Developing a digital media teaching repository : technical considerations

Recent reviews conducted of teacher education in Australia suggested a failure of courses to bond theory with practice and to provide extensive practical teaching experience to students. In this regard, on-line lectures using integrating technologies such as Digital Video embedded into e-learning systems (Blackboard) for online discussions have the potential to overcome this issue as they allow students to connect, contribute and collaborate within the subjects, developing practical skills that will enhance their future teaching practices. The School of Education, University of Western Sydney is strategically committed to further developing learning environments using a Digital Media Repository (DMR). Academics will be able to embed learning objects such as videos, images, slidecasts and Virtual Reality content to support 'next practice' learning environments inside the University's e-learning system.