A new report released by the National Broadband Network Co (NBN Co) has found that parents must do more to prepare their children for the ‘fiercely competitive’ internet enabled future.

 

The Learning in the New Millennium report found that while the majority of parents (96 per cent) understand the importance of the internet as a learning tool, the minority (45 per cent) said their children have problems using the internet for homework which they feel they are unable to help resolve.

 

According to international education expert Professor Stephen Heppell, this shows there has been a fundamental shift in how parents view education. With computers and ubiquitous access to high speed broadband education never stops he says.

 

"What's exciting is that a large number of parents have made the leap to embrace online learning, and this is pretty recent, it's only happened in the last five years. For those who haven't, it's often just because they are yet to experience how magnificent the new world of broadband-enabled education can be," says Professor Heppell.

 

"What we have seen in other countries with high-speed broadband like the National Broadband Network (NBN) connecting homes and schools, is that the role of learning in the home is changing. Homework becomes the time for self-directed discovery in exciting online worlds, where students can collaborate via the internet with real authors or scientists as well as each other. 

 

Key findings of the report include:

  • Australian parents understand the importance of the internet in the preparation of their children for the future. Virtually all (96%) feel their children using the internet for homework, research or educational games is important in their preparation for the future, of which 51% consider it very important.
  • The internet plays a significant role in the education of Australian children with the majority of parents (87%) indicating their children are using the internet at least weekly for homework, research or educational games.
  • As children get older their frequency of using the internet for these purposes also increases. Daily usage rises from 25% among primary school aged children to 44% among high school aged children.
  • With this greater usage of the internet comes a greater onus on parents to assist with this aspect of their child's education. Many parents (45%) have been unable to resolve issues for example when searching for information, accessing Youtube for video, or Skyping friends to discuss group assignments their children have had on the internet. Around one in ten (11%) report this happens on a regular basis.
  • Most parents (61%) still feel more confident than their children when it comes to using the internet. Whether it is the children catching up or the parents falling behind, parents of high school aged children are less likely to feel they have the upper hand (47%) than parents of primary school aged children (74%).
  • Despite the importance parents place on the internet in their child's future most are keen to limit its use to a few hours a week. Very few (1%) think their children should be using the internet for more than 10 hours a week, with the overwhelming majority (78%) of the opinion that it should be used for no more than 4 hours each week.
  • Parents of primary school aged children are more likely to feel their children should be spending less time on the internet. The majority (65%) of parents of primary school aged children feel their children should be using the internet for less than two hours a week, compared to 45% of parents of older children.
  • The consensus among parents (94%) is that having high speed internet at home is important for the future of their child's education. Similarly, 84% feel that improvements in the National Broadband Network will be important in their child's educational outcomes.