Scootle is a service delivered by Education Services Australia on behalf of the Australian Government and the Australian states and territories. It offers teachers access to many thousands of items of digital curriculum content: classroom resources and teacher reference materials. Classroom resources include film, images and interactive resources, and collections of these resources created around popular topics. There are also specially designed tools available such as the data and spatial visualisation tools that have embedded datasets and maps that students can manipulate and instantly view the results. Teacher reference materials include units of work, teacher ideas, lesson plans and education packs based on particular resources for teachers, as well as professional learning resources. Teachers use these without alteration or as inspiration, adapting the resources to fit their own purpose. There are also tools specifically designed for teachers. Scootle is available to teachers across Australia.
 

Teachers are busy people. There's a myriad of things to think about, prioritise and act upon. In the contemporary school, issues such as addressing individual student needs, planning a differentiated student learning program and responding to the challenges and opportunities of the digital era, are all part of the patina of the professional workday. Increasingly, teachers require tools to support their contemporary professional needs. That's why Scootle is now available to teachers across Australia.

While teachers in some states and territories have been using Scootle for a number of years it is only now being made available to all teachers across the country. Those who have been using Scootle for years have seen it develop from a content repository to what it is today: a tool with 20,000 items of digital content supported by powerful search and browse functions. It also has features that enable teachers to organise lessons, share content with students and collaborate with colleagues. Essentially it's a resource designed to support Australian teachers to teach.

What is pivotal for teachers is the connection of the content to the Australian Curriculum. Users can browse or search for resources based on an Australian Curriculum content description. Search results can be refined by using filters that enable the location of content for specific year levels, general capabilities and cross-curriculum priorities.

Once teachers have found a group of resources that relate to a particular content description or topic, they can create a learning path, or mark individual resources as favourites. Learning paths can be shared with teaching colleagues at the same school, within the same state or with all Scootle members. Each resource within a learning path can be annotated and shared with students.


Partner organisations

Education Services Australia has partnered with significant Australian and international organisations to acquire resources that are made discoverable through Scootle. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), NASA, international museums and art galleries – including the Smithsonian and British Museum – are just some examples of our international partners. Australian partners include the ABC, the National Gallery of Australia, the National Museum of Australia and the CSIRO. Some professional associations also share their resources through Scootle.

There are two main categories of resources available through Scootle: classroom resources and teacher reference materials. Classroom resources include film, images and interactive resources, and collections of these resources created around popular topics. There are also specially designed tools available such as the data and spatial visualisation tools that have embedded datasets and maps that students can manipulate and instantly view the results.

Teacher reference materials include units of work, teacher ideas, lesson plans and education packs based on particular resources for teachers, as well as professional learning resources. Teachers use these without alteration or as inspiration, adapting the resources to fit their own purpose. There are also tools specifically designed for teachers. Of particular note is the ICT in Everyday Learning: a Toolkit for Teachers, which is a website that illustrates how pedagogy, content and technology can be successfully and effectively integrated in order to promote learning.

All resources available through Scootle are supported by a description outlining the educational value and recommended year level/s for the resource. Users can view what resources are popular with other teachers, 'like' resources and tag resources to assist their discoverability.

Teachers are encouraged to register and explore Scootle. If they have questions, be assured there is assistance available via the helpdesk or trained Scootle jurisdiction managers.


A suite of tools for teachers

Whilst Scootle has a great deal to offer teachers, it sits within a suite of freely available tools for teachers. A complementary tool is Improve, which is a formative assessment tool also available to all teachers and students in Australia.

Improve allows teachers to create tests or use existing tests in a student-friendly online environment. The link is readily found on the Scootle home page. A social network for teachers is another tool that will soon join this suite. The network will enable teachers to connect with other teachers from across the country in order to discuss pedagogy, the Australian Curriculum and teaching standards. Access will be possible through mobile devices as well as through web browsers.

Teaching in Australia continues to evolve in order to address contemporary needs. As it evolves, so too do the tools that support and enable teachers to do their best work. Scootle will continue to grow in line with teachers' needs, as well as in response to changes in Australian education. There are already new features in development, such as mobile access and the ability to add external resources to learning paths. Scootle is a service delivered by Education Services Australia on behalf of the Australian Government and the Australian states and territories.

Scootle is available to teachers across Australia. To check if your jurisdiction offers Scootle directly, enter your education email address at: http://www.scootle.edu.au/ec/preregister.action.