Education Network Australia (edna) was a collaborative project between all Australian governments, states and territories and sectors of education and training. The project was partly funded by the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. Initiated in 1994 as a means to facilitate access to the internet for schools and vocational education providers, edna developed as a national framework for all levels and sectors of education. Technical development began in earnest in 1996 with an online directory being created. It was considered to be amongst the first database driven website of its kind in Australia and considered to be very much ‘state-of-the-art.’ edna underpinned key government strategies and policies of national and jurisdictional governments in Australia by providing infrastructure, resources and support in a cost-effective model of service delivery. Over its life edna has historically played an important strategic role in supporting the uptake of ICT in education and training, supporting practitioners in implementing current technologies and showing leadership and best practice in addressing emerging needs that come with advancement in technology. Today marks the end of an era. Education Services Australia would like to acknowledge all those innovative, Information Management and Education professionals who have worked on edna over the years and wish them well for the future.

Every school in Australia will be able to audit how safe they are under a highly anticipated national framework to be released in Brisbane today. The release of the revised National Safe Schools Framework coincides with Australia's first National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence, the Herald Sun reported. Federal School Education Minister Peter Garrett said the framework was "the only national anti-bullying resource of its kind in the world". Nationally, anti-bullying expert Professor Phillip Slee said about 100,000 students were bullied every day. Mr Garrett said schools would be better-equipped to deal with bullying after the release of the framework.

The use of digital tools is radically reworking how schools are communicating in lessons. Computer studies were once relegated to a classroom of their own. Now digital technology in countless forms has become integral to learning. And many independent schools are at the forefront of their application.

Each year, the Horizon Report describes six areas of emerging technology that will have significant impact on higher education and creative expression over the next one to five years. The areas of emerging technology cited for 2011 are: Time to adoption: One Year or Less - Electronic Books and Mobiles; Time to adoption: Two to Three Years - Augmented Reality and Game-based Learning; Time to adoption: Four to Five Years - Gesture-based Computing and Learning Analytics.

Latest statistics from the International Telecommunication Union reveal that the number of Internet users worldwide doubled in the past five years and will surpass the two billion mark in 2010. 162 million of the 226 million new Internet users in 2010 will be from developing countries ...ITU considers broadband as a catalyst for growth. ITU, 19 October 2010.

Creative Commons announces the release of the Public Domain Mark, a tool that enables works free of known copyright restrictions to be labelled in a way that clearly communicates that status to the public, and allows the works to be easily discovered over the Internet. Creative Commons, 11 October 2010.

A second round of proposals is open to deliver innovative digital services for communities in regional, rural and remote areas of Australia. Round two funding under the Government's Digital Regions Initiative calls for full applications by 14 July 2010. The Initiative will fund projects that deliver vital high-quality digital applications for education, health and emergency services. DBCDE, 18 May 2010.

Senator Kate Lundy discusses important ICT skills that all students must learn at school to adequately equip them in life. There is currently a gap between core technology skills and elective industry skills that must be bridged if Australian citizens are to be productive, innovative, adaptable and empowered through the use of technology. Senator Kate Lundy discusses the core skills within three specific areas: Productivity skills, Online engagement skills, and Automation skills.

The 2010 K-12 Horizon Report identifies and describes six areas of emerging technology likely to have a significant impact on teaching and learning within three adoption horizons: a year or less, two to three years, and four to five years. The areas of emerging technology cited for 2010 are: Cloud Computing, Collaborative Environments, Game Based Learning, Mobile Devices, Augmented Reality, and Flexible (Computer) Displays.

The first national curriculum framework for early childhood, recently presented to the Australian government by a Charles Sturt University-led consortium, is the product of extensive nationwide consultation with those working in the early childhood sector and a diverse range of other people interested in children's learning in early childhood settings, including parents. CSU News, 27 July 2009.