Connected education showcased at World Expo in Shanghai

Victorian students more than 8000 kilometres apart today chatted live to celebrate the opening of the Connections 2010 classroom exhibit at the World Expo in Shanghai, China.

Education Minister Bronwyn Pike joined 19 Year 9 students from Hume Central Secondary College at the Hume Global Learning Centre’s ideaslab to connect with the classroom in Shanghai through video-link technology provided by Cisco.

Pike said Connections 2010 combined the key elements of a modern Victorian classroom.

“The exhibit features a mini lecture theatre, moveable large and small working areas for tutorials, small study groups and one-on-one teaching, and a wet area for experiments,” Pike said.

“The classroom features the latest in sustainable, modern design and demonstrates how Victorian schools are using the latest and greatest in learning technology.

“The Cisco WebEx video-link application gave students at Hume Central Secondary College a chance to speak to the students 8000 kilometres away and learn about what they’re doing in Shanghai.

“The students were working at the ideaslab in Broadmeadows using interactive whiteboards, mini-computers and touch screen computers.

“Visitors to the expo in Shanghai will see first-hand how Victorian teachers are using this classroom to engage modern students in real-life and relevant learning - such as nanotechnology - to help get them the skills for 21st-century jobs in a 21st-century world,” said Pike.