Overview of ICT programmes for schools
A short introduction to the programmes and projects initiated or supported under the ICT strategy for schools.
Effective Teaching
Teacher capability
Virtual Learning Network
Effective Teaching / Infrastructure
The Virtual Learning Network (VLN) is a national service that provides a wide level of support for students, teachers, schools and clusters. Specifically it targets schools wishing to collaborate with other schools and educational organisations and establish strongly connected online communities around the specific needs. To support this a resource has been developed called the Learning Communities Online Handbook.
Factors including isolation and limited curriculum opportunities, are being overcome through the establishment of online communities of schools, using networked learning technologies including the use of video/web/audio conferencing and other online collaborative tools and environments.
This networked community operating within the VLN includes: schools, clusters, tertiary organisations, community and government agencies. Strong connections exist within and across these online communities and groups. The VLN , working closely with the ‘VLN Community’ - this community of communities, provides advice and support for new and emerging online communities to help facilitate their growth in ways that enhance the learning and teaching experiences of all learners, particularly students learning in blended environments.
The Ministry of Education’s VLN comprises of 3 main elements:
- a web based platform www.vln.school.nz
- a set of online tools which are available to schools
- projects targeted at maximising the constructive use of UFB and online tools and environments.
The current online technologies being provided by the VLN to support and encourage collaborative connections include:
- A learning exchange
- Groups (Communities of Practice)
- WeLearn (learning platform based on the social learning platform Elgg)
- Web conferencing
- Video Conference/Audio Bridge
- LAMS (Learning Activity Management System)
- Moodle (Learning Management System)
- Mahara (ePortfolio)
- Video streaming
Examples of projects include:
A key role of The Virtual Learning Network (VLN) is to act as a catalyst for enhancing the capability of teachers, schools, educational organisation and Ministry of Education to work in a blended environment. It is able to do this by:
- supporting staff to become confident users of communication technologies
- provide leadership, advice and support to teachers and principals developing quality online networked learning and teaching environments
- initiating and coordinating collaborative partnerships across schools and clusters and between teachers, principals and education resource providers.
The VLN also support the objectives of:
- Ka Hikitia - Managing for Success: The Māori Education Strategy 2008 – 2012
- Te Marautanga o Aotearoa
- Nga Whanaketanga Rumaki
- Pasifika Education Plan 2009-2012
- Special Education "All children enjoy high-quality education that enables them to participate and contribute socially and economically"
- The New Zealand Curriculum, 2007
- The National Digital Strategy, 2008
- Enabling the 21st Century Learner - An e-Learning Action Plan for Schools 2006-2010
- The Ultra Fast Broadband in schools (UFBis) and Schools Network Upgrade Project (SNUP).
For more information on these tools please contact the Virtual Learning Network team through eddie.reisch@minedu.govt.nz
ICT/e-Learning advisory service
Effective Teaching / Teacher Capability
e-Learning professional development and support is available through advisers who are based in regional areas, contactable through your local School Support Services at the School/College of Education.
The key focus area for advisory support is supporting and challenging school leaders, teachers and colleagues to use information and communication technology (ICT) and digital resources purposefully and effectively. Providing impartial advice and information on a range of ICT considerations and the identification and use of ministry resources is a priority for all professional development programmes.
Key ways of working for advisers are through:
- collaboratively designed activities including the purposeful use of ICT in learning
- enabling and building learning communities within and across schools
- providing information on ministry initiatives
e-Learning Teacher Fellowships
Effective Teaching / Teacher Capability
The e-learning teacher fellowships programme was established in June 2003 and will run until the end of 2009. It aims to inform e-learning in New Zealand schools and early childhood centres. The fellowship is designed to provide opportunities for teachers to be involved in school-based research with a focus on e-learning.
The programme reflects the Ministry of Education's commitment to quality teaching, improving the professional capability of teachers and increasing the use of effective e-learning strategies in schools. The fellowship recognizes and rewards New Zealand teachers and early childhood educators who have demonstrated innovative and creative approaches to improving students' learning through information and communication technologies (ICTs).
More information can be found at the TKI website
ICT professional development clusters
Effective Teaching / Teacher capability
This programme is the main method of providing long-term professional development in ICT to teachers. It is focused on improving teaching quality and learning outcomes for all students and strengthening communities of professional practice.
Clusters are selected through a contestable process. They represent a wide range of geographical locations and decile ratings.
Over 64% of New Zealand schools have been or are involved in the initiative, which receives approximately $11 million per year.
Each cluster will have up to $120,000 available each year for the duration of the three year programme to support ICT professional development activities.
Evaluation of the ICT PD cluster programme has been conducted through a research project since 1999. Reports can be accessed at the edCounts website.
ICT Professional Development Online Community
An online ICT professional development community for ICT PD cluster personnel was established in 2002. It provides a vehicle for discussing issues related to the implementation and use of ICT in schools.
In 2004 the online community was made available for all schools.
For information about the online learning network contact Tessa Gray tessa.gray@core-ed.net or ict@tki.org.nz
Te Kete Ipurangi (TKI)
Effective Teaching / Teacher Capability
Te Kete Ipurangi (TKI) is a bilingual web portal that which provides access to quality assured educational material for teachers, school managers, and the wider education community.
Te Kete Ipurangi is intended to:
- Provide easy access to useful and relevant information on the Internet for school communities and whanau.
- Help educators find reliable and relevant information on the Web quickly and easily by delivering a clear path to quality online information, services and resources to meet a diverse range of needs.
- Provide access to quality information and resources provided by the Ministry of Education.
- Provide a gateway to useful and relevant education-related content available in the wider world of the web.
- Establish a community of learners who are sharing information.
Te Kete Ipurangi is currently being redeveloped into a federation of community based sites. This redevelopment will include improved support for online collaboration and professional development by teachers, principals and other educators. It will result in an educator facing web environment that integrates the existing provision of resource material with a greater range of online collaboration and communication tools.
Among the changes are:
- A new look and feel
- Access to the site through a single log on
- Powerful search tools similar to Google
- Communication and community tools to help users share information and work together online including chat, forums, email list, content publishing and hierarchies of communities
- The ability to subscribe to news and information relevant to you
- Greater accessibility compliance
- Increased personalisation allowing better interoperability with other elearning online services
The resulting website will be a publishing channel for educators to access quality assured educational materials, exchange information, ideas, knowledge and experiences and to develop new materials in collaboration with other educators.
Curriculum materials
The Learning Federation (TLF)
Effective Teaching / Learning Resources and Curriculum Materials
The Le@rning Federation (TLF) is a collaborative initiative involving the governments of Australia and New Zealand. The aim of this project is to develop a pool of quality, digital content (learning objects and resource assets) for years 1 -11, and to deliver it electronically.
Between 2001 and 2006, TLF produced extensive online content in a range of priority curriculum areas such as numeracy, literacy for students at risk), science, learning languages (Indonesian, Chinese & Japanese), innovation enterprise & creativity and studies of Australia.
During this phase, the Ministry also repurposed a series of numeracy learning objects from English to te reo Māori. These learning objects are available within Digistore or by visiting the New Zealand Maths website.
Digistore
Digistore is the New Zealand repository, where this digital content is hosted. All New Zealand schools and advisers, employed under the School Support Services (SSS) contract are encouraged to register online to gain access to this content at the TKI website. The Ministry is looking to widen access to include access to approved pre-service providers. Any organisation wishing to find out more should email, helen.cooper@minedu.govt.nz.
Once registration is approved, schools and advisers will be sent a free copy of the Learning Object collection CD, containing 200 learning objects. Login details for Digistore will be sent to the principal for distribution to staff. At this stage, SSS advisers will be individually emailed login details for Digistore.
The Ministry is keen to get feedback on how schools are embedding this content into their programmes. Last year just over forty schools participated in an online survey. The results of previous surveys are available at the Learning Federation website.
Teachers and students are invited to complete an online survey, scheduled to begin in July 2007 and run until the end of November 2007. Please contact the Ministry to find out more, helen.cooper@minedu.govt.nz.
Software for Learning
Effective Teaching/Learning Resources and Curriculum Materials
The Ministry of Education has developed the Software for Learning area on Te Kete Ipurangi in collaboration with schools and vendors. This resource has been designed to inform and support teachers and educators when identifying and integrating software as part of their learning and teaching environment. It provides information on a range of quality software being used in New Zealand educational settings, available free or at negotiated prices. All software has been reviewed by teachers and identified as having the potential to enhance and extend learning.
Support for identified software packages include Snapshots of Learning which provide a quick reference with screen shots showing examples of how the software has been used in learning activities.
An evaluation toolkit is provided for teachers to use as a framework for decision making and links are provided to a range of online teacher support materials and tutorials.
Information about different software packages include:
- Ministry negotiated prices for listed software packages
- Access to free trials
- Technical considerations
- Purchasing, or downloading options
- Management considerations for software
- Support for evaluating, selecting and using software
- Considerations for creating ICT enhanced learning environments
- Future trends and trials of software in schools
- Teacher recommendations and feedback
More information is available at the TKI website.