A new era in teaching

EXCITING STUFF: Paihia School pupil Nicole Dantes Mink could hardly wait to open her Chromebook.

Around 70 pupils at Paihia School unwrapped brand new Chromebook computers last week, joining what the principals and teachers behind the programme describe as a revolutionary new teaching system that is now being rolled out across the Far North, with the support of a $130,000 grant from Rotary International.

Paihia School, Kawakawa Primary and Northland College have joined a group of other low-decile schools leading the introduction of 'digital classrooms,' an initiative led by the Kaikohekohe Educational Trust that seeks to improve academic results and reduce truancy.

The founding principals are Jane Lindsay (Paihia), Lee Whitelaw (Ohaeawai Primary) and Meralyn Te Hira (Kaikohe West)

The aim is to give disadvantaged children the chance to embrace the wealth of learning resources available on the internet, and to learn anywhere, at any time and at any pace. At its heart is the concept of learning by sharing, which the internet has made much more possible than before.

The grant from the International Rotary Foundation, administered by the Rotary Club of Kerikeri, will fund hundreds of Chromebooks at many more schools in the future, as well as meeting the costs of implementing the project and training.

Chromebooks are laptop computers with limited offline capability, designed to be used primarily while connected to the internet. They are described as the face of the 'digital classroom' system, providing access to a closed, secure environment where sharing, pivotal to this new approach to learning, can take place.

The Kaikohekohe Educational Trust has already introduced the new system at Kaikohe West, Ohaeawai and Tautoro schools over the last year, Mrs Lindsay saying pupils at those "flagship" schools had already demonstrated higher levels of engagement with their studies, and a greater willingness to talk about what they were learning and what it meant to them. Parents were more engaged too, and truancy levels had dropped substantially.

Students were reading more, writing more and were far more engaged, sharing their work and learning from one another. The change had led to improved outcomes in all curriculum areas.

"It's not a replacement for old-fashioned education values," Mrs Lindsay added.

"It is a replacement for old-fashioned education techniques that have been failing our children for far too long."

Kaikohe East School, Bay of Islands College and Okaihau College have expressed interest in the Kaikohekohe Learning and Change Network, and the trust anticipates that many more will join in the next few years. Any school can apply to join the network, but its approach is geared to be of greatest benefit to those with lower decile rankings.

The $547 Chromebooks arrive with all the software loaded and teacher management tools needed for children to share work with their peers, pupils in other schools in the network and with their teachers. They also come with a three-year warranty and a robust case.

They belong to the Kaikohekohe Educational Trust until they have been paid for by the pupils' parents, who are required to sign up to the programme must agree to make repayments of at least $3.75 a week.

The scheme is not mandatory, but Mrs Lindsay said take-up had been "close to 100 per cent" in the three Far North schools in the network so far, adding that many families had no access to computers or the internet.

"If a large proportion of them had devices at home we'd have followed the Bring Your Own Device [BYOD] model, but the single-device Chromebook model is the best for these schools in this community. By reducing choice we have increased opportunity," she said.

The Rotary grant will be used primarily to fund the implementation of the project, the extensive training and professional development of the many teachers involved, and the salary of a facilitator and a part-time administrator, identified as essential to its success.