The Ministry of Education’s Connected Learning Advisory – Te Ara Whītiki is committed to supporting schools and communities as they plan for, manage, and use digital technologies for learning. This month we look at how the advisory has helped schools and kura.
One of our Māori medium advisors supported a kura with a new tumuaki. The kura had a clear vision for learning in place, and was needing support for the implementation of digital technologies to enhance their vision. Various forms of support were needed, including advice around infrastructure and technical needs.
The kura had a server which was due for replacement. The Connected Learning Advisory helped the kura to move towards a cloud-based platform.
Other advice included scoping the existing ICT services, and recommendations for liaising with N4L and other ICT providers – all with a strong link to strategic planning for embedding digital technologies for learning.
Do you need support in these areas too? Try our Planning for a Cloud Migration guide, which you will find with all our resources at www.resources.connectedlearning.org.nz, and the Strategic Thinking Roadmap at www.str.connectedlearning.org.nz
A large secondary school identified that they wanted to do more to support their learners with accessing the curriculum. They contacted the Connected Learning Advisory for advice around supporting learners using technology. An advisor worked with key staff to help them consider what options for accessing learning were offered to students and how to implement tools to support learners; for example, text-to-speech, speech recognition, and the use of digital resources.
With ongoing, light-touch mentoring, the school is inquiring into literacy support tools for all learners.
Do you need support in these areas too? Try our Providing Literacy Support using Technology and Universal Design for Learning and Using Digital Technologies to Support Learning in a Senior Secondary Context, also at
www.resources.connectedlearning.org.nz(external link)
These examples show what happens when you contact the Connected Learning Advisory.
An appropriate advisor, usually someone local, will support you in ways that best suit your needs. We provide face-to-face support if required; we provide a team approach to address all your pedagogical, technological, and strategic queries; we provide you with relevant resources; and we check in with you to see how it’s going.
For more face-to-face support, throughout 2017 the advisory is offering free professional learning opportunities for teachers and leaders to come together and explore effective ways to manage and plan how your school/community of schools use digital technologies for learning.
The first of these will be held on 14 and 16 March in Auckland and Tauranga.
For more information about all workshops and to register for Auckland and Tauranga please visit core-ed.org/events/connected-learning-advisory(external link)
The Connected Learning Advisory is supporting hundreds of schools, and now also Communities of Learning, as they make strategic decisions related to learning with digital technologies.
If you have a query about integrating technology with teaching and learning, or you want to suggest a topic for this column, contact the Connected Learning Advisory on:
The Ministry of Education’s Connected Learning Advisory is managed by CORE Education.
BY Education Gazette editors
Education Gazette | Tukutuku Kōrero, reporter@edgazette.govt.nz
Posted: 12:33 am, 13 February 2017
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