Australian parents are embracing new technology that allows their children to learn digitally with the help of faster broadband, a new report shows.
The nbn Digital Parenting Report indicates that most Australian parents are ready to embrace a new ‘flipped’ way of learning which allows students to watch educational tutorials online at home and then head to school for university-style discussions with their teacher and classmates.
The report found that 75 per cent of parents surveyed believe their children are learning online at home with a number of them using bandwidth intensive applications such as conducting research via online tutorials (51 per cent), collaborating via video conferencing (33 per cent), creating multi-media projects (30 per cent), and uploading podcasts (12 per cent).
65 per cent of Australian parents surveyed believed that having the internet at home levels the playing field between kids in the city and bush with just under half (46 per cent) believing it will help to break down barriers of different socio-economic groups.
Children’s Technology and Brain Researcher, Dr Kristy Goodwin, said, “As kids head back to school this week, parents should avoid feeling the ‘techno-guilt’ that comes with monitoring screen-time. Instead, they should try to understand what content their kids are consuming online and not focus on how many hours they are spending on it.”
The report also found that 76 per cent of parents surveyed understood the need to harness the internet for education in the home in order to help prepare their children for a future that is more digital focused.
Anytime, Anywhere Learning Foundation, Managing Director, Bruce Dixon, said, “The NBN network is helping to breakdown the walls of the classroom by providing access to experts, experiences and information which were previously unimaginable.
“We have found that online, collaborative learning supported by access to fast broadband in both the home and the school can motivate children to become even more engaged in their education.”
The NBN network is scheduled to reach almost one in four Australian homes and businesses by June 2016, with new construction work set to be complete or underway across 1,500 communities and suburbs over the next 12 months.
There are currently more than 1.7 million premises around the country which can already connect to the NBN network, with every Australian set to have access by 2020.
