Will, Emma (SEN)
From:	Carolyn Bailey [gatekeepercb@bigpond.com]
Sent:	Friday, 30 March 2001 2:30 PM
To:	eet.sen@aph.gov.au
Cc:	gottliebsenr@theaustralian.com.au
Subject:	Fw: Major indicator that the time for this kind of resource is now
To Senate Employment, Workplace Relations, Small Business and Education Reference Committee
 
Re: Review of development in the education of gifted and talented children sine the 1988 report of the select committee on the education of Gifted and Talented Children.
 
Dear Committee,
 
This comment is for section 3 in Terms of reference
 
The future of our nation depends on how smart we are about
providing the best intellectual environments for all of our children.
 
It is imperative that we find and nourish those who are obviously outstanding in various abilities and not just the recognised reading, writing, maths and comprehension because there is one guarantee about our future and this is: 
The future belongs to those who can communicate, learn and exchange with the world using information and technology.
 
Recently  a gifted USA 15 year old turned $5,000 into $800,000 on the American stock
exchange.  No theft, just a boy mimicking the industry he observed.  The Government found something to fine him for but could not
take all the money he had generated because the truth was he had legitimately made the money. He had watched the market, how it moved, copied the forecasters and then was more accurate at making predictions than the Wall Street professionals.   He did all of this because he had access to the Internet which gave him access to the sacred and otherwise elite domain of financial trading.
 
This is the potential.
 
Fund excellence and you will be rewarded with productivity.
 
With Information, Communication and Technology at its current threshold,
this request is no longer daunting.
 
Please see note I have written to GERRIC and copied to Robert Gottliebsen(The Australian)
regarding this potential. The funding and support of this kind of initiative is where the Commonwealth should be
investing its common wealth.
 
Also see/ask Gottliebson for his recent article re providing recognition, support and resources
to the gifted for the future good of our nation- 
This piece struck my heart as the most relevant economic/ 
social request I have read in many many years.
 
This whole future is for everyone who has access to a computer which I believe will be at
70%  within 2 years.
Yours sincerely
Carolyn Bailey

-----Original Message-----
From: Carolyn Bailey < gatekeepercb@bigpond.com <mailto:gatekeepercb@bigpond.com>>
To: gerric@unsw.edu.au <mailto:gerric@unsw.edu.au> < gerric@unsw.edu.au <mailto:gerric@unsw.edu.au>>
Cc: gottliebsenr@theaustralian.com.au <mailto:gottliebsenr@theaustralian.com.au> < gottliebsenr@theaustralian.com.au <mailto:gottliebsenr@theaustralian.com.au>>
Date: Friday, 30 March 2001 11:09
Subject: Major indicator that the time for this kind of resource is now

 
Dear GERRIC
 
CDRom's and Internet links that replicate the Gerric content in an interactive environment
would be helpful to giffted children who require extention, challenge, recognition and or reward but
do not live in Sydney or Brisbane. 
 
This is a whole new industry and something I am sure you have thought about while 
designing your new web site.  I have seen the American site, but with some ""how to achieve thinking/brainstorming"",
I am sure we could do better for our children.
 
My background is in producing major market radio, national and international television and I would
invest in having access to an on going opportunity like this for my child at the drop of a hat.
I was also hired by the Texas Chamber of Commerce to solve a problem the state had with its Music
Industry as an export.  I defined a solution for them, then facilitated the solution with ongoing major returns
to the state via this industry.  I was also hired to do something similar for Australia by Austrade in New York,
not as much success because of the different ways of thinking, but still produced an outcome Austade defined
as successful.
 
Major indicator that the time for this kind of resource is now
 
At the end of year 2000 the person who won WA's top French award had never experienced a French Teacher
face to face in his life, instead he did all his learning via remote Internet sites and using CDRom's.
 
This kind of success should be inspiring all kinds of CD Rom and Internet opportunities
for the Gifted and talented, but my experience tells me this trend will not catch on for another
4 years.
 
My daughter attends PLC in year 5.
The school prides itself in offering access to learning via latest technology ie
all girls carry and use an iBook loaded with operating system 9.
State of the art. But this tool is being used as a note book and a filing system.
None of the technology's interactive abilities are in use, not even CDRom environments.
Maybe this is because the product available does not fit into what the school has defined as
an educational environment ie too much like a game (what a pity this is this first thing that comes to mind!)
or maybe existing product does not fit the syllabus.
 
What if GERRIC could offer to schools and parents throughout Australia and the world
high quality interactive environments?  
 
Given that leading business/ social commentators
such as Robert Gottliebsen (The Australian)
have finally announced that it is time for Australia to support
and grow our own exceptional talent by admitting that giftedness exists and giving gifted
youth the development environments that they require, 
I am sure that finding business support for an initiative of this kind
should be quite a simple task.
 
Maybe because of your link to UNSW the real world run up on a potential such as this can be
shortened and this kind of product/resource can be produced much quicker.
 
Thought it was worth  making this suggestion because observations like this I have made in the past have led to whole new industries.
 
Please make contact if you would like to discuss/brainstorm potential further.

Regards,
Carolyn Bailey