As more and more schools get connected to ultra fast broadband, and schools embrace e-learning, we’ll share their questions, answers and tips for others.
MANAIA VIEW CASE STUDY
Manaia View School in Northland was the first school in New Zealand to be connect to ultra-fast broadband. Staff and school management have observed that UFB connectivity has raised literacy and numeracy standards, reduced truancy and saved the school money.
JUST-IN-TIME LEARNING
Shane Ngatai, Principal of Rhode Street School in Dinsdale, Hamilton shares some real world experiences that illustrate the benefits of having access to ultra-fast broadband...
"This week DOC visited our school to show our students some Shortfin eels. During their presentation they talked about the native Longfin eel and how it is different to the Shortfin. One of our 7 year olds, quite independently got up and searched online for longfin eels. Within seconds, a picture of a Longfin Eel was displayed on our 72 inch digital board and the conversation quickly changed to the lifecycle of Longfins and their migration to Tonga. The next minute another student had found Tonga on Google Maps and the class was absorbed in calculating the distance of the Longfin migration to the Pacific Islands.
This type of interaction using our new technology resources happens all the time and it’s what I call just-in-time learning".BYO DEVICES - CASE STUDY
The following case study from Crown Fibre Holdings Newsletter 30 April 2012 discusses the one-child-one-device model that has been adopted by several schools.
BYO Devices - Big growth in use of iPads - Orewa College
There is no doubt that there is a quickly growing appetite for iPads as a popular device that many students are choosing to bring to school. Some schools are now asking their students to bring a one-on-one computer device to school. Crown Fibre Holdings reported that Orewa College Principal Kate Shevland wrote to parents asking all 2012 year 9 students to come to school with a "one-on-one computer device" - preferably an iPad 2. Kate said that the school already had Ultra-Fast Broadband, couldn't afford to expand its own 400-strong computer network and had a high-speed wireless network. She argued that students with their own computer device would be more independent, more motivated, and better able to collaborate with peers. 90% of the 320 year 9 students opted for an iPad, and the rest having netbooks, laptops or androids. Kate says the move has already improved student engagement.
Hardware in Schools still needed
While there has been considerable interest from schools around the country, advocating BYO devices isn't easy. As the Commerce Commission's second issues paper on school demand says: "'Bring your own device' does not render redundant the hardware already in schools, [which] will still be required for multimedia and other sophisticated applications."
Different BYO devices and Various Methods of Funding
A number of schools have different "one child, one device" models in place, with different devices and various methods of funding them. These include Tawa Intermediate and schools covered by the Manaiakalani Education Trust.
TIPS AND LEARNINGS
We will be collating your feedback and populating this section during Term 4, 2012.