Online resource to revolutionise education

Teachers' struggles to find new and engaging resources and activities for students has led to the launch of a new website.

By TEGAN FARRELL

A new website launched by the nation's school principals aims to drastically simplify the way schools find resources.

The website, called Haystack, was launched by Principals Australia Institute to schools this month. It is an online catalogue of businesses and organisations that serve the education sector, which school staff can access free.

Ben Dalley is responsible for Haystack at Principals Australia Institute and believes the new website will make it easier for teachers to find resources. He says teachers currently have trouble finding new and engaging activities for students because there is no comprehensive database of educational products and services.

“That’s why teachers can find themselves doing the same activities, same school trips, on an annual basis, because they just don’t have the time to find something new. Haystack will revolutionise the way teachers find educational products and services,” Mr Dalley says.

The database differs from existing search engines because it is limited to products and services relevant to schools.

“Google is great but it’s too big; teachers don’t have the time to be searching through so much information. We want to provide a service that allows the same convenience as Google or Gumtree, but makes it easy to find exactly what you need because the contents are all related to schools,” Mr Dalley says.

School teacher Robyn Hearl agrees that teachers are pressed for time and believes that students will benefit from the new website.

“Finding time for additional planning while marking work and managing non-curriculum tasks mid-term is always an issue. Looking for additional resources is often a low priority as you either make do with what you have or share with a colleague. Having a directory where schools can search for items would be useful,” Ms Hearl says.

Haystack launched this month and can be accessed at http://www.haystackforschools.com.au/

Ben Dalley (Haystack Project Manager) -