• David McRae, and others
• The Le@rning Federation

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16 June 2009This report on a recent forum in Melbourne that brought together teachers of Indigenous students, Aboriginal education unit representatives and contact liaison officers from the states and territories, discusses the use of digital curriculum resources. The forum explored recent research and shared experiences about how teachers are using digital curriculum resources to improve outcomes and embed Indigenous perspectives across the curriculum.

Teachers showcased the resources they used in their programs and highlighted effective ways of integrating the resources into classrooms.

Research into the use of digital curriculum resources with Indigenous students found that The Le@rning Federation's resources improve learning outcomes and increase engagement and motivation of the students in a range of situations. The positive responses to the resources by participating teachers and their students indicate that there are significant benefits to using the resources.

Notably, the report found that students spend more time on task when using digital technologies. Significant gains were reported in student engagement across a range of priority learning areas, and particularly in Mathematics. There is sufficient information from the research to conclude that, just like their non-Indigenous peers, Indigenous students find The Le@rning Federation's digital content highly engaging.

The project team for the investigation included David McRae, Leanne Robertson, Sue Thomas, Margery Hornibrook, Margaret Wallace and Matt Skoss.