"School of the air" shuts down

[Alexander's Horse]

For the last 40 or so years children on remote properties in the Australian outback did their schooling by short wave radio. That service is being replaced, at least in Queensland, this week by phone based lessons due to the march of technology.

Here are some web site links to some of the actual "radio" schools in different parts of the country if anyone is interested - would make a good school project for those with kids who go to regular school.

http://www.assoa.nt.edu.au/

http://www.mtisasde.qld.edu.au/

http://www.schools.nt.edu.au/olsu/edna/virtualtour/days/day6/

One of those remarkable adaptions to the "tyranny of distance" now passes into history.

[chequita guevara]

Queensland sounds like a nice place to get away from it all. Too bad they're a bunch of racists in Oz.

[Alexander's Horse]

I like this story - LOL.

This kid probably lives a 1000 miles from anywhere - with his own fishing hole.

http://www.schools.nt.edu.au/olsu/edna/virtualtour/days/day6/7.htm

[Alexander's Horse]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
Queensland sounds like a nice place to get away from it all. Too bad they're a bunch of racists in Oz.

Yeah that's why we were taking so much trouble to provide education by radio to remote aboriginal communities as per the links on the left side, about half of which are schools for aboriginal communities.

http://www.schools.nt.edu.au/olsu/edna/virtualtour/days/day6/

[The Andy-Man]

that sounds like a good idea actually. Shame it can't be done all over the commonwealth, would prolly be extra usefull in africa.

[Ben Kenobi]

We have correspondence classes in Canada. My dad marks for them since he lives up north.

How does this instruction differ? Attempts to provide live instruction?

[Alexander's Horse]

conference calls via satellite is what they are moving to.

[:) Smiley]

Why are they making a changeover in the middle of the school year?

[Case]

Originally posted by Smiley
Why are they making a changeover in the middle of the school year?

As Australia is in the southern hemisphere our school year starts in early Febuary [ie, the last month of summer] and runs untill mid December [the start of the next summer]

[DaShi]

Dammit! When I was a kid, I lived in the Bronx and had to walk to school in South LA everyday (even weekends). Uphill, both ways! Kids these days.

[TheStinger]

You'll be replacing the flying doctors next

[Provost Harrison]

Originally posted by TheStinger
You'll be replacing the flying doctors next

Maybe they can telephone through medical assistance

Yeah, I would have thought that a move to an internet-based system would be quite useful as well, probably in supplement to the present system...

[TheStinger]

They might just have to reply on skippy.

What is it boy, granpa's got a punctured lung?

[Provost Harrison]

[molly bloom]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
Queensland sounds like a nice place to get away from it all. Too bad they're a bunch of racists in Oz.

Tarring us all with the same brush? Queensland is pleasant for a visit, but has lots of nasty biting and stinging beasties. Pauline Hanson being a case in point.

Anyway, the politics of the Howard government and One Nation are not the politics or beliefs of the majority of Australians. The White Australia policy is sooo last century.

The school of the air always fascinated me when I was a young boy at school in Great Britain. I could never imagine living so far away from a school as to require distance learning, having always lived in the inner city. And it was always sunny in the films and photographs.