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Using technology

Use technology to deliver and enhance the learning at home experience for students and communicate with your school community.

What technology is for

When it is available, staff, students and even parents can use technology to support learning from home.

Adopt technology to be more efficient or do something you can’t otherwise do. Computers, tablets or smart phones help people do three things:

  • Investigate – find, manipulate and evaluate data and information.
  • Create – produce a new product or plan. Often this is a response to the conclusions of an investigation.
  • Communicate – deliver or receive information.

To enhance the learning experience with technology use it to personalise learning for students and to connect students to learning opportunities they are not otherwise able access.

Our partnerships help teachers and students collaborate, share, and communicate with technology as part of the learning environment.

Students and teachers can access innovative technology solutions to enable learning anywhere anytime. The department works with technology vendors to offer standard commercial software and custom-built learning tools. Avoid using software or platforms from other third parties unless you have a need that department tools can’t address.

Use the resources and links below to support learning with technology.

To use technology for learning at home access and the ability to use available technology is required.

Access for learning at home

Schools can loan access devices for use when learning at home. Read how this might be achieved on Digital equity. Provide learning delivery options for students who do not have a computer or the internet at home.

Student who have internet and a computer also need access to school or department learning platforms.

Ensure students know their department password and how to reset it through the student portal.

Delegate Educational Management Utility (EMU) access to teachers via the Principals Access Management Utility (AMU) so teachers can reset student passwords. Make sure teacher know how to use EMU to reset student password.

Support students to use Google Classroom or Microsoft Teams or other school learning management solutions.

Learn to use

Getting started with technology is a how-to-guide for teaching with G Suite for Education or Microsoft Office 365 and contains short demonstration videos on how to get started.

Get started on the Digital Learning Selector. The Selector contains information about DoE provided and other popular learning technologies. On each learning tool card find links to teacher identified professional learning.

Department staff and Stage 6 students can freely access a wide variety of training on LinkedIn Learning.

Complete department provided teacher professional learning to use technology on the Learning on demand technology page.

Lessons using video conferencing

The department supports a variety of technologies that allow a teacher to connect with students using video conferencing. Follow the guidelines to support schools using live video with students (PDF 234KB). The guidelines have been developed to ensure all people involved in the video conference are safe and privacy in the home is maintained.

Self help and collaboration with teachers

Read frequently asked questions about the major platforms schools are using to support learning from home:

The Technology for Learning T4L website is continually updated. The T4L team produced a special edition of magazine.T4L with a focus on taking your classroom digital and have created a great page of curated resources from vendors that the department has agreements with.

Department teachers can get and give support through peer to peer discussion about learning from home and using online platforms in the Learning from home Yammer group. Join the Statewide staffrooms for curriculum specific information and support.

Lessons using telepresence

In some situations where individual students are unable to attend school (including for health reasons) a telepresence robot may be used. This technology enables a student to have a physical presence within the classroom, which increases their connectedness and supports their learning.

For information on telepresence robots in the classroom:

The guidelines for lessons using live video (PDF 234KB) can also inform your use of telepresence technology.

If you need a telepresence robot, the Technology 4 Learning Team are running a pilot of this technology. Please email the team for further information.

You can access lots of learning tools to support learning at home. Make sure you know which ones your school use.

The department provides a choice of great tools. Your school may also have some extras on top of that. Your teachers could deliver lessons using Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams or another platform that your school uses. If you are not sure ask your teacher or friends in your class.

Access

You will need to know your Department of Education username and password. If you don’t, get in touch with your school as soon as possible.

For department provided tools, start at the Student portal. From there you can access your emails, G Suite for Education and Office 365. They are great for learning and collaboration with your teacher or classmates. Here are some guides to show you how to access common learning tools:

Learn to use

Be respectful, responsible and safe online. Look at Digital citizenship to help you. When you log in to use department tools you agree to the terms and conditions of use.

If you are in year 11 or 12 you can freely access a wide variety of training on LinkedIn Learning.

NSW Government

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