The national broadband network and the challenges of creating connectivity in education: The case of Tasmania

Abstract

Tasmania, one of the first locations to have communities connected to the national broadband network (NBN), provided the context within which to ask significant questions about the implications of the NBN for all levels and sectors of education. This paper reports findings from a research project that developed innovative methodology to explore the issues with 21 respondents categorised as "leaders" in the field of information and communication technology in education. The aim of the research was to conduct an audit of actual and planned implementation of new technologies in classroom teaching through indepth interviews, to assess challenges faced in implementation and to facilitate dialogue between leaders in disparate education areas through provision of forums online and faceto-face. In this way the action research both contributed to an understanding of issues and acted as a change agent in stimulating the sharing of new approaches to what turned out to be a set of highly complex "wicked" problems. Resulting models using a causal layered approach demonstrate that whereas the NBN did not become the immediate solution to connectivity for these leaders, it provided the motivation to consider what a connected educational environment could be like.

[Retracted] Predicament and Outlet: The Deep Fusion of Information Technology and Political Thought Teaching in Institution of Higher Learning under the Background of Fragmented Learning Environment

“…At the moment, there is a dearth of in-depth research on the integration of IT and political thought education and teaching, particularly the theoretical research combined with specific implementation links. The emergence of new media and mobile communication technology has had a profound impact on people's communication styles, reading paradigms, and learning styles, as well as a shift from centralized to fragmented information dissemination in the new era of rapid economic and social development [ 5 ]. With the rise of the Internet, the term fragmentation has acquired new meaning.…”

Blended English: Technology-enhanced teaching and learning in English literary studies

“…For students from low socio-economic backgrounds, the costs of accessing education at a distance, including maintaining reliable internet access and using potentially costly hardware and software, may inhibit their learning. As Stack et al. (2013: 290) suggest, the problem of uneven digital literacy in the population increases ‘economic and participation gaps between the connected and disconnected’.…”

“…Infrastructure challenges posed for students in isolated areas include, but are not limited to, reliable internet coverage, still a deeply felt problem in Tasmania in spite of the rollout of the National Broadband scheme (Carlyon, 2015). Connectivity remains an issue for institutions as well as students, in which impediments caused by budgetary constraints, institutional filtering, and limited bandwidth lead to disengagement on the part of both students and teaching staff members (Stack et al., 2013). The mooted efficiencies of e-learning can be severely hampered by such infrastructural problems, particularly when an LMS crashes or institutional access to the internet fails.…”