Edition 42, March 2007

Gawler TAFESA pioneers cyber child care training

In South Australia a new way of teaching child care is being piloted at Gawler TAFESA.

Gawler TAFE has developed the new online learning environment, known as a 'cyber child care centre'.

Used as an adjunct to face-to-face training, the virtual child care centre provides students with an on-line equivalent of a real life child care centre, with links in every virtual room to information that relates to the activity of the area. This includes the practices and policies that students will need to draw on in carrying out their responsibilities in a real workplace.

For example, there is a link in one room to an online demonstration of nappy-changing and another link to the outdoor area of the centre to sun safety policy. Students develop and upload a wide range of information relevant to the operation of a child care centre, from children�s menus to fundraising activities.

Feedback from students shows that using the cyber child care centre enables them to see more clearly the purpose of their studies and how they reflect current work practices. It also provides the students with a valuable resource for use when they enter the workforce, as all the information developed by students is made available to them on disk.

The new training tool was recently demonstrated at the National Child Care Teachers' Conference in Canberra, with workshop participants expressing significant interest in the product.

The cyber child care centre is the brainchild of Noel Jensen, coordinating lecturer in children�s services at the Gawler TAFESA campus, and was developed in conjunction with the ESP production house.

For more information visit www.tafe.sa.edu.au

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