Use of search engines such as Google or Yahoo was almost universal,

while more than one third indicated that they also use each of online

communities (45%), learning management systems (39%) and subject/

discipline databases (33%).

The most common purposes of using the Internet were identified as

research (83%), finding learning resources (80%), professional

development (64%), interacting with colleagues (61%), teaching and

communicating with students (55%) and administration (54%).


The main barriers to using the Internet were identified as poor

infrastructure – bandwidth, equipment reliability, accessibility (41%) and

the blocking/ filtering of Internet content.

The view that the Internet is important to the work that educators do was

almost universal (97%).

The opportunities and benefits identified for the use of Internet services

and tools for teaching and learning included the vast resources and

knowledge that can be provided to teachers and students, the ability to

reach people at the one time in multiple locations, providing students

with choice, the creation of vibrant learning communities, the flexibility,

accessibility and interactivity of this method, the use of shared resources

and importantly, having up to date resources.

Manuals, workshops, having an expert in each institution, databases and

online support were considered to be the main ways in which

professional support for online services and tools could be provided.

There was a range of levels of expertise identified in the current use of

ICT in working and teaching practices, as evidenced by the following

responses:

Proficient (36%)

Transforming practice (27%)

Emergent (24%

Foundation (7%)

Not applicable for my role (7%)

Awareness of edna stood at almost half (47%) of the educators

surveyed. Awareness of edna was higher among librarians, those

employed in primary and secondary school education, education

administrators and education advisors/ researchers. Conversely,


awareness of edna was considerably lower among those from the higher

education and adult and community education sectors.

Usage of the edna services was high among those who were aware of it,

as outlined below:

edna website (71%)

edna groups (32%)

edna email discussion list (19%)

edna syndicated content (8%)

Qualitative Summary Key Findings

Current use of computers, Internet, on-line services:

We have concluded from the sample of educators who participated in

this stage of our research – and from our broad experience conducting

other research – that there was widespread usage of computers and the

Internet among the sectors represented by these groups. Most had

computers at home, and used them for both professional and personal

reasons.

This generalised statement should be qualified by stressing that these

participants can be segmented as follows:

• Some “lived by” their computer and their use of the Internet, email

etc, and could not envisage operating effectively without them.

• At the other extreme, some (albeit a very small minority) resented

its intrusion into their lives and the way it had challenged the

supremacy of books!


• Some had accepted this technology, but were still wary of it,

lamenting that it had reached them late in life. They did not feel

confident using it.

• Most participants had embraced computer technology and the

Internet. It had enriched their lives, but some of these were critical

of its limitations, and were the first to say that one of the biggest

drawbacks to this technology was limited know-how among users.

The reasons for using computers and the Internet were varied among

these participants. On the one hand, they used them for administration,

communication and service delivery, and, on the other, most also used

them for research (in the broadest sense of this word) and for problem-

solving.

Several said they had not realised how much they and their colleagues

(and indeed the entire education system) depended on computer

technology until their system had totally broken down. The most

dramatic event which brought this home was when a TAFE college in

Melbourne had a major fire, and their computer system was completely

out of action.

Whilst acknowledging all this, there were a few who were keen to remind

others that the system were not infallible. Not everything you read on the

‘Net is true, they wanted to stress.

Some general concerns and reservations

It was clear that it is now assumed, and even taken for granted, that

educators at every level would have their own computers. Some (but by

no means all) of our participants were provided with computers at work

or access to a computer. Some – even fewer - were provided laptops to

use at home. Access to computers in schools and colleges seemed to

be very varied, and the same was true of the level of IT support they

received.


We heard of a school with 20 computers to be used by 12 different

classes, and of a typical classroom with a couple of power points (with

several extension cords and power boards running from them) and

maybe one computer for the entire class to share. On the other hand,

we also heard of a school in Murray Bridge, only seven years old, with

smart boards in every classroom and laptop computer suites for the

students. Whilst one school did not even have its own intranet, another

school went to the expense of subscribing to EBSCO for its teachers to

use.

Most seemed to accept that they would use their home computers for

work purposes, but some reported restrictions were placed on them

accessing from home the computer system at school or college. It

seemed to be almost universally taken for granted that educators would

have email facilities. We were told students’ parents seemed to assume

that communication with teachers would be by email.

At tertiary level, this is now virtually a pre-requisite of employment, since

all communications were through an official email address, and many of

the resources on which they relied to fulfil their task were on-line. On the

plus side, this enabled VET and university lecturers to work from home,

with less risk of being interrupted, although they were constantly

accessible to their students through their email virtually 24-7.

Some of the older participants seemed to be blinking in bewilderment

over the extent of the change that had taken place. They ruefully pointed

out that virtually no practical help had been provided, enabling them to

learn how to use computers and the Internet, nor how to search

effectively on-line. The biggest complaint voiced in this research by

participants in all sectors was that they did not have time to master these

systems.

“Time is the biggest barrier.”


Reasons for using computers and going on-line

As noted already, the main reason why most of the participants used

computers for their work was for basic administration and

communication. Most also cited a wide range of personal uses of their

own computers.

The computer and the Internet were vital tools for many participants,

especially for librarians and IT specialists.

Research was the reason why many participants used the Internet. In

most cases, this included basic problem-solving (how to answer a

student’s question, what do grasshoppers eat?), desperately looking for

ideas for a lesson the next day, generating ideas for student

assignments and projects.

Most encouraged students to use the Internet for research in class and

to prepare assignments. But this led many to highlight a problem, namely

to encourage them to search more selectively than simply relying on

Google, and to discourage them from sloppy borrowing of other people’s

ideas.

This led some participants to say that it was important for them to have

access to the software enabling them to identify cases of plagiarism by

their students. We suggest it may be an opportunity for education.au to

explore, whether to provide access to such a facility to its subscribers.

Whilst recognising the enormous benefits available to educators via the

Internet, some pointed out the problem they faced (especially in Catholic

schools) with so many sites on school computers filtered or blocked to

prevent access by students. This constituted a real practical problem for

educators in all sectors, especially in some subject areas, such as

medicine.


Several participants said they used sites on the Internet for professional

development purposes.

Some university lecturers delivered their courses and tutorials on-line to

off-shore clients. Whilst this worked well, there were problems for some

in the countries where their clients lived, due to frequent system failures

in the receiving countries, both power and system failure. This could

also be considered as an opportunity for education.au to investigate

further.

A couple of participants in these groups had already discovered the

opportunities open to them through on-line community groups.

How educators currently used the Internet

It became almost embarrassing for participants in these groups to

honestly answer how they currently made a search on the Internet. It

was virtually the same in each group.

Despite acknowledging its limitations, most admitted the first thing they

did was to Google. Some went on to admit they often selected

Wikipedia. Others professed themselves to be shocked – only to admit

sheepishly that they did the same thing, whilst telling their students not to

do so.

Whilst most automatically used Google (or Google Scholar or Blackle,

the Google energy-saving tool) as a starting point, others favoured

general search engines or other websites including Ask Jeeves,

Clickview, ANZRC, Ask Eric, Yahoo, Dogpile, Yahoo Answers,

Secondlife etc.

In public schools, computers usually provide a range of links or

programs, but they also impose restrictions as to what sites can be

accessed. Some schools have an IT person whose job includes


providing useful links for teachers. The TAFE network and individual

universities are more likely to have extensive databases.

Some participants said they relied on a range of professional

associations or subject-matter groups for links.

Word of mouth and personal recommendation were the source of

discovery of certain websites for many of the participants. Whilst

undoubtedly there was some degree of sharing of this information with

colleagues, it was noticeable that such cooperation and a willingness to

share seemed to decline further up the scale with an element of selfish

protection of sources, especially at VET and university level. This

seemed to be due partly to the more competitive nature of employment

in these sectors and to the “loner” nature of academics in these spheres.

Education-focused websites:

The websites of Government departments and agencies were used as

points of reference by several participants, including (in SA) DECS,

SACSA, SSABSA, SSONet and (in Vic) SOFWEB and Education

Channel.

National websites with an education focus mentioned by participants

included EBSCO, The Learning Federation, Clickview, Curriculum

Corporation, ANZRC – several of which were linked with NZ counterparts

Several mentioned websites associated with their own specialist subject

areas, e.g. PubMed, MedLine, Ovid, Scifinder, which were all mentioned

by educators in medicine.

Among the International websites they mentioned were Primary

Resources (UK), ERIC and TeacherTube (US) and Lab with Leo

(Canada).


When asked what they would like to see in an education-focused search

engine or website, they stressed the need for it to be regularly updated,

free of advertisements or sponsored sites – in other words something

without all the baggage associated with Google.

Some participants articulated their wish-list, unaware that their wishes

would be largely fulfilled by using edna.

“I often think if only there were a site to which teachers in the

public sector or in Catholic schools could go which was a

kind of central bank of links to useful websites which dealt

with different subject areas in schools.”

“If there was a specialist education on-line service that would

enable me to get what I want more quickly, I’d definitely use

it.”

Perceptions of edna and education.au

Apart from the Early Childhood Education group, in which awareness of

edna was relatively high, it has to be said that, at best, only two or three

participants in any of the other groups were aware of edna.

Awareness was greatest in groups from the earlier stages of education.

Several participants in other groups said the name “rings a bell”.

Those who had used edna were unequivocally enthusiastic advocates.

Several of the other participants in the groups which contained these

advocates became interested by their comments.

Reticence in other groups may have been due to the limitations of them

seeing the site for the first time and being taken through it by our

moderator, who was not familiar with it. That said, it was not his job to

promote the site, and participants were possibly viewing it in similar


circumstances to those who had discovered it by accident for

themselves.

First impressions of edna for many of these first-timers were ambivalent

and their comments included:

• There were criticisms of the website’s overall appearance. Some

said it was bland, wordy and lacking in colour and impact.

• Several commented that the opening page was too broad and not

sufficiently focused. It was suggested that each education sector

should open up with a precise summary of what was available,

perhaps with a “talking head” to introduce it.

• It was noted that there were limited basic instructions on how to

use the site, such as no explanation of the two methods of

searching.

We also noted ourselves, prior to running these groups, that it was not

possible to easily print the FAQ’s page. We also noted it was hard to

find cross-promotional links between the sites managed by

education.au.

Perceptions of myfuture

As with edna, very few participants were aware of my future. Yet, again,

some of those who were aware of the site were fulsome in their praise of

it.

“It’s quite a famous site actually. It’s advertised a huge

amount – don’t you recognise the logo? It’s mostly directed

at helping students shape their career paths. It offers

anything you could want to know about planning a career,

and it provides links to a whole range of resources,

especially training. It even provides power point

presentations to download and use.”


Several commented that it was confusing to know at what market the site

was actually being targeted – teachers or school students? Several said

it seemed to be like a job search site for teachers, and it did not come

across as an aid to teachers assisting others make their important career

choices.

One participant in a regional high school said he used this site as part of

the “Work Ed” classes he organised for students.

Marketing edna – general comments

The point has already been made several times that people who had

used the edna site were fulsome in their praise of it. Their enthusiasm

became infectious with other participants in their groups, to the point that

several expressed surprise, even to the point of becoming indignant,

about not knowing about it.

Some almost demanded to know why they had not been told about it,

either when they were at university or by the Government education

authorities which had overall responsibility for public schools and the

TAFE college.

This response is clear evidence of the enormous potential of edna: if

only they know about it and are informed about all the services it offers.

This also underlines the importance of word of mouth in promoting edna.

However, it is possible that an element of negative word of mouth may

have been having an impact on people’s attitudes towards edna.

Several said they were aware of it having been around for years. In

some cases, they had looked at the site years ago, and concluded it

wasn’t for them. These perceptions have not taken account of ant

improvements to edna in recent years – a fact acknowledged by several

participants.


One cannot rely on word of mouth. In some cases, the fact that edna is

so useful may be almost a reason for not telling others about it. We have

already noted that some VET and university lecturers are allegedly very

possessive about their sources. Word of mouth is not enough.

Others said education.au should target HPI instructors in the VET

sector and hourly paid staff in universities, precisely because they do not

have the benefit of shared experiences in the staffroom.

Conclusions and Recommendations

The conclusions and recommendations of the research are as follows:

The use of computers is widespread in both teaching institutions

and in homes.

They are used for research, finding resources, professional

development, administration and communication.

Awareness of edna, and the use of the services it provides, is

mixed.

We believe that the levels of awareness identified in the Online

Survey are somewhat elevated, as only those who have access to

computers would have been able to participate in the survey.

These findings are, however, clear evidence of the enormous

potential of edna: if only educators knew about it and were

informed about all the services it offers.

Given the ever increasing use and importance of ICT, we believe

that the demand for services such as these can only increase in

future years. This, however, underlines the importance of

promoting edna.


We believe this research strongly suggests that edna needs to be

re-launched and possibly re-badged.

The fact that it has “been around” for ten years supports the need

to give it a fresh look, and to encourage those who previously

looked at it, and failed to become users, to give it another go.

We suggest re-badging, because of the confusion the research

has highlighted both about edna and myfuture.

Who are these services really for – teachers, academics, students,

or those on the fringe of education? It is not clear in the

information about the sites nor in the sites themselves.

If education.au decide that these services are for “all of the

above”, including students, then maybe there should be a

separate, parallel website for students.

The comments from the groups suggest that young people would

not find these sites appealing, given their bland appearance.

It was very apparent that a considerable number of participants

lacked confidence in using modern technology, and many said

they did not know how to search, other than to Google.

This ties in with the feeling expressed by participants that it takes

too long to find what they want on the Internet.

They added that, with teachers under constant pressure, they did

not have the time to properly learn how to use the Internet. Most

seemed happy to muddle along.

This provides a perfect environment for edna to solve a number of

problems.

We believe that education.au should sell edna as a way of

fulfilling both needs – teaching its users how to search the Internet,

and, in so doing, saving them time – not least because edna did


not include the extraneous material provided by Google because of

its arrangements with sponsors.

Edna needs to be promoted to the key personnel in the education

sectors most likely to “spread the word” to others: to librarians, to

coordinators of subject matter or hub groups, to editors of the

school newsletter etc.

Most of all, Government agencies should be urged to use every

opportunity to inform educators in the public sector about edna

and myfuture.

We believe that the use of testimonials in this process would be

most useful – having real people stating what they use edna for,

what the benefits are and how it assists them in their day to day

activities would be an extremely powerful tool.

We also believe that in spreading the word, education.au must

make available the necessary resource materials available to

assist in the efficient use of these services.

This should include manuals, online FAQ’s, online forums and

even a helpline number if possible.


Online Survey Analysis

Length of Time Worked in the Industry

Those surveyed were asked how long they had worked in education.

The majority (85%) of respondents indicated that they had worked in education for at least five

years. The specific lengths of time were:

Less than a year (2%)

One to two years (4%)

Two to five years (9%)

Five to ten years (21%)

Ten to twenty years (29%)

More than twenty years (35%)

0% 10% 20% 30% 40%% of respondents

Less than a year

One to two years

Two to five years

Five to ten years

Ten to twenty years

More than twenty years 35%

29%

21%

9%

4%

2%

MTR (Ref: 8163)

Q1. How long have you worked in education?


Higher proportions of those who work in the government sector (36%), those who teach

primary school education (50%), those who live in a capital city (41%) and those from Western

Australia (49%) had worked in education for more than 20 years.

Those who worked in higher education (30%) were more likely to have worked in education for

five to ten years, while those aged 40 to 54 (35%) were more likely to have worked in the

sector for ten to twenty years.


Role in Education

Respondents were asked what their role was in the education industry.

More than two thirds (68%) indicated that they were an educator – e.g. teacher, trainer,

lecturer, tutor. Other roles included:

Educational administrator – e.g. principal, director, dean, manager

(10%)

Education advisor/ research – e.g. project or curriculum officer,

researcher (4%)

ICT administrator – e.g. web administrator, technical developer (4%)

Librarian – e.g. librarian, information manager (3%)

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%% of respondents

Educator (e.g. teacher, trainer, lecturer, tutor)

Educational administrator (e.g. principal, director, dean, manager)

Education advisor/ research (e.g. project or curriculum officer, researcher)

ICT administrator (e.g. web administrator, technical developer)

Librarian (e.g. librarian, information manager)

Student support (e.g. career counsellor, child care worker)

Other 9%

1%

3%

4%

4%

10%

68%

MTR (Ref: 8163)

Q2. What is your role?

Those who indicated that they were educators – e.g. teacher, trainer, lecturer, tutor were more

likely to work in the government sector (69%), early childhood education (89%) and vocational

education and training (76%).


Educational Sector Mainly Worked In

Those surveyed were asked in which educational sector they mainly worked in.

Approximately one third (31%) stated that they work in vocational education and training, while

a further 28% indicated that they work in higher education. Other responses included:

School education – primary (21%)

School education – secondary (7%)

Adult and community education (5%)

Cross sector (4%)

Early childhood education (4%)

0% 10% 20% 30% 40%% of respondents

Vocational education and training

Higher education

School education (primary)

School education (secondary)

Adult and community education

Cross sector

Early childhood education

Other 1%

4%

4%

5%

7%

21%

28%

31%

MTR (Ref: 8163)

Q3. In which educational sector do you mainly work?

Those who lived in capital cities (40%) and those who lived in South Australia (74%) were

more likely to name vocational education and training.

Conversely, those who don’t live in capital cities (43%) and those who live in New South

Wales (94%) were more likely to name higher education.


Government or Non-Government Sector

Respondents were asked if they worked mainly in the government or non-government sector.

The overwhelming majority (98%) indicated that they worked in the government sector –

government school, TAFE, public university.

Government sector (e.g. government school, TAFE, public university)98%

Non-government sector (e.g. Catholic or Independent school, private RTO or university)2%

MTR (Ref: 8163)

Q4. Do you work mainly in the government or non-government sector?

These responses were generally consistent among the groups surveyed.


Use of Internet for Work-Related Purposes

Those surveyed were asked how often they use the Internet for work related purposes.

The vast majority (85%) indicated that they use the Internet once a day or more.

Smaller proportions also named once a day to three times a week (11%) and twice a week to

twice a month (3%).

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%% of respondents

Once a day or more

Once a day to 3 times a week

Twice a week to twice a month

Once a month or less <1%

3%

11%

85%

MTR (Ref: 8163)

Q5. How often do you use the Internet for work-related purposes?

There were few variances to these responses among the groups surveyed.


Location of Internet Access for Work-Related Purposes

Respondents were asked if, when they used the Internet for work, do they access it mainly

from their workplace or their home.

The overwhelming majority (84%) or respondents indicated that they accessed the Internet

mainly from their workplace. The remaining 16% stated that they accessed it mainly from

home.

Work84%

Home16%

MTR (Ref: 8163)

Q6. When you use the internet for work, do you access it mainly from your workplace or your home?

Those who worked in early childhood education (53%), those who worked in primary school

education (28%) and those who lived in Western Australia (31%) were more likely to indicate

that they accessed the Internet mainly from home.


Use of Internet/ Online Services Weekly or More Often

Those surveyed were asked which of the following Internet/ online services and tools they

used weekly or more often.

Almost all (96%) respondents indicated that they used search engines (e.g. Google and/ or

Yahoo) weekly or more often. Other services named included:

Online communities – e.g. email discussion lists, web forums (45%)

Learning management systems – e.g. Blackboard, Moodle (39%)

Subject/ discipline databases – e.g. EBSCO, MedLine (33%)

Digital learning objects – e.g. Learning Federation objects, multimedia

learning sequences (27%)

News reader/ aggregator – e.g. Google reader, iTunes/ podcatcher,

blog lines (24%)

Blogs – as a reader or publisher (21%)

Podcasts – audio or video, e.g. iTunes (20%)

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%% of respondents

Seach engines (e.g. Google, Yahoo)

Subject/ discipline databases (e.g. EBSCO, MedLine)

Digital learning objects (e.g. Le@rning Federation objects, multimedia learning sequences)

Online communities (e.g. email discussion lists, web forums)

Learning management system (e.g. Blackboard, Moodle)

Social networking websites (e.g. Facebook, Linkedln, MySpace)

Blogs (as a reader or publisher)

Podcasts (audio or video, e.g. iTunes)

Social bookmarking (tagging/ rating of resources, e.g. del.icio.us, Librarything)

News reader/ aggregator (e.g. Google reader, iTunes/ podcatcher, bloglines)

Video sharing (e.g. YouTube, TeacherTube)

Other

None of the above 1%

26%

15%

24%

13%

20%

21%

18%

39%

45%

27%

33%

96%

MTR (Ref: 8163)

Q7. Which of the following Internet/ online services and tools do you use weekly or more often?


A higher proportion of those who did not live in a capital city indicated that they used online

communities – e.g. email discussion lists, web forums (54%) and learning management

systems – e.g. Blackboard, Moodle (49%) weekly or more often.

Those aged 55 to 64 (44%) were more likely to indicate that they use subject/ discipline

databases – e.g. EBSCO and MedLine weekly or more often.


Online Sites, Services or Tools Used Most Frequently

Respondents were asked to list the three online sites, services or tools they used the most

frequently for work related purposes.

The online service named most frequently was internet search engine software, particularly

Google and Yahoo. Other online sites, services or tools named included:

DET/ Institution Portals (Intranet)

Learning Management Systems – e.g. Blackboard, Moodle, Learning

Place and Janison).

A full list of these responses appears in Appendix 2.


Purpose of Internet Usage

Those surveyed were asked for what professional purposes they mainly used the Internet.

Specific responses were as follows:

Research – e.g. subject or discipline, education policy (83%)

Finding learning resources for your students (80%)

Professional development (64%)

Interacting with colleagues (61%)

Teaching and communications with students (55%)

Administration – e.g. assessment, reporting (54%)

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%% of respondents

Research (e.g. subject or discipline, education policy)

Finding learning resources for your students

Professional development

Interacting with colleagues

Teaching and communications with students

Administration (e.g. assessment, reporting)

Other 5%

54%

55%

61%

64%

80%

83%

MTR (Ref: 8163)

Q9. For what professional purposes do you mainly use the internet?

The main variances to these responses included:

Those who used the internet for research were more likely to work in

vocational education and training (89%) and be aged 55 to 64 (89%).

A higher proportion of those who used the internet to find learning


resources for their students work in primary school education (92%)

and live in Western Australia (93%).

Respondents who use the internet to interact with colleagues were

more likely to work in higher education (68%), be females (64%) and

live in New South Wales (70%).

A higher proportion of those who use the internet to teach and

communicate with students work in higher education (71%), live in

New South Wales (79%) and Queensland (64%).

Those who use the internet for administrative activities were more

likely to work in higher education (66%), not live in a capital city

(60%), and live in New South Wales (70%).


Barriers to Teaching and Learning with Online Technology

Respondents were asked what barriers they experience when using online technologies for

teaching and learning.

Those surveyed mainly named either poor infrastructure, bandwidth, equipment reliability,

accessibility of logins or permissions (41%) and blocking/ filtering of internet content (40%).

Other responses included:

Limited access to computers or internet connection (21%)

Limited confidence or expertise in the use of computer technologies

or software (20%)

Lack of relevant resources on the internet (12%)

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%% of respondents

Poor infrastructure, bandwidth, equipment reliability, accessibility of logins or permissions

Blocking/ filtering of Internet content

Limited access to computers or internet connection

Limited confidence or expertise in the use of computer technologies or software

Lack of relevant resources on the Internet

Other

None 22%

7%

12%

20%

21%

40%

41%

MTR (Ref: 8163)

Q10. What barriers do you experience in using online technologies for teaching and learning?

Those who work in vocational education and training (65%), those who live in a capital city

(45%) and those who live in South Australia (67%) were more likely to name blocking/ filtering

of internet content as a barrier.

Educators were more likely to name limited access to computers or internet connection (24%)

and limited confidence or expertise in the use of computer technologies or software (23%).


Importance of the Internet

Those surveyed were asked how important the internet is in assisting them to support their

work.

The overwhelming majority (97%) of respondents indicated that the internet was important to

support their work. Of these, 79% believed it was very important and 18% stated that it was

quite important.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%% of respondents

Very important

Quite important

Not important

Not at all important

Don't know/ not sure <1%

<1%

2%

18%

79%

MTR (Ref: 8163)

Q11. How important is the Internet in assisting you to support your work?

Those working in higher education (90%), those who did not live in a capital city (85%) and

those living in New South Wales (93%) were more likely to state that the internet was very

important.


Reasons for Opinions Regarding the Importance of the Internet

Respondents were then asked what were the reasons for their opinion.

The overwhelming majority indicated that the internet has become an essential part of their

daily activities. Most, if not all, of their work is based entirely on the internet or is heavily reliant

on it to support key functions of their teaching.

Comments which best described the level of importance of the internet included:

“I use it for almost every aspect of my work”

“I use it in order to keep up with today’s technology in the

working environment, and to interact with my students.”



Use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT)

Those surveyed were asked which of the following statements best describe their current use

of information and communications technologies (ICT) in their current work or teaching

practice.

More than one third (36%) described their current use as proficient – confident in use of ICT to

support learning outcomes. Other responses included:

Transforming practice – new ways of engaging students within and

beyond the classroom/ learning environment (27%)

Emergent – using ICT to support teaching and learning (24%)

Foundation – developing my ICT skills (7%)

0% 10% 20% 30% 40%% of respondents

Proficient - confident in use of ICT to support learning outcomes

Transforming practice - new ways of engaing students within and beyond the classroom/ learning environment

Emergent - using ICT to support teaching and learning

Foundation - developing my ICT skills

Not applicable for my role 7%

7%

24%

27%

36%

MTR (Ref: 8163)

Q13. Which of the following statements best describes your current use of information and communicationstechnologies (ICT) in your current work or teaching practice?

Those working in primary school education (45%) were more likely to state that their use was

proficient – confident in use of ICT to support learning outcomes.


A higher proportion of those aged 40 to 54 (27%) and educators (27%) described their current

use of ICT as emergent – using ICT to support teaching and learning.


Comments on ICT

Respondents were asked if they would like to comment on their use of ICT.

Almost all of those surveyed described their use of ICT as integral to every facet of their

teaching. Specific areas where the use of ICT was most commonly adopted included teaching

and interacting with students, researching new areas of study, and various administrative

tasks among staff.

A small proportion of respondents indicated that they did not have enough training or time to

develop their skills, in order to be comfortable with ICT technology.

Some quotes which best represented the thoughts and attitudes of respondents towards ICT

included:

“Critical. Can’t work without it. Education is no longer possible

without the use of e-learning and education technologies.”

“Internet is quick and immediate. It allows communication with

peers internationally, and allows me to search for information

very quickly.”

“Almost all of my daily activities are performed on the internet.

e.g. emails, searching online databases etc.”

A full list of these response appears in Appendix 2.


Opportunity for Teaching and Learning With Internet Services and Tools

Those surveyed were asked what they saw as the greatest opportunities in the use of Internet

services and tools for teaching and learning.

A number of different opportunities were identified by teachers regarding the use of the

internet. Many spoke about the advantages of providing students in remote locations access

to high-quality learning platforms through the use of broadband internet. Others indicated that

the internet presents opportunities to access a wide range of information in a short period of

time.

Additionally, teachers identified opportunities to stimulate the learning environment through the

use of the internet. Specifically, students would have the chance to learn in a more interactive

setting, and the internet allows teachers to present certain concepts in more interesting ways.

Specific comments that best represented these sentiments included:

“The greatest opportunity is to transcend traditional formal

education – people can engage with lifelong learning concepts

more easily.”

“The opportunity for people living at a distance from learning

institutions to be actively involved in a group learning

experience as well as individual interactive learning

experiences through ICTs e.g. multimedia tutorials, video

streaming etc.”

“Greater use of up-to-date information which can be obtained

almost instantly.”

“Assists in stimulating student interest and involvement in their

learning.”



Most Valuable Professional Support in Online Teaching and Learning

Respondents were asked what type of professional support in the use of online services and

tools for teaching and learning would they find most valuable.

The majority of those surveyed indicated that professional support would be valuable if it was

more flexible and not so focused on selling the product. Others also suggested the

development of effective online forums where teachers could share ideas.

Specific comments from teachers included the following:

“Being part of an online community that will provide practice

resources in curriculum areas.”

“Face to face workshops that address areas which are not fully

utilised at present.”

“More short professional development workshops with

developers of online services and tools. Not just a hard sell of

the product but an actual hands-on demonstration.



Prompted Awareness of EDNA (Education Network Australia)

Those surveyed were informed that EDNA provides a range of online services for educators,

and were then asked if they were aware of this service.

Almost half (47%) indicated that they were aware of EDNA, while 41% stated that they were

not. A further 12% did not know or were not sure.

Yes47%

Not sure12%

No41%

MTR (Ref: 8163)

Q17. edna (Education Network Australia) provides a range of online services for educators. Are you aware of thisservice?

Those who were aware of EDNA were more likely to come from the following groups:

Those employed in primary school education (69%)

Those employed in secondary school education (70%)

Cross sector employees (73%)

Female respondents (51%)

Those living in the Northern Territory (71%)

Those living in Western Australia (69%)

Librarians (78%)

Educational administrators (66%)

Education advisor/ researcher (71%)


Use of EDNA Services

Respondents were asked if they use or view any of the following EDNA services.

The majority (71%) of those surveyed indicated that they use the EDNA website – e.g. to

search or browse for education resources. Other services used included:

EDNA Groups – e.g. online communities (32%)

EDNA syndicated content – e.g. EDNA news headlines on another

website, RSS feeds (8%)

Other EDNA services (2%)

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%% of respondents

edna website (e.g. to search or browse for education resources)

edna Groups (e.g. online communities)

edna email discussion list (e.g. education discussion or distribution list, newsletter)

edna syndicated content (e.g. edna news headlines on another website, RSS feeds)

other edna service

None of the above 22%

2%

8%

19%

32%

71%

MTR (Ref: 8163)

Q18. Do you use or view any of the following edna services?

Those working in primary school education (83%) and those living in Western Australia (81%)

were more likely to use the EDNA website to search or browse for education resources.


Focus Group Analysis

Current usage of online services by educators

Our purpose at the start of each focus group discussion was to identify the extent to which the

participants currently used on-line services in their current roles, whether as teaching aids, for

research or professional development. How did they currently set about obtaining information

from the Internet especially?

Nearly all the participants used on-line services on a regular basis, both for their professional

and personal needs. In most cases, it was either assumed or required that they would have

access to a computer, both at work and (by and large) at home for communication purposes,

although access was often restricted for either security, privacy or for other reasons, such as

controlling access to “inappropriate” sites.

In nearly every group, there was an admission (a bit shame-faced in some cases) that the first

point of entry to the Internet for most participants was Google, and many of them also

admitted to using Wikipedia on a regular basis, although they added that this was usually only

“as a starting point”. Several participants used alternatives to Google, including some

specialist websites or search engines.

Early Childhood Education (Adelaide)

This group outlined briefly the extent to which they relied on their computer, the Internet and

on-line services.

• The director of a kindergarten used it all every day.

• A school carer looked after children before and after school, and they

used computers, but the staff did not have one for their own use. “It

would be good to have one.” She had a computer at home and

regularly used the Internet.


• A supervisor in a fitness centre which had groups of children using the

facilities said she had access to the Fitness First site at work, but she

did not have a computer of her own.

• A teacher/librarian said, “I live by computers and the Internet. I

couldn’t cope without them.”

• A pre-school teacher had access to a computer and the Internet in the

office, using it on a daily basis, mainly for emails, and to research

material for her activities with the children. It was also used

extensively for administration and communication. “We send out a

regular newsletter.” She admitted to being new to this technology.

“I’m a computer immigrant, trying to embrace the new technology.

The more I use it the better I understand what it can offer.”

• One participant said she had intended to retire from the teaching

profession, but had failed. “I keep coming back. The work I do now –

resource-based learning - involves daily use of the computer. I love

it.”

• A Junior Primary teacher, teaching a composite of Years 2 and 3 said

the computer was also part of her daily life, in and out of the

classroom. “We have two computers in the classroom and a digital

camera for the children to use, but not the Internet. We have an IT

class once a week in the computer room. I’ve had some experience

of smart board technology, which is absolutely brilliant. It should be in

every school. I have the Internet at home, which I use for my

preparatory work.”

• Another Year 2 Junior Primary teacher said there was a computer

outside her classroom for the children to access. “I use the DECS

site mainly, and share pages with my colleagues, whenever we find a

good one. I use it to help me plan my lessons. I’m very conscious of

my limited knowledge how to use it properly. I’m not into blogging or

anything like that.”

We asked the group if they thought that other teachers and people involved in different

capacities used the Internet as much as they said they did.


“I’d say so. It’s expected that you will do so.”

“You can’t really operate effectively without using computers

and the Internet, especially email.”

One of the participants said that every teacher in her school was issued with a laptop. Others

were both surprised, and clearly envious.

Not all of them were so enamoured with using the Internet.

“It takes up so much time.”

“I try to avoid computers as much as I can. I hate them. I use

the Internet very occasionally to find information I need.”

We asked them to indicate the extent to which they used the Internet to advance their

professional development and for other needs of this kind.

“I needed to know whether there was an established ratio of

numbers for a crèche. I Google’d and got the information I

needed.”

“The Internet is very good for on-line training. I use it to update

my information about matters relating to professional

development.”

Some spoke about the DECS website.

“I wanted some information about speech pathology. I

accessed the DECS sites, and found the links I needed.”

“It’s a useful site, with information about jobs.

One of the participants volunteered that she regularly used edna.

“I go into edna for this kind of information.”


Primary schools (Melbourne)

This group briefly outlined the extent to which they currently used on-line services.

• A teacher used the Internet every day, but said she wasn’t highly

skilled with it.

• A Grade 5 teacher used the Internet fairly regularly, mainly to

research for lessons and planning curricular activities. This teacher

also added that he was not highly skilled with computers.

• A teachers’ aide said she used the Internet quite a lot, but did not feel

she was very highly skilled in doing so.

• One participant used the Internet mainly for her own professional

development.

• A teacher said she went on line for a range of resources, and found

the UK sites to be the most useful, mentioning Primary Resources

and Woodlands.

• A deputy principal from a non-government school said she used the

Internet as much as possible, but highlighted that her school was not

well-equipped with computers, with only 20 for 12 classes to use.

“They’re in constant use, and we use whatever on-line services we

know of that can be useful.”

• A curriculum coordinator said she had two computers which were on

all day and in regular use by her, the staff or the children.

• A teacher-librarian used the Internet a lot to help staff and students

develop their skills in research.

Several spoke of using the Internet extensively for a wide range of reasons, including

organising their travel, booking seats etc.

Most indicated that their main resource for all kinds of information was Google.


“I use Google but discourage others from doing so.”

The time factor was mentioned.

“The trouble is that teachers are under so much pressure, you

really don’t get time to explore what’s available on the Internet.

When I make the time, I get a lot of useful stuff out of it.”

“We share information about good and bad websites.”

Secondary Schools (Adelaide)

This group briefly outlined their use of the Internet.

• A maths teacher in a private school said he was a moderate user of

the Internet for professional purposes, and relied on a number of sites

he had found useful. He also used his computer at home, but not to

any great extent.

• An art teacher said he regularly set assignments for his students,

including digital design, for which they used computers in the

classroom. He used the Internet to buy books and to access

specialist art sites, including galleries.

• A teacher librarian in a middle school said she was always using the

Internet for background research on a range of issues, and that she

belonged to an on-line community comprising school librarians.

• Another participant was also a librarian and said her school

subscribed to Ebscocope, which she described as a very valuable

resource. “It’s better than Google, although at $3,000 for the

subscription, it’s very expensive.”

• A classroom SSO, who also worked in the library, said she did not

have much to do with computers, “but I assist the children to get the

most out of them.”

• Another SSO said she helped students with their research on the

Internet.


• A special education program coordinator said she used the Internet

extensively for staff training on issues relating to disabilities. She did

not use any specific sites, relying mainly on Google for her searches.

We asked this group to what extent they were provided with the necessary resources to

enable them to accept on-line services in their schools.

In most cases, these participants had provided their own computers.

“It’s essential for your work, but schools assume you have your

own.”

“At least you can claim it against your tax.”

Regional Primary & Secondary Schools (Murray Bridge)

This group comprised people from different sectors of education. They gave us a snapshot of

their roles and of their use of computers and the Internet.

• A teacher at the local high school taught social studies to years 8-11.

For history classes he relied a lot on his research on the Internet. “It’s

very useful for gathering information for my lessons. I always look for

new approaches.”

• A Special Education teacher tried to encourage older children to do

their own research, but she commented they often felt overwhelmed

by the amount of material on the Internet.

• An administrator in the school library used the computer and the

Internet a lot, mainly for cataloguing purposes, but also to help

students do their research.

• A deputy principal of a high school said he did not use computers or

the Internet much for his classroom teaching, but it was “on all day” in

his office. “It’s vital for communication with other principals, district

leaders and so on.”

• A teacher spoke of the value of using a smart board in the classroom.

“I use it for topics and to prepare lesson plans.”


It came across fairly strongly with this group that computers were not used a lot within the

classroom. However, several made it clear they used it extensively in other ways for

professional purposes.

The deputy principal spoke about its value to him for communication purposes.

“There are so many issues where you need to get input and

advice from your colleagues in other schools. It could be union

issues, or matters relating to OHS, or how to find new staff. We

regularly have chat sessions about things you wouldn’t want to

be in the public domain. Also I value the fact that, when you

email instead of phone, you have a written record.”

Some used video conferencing, although one said “it hardly ever works properly.”

VET Institutes (Adelaide)

This group outlined their current use of the Internet and on-line services.

• A lecturer used it to obtain information for students doing their course

work.

• A library technician used the computer all the time, for email, Internet,

research source material for staff and students, resources for

purchasing. She explained there were eight TAFE libraries, each of

which tends to specialise in certain areas. It is part of their role to

load useful links on to the TAFE intranet.

• An IT coordinator, who also teaches on-line, spoke of the “massive

support” he obtained from a range of websites he accessed regularly.

“I’m about to start a course with 20 students all over the place,

because I couldn’t get enough locally to run a course.”

• A lecturer said that Google was the most popular search engine with

his students, adding that he relied a lot on Government websites and

links.


• A lecturer in aged care said she only used the Internet to obtain

information relevant to aged care and health issues.

• A lecturer, specialising in IVEC foundation courses and English as a

second language, said she used the computer and the Internet a lot.

“But I don’t use it much as a resource when planning my lessons. I

rely more on books I get from the library and which I have in my own

library.”

We asked these participants if they felt they were sufficiently resourced by TAFE, in terms of

access to computers and the Internet for professional purposes.

“Not really. If only we were given the resources to match the

opportunities that are available on the Internet. We need the

right hardware.”

“If anything, you find barriers put in your way. TAFE has an

extensive policy of blocking certain sites, or any site which has

certain key words. I was amazed to find that an established

writer had been blocked, simply because she was once

described as a sex writer – which she isn’t. When that

happens, you can ring IT to get it unblocked, but it takes hours,

and it’s really frustrating if you’re trying to get something you

need for a class.”

VET institutes (Melbourne)

All these participants had computers at home, and accessed the Internet. They outlined their

roles and the extent of their usage of on-line services.

• A co-ordinator of youth projects said he used the Internet a lot for

researching projects for his groups.

• A teacher of 16-19 year-olds said he did the same, using on-line

services and websites to assist in the projects he organised.

• A teacher of arts and communications said she used it all the time.

“I didn’t realise quite how much I did use it, until there was a major fire

at our institute, which brought the whole place to a grinding halt.”


• A teacher of hospitality did not like the Internet, preferring to prepare

her classes and projects by using what she gleaned from other

sources, including relying a lot on other teachers. “The Internet takes

up far too much time. I prefer books. I only use it for email, because I

have to.”

• One of the participants was working closely with refugees, helping

them to make the most use of the Internet.

• A coordinator of school-based apprenticeships relied on email for his

communication, but was fairly reserved in his comments about the

value of the Internet.

We asked if it was assumed by their various institutions that they had their own computers for

communication purposes, or if they were provided with access to computers at work. Was it

also assumed they all knew how to use computers? It was clear this question touched a raw

nerve for some.

“It is assumed you can use the computer – it has become a pre-

requisite almost of working in further education, but no one has

made any effort to ensure that teachers know how to use

computers.”

“It’s harder for those of us who are employed on a part-time

basis. We only have a limited amount of time for which we’re

paid, yet it’s expected we can take on these additional roles and

functions in our own time – like learning how to use the

Internet.”

“The truth is you can’t operate effectively, unless you know how

to use a computer. It’s true of staff and students.”

“You get parents ringing you about something, and they take it

for granted that you can email material to them, and lots of

suppliers are the same. No one even offers you their mailing


address these days.”

Whilst some said they had access to computers, several commented that the physical

resources available to staff were minimal.

“In a typical college there will be two or three rooms with

computer facilities, but they’re always booked out for IT classes,

so other groups have very limited access.”

Higher Education (Adelaide)

This group outlined their current use of the Internet and on-line services.

• An HR administrator used email and the Internet for various

administrative and communication purposes. “We’re currently looking

for tracking mechanisms to handle things like enrolment processes.”

• A lecturer at university who also had her own business, specialising in

law, was totally reliant on on-line services, since she delivered her

course on-line, as well as tutorials. “We put a range of materials on

the university portals, and students all over the world can download

them. I do a lot of work from my home office. I come and go at uni all

the time, so my contact with the staff and students is via the Internet

and email. It can be a bit of a challenge.”

• A support officer in a school of psychology said she handled a wide

range of administrative areas, such as travel, finance and so on.

“There has been a total change of culture at universities the way we

all operate. You cannot study or work at uni nowadays with being

totally tied up with the Internet and via your email address.”

• One participant was a tutor for indigenous students, working one-to-

one. “I see myself as an end-user, and help students access on-line

resources. We all rely extensively on the university website and

database. It constitutes an enormous change since the time I was at

uni.”

• An academic librarian said she used the Internet to handle


• acquisitions and for cataloguing duties. This involved maintaining the

catalogue and obtaining access to other bibliographic databases.

• A lecturer at the School of Education at Flinders University said he

maintained face to face contact with students, but that he also relied a

lot on the range of on-line services provided by the university,

including email. “Our university portal is quite extensive, and lecturers

and students have access to it. All our administration and

communication are handled on-line. You’re just expected to use it –

no option. It means devoting half an hour each to checking through

emails, and you’re expected to maintain constant contact with your

students via their email addresses. Training and professional

development is also all on-line. The good thing for me is that I can

work from home three days a week, which means remaining largely

uninterrupted. You can achieve a lot more that way.”

• A medical researcher at the university divided his time with work he

did at the Repat Hospital. “A lot of my time is involved with guest

lecturing, writing articles and other material. This obviously requires a

lot of research, but there are some frustrations. Even though we’re all

supposed to be reducing the amount of paper we use, we have to

produce 20 hard copy versions of everything. Also, you can’t process

the ethics application on-line.”

Whilst some said it was a pity they had less face-to-face contact with students and their

colleagues, there were some advantages.

“You get to know individuals better when dealing with them

face-to-face, but dealing with them on-line and in print format

means you have to be more concise and to the point.”

We asked if they felt they were adequately resourced by the university, in terms of equipment

and access to on-line facilities.

“You get good IT support – in my case for the coursework I

have to deliver on-line. It’s all done for me.”

“If you’re full time at uni then you have access to all the on-line


facilities, but it can be a problem if you work at home. You only

get limited access to everything.”

“They say it’s all aimed at reducing paperwork, but that’s

nonsense.”

What search engines and websites did they regularly use, we asked them. Most admitted

they used Google a lot.

“It’s not enough to just Google, of course, but it goes some way

to getting you on the right track.”

“You have to use a selection of on-line tools. But Google is a

good start.”

“It’s often all the students end up using.”

“Wikipedia is also widely used.”

There were gasps of astonishment over this admission from a couple of the participants, whilst

others smiled with embarrassment.

Higher Education (Melbourne)

This group outlined their roles and their use of the Internet and on-line services.

• A senior lecturer delivered lectures and projects on-line.

• Another did the same, with most of his clients off-shore. However, he

was experiencing problems with delivery in some countries because

of poor electricity or phone systems. “We’re in limbo. We have to find

a different way of doing it. We are able to do on-line delivery of units

in this country.”

• A marketing manager for a university used the Internet and on-line

services for communications, mainly with prospective students.

•


• A librarian said with enthusiasm that she was delighted to have

access to computers and the Internet. “I love the technology – when

it works! Being on-line is integral to my work. Sometimes, we’re

swamped with communications.”

• One of the participants was both a university lecturer and a

pharmacist in a local hospital, and said he used the Internet a lot.

• Another participant was in medicine, researching and doing a Masters

degree. “All the course work is on-line. I don’t even go to libraries any

more. I rely totally on the Internet.”

• A lecturer worked primarily with postgraduates, and did a fair bit of on-

line teaching and tutorials, including clients overseas.

When we asked to what extent use of the Internet and on-line services, including email, was

mandatory in their roles.

“It’s virtually a pre-requisite of employment.”

“Everything is on-line – the official handbook, policies and so

on. Students can only enrol by going on-line.”

“The trouble is the university assumes everything is going to

work smoothly, but in reality the system goes down and items

get lost.”

All of them in fact had computers at home, and some were provided with laptops by the

university, because of their requirement to use its on-line services.

“If you work in the university sector, it’s assumed you’ll have

your own computer and an email address, although you get

given a university email address, which you have to use for all

communications.”

“The university website is included on the laptop and this directs

you to certain other sites.”


“If you’re not given a computer, then some universities will give

you a package to include on your home computer.”

We asked what search engines they used when researching on the Internet and most of them

admitted that they usually used Google.

“I use Google but tell my students not to do so.”

“The quality of response with Google is very variable.”

“It’s because companies pay to be pushed by Google.”

“I never use Google with so much rubbish you get. I prefer the

library.”

“It’s better to use Google Scholar.”

Some argued that Google could be used effectively.

“You need to know how to use the search facility.”

“You become adept at sifting out the rubbish.”

“You use Google to find a site that you can rely on.”

Some of them admitted that they were not very proficient in their use of the Internet, or indeed

with computers and other forms of modern technology.

“You could say my generation has missed out. Young people

are totally on top of all forms of digital technology, and they’ve

left us behind.”

“The trend these days is for instant results. Young people don’t

want to go to the library – they want it now.”

“The problem is knowing what’s worthwhile and what’s not.”


“And it all takes time.”

When we asked the group about their use of the Internet for research purposes and for

preparation of materials for teaching or course delivery, some referred to a broader picture

which impacted on this.

“One of the difficulties facing universities now is the

Government’s policy of research quality framework. It has

encouraged universities to channel its resources into research,

which has implications on the priority attached to other

activities.”


Adult and Community Education (Adelaide)

This group comprised a wide variety of people involved with adult education. They outlined

their roles and indicated the extent to which they relied on computers and access to the

Internet.

• A retired principal currently provides adult fitness classes. “I use the

Internet on a daily basis for a variety of reasons, mostly to research

issues relating to health and fitness for the aged, as well as dietary

matters.”

• The manager of two public libraries said her staff used the Internet all

the time.

• An environmental educator dealt a lot with school groups and used

the Internet for research and to communicate with schools. “I monitor

lots of websites, and link them with ours to keep my clients informed

about these issues.”

• A retired teacher said he was a volunteer financial counsellor, dealing

mainly with people who get themselves into difficulty over their

household debts. “I use a lot of Government websites and those of

financial institutions, partly to help my clients plan their finances

better. Most of the people I deal with can’t afford their own

computers, but mine is essential for me.”

• An employee of the Police Department (an ex-teacher) explained that

she was involved in training members of the service. “I use the

Internet for a whole range of administrative functions, and to liaise

with outside lecturers. I am constantly researching on training

methods, and I subscribe to various on-line journals. When I’m

searching for information, I use Google.”

• Another retired teacher was a volunteer lecturer with University of the

Third Age, who also coordinated its program of activities. “We don’t

get any funding, so our use of the Internet is limited, though we do

have a website.”

A social worker said her job was teaching people who are “mandated


notifiers” how to report people they suspect of being responsible for

child abuse.

• A physiotherapist provided an exercise program involving the

supervision of others, the organisation of tutorials and larger staff

discussions, including an in-service session for nursing staff. “I use

the Internet for communication with the students and the lecturers, but

especially for research to ensure I’m up to date with all the issues.”

• Another social worker worked with disadvantaged people on the

fringes of society, including “disengaged” indigenous youth – “kids on

the two strikes and you’re out type of list”. He also taught Y11

students on coordinated geometry. “I use the Internet to prepare

tutorials.”

• An IT consultant did a lot of work for community centres, and said she

used the Internet to research material for her classes.

We asked these participants how they set about conducting research on the Internet. All of

them said they used Google, although some said they also used other search engines or

specialist websites.

“ANZRES is a good search engine. You don’t get as much of

the crap you get when you use Google.”

“I use the links on the Families SA website.”

They seemed to know about Google’s limitations.

“It hasn’t got total integrity.”

“A lot of the sites it lists have been sponsored in order to come

up first.”

“It is riddled with paid advertisements, but you can work the

system to your advantage if you concentrate, and it does

actually lead you to some really good websites.”


“The limitations of Google are more to do with the limited

knowledge most people have in trying to use the system.”They

were also aware of the limitations of Wikipedia.

“Anyone can make a contribution to Wikipedia or amend entries

made by others. But, despite that, it’s often a good starting

point for research, but you would never reference it in an

academic paper.”


Perceived needs of educators in relation to on-line services

We asked the group participants what were the main drivers which prompted them to use the

Internet for professional purposes. Were there any needs which were not currently being

fulfilled by existing on-line services and search engines?

We asked them how they set about fulfilling these needs. Did they have any preferred search

engines, websites or other sources of information which they used regularly?

We also asked them if there were any barriers to their use of the Internet for their professional

needs.


For participants in this group, the Internet came into its own when dealing with why is grass

green? types of questions.

“With this age group, you have to be prepared for any kind of

spontaneous question for which you don’t know the answer.”

“I was asked today what does a grasshopper eat? I went to

Google and was overwhelmed with all kinds of sites, but it was

very hard to find the one that would give me the answer.”

Some admitted that they had problems making this kind of search.

“It’s not easy to get what you want by using the Google search.”

“You have no know the techniques for advanced search.”

Did they have favourite websites, or did they use specialist search engines.

“You gradually build up a bank of sites you regularly use.

Someone tells you this is a good site, and you put it among


your Favourites.”

“A lot of it is down to word of mouth.”

“I found out about edna at a workshop for librarians. It

interested me, and decided to go to a workshop specifically

about edna.”

They listed a range of sites they used for a variety of reasons, including education, and they

included SACSA, DECS, Career One, SSO.

Some said they hesitated before using some websites.

“The frustration is you find a good site, but discover you have to

subscribe. It’s not just the cost I resent, but the fact they want

me to put my credit card details on-line, in order to subscribe.”

Several participants indicated in their response to this comment that this was a significant

barrier for them to using such sites.

We asked what other barriers there were to their regular use of the Internet.

“Poor communication is the real problem. I’d never heard of

lots of the sites being mentioned.”

“You stumble across some websites by accident, and discover

they are just what you need.”

“I came across one site which was aimed at student teachers

who have to prepare their lesson plans. It was wonderful.”

We asked them if there were any gaps – on-line services they would like to use if only they

existed. One of the participants unintentionally enunciated the role played by edna, without

realising it actually existed.

“I often think if only there were a site to which teachers in the

public sector or in Catholic schools could go which was a kind


of central bank of links to useful websites which dealt with

different subject areas in schools.”

One of the other participants responded.

“That’s precisely what edna is all about.”


We asked these participants how much importance they attached to the Internet as a resource

for their own professional needs.

The websites they used for education-focused research included webquest, Learning

Federation, SOFWEB and the Education Channel. They commented as follows.

“Learning Federation is fantastic. It offers interactive contact,

and it’s engaging.”

“Our school computer gives us access to SOFWEB, which is

the State Government Education Department website. It has

some great stuff.”

“The Education Channel is also a Government website.”

“The trouble with Government websites is they block so much

stuff, and some sites are only available for a fee. The

Government used to let teachers transfer school computer

programs on to their home computer, so you can work on the

sites from home, but they tightened it up.”

“Some schools allow you to do that. They get 20 site licenses,

which offers a fair bit of access from home.”

One of them then made reference to edna. However, most of the other participants had not

heard about it. One participant had heard of it, but had never looked at it. We cover their

reactions in the next section.



Most of these participants agreed with the simple statement made by one of them that

teachers could not operate effectively in schools today without their own computer and access

to the Internet.

They used a wide range of websites.

“We have Clickview which is a paid site. It enables you to

create your own websites, but you need to have the right

hardware and cabling.”

“For my art students, I often have problems because of the

school’s filtering systems, but I find Getty Images is very good.”

“The Curriculum Corporation is very useful.”

They often referred to Government sites and those of the educational agencies, such as

SABSSA and SSO. Other sites they mentioned were more subject specific, like Graphics

Calculators and sites recommended by the Maths Association.

“It’s important to keep in touch with changes in technology,

because it’s always on the move.”

What barriers did they perceive which made it difficult for them to use the Internet effectively

for professional purposes?

“Finding time is the biggest problem. It can take an hour or

more to find what you’re looking for,”

“There are tremendous positives about the Internet, but lots of

limitations.”

“If you don’t know how to use the search engines properly, it

can be very difficult. Students don’t know how to use advanced

search on Google.”


Some also had some concerns about potential abuses arising from use of the Internet.

“There’s a kind of blind belief that anything we see on the

Internet has to be true. People attach far too much value to

sites like Wikipedia.”

“Students regularly use chunks of material from items on the

Internet in their essays, which is of course plagiarism. We have

to pay quite a lot for the software that helps to filter this out.”


We asked these participants how they obtained information from the Internet for educational

purposes. Several laughed when responding – almost in unison.

“Google.”

“It’s so comprehensive, you’re bound to find something useful.”

Some had reservations about the true value of relying on Google.

“The kids get overwhelmed by how much stuff they get.”

“They can’t handle it.”

“It’s like Wikipedia – one of the main sites you get whenever

you Google – it’s not monitored objectively.”

“On the other hand, using the school computer means that lots

of sites get filtered, so they’re actually encountering a block on

the information they are seeking.”

One of these participants said he had looked at the Learning Federation site on a number of

occasions.


“It was set up by the other States as an education resource,

and I’ve found it very useful. Being Australian controlled, it is

very relevant to what we’re doing with the students.”

Others spoke of obtaining ideas and resources from other interstate websites, which were of

some benefit to them from a teaching perspective.

“The fact they are from interstate means I have to make some

adjustments to suit the South Australian curriculum, and I have

to alter some of the language used, but other than that they are

terrific sites.”

Several said their school had an intranet which listed a range of useful sites and other links for

them to use in the classroom.

“It’s the school’s own IT person who puts these sites and links

on the school’s intranet.”

It became apparent that not all schools in the area had this level of commitment to the use of

the Internet..

“Several schools in the area don’t have an intranet at all, of it

they do, it’s half-baked and therefore not used by the teachers.”

“It seems to be an all or nothing situation – either you’re into it

in a big way or not at all.”

Some warned about the pitfalls of being reliant on the use of the Internet.

“It has to be properly managed.”

“We have to monitor the kids so they don’t access inappropriate

sites.”

They also highlighted the disparity between schools in terms of the computer facilities they

had which affected their access to the Internet.


“Some of our schools are using old computers with inadequate

programs.”

“Our school operates on different operating systems, Apple or

IBM, which makes it hard for them to communicate with each

other. It’s basically down to what each school can afford and to

the priority they attach to these things.”

“A typical classroom in our school would have just two power

points, and several power boards plugged into them through a

variety of extension cords. It’s not only a safety hazard, to be

frank, we had to have the whole system upgraded to be able to

handle the increased use of power.”

“I sometimes think the only way you can get what you really

need is for the school to burn down, so they can start all over

again.”

This sardonic comment was confirmed by another participant from a non-Government school.

“Our school was opened seven years ago, so it’s relatively new.

We’re fortunate in that we have smart boards throughout the

school and several laptop computer suites. Plus the fact we

have a young staff means we’re fully attuned to modern hi-tech

needs.”

We asked this group if this picture of schools was typical of other regional areas.

“Our school is linked to a number of schools in the Murray

Darling Basin region, and the picture varies enormously from

school to school.”

“Some schools have smart boards in every classroom, and you

have other schools where there’s only one computer per

classroom, which the students have to share.”

“Several schools don’t even have a dedicated computer room.”


“In Murray Bridge, the schools are not too bad, but the number

of students who would have access to a computer at home

would be very low.”


Several of them spoke about the benefits they derived from discovering useful websites and

on-line communities.

“I’ve found problem-solving resources, and on-line communities

with whom you can interact. It’s great to know you can

communicate with people in a different environment, interstate

or even overseas, who are dealing with the same issues of

concern as your own.”

“It’s amazing what can be done. A famous French

choreographer did a master class on-line, and our students

participated. There was a problem in sorting out the time

differences, but it worked.”

We asked if they encountered any problems or barriers when endeavouring to use the Internet

to its full potential.

“The biggest need is to learn how to search properly on the

Internet, and not simply relying on Google, which is actually not

reliable. People don’t realise that the first items which come up

from a Google search are sponsored in some way. Most

people get frustrated when they can’t find what they’re after,

and often give up by the end of the third page.”

When we asked the group if there were any websites or on-line services which they perceived

as being especially valuable for educational purposes, the IT coordinator immediately

mentioned edna. His comments are noted in the next section.


Other useful sites mentioned in this group include Teacher.tube and Lab with Leo.


We asked how they set about using the Internet for professional purposes, such as doing

research on a project. Their near-unanimous response was “Google.” Some were clearly

embarrassed to admit this, but others were quite happy with it.

“The more you use it, the more you get used to it.”

“It all comes down to how well you can use it.”

“If there was a specialist education on-line service that would

enable me to get what I want more quickly, I’d definitely use it.”

“Provided it’s regularly updated, and that it’s not supported by

advertising in the way Google is.”

We asked if they felt there were any barriers to them using on-line services effectively.

“The lack of any help on using the Internet to assist you

professionally. Sure, we’re provided with a work station, a desk

and a computer, but no one ever spends the time to take you

through the college website. You just have to work it out for

yourself.”

“I’ve had to teach myself.”

“You’re lucky if you’ve been able to do that. I’m not too bad, but

all the time you see people really struggling with the system,

and they’re always asking others how to do this or that.”

“When you do start exploring, you find a huge amount of

duplication. The intranet has some useful links, but you tend to

develop your own favourites. What disappoints me is that other

members of staff seem so protective of their own favourites,

and don’t share them.”


“Plus you find that websites are for ever changing and

reinventing themselves. It’s hard to keep pace.”

It was clear that many of the participants in this group had struggled to adjust.

“You asked about barriers. In my opinion, time – or the lack of it

– is the biggest barrier.”

We asked if they would respond well to being told about an on-line service that would save

them a lot of time when searching for educational material.

“I’d like to know about such a site, but I’d also want to know if it

was being regularly updated.”

“And preferably that it’s not a sponsored site.”

“And that it’s free.”

We asked this group if there were any specialist on-line services which they used for

education purposes.

“Yes - Ask Eric. It’s American, but it offers a terrific world-wide

library, which is especially good for VET issues.”

“Jet is good for information about apprenticeships.”

A couple of them referred to OTTE, the State Government information source about tertiary

education.

We wanted to know if any of them was a member of an on-line community group. None of

them was actively involved in an education group of this kind, but some had accessed groups

for other purposes.

“I used a group that owns the same make of car which I own,

and asked them for some information. I got just the feedback I

needed.”


“There are lots of groups like that which can be very useful.”


We asked these participants if they referred regularly to any search engines or websites which

catered specifically for the education sector.

“Google Scholar is a bit more focused than Google itself.”

“We have some links on our university database. I discovered

MedLine on it, which has proved to be very useful.”

“The interesting dilemma, seeing you’ve asked this question, is

how much you are prepared to divulge about the websites you

use. Certainly, as far as the students are concerned, there is a

case to be argued that they should find these sites for

themselves, rather than having us spoon-feed them.”

Other sites they mentioned with an education focus included the Education Network, and

PubMed, another medical site.

We asked if any of them had heard of edna, and a couple said they had. We deal with that in

the next section.



None of these participants said they relied on any specific educational on-line service,

although some had their own specialist favourite sites, such as (for those involved in medicine)

sites like Scifinder and Ovid.

“Most universities use sites like those.”

Some of these participants indicated that they relied initially on the websites provided through

their own university.

“One program they provide enables us to check our students’

work for plagiarism.”

Those who delivered their lectures and tutorials on-line were full of praise for the help and

support they received from their universities.

“All I have to do is present them with the materials and they put

it all together for me.”

“We have a coordinator who helps you put it all together.”

Some universities were more open than others in terms of allowing access to their various

sites – even to outsiders.

“I was quite surprised when I discovered that one university

offers open access to a range of documents on their website,

relating to teaching, learning, marketing and so on. Our

university would maintain this as closed material for certain

university staff only.”

We asked if any of them was involved with any on-line communities in the education sector.

Only one was involved in an actual community, but others used the Internet to communicate

with their counterparts..

“I chair a group of 60 pharmacists throughout Australia. We


share our experiences about certain issues, partly medication

but also other issues.”

“Mine is more of a one-on-one contact with individuals in a

group of common interest – mostly by email.”

We asked the group if any of them was aware of edna, and none of them spoke up, although

one later said he thought edna provided useful services.

“It provides various services to different sectors of education.”


We asked if they used any on-line service which specialised in education.

Some used the sites of the Government agencies and various associations representing their

field. One mentioned ANTA.

“It has a whole range of useful sites, and it enables me to

download material for the various projects I’m working on, and

the modular format of their material is ideal for devising

lessons.”

Some said they used Wikipedia. One participant said Microsoft itself was a good starting point

for information about training.

We asked if any of them was part of an on-line community, adding a brief description of what

was involved.

“I’m part of a group, but I never go to it, because it’s not very

active, and it’s a waste of time.”

“If there was a really active group in my field of social work, I’d

love it. I deal in such sensitive cases, having a discrete group

would be fantastic – how to deal with certain challenges, relying

on the experience of others. It would be awesome.”


“I’m not a member, but a visit a lot of on-line gaming

communities, because they are excellent examples I can show

my clients how they could make it in life.”

“For my teaching I would love to be able to use 3D Studio

Maths, but it costs over $6,000. I can’t afford that, so I use

open source software, which is free, but it doesn’t offer the

same as I would get with the real thing. A bit like Wikipedia in

that sense.”

One of the participants referred to the State Government Education website.

“The trouble with it is that it takes just any teacher to suggest

that a site be included, regardless of whether it is actually

valuable or not. There’s no filtering or proper evaluation. It’s

why I stopped using it.”

When we asked if any of them had used, or heard of, edna, there were several nods.


Perceptions of edna

We tried to ascertain whether the focus group participants were aware of edna without

specifically identifying that this was the primary object of this research. In most groups, only

two or three participants had heard of, or had used, edna. In some cases, none of the group

participants had heard of this service.

We wanted to ascertain to what extent the participants perceived the value and relevance to

them of edna, and whether they thought it supported their professional development, or if it

might do so, were they to start using the service. We asked if it had the capacity to save them

time when seeing information on-line, and what other benefits might accrue to them from using

this service.

Given that so few of the group participants had used edna, it was of course hard for some to

offer an opinion about its value to them. We showed them the website, and took them through

some of the initial steps they would take when using the site for themselves, inviting them to

nominate topics that they might pursue for their own interests.

We should stress that this process was inevitably of limited value in terms of “selling” the

system to them, which indeed was not our purpose. However, it elicited reactions from most

participants.


As noted in the earlier sections, one of the participants in this group said she had used edna

on a regular basis, and said she assumed others had also done so. We asked the group if

this was so, and two/three indicated that they had used the edna service occasionally, with

others thinking they may have done so. One participant knew that it was a service that was

funded by the State and Federal Governments. Only one participant in this group said she

had never heard of edna.

“Using edna is a quick way to get to the relevant websites

you’re after.”

“Their link is on the home page of our school computer system.”

“The name rings a bell. I’m not really sure if I’ve used it.”


We introduced the website to the group, and invited one of the participants, who used it

extensively, to demonstrate how it worked. She explained that the sites to which edna led

them were not created by edna, but that it was simply a pathway to a range of useful sites for

teachers.

“You’re not swamped by the kind of junk you get, when you use

Google.”

Most participants were seeing the site for the first time, and it was obvious from their reaction

that they were very impressed with it. They had several questions.

“I want to know why I haven’t seen this before. I’m fresh from

uni. I can’t believe no one told me about this site.”

“How long has it been around?”

“Have all schools got access to it? Can I access it at home?”

When told it had been established ten years ago, some expressed even more surprise they

had not heard of it before.

“I’ve not seen a website like this before.”

“Nor me. If I had, I would have used it, that’s for sure.”

“We use it in our school. The teachers are encouraged to do

so.”

Those who used the site said they had found it quite user-friendly. One said that, as a

consequence of using this site, the school now received a regular mailing of a newsletter from

edna relating to Early Childhood Education.

“We find it very useful, because it gives you current news and

any new websites or links that are worthwhile.”



As noted earlier, one of the participants in this group referred to edna, when they were asked

what sites they used for educational purposes. She was enthusiastic about it.

“It’s a site run in South Australia with federal funding. They set

up a whole range of web pages, which are dynamically

updated. They are very dedicated people who run it.”

One of the participants said she would be interested to know if edna provided information and

resources for professional development.

“There’s not enough PD on most of the sites I’ve seen. Unless

it’s a case of not knowing how to use it.”

“The problem is that most teachers are not skilled sufficiently in

using sites like this.”

The enthusiastic user of edna reiterated how helpful the staff running edna had been.

“They will come and talk to groups of teachers for free.”

This participant took the group through the main features of edna, and showed them how it

linked with a wide range of sites of interest to educators in the primary sector.Some had

questions as to who was running edna, and whether access to it was free.

“It seems to be a bit like Google. Does it ensure that the most

popular sites get listed first?”

“There’s no advertising on edna, like there is on Google, and no

pop-ups.”

Some wondered if it was intended to be used by students.

“Our students are not allowed to use Google, so it would be

really good if they were allowed to use this site.”


“The trouble is they would take one look at the site and go yuk!

It’s much too boring for them.”

“It needs to be more visually aesthetic.”

“There’s too much for them to read on a page.”

Some thought edna should focus on the needs of educators, and that it should not also seek

to provide a service for students.

“Making it more visually appealing to them would detract from

its value for teachers in its present clean format.”

“Maybe there ought to be a kids-friendly version for students.”

Several of these participants said they would be checking edna at the first opportunity.


Given that none of these participants had mentioned edna up to this point, and that no one in

this group acted as advocate for edna, we took them through the opening pages of the

website. Only a couple of them said they had actually heard of it, seen or accessed the site,

or knew what it was.

“I think we may have accessed it, but I’m not sure.”

“I used to, but it has changed a lot from when it first started.”

One of these participants took exception to the claims made on the edna website.

“It says that edna is the leading on-line education resource. I

think that’s a bold claim, and I’d question it, based on what I’ve

seen of edna.”


We invited participants to suggest topics they might want to research, if they were using the

site themselves.

“I’d home in on areas relating to my subject area.”

“I’m really only interested in library issues, It was actually when

I went to a conference about libraries that I heard about edna. I

don’t think I’ve seen any mention of it anywhere else. They

need to do more to market it.”

We followed the suggestions made by individual participants to find some subject areas, and

the results were variable, which did not enhance the value of the website in the eyes of some.

Our moderator explained that he was not there to sell the service to them, nor was he a

proficient user of the website.

“That’s the issue for me. If I was sitting in your chair, I’d be in

exactly the same situation as you, exploring how it works, and

frankly I’m not impressed.”

“I would have switched off by now, given we were not able to

find what we were looking for.”

“Using the Google advance search would have produced a lot

more.”

Not all of them were as critical as these comments might suggest, with some saying that they

had problems exploring any new website.

“Time is of the essence for me, and I don’t give up the amount

of time that is needed to get on top of new websites.”

The librarian in this group said she had been attracted to it when edna was first introduced.

“When it first came out, a few years ago, I took the time to look

at it, but I didn’t think it produced enough information that was

of use to me, so I’ve not really bothered to look at it again.”


We asked these participants how they felt edna could be improved to meet their needs and

expectations.

“I’d be interested in finding examples of students’ work.”

“I’m always looking for ideas on how to make my lessons more

interesting, so ideas for that would be good.”

“I’m currently putting together some creative ideas for the Y10

and Y11 maths exams. I’m always looking for something

different, so maybe I’ll be able to find something through edna –

I’ll try later.”

“The trouble with the Internet and with Google is that so much

of the information you find is America-focused, especially in the

education sphere.”

Based on their limited exposure to edna, one of them said it seemed to have the same

problem as Google.

“The topics it has thrown up seem to be very broad. In high

schools, we have to be much more focused, much more

specific.”

“In the public sector, it has to be tied in with the current

curriculum.”

Some of these participants added their final comments in an apologetic way.

“I’m sorry to be blunt, but the fact is the website is very boring.

It’s all one colour, it’s very wordy, and it’s not very inviting to

delve further.”

“I noticed that when you put the curser over an item, it doesn’t

seem to show a strong highlighting feature.”


“You will only stay on a site if you find it easy to navigate, and if

you’re really drawn into it. I don’t get that feeling with edna –

sorry.”


For some of these participants, when we asked them if they knew about edna, it was the first

they had heard of the organisation.

Only one participant said he had actually looked at the website.

“I couldn’t work out where to start – what was I meant to do. In

fact, I was not even sure who it was for.”


As noted earlier, one of the participants – a specialist in IT – mentioned edna when we asked

if there were any websites or on-line services which were of benefit to them as educators. He

immediately offered the following positive appraisal of the service.

“It’s potentially an unbelievable resource for teachers if they use

it properly. It’s a sharing facility. It offers great information and

provides forums. It has got a lot better in the last few years. It

used to be very basic as an information resource, but it’s much

more interactive now. You can ask for help and teachers come

on-line and respond. It enables you to sign up to courses on-

line.”

A couple of other participants were also aware of edna, but had not used the service.

“I’ve looked at it, and I’ve been getting emails from them or

about the service – I’m not sure.”

“I saw it four or five years ago, and I wasn’t impressed, so I’ve

not looked at it since. I gather it must have made progress in

that time.”


Two other participants, including the librarian, said they had heard of it but that was all,

although one of them volunteered her belief that edna was run by someone who used to work

for TAFE..

Some reacted positively to what they had just heard.

“It could be really good for English as a Second Language. I’ve

used the website known as Dave’s ESL Café, which provides a

lot of basic material for lessons. That’s what I look for all the

time.”

“The nature of my work with IVEC – numeracy and literacy and

basic stuff like that – I think this could help me too. It’s all down

to communication.”

We explored the site with this group, with some suggestions from the IT coordinator.

Participants made the following comments or asked questions.

“Is it free?”

“If it’s funded by the Government, and we’re part of TAFE, how

come I didn’t know anything about it?”


We asked these participants if they had heard of edna, and one or two said that the name

“rang a bell”, but none of them knew much about it. Once we had told them more, they

seemed impressed.

“The fact that it is free is good.”

“I’d love to use it.”

“I’ll be on it tomorrow.”

“I’ll definitely have a look.”


“From what I’ve seen, I’m really excited.”

We tested the system by keying in some topics suggested by the participants, and the

participants seemed pleased with the results.

“If we had typed school-based apprenticeships into Google, we

would have been swamped by loads of outdated sites.”

One of these participants had been highly sceptical earlier in the discussion about using the

Internet for educational purposes, but now said she had changed her view.

“I’ll definitely give it a look. I only needed to be told about it.”

“It will be through word of mouth that people discover a service

like this.”



Given that it was not mentioned by any of them spontaneously, we asked this group if they

had heard of edna. A couple of them said they had heard of it, including a lecturer at a school

of education, who spoke very positively about it.

“It’s a wonderful site. It provides an interactive point of contact

for teachers in specific subject areas, but in different parts of

the world, to communicate with each other. I joined a forum

and it is really useful.”

“When I was a school teacher, I used edna for administration

purposes. At our Education School, all our ancillary staff have

been trained to use it. They have an excellent Help Desk and

their support services are very good. It’s a wonderful resource

if you can’t think of anything to do the next day. I used it as a

Year 7 science teacher. It provides so many leads.”

We showed the participants the website and asked for their reactions to it. They were not

immediately responsive, when we asked if they thought it might appeal to them.

“It needs to be better promoted.”

“The best people to do that would be the education schools.”

When a similar question arose later in the discussion, some had doubts about the real value to

them of edna.

“I’m not sure if has much more to offer than Google Scholar.”

We asked if they knew who managed edna, and no one knew. The only suggestion was that

it might be run by DECS.


What did they think edna could offer educators in higher education?

“One practical thing would be to provide a forum for hourly paid

staff. There’s a lot of people who aren’t attached solely to one

university, but who work for different institutions. Edna could

become a focal point of contact for them.”

It was pointed out that HR departments at universities might welcome this from their own

points of view, both individually and collectively.

This group concluded their discussion about edna on a more general note.

“If this website is going to be of any use to me, it has got to tell

me how to obtain a grant, how to write a paper, how to give a

lecture.”

“It also needs to be a lot more inviting. It looks very dry to me.

Why doesn’t it start with more of an introduction to the whole

service, and even a talking head in each education sector.”

“The site is a bit bland, I have to say, but I wouldn’t want it to be

one of those that takes ages to download, if it seems to have

too many bells and whistles.”


As noted above, none of these participants had used edna nor of education.au, but a couple

had heard of edna.

“It provides a range of services to different sectors of

education.”


A few of these participants said they had heard of edna, whilst others went a little further,

saying they had actually seen it. However, their knowledge of it was sketchy.


“Well, I’ve heard the name.”

“I was at a conference when they did a presentation about it.”

We asked participants to tell us what they knew about edna.

“It provides access to a wide range of education sites.”

“Five years ago, when I last looked at it, it was more of an

education industry site. It covered the entire sector, primary,

secondary, tertiary, and it had the resources to enable it to

stretch across the board.”

No one knew who ran edna, but some were aware of how it was funded.

“It’s funded by the Education Departments.”

None of them had used edna to any great extent.

“I did when I was teaching eight years ago, but it has changed a

lot since then.”

They were all appreciative of the fact that edna was a free service, and stressed it should

remain free, but one participant did raise some questions about this.

“It’s obviously a good thing it is free, just so long as this doesn’t

limit its potential. There may be an argument in favour of

introducing a modest fee if this might enhance the service.”

“The problem with having to pay for an on-line service is you

don’t know if you’re going to get value for money, no matter

how reasonable the fee might be.”

We asked what they thought of the site, and their comments were mixed.

“It’s OK.”


“It’s got a lot on it.”

“It’s a very clear and self-explanatory site – very Government-

like.”

“It looks legit, which is an important factor.”

We asked what were the potential benefits to them from a service like edna.

“Just the fact of being able to access sites I might not discover

through other means. I think it would help me enormously

when dealing with the lower income people who constitute most

of the people I help with financial counselling. I shall certainly

be exploring this further.”

“It would be useful to find out more about the training programs

for the police that they use in other States.”

“I will certainly be telling my library staff to explore it further.”

“I’ll be seeing what it can do for me in the work I do with people

of Non English Speaking Background.”

“I’ll be looking at it more carefully, because you can only assess

something like this when you see the detail and experience it in

practice.”

We tested the system for NESB, and several useful sites were listed.


Perceptions of education.au and other services it provides

We asked the focus group participants if they were aware of education.au and what they knew

about it.

We also asked the participants if they were aware of myfuture, which is also managed by

education.au.


None of the participants in this group could recall having accessed either the education.au site

or myfuture.


None of these participants was aware of education.au and did not recognise it when we

showed them the website.

“Unless you know about it, it’s not the sort of website you’d

come across.”

“They seem to be using Eastern states language – key learning

areas is not a phrase we use in SA.”

None of them had been aware of myfuture either. We asked them what on-line sources they

used to further their information about professional development issues and career

opportunities.

“It depends what sector you’re in. If you teach in the public

sector, then you rely a lot on information and advice provided

by DECS.”

“The private schools tend to rely on newspaper advertising.”

“Plus there’s word of mouth.”


We asked these participants if they could see any opportunities for education.au to help them

in any way from a professional perspective.

“The trouble for me is how you get to know about it in the first

place.”

“It’s not helped by the fact that secondary schools are

notoriously bad in passing on information. A lot of stuff comes

in, but is put straight in the bin.”

“Maybe they need to involve people like us in devising the

content of these websites. Do they involve teachers in this

process?”


We asked these participants what on-line services they or their students used for information

and guidance about career development.

“There are several Government sites – Federal and State – set

up to help people with their job search enquiries. Some provide

advice on matters relating to the qualifications they need for

certain jobs, how to develop a resume, and other related issues

when looking for a job.”

“There’s a site our students have to use to sign up for OHS

issues.”

“The Jobs guide site is one of the main sites they use. We find

they have often found the key sites before they even come to

talk to us.”

Some spoke about the “Work Ed” classes they run at their schools.

“We get these students to do their own research about the kind

of career they want.”


“Some of them will simply use Google, and wait to see what

comes up.”

We told them about myfuture, and one or two of them indicated immediately that they were

aware of this site.

“It’s the site our students use to sort out their OHS

requirements.”

“Students doing the Word Ed course would use this site to

develop their portfolio, which they have to establish to progress

from Year 10 to Year 12 and on to tertiary education.”


We showed this group the education.au website, and asked them if they were aware of it.

Some of the participants in this group said they had heard of education.au, but did not know

how, nor indeed did they know much about the organisation.

“I mean – what’s it all about?”

“It’s not very clear to me what this site is all about.”

“It needs some explanation.”

“Why would I bother to access it?”

There was a similar reaction from these participants when we showed them the myfuture site.

One of the participants was aware of it, and seemed surprised that others did not recognise it.

“It’s quite a famous site actually. It’s advertised a huge amount

– don’t you recognise the logo? It’s mostly directed at helping

students shape their career paths. It offers anything you could

want to know about planning a career, and it provides links to a

whole range of resources, especially training. It even provides

power point presentations to download and use.”


Despite this comment, most said they had never heard of it, but were impressed by the

powerful advocacy from this individual.

“High school teachers use it in preference to Job Guide.

Students are able to get all the information they want

reasonably quickly. It’s a site that’s destined to only get better.

It’s a really good tool for you to make presentations to the staff.”

By now, others were becoming enthused.

“I can see its potential for student counsellors.”


None of them knew about education.au, but some had heard of myfuture.

“I recognise the myfuture logo, but I’ve not actually visited the

site.”

“I think it’s advertised on TV.”

“The name suggests it’s a job search site. If you’re not looking

for a job, why would you visit it? It needs better branding in the

light of what you’ve said it is actually for.”


When discussing the management of edna, we showed this group the education.au website,

and asked if they were aware of the organisation. None of them seemed to know anything

about it.

We showed them the myfuture website, and asked if they had been aware of it. Some said

they had known about it.

“It’s a good resource for young people to find jobs. It has

fantastic lists of various contacts, advising them what to do in

order to qualify for specific careers.”



None of these participants had heard of education.au nor myfuture.


None of these participants was aware of either education.au or myfuture – not even the two

who were familiar with edna - although the myfuture did “ring a bell” for some.

“I think it came up when I did a Google search for a jobs site.”

“There’s a similar site aimed specifically at the over-40s wanting

to get back into the workforce.”

They liked the overall impression of myfuture.

“It’s nice and clear.”

“It looks like it has been designed for teenagers, which is good.”

“It seems to be limited to Australian content, which is also

good.”


Communications issues

Given the low level of awareness of education.au, edna and myfuture, among these

participants, we asked how they thought awareness among educators within their own

fields might be increased, with a view to engaging them and encouraging them to use these

on-line services. To whom should marketing material be directed, and through what other

means might these services be better marketed?


Given the earlier almost indignant reaction of some participants in this group that they had

not known about edna prior to this group discussion, we asked them how they thought they

should or could have learned about it.

“The school librarian.”

“Does DECS mention it on its website?”

“That would be of no use to us. We’re not linked in any way

to DECS.”

“They should put a poster in every staffroom – something big

and bold.”

One of those who knew about edna said that the service was advertised from time to time.

“But I heard about it at a librarians’ workshop.”

One of them explained why she thought it was that so many teachers were likely to be

unaware of edna.


“Even if you hear about something like this, you just don’t

have the time to go exploring the Internet for sites like this.

We are under such time pressure there’s no chance to do

this research. But maybe that’s what the people behind

edna should be

saying – that it is a way of saving time when you are on the

Internet – use edna not Google.”

These participants said the most effective means of communicating the value of edna was

through word of mouth.

“There’s nothing better than a work colleague telling you

about it.”

We asked the group what other means of communication would be effective.

“Get it mentioned in the school newsletter.”

“Accessing the various hub groups. We have one for

teacher librarians. We meet once a term on a regional

basis. That way, instead of just reaching one school, they’d

be communicating with a dozen or so.”


Whilst some said that information about edna should be sent to the IT specialists in all

schools, others pointed out some difficulties with this.

“They tend to be a bit of a law unto themselves. A teacher

can put in a special request for programs to be included on

the school system, but if the IT person doesn’t like the site –


regardless of whether it may have some good educational

potential for the students – their word seems to be final on

the matter.”

“The trouble is it’s all so haphazard trying to promote

awareness of a service like edna. It could be the IT person

in one school, the principal in another or the curriculum

coordinator in another.”

“The librarian definitely ought to receive information.

However, we have the same problem you were talking about

earlier – IT rules.”

We asked them specifically what would be the best way of communicating information

about edna to them.

“Not my email – we get too much already.”

“It’s the same with stuff sent in the post.”

“The best is face to face or at conferences.”

“Invite us to stay on after school with afternoon tea and

cakes.”

The enthusiastic advocate for edna in this group urged others to ask the management team

of edna (she specifically named Sue and Kerry) to come and talk to their staff.


They suggested education.au should promote itself and all its services at the annual

Education Show which is held at the Exhibition Centre. They also mentioned the value of

education.au participating in specialist conferences which take place every year, such as

VITTA and specialist ICT meetings in Victoria.

Some suggested publications and other media they thought should be used for advertising,

including Australian Teacher, Education Age, Education News, Education Times and

Catholic Education.


Most of the participants in this group had heard very little about edna, and few knew more

than a perfunctory amount about the service.

The two who knew most said they had heard about it by attending conferences or

workshops.

“I heard about it at a library conference.”

“I’m from an independent school, and I go to meetings a lot

with teachers from Government schools, and I’ve often

heard them talk about edna which led me to assume it was a

service only for public schools.”

Others had become aware of edna through other means.

“At the start of the year they send information to schools. It

usually goes to the principal, but I think this kind of

information ought to be sent to the school librarian.”


“Or to the curriculum heads or coordinators.”


We asked these participants how they thought education.au should promote its services,

including edna, to them.

“A presentation to groups of teachers.”

“Come and talk to us during our T & D sessions after

schools.”

“Either school by school or through the cluster groups of

schools.”

None of these participants had seen 3C or the on-line newsletter 60 Seconds.


Most of the participants in this group were hearing for the first time about edna,

education.au and myfuture in this focus group discussion. Several were surprised they had

not been told by TAFE.

“I feel like a goose for not knowing about all this.”

“Is there a link to edna on the TAFE home page or our

intranet? There ought to be a link.”

They suggested that the primary point of contact with their own colleges would be via the

librarian.


“Our librarians are absolutely wonderful. You go to them for

help, and they immediately ask have you tried this? If they

know about edna, everyone will eventually know about it.”

“It ought to be fed into the work group meetings each

department has.”

“The people at edna should contact the education managers

at TAFE who regularly organise conferences.”

Several mentioned the power of word of mouth.

“In general, people are quite helpful, and will happily pass on

useful links to others. But there are cases – less than there

used to be – where people in VET will get very protective

about ideas or plans they have developed for themselves.

It’s partly due to the dynamic of contract work for TAFE. I

was approached to provide some lesson plans for a book. I

thought it was a great idea, but discovered others refused to

give up plans they had developed. Needless to say, the

book never appeared.”

Some pointed out that hourly paid instructors (HPIs) were often not in the normal loop of

communications within TAFE.

“We have virtually no resource support within TAFE – no

computers or anything. We’re not even given access to the

TAFE intranet.”

We told the group about the provision of an e-newsletter from edna to those requesting it,

but some were sceptical about this.


“You’ve really got to want something like that for it to be of

any use. We all get so swamped with emails and other

communications, it is very hard to keep up with them all.”

“To me, a service like edna is something that will meet my

needs now, at the moment I’m looking for it. It’s how we use

Google. Someone asks a question, you Google to get the

answer.”


These participants believed strongly that the main vehicle through which educators would

learn about edna would be the Government and its various education agencies.

“All our VET Institutes are part of TAFE, which is

Government-owned, so you’d think that a Government

sponsored website like edna would be actively promoted by

the Government. For that reason, I don’t understand why

none of us knew about it.”

“The problem is that when you rely on Government to

communicate, there’s a lot of filtering of information – often

unintentional – and it just does not get through.”

“With something like edna, the Government ought to feel

obliged to do more to get the message out, but it clearly

hasn’t done so.”


Rather than become too outspoken, one of the participants admitted wryly that it was

possible that the message had been promoted, but that he and others had just not picked it

up.

“I have a strong feeling that I will go into TAFE tomorrow,

and the first thing I will see is a poster about edna, and I’ll

discover that it has been there for years, but that I haven’t

noticed it.”

“The trouble is we are subject to information overload.”

We asked through what outlets or media they thought the message about edna could be

effectively conveyed.

“The Government OTTE site. If there’s something you need

to know about VET, it’s usually the first place you go to

check.”

“Conferences are usually a good promotional opportunity for

edna to promote itself.”

“We also have various cluster groups for schools, which

means edna can be promoted to several schools at once.

One of them has an annual Expo which involves 100

schools.”

“The Education Supplement in The Age is a useful media

outlet. It hangs around in the staff room for a while.”


One of the participants said that edna should be positioned as part of the vital PD programs

which were so important to teachers.

“It’s the sort of information that can be easily promoted on

the intranet within each Institute. What they need to do is

contact the Co-ordinator of these intranets.”

We asked if edna could be promoted to the VET sector as a vehicle for on-line

communities.

“It’s definitely a good way to reach individuals through other

people in the same chosen subject area.”

“That’s true to a point, but we are all a bit sensitive about

protecting our sources, although we rarely avoid the

temptation to brag about what we’re doing. It’s a mixed

picture expecting your peers to help you.”

None of the participants had seen the promotional material 3C nor the on-line newsletter 60

Seconds.

These participants made the following suggestions about the best way to promote edna to

them.

“They should send people out to talk to groups of teachers.”

“Edna could easily be promoted through in-service training

programs.”

“TAFE is a key stakeholder in all of this.”


“And don’t forget keeping the libraries informed. They are

vital to the way others in TAFE are informed about these

sorts of things.”


Given that their awareness of edna had been minimal, we asked these participants how

they thought it could be promoted within the higher education sector.

“The only way to draw people in is to offer them something

they think is actually useful – it’s acting as a bait. Only then

would you start to browse.”

“Promoting the service through its blogs is a good idea. The

Primary Principals Association has a blog. If any member

wants to raise an issue, all the other members are aware of

it. No names are used. But the responses are very useful.”

We asked to what extent word of mouth among their colleagues would be a factor. Were

they, by nature, a caring and sharing group? There was a mixed reaction to this question.

“Students are very generous in sharing information about

their favourite websites.”

“My experience is that my colleagues let others know if they

have found a useful site.”

Not everyone seemed to share this general perception.

“Lecturers and staff tend to get stuck in our own silos.”


“We are all in different departments, and sometimes it’s hard

to meet others working in the same area, even in the same

university. We’re very insular. You see someone in the lift,

and discover only later that he or she is in your own

department, but on a different floor. What we need is

personal contact – not just on-line. The best contacts I’ve

made with colleagues have been in the local pub, when I’ve

discovered by accident that we are work colleagues.”

“If on-line connections can lead to personal contact, that

would be great.”

“Universities don’t provide any sense of community. We

need to make an effort to stay in touch with each other.”

We asked if the university library provided the kind of leads they needed, and whether it

was the best vehicle through which to promote edna.

Attitudes to this varied.

“The library is not so much a physical facility, more of a

database.”

“I think contact with the library is of critical importance to

anything we do as lecturers, and the same is true for

students.”

None of them had seen the promotional material for edna, nor the on-line newsletter.


We asked these participants what was the best way for education.au to communicate with

them.


“Through the librarian.”

“Decisions about what goes on our university website are

taken higher up the chain.”

“The managers of teaching and learning in the faculties are

the ones who suggest to academics which are the best sites

to use, where the information you want is to be found.”

“But they’ve also got to reach out to us as individuals. We

do tend to be loners at universities.”

We were told about the ways in which universities are now teaching their own staff how to

teach.

“It’s required of all new staff at uni’s to do a Graduate

Certificate in Higher Education, which has a strong focus on

on-line teaching. It could be very useful for edna to be

promoted through that medium.”

“Universities have been surveying their students for

satisfaction ratings, and a strong message has come back

that they need to address the quality of lectures and

tutorials, and there’s been a strong emphasis on improving

the standards of teaching at university.”

“Many academics do not have a teaching background. They

come in from their disciplines which is why the GCHE has

become so important, and it will eventually affect all


academics. It’s more than just providing hints on how to give

a lecture, preparing a decent lecture plan or how to do a

power point presentation. Education principles and the

differences between surface learners and deep learners.”

They stressed that each university operated differently from others.

“Every university has its own priorities and ways of doing

things. The curriculum is different from one university to

another, even

for the same subject. They’re not working towards a

common aim or according to the same standardised plans.”

They were emphatic that word of mouth would be the most likely way in which most of them

would be introduced to a service like edna.

“If an academic you trust recommends edna, then you’ll try

it.”

“That counts for a lot more than the fact that it is funded by

the Government.”

However, once again, a major caveat was voiced.

“One of the areas where you’re likely to find yourself in a bun

fight in universities is an obsession of some academics over

their intellectual property rights. This can mean that a

professor will refuse to put things on a blackboard or provide

notes to be posted on a website.”


“We have discipline-based groups in which the whole culture

is one of competition. Academics are loners by definition,

and consider they work better on their own, and are

therefore very reluctant to adapt to any type of group

involvement. We’re encouraged to collaborate, but

promotion within the system is based on your individual track

record. Academics are very protective of their sources.”

“There’s a real need for a change in this attitude, but until

this has occurred I think edna will be struggling to find a

market in universities.”



Several of these participants expressed surprise that they had not been aware of edna.

“I’m really surprised I haven’t seen it before, especially as

my wife is still a practising teacher. You’d think it would be

better publicised.”

“The trouble is that, after a while, teachers get set in their

ways and stick to what they’ve always known and done. The

subject matter rarely changes, so they can’t be bothered to

find new resources.”

“DECS ought to be promoting it through its own learner well-

being program.”

“Education News is a good advertising outlet for edna.”

None of these participants had seen the publications 3C and 60 Seconds. Some indicated

that they would consider subscribing to the latter, once they had become familiar with the

website.

As to how education.au should promote awareness of edna and other services to those

involved in adult and community education, most suggested making better use of

Government websites, especially given that their own activities were closely linked to a

number of Government agencies.

“Families SA have their own train the trainer program, and

this would fit in with that.”


“There are lots of sites listed by various Government

agencies, to which edna ought to be linked.”

Questionnaire for branding purposes

Each focus group concluded by asking the participants to fill out a short questionnaire,

which very briefly covered many of the points raised during the focus group discussion,

including their awareness of the on-line services, their awareness of the various logos used

by education.au for its own branding and that of the services it provides, and for their

awareness of publications produced by education.au.

They were also asked to indicate what were their main sources of information for

education-related topics.

educators and ict - connecting repositoriesproportions were education administrators, education...

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