A staggering 320,000 school students from across Australia will travel to Canberra this week for a virtual excursion, visiting some of the biggest museums, galleries and institutes over 5 education-packed days.
The weeklong excursion is thanks to an initiative by the NSW Department of Education's DART (Distance and Rural Technology) Learning team located in Dubbo.
Primarily supporting regional and remote students and teachers the DART team is now supporting all NSW students and more across the country who are learning from home.
Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell said it was fantastic to see technology created for regional and remote students now benefitting thousands of students during the pandemic.
"The pandemic has caused students to miss out on a lot, a trip to Canberra is a staple for students. I'm so happy NSW is in a position to use technology to transport students from their homes to Canberra for a week of learning and fun," Ms Mitchell said.
"Students will be able to study aeronautics with a scientist at Questacon, or learn about the sacrifice of ANZACs at the Australian War Memorial."
"DART Learning's online excursions are led by experts from nine different institutions to deliver engaging learning about the best science, art, culture and history our nation's capital has on offer."
Ms Mitchell thanked the nine national organisations for their support – such as the Museum of Australian Democracy providing insights into Old Parliament House, or technicians at the Royal Australian Mint discussing coin production.
"The response from Canberra's institutes during COVID restrictions is clearly that 'we are all in this together'. They have opened their virtual doors to students with a series of fun live events that greatly enrich the learning from home activities being delivered by parents and teachers in 2021," Ms Mitchell said.
While thousands of schools have already signed up for the live streams, it is not too late for parents and teachers to register individual students via the DART Learning website at: https://edu.nsw.link/DARTLearning/CanberraLIVE
