Ask the Connected Learning Advisory – Te Ara Whītiki

Mā te Te Ara Whītiki e āwhina i ngā kura ki te whakauru i ngā momo hangarau ki ngā mahi akoako hei hiki i ngā putanga ako o ngā ākonga katoa.

The Connected Learning Advisory is helping New Zealand schools and kura make the most of the connections that digital technologies provide so they can get the best results for their students.

How can te Ara Whitiki support Maori-medium schools?

Making connections

In traditional times, Māori communities would connect with people who had different expertise to solve problems and chart pathways forward, thereby strengthening their communities. Te Ara Whītiki draws on these ideas of connecting people and expertise in charting, discovering and finding a pathway of learning.

With dedicated Māori-medium advisers, Te Ara Whītiki is able to provide support and advice specific to kura to make the most of digital technologies so they can get the best results for their students and communities.

Supporting kura

Calls from kura to Te Ara Whītiki so far have ranged from strategic planning to the integration of digital technologies into classroom practice, including topics such as:

• what digital technologies and resources are available to support Māori learners to enhance learning and engage whānau and community
• how to lead a kura through technological change and develop a strategy around the purpose of introducing digital devices
• how to set up, administer and implement cloud-based services to support modern learning practices
• how to procure laptops, tablets, and other ICT equipment.

For example, one North Island Kura Kaupapa Māori contacted Te Ara Whītiki seeking advice and support about integrating digital technologies into their classroom practice. From the initial kōrero with an adviser, we identified that specific support was required around strategic planning to support the use of digital technologies, connecting to the Network for Learning (N4L) Managed Network and how to use digital technologies to support te reo Māori learning and teaching.

The kura was provided with specific support related to their query and follow-up documentation to guide their next steps. They were then able to prioritise their actions of registering for the N4L Managed Network and exploring the opportunities identified through using Te Rangitukutuku (the Māori-medium e-Learning Planning Framework(external link).) The kura will continue to touch base with the advisory to seek further advice and support as required.

About the Connected Learning Advisory

The Ministry of Education’s Connected Learning Advisory – Te Ara Whītiki provides schools with free, consistent, unbiased advice on integrating technology with learning.

If you have a query about integrating technologies with teaching and learning, or you want to suggest a topic for this column, contact Te Ara Whītiki(external link) or Connected learning(external link)