Yvette D'Ath (Petrie, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is my pleasure to move this motion on computers in schools. In the latest round, being round 2, 360 Queensland schools will join the digital education revolution. Of the secondary schools in my electorate, eight will be given funding for new computers this round. Combined, these schools will receive funding for 1,267 computers, to the value of $1,273,000. In addition to the funding directly for new computers, St Paul’s School at Bald Hills has received $6,000 in additional flexible funding to provide more flexibility to meet the ICT needs of students with disabilities. This funding is in addition to two secondary schools in the Petrie electorate that received funding in round 1.

I would like to read an email forwarded to me on 24 October 2008 from Adrienne Jericho, Executive Director of Lutheran Education Australia, in relation to a Lutheran school in my electorate that was successful in round 1. Dr Jericho writes:

Ms D’Ath, I am pleased to forward you a good news story about the digital revolution and Grace Lutheran College. Your government initiative has meant so much to us.

Attached to the email was an article entitled ‘Digital revolution and success through collaboration’. I would like to take this opportunity to read this article for the members of this parliament.

Grace Lutheran College at Rothwell in Queensland is a large secondary school on two campuses with approximately 1550 students. The application for 404 computers (majority being laptops) via the Commonwealth government’s Digital Education Revolution was successful in July this year. By late October 2008 almost all of the 404 computers have been acquired and implemented, and are being used by students across the college.

How was such an implementation so successful? Synergy and collaboration have been the key ingredients for such a successful implementation.

Beginning with ‘Lead Up’ then ‘Heads Up’ communications from Lutheran Education Queensland’s office prior to the government’s offer to the school, as well as keeping Lutheran Education Australia’s ICT business partners, such as Hewlett Packard and Telstra, informed the race to success began. After notification from DEEWR, Mr Peter Kellett (Head of I.T. Grace Lutheran College) prepared the school leaders and the total school community for the oncoming changes and began initial planning of implementation while reviewing and renewing the College’s current ICT Strategic Plan and Vision.

Derek Bartels (Executive Officer—ICT Lutheran Education Queensland) played a key role in ensuring that all who were impacted by the decision were kept informed. Lutheran Education Queensland acted as a conduit/troubleshooter between DEEWR (as well as local BGA) to assist Round 1 schools in strategic planning and acquisition of computers. He then requested draft orders from all Round 1 Lutheran schools so that he could ready Hewlett Packard in sourcing and verifying stock. BES (Lutheran Education Queensland HP Channel Partner) and Hewlett Packard assisted the school in choosing model and type. Grace Lutheran College planned that the rollout of the 404 computers be staggered over 4 months and all milestones and deadlines were then shared amongst all the stakeholders prior to the final acceptance by DEEWR.

As soon as Grace Lutheran College was notified by DEEWR of its successful application, everyone went immediately into phase two of implementing the above plans with small refinements along the way. Wireless infrastructure, furniture, personnel, PD programs and room alterations were implemented as planned. The final 50 computers are being unpacked and commissioned as this article is being written. The journey now continues after a successful beginning and the federally funded computers will support Grace Lutheran College’s vision for learning in the 21st Century.

This very important and successful achievement by a Lutheran school exemplifies the strength of the partnership that Lutheran Education Australia and its schools share, as they work with business partners and the Commonwealth government to realize strategic ICT educational initiatives. Indeed the rollout of 404 computers in one school so seamlessly in such a short period of time has been possible because of system strategic planning, professional development and collaboration over many years.

It is this collaboration, through this school and the other eight schools that have received funding in round 2, that will see our children, across the schools, benefit from these sorts of initiatives. Over the coming months and years I look forward to seeing this computer package rolled out as part of the education revolution in all my schools and I congratulate the federal government on this initiative.

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