Partnership with RMIT University
Partnership with RMIT University
RMIT University’s School of Education and the Logged On Foundation have signed a Memorandum of Understanding.
The Memorandum is the culmination of a relationship that began in 2011. A visit to Dr Richard Johnson at RMIT by Logged On’s Founder, Mark Pinoli, in July that year started what has become an ongoing dialogue about how computers and the internet can be used for education.
“I saw Richard before I went to Nepal for the first time to ask about his thoughts on our idea of bringing computers to schools in Nepal”, Mark said. “Google is a wonderful tool and one of our committee members found out that Richard worked on education in Nepal, so I paid him a visit.”
“Since that first meeting, an understanding has been developing about what it takes to make an impact on the education of children. It’s not easy and we need to not only understand what is best practice in education in Australia, but understanding what teachers in rural Nepal see as appropriate and relevant to their teaching methods and practices. We are learning from each other about how to use computers and the internet to benefit the children”, says Mark.
In 2012, children from the Astam village project site became the first in rural Nepal to be part of RMIT’s international education project eTutor. eTutor is a collaborative project between RMIT University in Australia and schools in Malaysia, Australia, India and Nepal. It involves education students from RMIT interacting with school children in an online environment in order to assist them with their language skills. At the same time, all participants learn more about other cultures, their own cultures and about learning and teaching in an online environment (Read More).
Logged On became further involved in 2013 when it developed the website that the teachers and children used to chat and interact online in the eTutor program (Read More).
In November/December 2013, a group of seven RMIT University teachers spent a number of weeks at the Shree Bhumeshwor School in Astam in an intensive teaching placement program that focused on working with local teachers on helping children with their communication skills (Read More).
The agreement between Logged On and RMIT focuses on teacher and pre-service teacher capacity building, in Australia and Nepal, and the education of children in a cross-cultural setting. Activities will also include teaching resources and curriculum development, exploring the use of computers and the internet in education, teacher/pre-service teacher placement and volunteer exchange programs, and outcomes and best practice research.
“Buy a one way ticket. Commit to immersion, building trust and improving learning” says Dr Richard Johnson. Richard was invited last year to be one of the founding Director on the Board of Directors of Logged On Foundation Ltd.