Thousands of Australian teachers who participated in a program to support the teaching of the subject Digital Technologies in the classroom gained digital skills and confidence that proved vital for the switch to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ACARA’s Digital Technologies in focus (DTiF) project was a four-year program, funded by the Australian Government, designed to upskill teachers and support them to teach Digital Technologies, a relatively new subject.

The project has been independently recognised to improve student engagement and achievement in some of the country’s most disadvantaged schools, but it also has provided timely tech skills to teachers.

“This has been invaluable for many schools and teachers who participated and then found themselves delivering remote learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” ACARA CEO David de Carvalho said in a media release.

“Teachers told us they strengthened their own digital skills and felt more able to confidently cope with students learning from home.”

Teacher Rebecca Keough from St Mary’s Catholic Primary in Moruya NSW said some staff were initially reluctant to engage but improved in ability and confidence.

“Our focus was meeting teachers at their point of need. Some staff are willing to dive in and some are more reluctant,” she said. “A big win was that by the end of it, a lot of staff knew there are so many ways that you can engage with the Digital Technologies curriculum. Now teachers are asking questions and taking on challenges to improve their own practice. We’ve grown a lot in that respect."

“Our ICT capabilities have needed to really amp up due to COVID, and staff who had participated in the DTiF program were really empowered. It enabled staff to realise that if they need to learn something new, they can.”

More than 160 schools participated in the DTiF project with 49 per cent of schools regional areas, 29 per cent from remote or very remote regions and 22 per cent in metropolitan areas across Australia. 

The benefits were highlighted in a review by a team of academics at the Deakin University School of Education, which undertook a three year close-up study of six participating schools.

The reports are available here or to access ACARA's resources including illustrations of practice, video content, vodcast tutorials, classroom ideas, lesson plans and assessment tasks visit the DTiF website.