Shire Christian School has become the first school in the area to connect to Australia’s National Research and Education Network (AARNet).
The advanced research network links Australian institutions involved in research and education, such as Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) and the CSIRO, with the global research community.
The new connection will enable teachers to enhance online learning, removing bandwidth and internet speed barriers.
It also means more dynamic content can be used, such as media streaming, flipped classroom and Cloud based lessons.
Virtual excursions and video conferencing are now possible, providing the opportunity for students to participate in programs for innovation collaboration, science research and international courses.
The school can also expand its gifted and talented learning curriculum into the areas of robotics, coding and other Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programs.
The connection facilitates low latency internet use with speeds more than 10 times that of commercial internet service providers.
School IT manager, Chad Walsham, says it is a significant infrastructure upgrade.
“We have very good servers, the latest wireless technology, interactive flat panels in the classroom, and a laptop program which means that there is uniformity across the school whereby students have access to the latest generation of Mac devices,” he said.
“The AARNet is the last piece of the IT infrastructure puzzle.”
Music teacher David Humphreys says it also open up new possibilities for instrument tuition.
“It will allow me to duplicate myself as a teacher and tailor content to individual students through high quality, personalised media,” he said.