2001 Census CD ROM wins media award, May 2001

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MEDIA RELEASE

May 29, 2001
Embargoed: 11:30 AM (AEST)
/2001



2001 Census CD ROM wins media award


The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) took out an award at the prestigious Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM) Awards in Melbourne on Saturday May 26 for its educational CD-ROM called A Tale of Two Worlds that is packed with fun and games to promote awareness in Australian schools of the 2001 Census of Population and Housing, due on 7 August.

The annual ATOM Awards, for film, television and multimedia are arguably the premier awards in Australia for celebrating student talent and promoting the educational screen culture industry in 23 categories.

A Tale of Two Worlds - which demonstrates the Census’s role in a democracy and shows schoolchildren how the census allows them to play a part in determining the future of Australia - took out the Best Primary Student Educational Resource. The CD ROM was also one of four finalists in the multimedia category.

The awards follow an enthusiastic response to the CD-ROM from students and teachers alike in both primary and secondary school sectors. A Tale of Two Worlds has been hailed a ground-breaking multimedia educational resource since it was despatched, free of charge, to all Australian schools late last year.

The CD-ROM envisages schoolchildren bringing census order to the people of another, chaotic dimension. It covers learning areas ranging from society and environment, geography, history, and civics and citizenship to drama and the arts, English and maths. The lesson plans cover Grade 3 to Year 10. Exercises cater to a range of learning styles with three levels of difficulty and are intended to stimulate the imagination of students by immersing them in the world of the Census.

Detailed concept testing of A Tale of Two Worlds was carried out with teachers throughout Australia to ensure that the CD-ROM meets the highest educational standards. The lesson plans include worksheets developed by leading Australian educators in accordance with national and state curricula.

Congratulations to the project design and development team comprising Iain Sutherland, Nada Sahla and John Wolf (TRIP teacher), who worked under the supervision of Soo Kong, NESU; and project directors, Melanie James and Paul Williams. The CD ROM was built by Senojweb Pty Ltd in Melbourne. The award was accepted on behalf of the ABS by Zia Abbasi at a gala dinner in Melbourne.