Stuart Henry (Hasluck, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is interesting hearing the speakers on the other side talking about the next generation and their proposal for broadband services. The real next generation are the kids like those at Orange Grove Primary School. There is something unique and exciting happening at the Orange Grove Primary School in my electorate of Hasluck. Orange Grove is a local, community based school that is doing things on a global stage. Podcasting is not a term that most parents would even be aware of. At Orange Grove Primary School it has captured the imaginations of not just the students but the teachers as well.

It all started with Mr Paul Fuller, who is the year 4/5 teacher at the school. As a result of his work and inspiration, supported by the principal, Pat Nottle, Orange Grove Primary School is now one of the leaders in the world of podcasting, using new technology such as MP3 players, which enables broadcasting on the internet. As the member for Hasluck, I was among the first to be interviewed by the students. The class released their first episode of their internet radio show Podkids Australia last year. They now have 10 episodes on the web. Orange Grove primary was the first school in Western Australia to use this exciting new technology called podcasting. For students who cannot access the internet at home, they can still share their knowledge and experiences with their parents and siblings. Students can have the information downloaded or copied onto an MP3 player so that they can take it home and share it with their families. It is vital that teachers inspire children and that is exactly what is happening at Orange Grove Primary School. The flicker of a flame that occurred in the initial stages of podcasting has now caught ablaze.

Leading educators from Tokyo and Lancashire in England visited the school last year to learn more about how literacy is taught in Western Australian schools. They too had the privilege of taking part in interviews conducted by students at the school. Only last month, Senator the Hon. Helen Coonan, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, visited the school and was interviewed. She was clearly impressed with the students, their knowledge of IT applications and the very exciting ways in which the students are applying them. The effect of what Mr Fuller has achieved is like watching ripples spread when you cast a stone into a pond. Principal Pat Nottle has been very supportive of his project. His colleagues have also been captivated by its possibilities and its applications for learning. Currently all teachers are looking at ways in which a better understanding of new communication technologies can assist in the classroom. It is a very exciting time for students and teachers.

Through the Investing in Our Schools program funding, Orange Grove will be able to extend the opportunity to more classes over the coming year, allowing more teachers and students to learn and have the opportunity to be involved with more school activities. Podcasting is not only giving a hands-on approach to new and exciting technologies; it is providing so much more. It has increased reading, writing and, importantly, listening skills. It has opened the world to the students. They receive emails from around the world providing them with the opportunity to not only become more aware of people in other countries but also communicate and engage with them through this wonderful learning medium. It is so much easier to be interested in other parts of the world once you have had a conversation with someone from a different culture. That is just the start. You then want to learn where they come from, their traditions, and their cultures, how different their lives are from ours and how many things are the same. These questions are questions that Orange Grove Primary School students now find themselves thinking about and asking. I am very pleased that students are being challenged to learn in such a wonderful learning environment provided by the Orange Grove Primary School and to be inspired by the endless possibilities in life and our world. By embracing modern technology, the principal and teachers at Orange Grove Primary school have provided the students with an authentic and highly motivating purpose for all of their schoolwork. They are to be congratulated. (Time expired)

Ian Causley (Page, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! It being 8 pm, the debate is interrupted.