Education Review ICT August 2015 by NZME. Educational Media

EDUCATION REVIEW series

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ICT & Procurement 2015 / www.educationreview.co.nz / $10.95

To AoG or not to AoG? procurement decisions for schools

Bulk funding to bean bags

- reflections of a headmaster

Community clout - a town rallies behind its schools Part of the series:

>> Postgrad & Research >> NZ Teacher >> Leadership & PD >> Postgrad Education

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Ed’s letter Seeing both sides I am easily swayed by well-reasoned arguments. A logical, clearly articulated explanation will find favour with me – until I hear the equally sound counterargument, and then I find myself doubting my initial stance. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing in journalism. It helps bring both points of view to the fore, and balance to issues and articles. Sometimes I think a little more considered debate wouldn’t go astray in education. It is a sector in which people are so quick to choose sides and form opinions without really listening to the other line of reasoning. One topic of contention that continues to polarise the education sector is IES – the Investing in Educational Success initiative and its counterpart, the Joint Initiative’s Communities of Learning. For this issue we asked two primary school principals on opposite sides of the IES coin to express why they support their chosen initiative. Both make for great reading and are bound to challenge – or perhaps confirm – existing opinions. While perhaps less contentious, the All of Government (AoG) procurement programme for education also continues to divide people. When the AoG IT hardware contract was fresh off the blocks, I was influenced by a small local IT hardware supplier who convinced me the contracts were detrimental to businesses like his. Then, upon closer inspection, I saw the savings that schools could make, the awareness of taxpayers’ money, but also the flexibility for schools to opt in if they pleased, and I saw the benefits of the initiative. Now, five years into the programme, the fact that this particular AoG contract is about to renew gives pause to reassess my stance. I’ve spoken with schools who feel they can get a better deal negotiating with local suppliers themselves. I’ve spoken with others who are pleased to take advantage of the AoG contract. I’ve heard from suppliers in support of the scheme and others who are opposed. The good thing is, schools have a choice. They have the luxury of choosing how and where to spend their money. That is ultimately what this issue is about – how schools spend their money. And on this topic, we aim to bring you, the reader, some very different approaches taken and some very different views on funding and purchasing priorities. A picture begins to emerge of how diverse and flexible our schooling system is, and how that allows schools to make the best decisions possible for their students. Jude Barback, Editor editor@educationreview.co.nz

EDUCATION REVIEW series

INside: 2

Community clout – a town’s pursuit of better outcomes for its learners

What drove three schools’ ICT decisions?

IES or Joint Initiative? Principals give their views

From bulk funding to bean bags

To AoG or not to AoG? – that is the question for schools

Making ends meet: schools’ reliance on their communities

A Kiwi in Kazakhstan

Web Rangers: teens tackling cyberbullying

A plan, a workforce, and a way of doing things

“Check the blog, Mum!”

Physics in the Far North – the video solution

Getting the hang of IT: learning on the job

Editor Jude Barback production Aaron Morey David Malone Advertising & marketing Manager Belle Hanrahan Publisher & general manager Bronwen Wilkins Contributing writeRS Delanee Dale, Kieran Fouhy, Greg Mackle, Chris Shorter, Elaine Shuck, Jan Tinetti IMAGES Thinkstock

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Education Review series Publication title 2015

Learning and Change Network

Community clout – a town’s pursuit of better outcomes for its learners

JUDE BARBACK shares how a group of schools in Te Puke collaborated and harnessed the support of its community to build a Learning and Change Network that is about to transform digital learning opportunities for its students.

t takes a village to raise a child, the ancient proverb goes, and in the case of Bay of Plenty town Te Puke, the saying isn’t far off the mark. Te Puke is typical of many New Zealand towns. With a population of around 7,500, the town has a high school, an intermediate and two primary schools –and a community that cares immensely about educating its youth. By harnessing this community support, the schools have been able to get the Hua Pai Maota (Te Puke Learning Network) project off the ground, giving the opportunity for every Te Puke student to have access to a digital device throughout their schooling.

Learning and Change Network

In 2013, the four schools – Te Puke Intermediate, Fairhaven Primary, Te Puke Primary and Te Puke High School – decided to work together to improve the learning and achievement of years 1 to 13 students. While the cluster to which the schools belonged works very collaboratively, the four schools in town connect particularly well as their students are on a pipeline of learning between them. The Te Puke schools had talked previously about aligning aspects of curriculum, charters and values, so when they heard about the Learning and Change Network (LCN) initiative, they were keen to be involved. “We thought the LCN would be a great framework for some of the contributing schools to the high school to connect across a variety of areas,” says Jill Weldon, principal of Te Puke Intermediate. The LCN strategy was developed to accelerate achievement for students by involving networks of students, parents, teachers, and community members from multiple schools to collaborate in developing innovative new learning environments. The LCNs, including the Te Puke network, have been facilitated by The University of Auckland and the Ministry of Education. The LCN strategy has received international acclaim, capturing the attention of the OECD Innovative Learning Environments project and the Global Education Leaders’ Forum.

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Weldon says the network has taken collaboration between the schools to another level. “Our charters now have some alignment; our vision and values are connected. The language parents hear will resonate because of the similarity.” The schools are not part of an IES Communities of Schools at this stage. They submitted an Expression of Interest to the Ministry but are yet to overcome some of the “sticking points” around leadership, especially given the flat, distributed leadership model that is currently in place. “There is no question to me that the Communities of Schools have emerged from the success of the LCN,” says Weldon. “Collaboration works.”

The Student Graduate Profile

With the LCN wheels in motion, the schools looked at what they wanted to achieve. They decided they needed a shared vision of what a student passing through their schools from years 1 to 13 should ultimately learn and achieve – a Te Puke Student Graduate Profile. Successful year 13 school leavers are not products of their years at secondary school alone, but of their education from the very beginning, across all stages of learning to that point. Weldon says there was certainly a collective belief and desire to raise achievement and pathways for Te Puke learners. Fifty LCN groups across the country have come together to identify their common achievement challenge and put plans in place to address them. Each network follows a path that suits its schools’ and community’s needs. “We didn’t draw from anyone else,” says Weldon. “The process facilitated by Auckland Uni and the MOE allowed us to delve into what learning looked like in our schools – for priority students and their families. This evidence then set the pathway.” So, what defines a successful year 13 school leaver from Te Puke? The schools have been guided by the three priority areas that have been identified to improve Te Puke student learning and achievement: 21st century learning, learner agency, and

engagement. Students, staff, boards of trustees, parents and whānau and the community have all been part of the process. The consultation process took an entire year, but gave the schools clear guidelines for the Te Puke Graduate Profile. The profile has now been developed, but is yet to be shared with the community. The Graduate Profile is being used by the four schools to develop specific criteria of what Te Puke learners should be able to do at different stages as they progress from years 1 to 13. The specific criteria make the expectations of all our students very clear and parents, whānau and the community are expected to help the students meet these expectations. The Te Puke Network is eager to involve early childhood education as well, in recognition of the fact that learning begins well before students hit year 1. “We are nearly at a point where we can invite others to be active partners in the project. Having ECE with us is vital,” says Weldon.

Utilising community support to realise technology goals

Another vital aspect to the network was establishing a technology framework to support students’ learning. With 21st century learning identified as a priority area to improve learning and achievement, the network looked to find a solution that would give students ready access to digital technology. It also needed to be appropriate and feasible for the schools and community. Weldon said they knew the Te Puke community could not sustain a traditional BYOD (bring your own device) model, nor could the schools provide a 1:1 ratio of devices for students, so they established a model that offers parents and caregivers the opportunity to purchase a digital device (iPad or computer) via a low-cost, lease-toown scheme. The digital device is intended for the student to use as a learning tool at school and at home. At the end of the lease term, students and their parents keep the digital device. If they are still a student they can lease a new digital device if they wish.

Learning and Change Network

“We wanted the students to have access 24/7, anywhere, anytime with anyone. Research shows that for students and whānau to value the asset they must have an investment in it,” says Weldon. To achieve this goal, the network partnered with Te Puke Economic Development Group (Te Puke EDG) to develop the lease-to-own scheme for a digital device (iPad or computer). The Te Puke Schools embraced the Te Puke EDG’s ‘Te Puke Goodness Grows Here’ campaign and identified an opportunity for the EDG to be part of the programme. Te Puke EDG’s Mark Boyle says they are pleased to support the programme. “We have provided some financial support,” says Boyle, “but our input has been more around marketing the project to the wider community, getting business and community groups to see the value proposition on offer and finding affordable and achievable solutions for families to equip their children with hardware, software and internet connectivity at home. This is an ongoing process. Locking in financial support for generations to come is also an ongoing process. We are making excellent progress across all fronts.” The input from Te Puke EDG has been fundamental to the initiative. They have set up a Trust trust to support the ongoing work of the network, as well as some financial and human resources support. “They are fully behind the concept first and foremost,” says Weldon of Te Puke EDG. “They believe in the collective investment and responsibility of educating our youth.” The long-term goal is that the Trust will assist the schools to provide free internet access for students at home after school using the schools’ Network 4 Learning (N4L) data packages. Having the community involved is very important to the Te Puke Learning Network. The schools have opted to deal with local suppliers rather than through All of Government IT hardware contracts. The network believes local suppliers have been able to give the network deals and insurance, finance and service that they couldn’t have found through an AoG contract supplier. In conjunction with the Te Puke EDG, the schools decided to request tenders from local businesses. They needed a business capable of selling devices such as iPads or Windows laptops at an affordable price. Moai Technology Solutions was the successful bidder. The IT business included services such as imaging and web security management in its proposal, as well as a three-year extended warranty, theft/loss coverage and accidental damage insurance. Now, Moai is working with the schools to create device packages in preparation for the Network’s launch in early October of this year. The collaboration with the Te Puke EDG has allowed Moai to offer parents finance on devices, with entry-level packages costing under $5 a week. These packages include the device, protective case and three-year warranty/insurance coverage.

Students who take advantage of the programme will receive free cloud-based, enterprise-level antivirus and web-filtering. This will protect students and their devices while they use the internet, both at school and at home. They will also receive free Office 365 for those with Windows machines and students with iPads will receive free apps from the Apple App Store. The warranty service includes a free pick up/ drop off service from the school for the student, plus repairs should the device be accidentally damaged, and a replacement device if the device is lost or stolen. Any manufacturer’s faults will be fixed free of charge for three years. Schools will also have loan devices, so students will never be without the technology essential to their learning. Mauricio Galleguillos of Moai says their suppliers have really helped to ensure their prices and the devices they’re able to offer are top-notch. Moai is keen to offer a wide range of devices to students to suit their learning needs for the stage they are at on their learning pathway. “Parents will be able to purchase devices such as iPad Minis and ASUS laptops. We are going to offer a complete range of devices, so that senior students who are taking graphic design, for example, have access to a machine capable of handling everything they can throw at it,” says Galleguillos. He believes the uptake will be “massive”. “By providing students with access to technology, they will be better prepared for university and the workforce, as almost all

industries require knowledge of computing systems now,” he says.

Managing change and expectations

Enthusiasm for the project appears to be widespread through the community. Weldon describes the feeling as “hugely positive” among students, staff, whānau and community, although she says change is always difficult for some. “21st century pedagogy means we do things a bit different and everyone judges on how it was when they went to school. Digital learning is one example and Learner Agency is difficult for some parents to get their head around. “There are small pockets of cautious wait-and-see parents who don’t want to be the early adopters and that is fine. People will come in when they are ready.” The schools believe that communication with the wider community is critical to the success of their network. Weldon says it is important to give parents and whānau a voice, to listen to their wishes and desires for their children. Equally it is important to include the objectives of wider community, business and tertiary education. “It’s difficult to please all of the people, but all stakeholders need a voice,” says Weldon. “Inclusion and contribution to projects – sustainability will depend on us having this.” The Te Puke Learning Network was founded on the vision of “engaging the child, engaging the whānau, engaging the community” and so far, it is on the right track.

“We wanted the students to have access 24/7, anywhere, anytime with anyone. Research shows that for students and whānau to value the asset they must have an investment in it,”

Education Review series

ICT & Procurement 2015

ICT approaches

What drove three schools’

ICT decisions? Education Review asked three different schools what has influenced their approach to ICT procurement.

chools have so many decisions to make when it comes to acquiring the best technology for their various ICT needs. An easy decision for most schools is connecting to Network for Learning (N4L) – the managed network that is costing the Government more than $200 million so that schools can have uncapped, safe and secure internet access. More than 1800 schools have been successfully connected so far, and 90 per cent of schools are expected to be connected by the end of this year. A far more difficult decision is what approach to take when giving students access to devices. While a BYOD system might work for some school, others might favour school-supplied devices or lease-to-own schemes. Purchasing devices can be done through signing up to an All-of-Government (AoG) IT hardware contract – something 185 schools have done on the current contract, which is due to be renewed in September this year. On top of these decisions, schools need to consider many other aspects when it comes to meeting their ICT requirements. Here, we ask three schools to outline the best decisions they’ve made, what they would have done differently, and what their next ICT purchase will be.

Te Aroha College, Waikato, decile 4, roll: 320 Managed Network Are you connected to the Managed Network (N4L)? A: Yes.

What has your experience been so far? A: Very good.

BYOD and 1:1

What is your school’s approximate ratio of devices to students? A: 1:1.5.

ICT & Procurement 2015

What is your school’s approximate ratio of school-owned devices to students? A: 1:1.5.

What percentage of your students bring their own device to school? A: All year 9 and about 10 per cent of others.

ICT Procurement

Has your school purchased its technology via an All of Government (AoG) contract?

A: No.

Why not? A: Get better deals and more choice direct.

How did your school decide what to purchase? A: Professional advisors.

Network

Has your school made a decision to adhere to one particular network/operating system?

Education Review series

What informed this decision? A: BOT, parents and local primary schools.

General

With the benefit of hindsight, is there anything you would do differently? A: I don’t believe with all of the stakeholders involved that anything could have been done differently.

What is the next major ICT procurement decision your school is considering? A: Server.

Point England School, Tamaki, Auckland, decile 1A, roll: 620 Managed Network

A: No.

What has been the best aspect of your school’s ICT set-up? A: Office 365.

Are you connected to the Managed Network (N4L)? A: Yes.

What has your experience been so far? A: Good.

BYOD and 1:1

What is your school’s approximate ratio of devices to students?

A: 1:1.

What is your school’s approximate ratio of school-owned devices to students? A: Juniors (year 1–3): 1:1 school-owned (approx 300).

What percentage of your students bring their own device to school? A: None: year 4–8 lease to own, school-procured and provisioned devices for $3.75/week. Manaiakalani Education Trust holds equity and liability for micro loans.

ICT approaches

ICT Procurement

Has your school purchased its technology via an All of Government (AoG) contract?

A: No.

Why not? A: We can negotiate cheaper prices.

How did your school decide what to purchase? A: A procurement committee tests devices and records cross-school teacher and student feedback. This committee also seeks parent feedback.

Network

Has your school made a decision to adhere to one particular network/operating system? A: At present we use Mac OS, iOS and Chrome.

What informed this decision? A: Pedagogy, usability and manageability.

General

What has been the best aspect of your school’s ICT set-up? A: Pedagogically driven, managed choice to increase opportunity.

With the benefit of hindsight, is there anything you would do differently? A: Do the same, but better.

What is the next major ICT procurement decision your school is considering? A: 2016 student device procurement.

Te Akau ki Papamoa School, Bay of Plenty, decile 5, roll: 580 Managed Network

A: No.

Are you connected to the Managed Network (N4L)?

Why not? A: Waiting for bugs to be ironed out and for the Managed Network to be well embedded. Will reevaluate in a year.

BYOD and 1:1

What is your school’s approximate ratio of devices to students?

A: 1:1.

What is your school’s approximate ratio of school-owned devices to students? A: The school owns all other devices. We understand that a number of students have their own devices but these remain at home.

What percentage of your students bring their own device to school? A: Nil, but they are welcome to. Three or four kids bring their own MacBooks to school.

ICT Procurement

Has your school purchased its technology via an All of Government (AoG) contract? A: Noel Leeming is our supplier; they are part of AoG. The school is also an AoG School.

How did your school decide what to purchase? A: Competitive quotes and after testing equipment. Equipment purchased fits in with long-term strategic plan/vision.

benefit analysis. Google services are excellent and have a place in an effective Apple school. We have incorporated 1:1 learning classrooms over a period of five years now and all decisions have been driven by needs of learners and how well the tool fits in quality teaching and learning.

General

What has been the best aspect of your school’s ICT set-up? A: The way it has changed people’s teaching practice. ‘Transformative’. We have gone from strength to strength in providing quality teaching and learning whilst building teacher capacity and providing ongoing professional support and guidance.

With the benefit of hindsight, is there anything you would do differently? A: Invest in robust wifi earlier. Incorporate a school ICTPd facilitator/educational technologist earlier.

What is the next major ICT procurement decision your school is considering? A: Maintaining current practice. Possibly looking into replacing projectors with 80-inch TVs. Investigate robotics/maker equipment. Continued evaluation of software for learning.

Network

Has your school made a decision to adhere to one particular network/operating system? A: We use Apple hardware and some Google services. We are an Apple Distinguished School.

What informed this decision? A: This is a rich and in-depth discussion that may be difficult to cover here! But we have done extensive testing and believe the Apple hardware is better value for money and wins in a cost/

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IES/JI

Education Review invited two primary school principals – one supporting the Investing in Educational Success (IES) Communities of Schools initiative and the other supporting the Joint Initiative Communities of Learning – to explain the reasoning behind their respective educational model choices.

IES or Joint Initiative?

Principals give their views

IES:

strongly connected to the intent of The New Zealand Curriculum (see the curriculum’s vision/values and key competencies) and the skills that we hear extolled at educational conferences and in our professional reading. These skills that we wish to develop in our students, we can, as professionals, model and adopt.

DELANEE DALE, principal of Maungawhau School in Mt Eden, Auckland, says participating in a Community of Schools will allow for better collaboration with neighbouring schools.

Sharing experiences and expertise

leveraging strong leadership for big gains

hat first attracted me to the IES Communities of Schools initiative was the potential to work collaboratively with like-minded schools in our local area. Having experienced the benefits of being involved in the Learning and Change project led by Dr Brian Annan for the previous two years, I knew first-hand how powerful it was to work collaboratively and cooperatively with other schools on an achievement challenge. Too often, as principals, I believe we can become bogged down with the administrivia of the role, where principal cluster meetings and forums are driven by communicating new legislation. What I loved about being part of the Learning and Change network was the honest dialogue which occurred around really important issues, such as student achievement, and the inroads we made in addressing these issues. This was not a topdown, principal-driven solution, but really involved our staff, students and whānau. Derek McCormack, vice-chancellor of Auckland University of Technology, recently published in The New Zealand Herald an article entitled ‘Straight-A students can’t ignore the C-skills”. By C-skills, he is referring to communication, creativity, curiosity, collaboration, cooperation and caring within a sense of community. These skills are

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Joining a Community of Schools has meant that I work more closely with three other schools within my current principal cluster, but also with schools from an adjoining cluster, who also contribute to the same secondary school. This has enabled us to make strong connections with a new group of schools, from primary through to secondary, and a local kindergarten. Having to agree on some achievement challenges as a group has ensured that we are already working collaboratively by talking face to face, sharing information, our experiences and expertise. The sticking point for most schools is the lead principal role. This has not been an issue for our group. All schools bar one in our Community of Schools are on a 4–5 year ERO review cycle. This, I believe, is indicative of the strong leadership/capability within our group, yet we all agreed very quickly on a lead principal. The rumours and gossip about the lead principal having control over other schools and trustees was, in fact, a misnomer. It has been clarified that the lead principal will be responsible to lead the contract around the agreed and approved achievement challenges. For our school, which is a large primary school (650 students currently), we can reward leadership within our school with Management Units, but we sadly lack funding for teacher release. Joining a Community of Schools will provide us with further opportunities to acknowledge specific teacher expertise to work across our schools and teacher expertise to work within our schools during school time, which will develop teacher capability and, in turn, will positively impact on all our students. I believe that I have been employed to do the very best that I can for our students. Participating in a Community of Schools will be a powerful mechanism to enable this to occur.

IES/JI

Joint Initiative:

putting children at the centre JAN TINETTI, principal of Merivale School, Tauranga, believes the Joint Initiative Communities of Learning model puts children and their learning needs over administrative structures.

s principal of Merivale School, the only decile 1 school in Tauranga, I get approached almost every week by someone with a new innovation that they assure me will accelerate the academic achievement of our children. Over the years, our team has become very adept at evaluating the promises being made. We have developed a framework to measure the effectiveness of any initiative to ensure we only implement something that will enhance the lives of our children and our community. So we looked closely at the Government’s Investing in Educational Success scheme to see how effective it would be for our children and community. When looking at any initiative, we use the following questions: Does it put children at the heart? Does it focus on the challenges that we face at Merivale School? Does it maintain the integrity of the Merivale community culture? Does it ensure Māori potential is realised? Using these questions as our guides, we concluded that in its present form the IES Communities of Schools model was not for us. We concluded it was too focused on administrative structures. The model seemed inflexible in its ‘one size fits all’ top-down structure. For instance, in our school community we have identified the need for a seamless delivery model of education from our contributing early childhood education centres to our schools. We need to ensure that collaboration with those ECE centres is authentic and that we would be equal partners in any new initiative. That does not fit with the IES hierarchical approach. Yes, we could have invited our ECE colleagues into collaboration, but the model clearly started with schools and that would have undermined real collaboration. At Merivale, the curriculum is delivered through both English medium in our mainstream classes and te reo Māori in our Māori medium classes. Our community values both sides of our school as equals and strongly asserts both must develop together while maintaining their own integrity. Our team believed that participation in an IES Communities of School cluster would identify a narrow achievement challenge and would disenfranchise one side of our school. As the majority of our cluster schools do not offer Māori medium options, there would be a real risk that this team could easily be marginalised.

communities can better meet the needs of their children and local community. For instance, it supports our identified challenge to create a seamless delivery model of education right from early childhood because our ECE colleagues can be equal partners in developing solutions. The ability to pool time and money means our community could see our primary and ECE teachers working together in an approach best suited to all of us. While there are required leadership roles, the ability to have a range of other options could ensure that a role could be established to ensure the needs of our Māori medium team aren’t marginalised. Our school community supports the concept of a shared responsibility for leadership across the community rather than one leader role. This flexibility will allow communities to choose from a range of leadership skills that their community needs, rather than have one leader doing it all. It gives schools and ECE centres the opportunity to choose teaching roles and resourcing, such as time and professional learning and development, that focus on cultural competency, community engagement and on learners’ transitions. We strongly support a major focus on Māori and Pasifika achievement. This model is a big breakthrough and represents one of the biggest changes in many years to the way we deliver education. But as a school principal, what’s really excites me and my colleagues is that, once again, children and their learning needs have been put firmly back into the centre of the picture.

Children’s learning the driver

But now we are looking closely at the Joint Initiative Communities of Learning model and are excited about the possibilities this model offers our children and our community. This model is about children’s learning. The children are at the heart and their learning is the driver, rather than administrative structures. The model is responsive and flexible with time, money and people. It is shaped by the community itself, therefore

Education Review series

ICT & Procurement 2015

Leadership

From bulk funding

to bean bags After 45 years in boys’ schools, 27 of these as headmaster of St Peter’s College, a Catholic school for boys in Auckland, KIERAN FOUHY offers some candid reflections on the past, present and future of boys’ education in New Zealand.

s I head into retirement, this is not a collection of memories for my eventual canonisation (as is the tradition of my Catholic church) but a reflection on looking back in order to look forwards. With 45 years’ experience – 27 as headmaster of a central Auckland school of 1,200 young men – I have some understanding of how boys’ schools work. It has been 45 years of daily whole-school assemblies where wisdom and pragmatism have intersected. That’s 45 years where each Saturday was a long day – from being part of the U14 B football team at 9am to attending the aftermatch of the First XV rugby team at 4.30pm. It has also been 45 years of annual school balls where the clock to the midnight finish seems so painfully slow. And 45 years of classroom observations where I have seen brilliant teaching, boring teaching, wacky teaching and teachers who missed their vocation as taxi drivers! It has been 45 years of teaching boys who own their school community with spirit, pride and commitment. Boys who approach learning differently from their sisters, but with encouragement and coaxing get there in the finish. Boys who need to learn to control their impulsiveness and to delay gratification for future goals. It has been 45 years of parental support for their son’s school as they adopted the educational mantra: ‘Students can apply, but we only enrol families’. And 45 years of mothers of boys who intuitively, and with wisdom, realise that their sons are different from their daughters. Boys learn differently, move differently and behave differently. And truthfully (at rare moments!), I have wistfully thought of the benefits of being a headmaster of a school of orphans!

Politics and the funding dollar

But it has been theyears of imposed political ideas on education that has been the most frustrating. Governments and (most centralised

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institutions) do change poorly. Driven by threeyearly cycles, political survival and the dollar, they forget service is the core of their mission. Bulk funding was at the start of my headmastership in 1990.It was an excellent idea because it removed the distance of funding and placed revenue closer to actual performance or educational outcomes. It had immense benefits for every student at the school and was a welcome boost to leadership in a school. But the change was so poorly executed. With the competence skill set of Anzac military planners, they turned an excellent idea into a disaster. It became a contest of winners and losers. We know that excellent ideas find death hard. The son of bulk funding will come again. It will be called something like ‘School funding for all’ and a new cadre of principals will embrace its obvious benefits. The winners will be New Zealand students and the losers will be entitlement thinking.

Bean bags philosophy

And then came the introduction of the bean bags philosophy into schools at the end of my headmastership in 2015; the idea that thinking should mould to the person in comfort without pressure or effort! At its core is the belief that inherited knowledge of the past doesn’t exist and any learner must discover knowledge again in some co-constructed way. The numeracy project foisted onto most schools is a classic example of this philosophy. Untested, unworkable, unmoderated. Ask any good mathematician teaching maths. Bad words of this philosophy are: structure, routine, rituals, discipline, respect, accountable, tradition, memory.

And we will know when this philosophy is embedded into New Zealand life when the electrician coming to fix a light has to google Ohm’s Law, or that students think that ‘Shakespeare’ is a pub in central Auckland! No wonder the Chinese with their Confucian traditions are shaking their heads at the confusion of Western education thinkers as they plough ahead in international league tables, especially maths.

Food for thought

Three suggestions for the education of boys in the next few years: Convene an educational summit on what works in getting boys to achieve and become educated. After all, it makes economic sense that if over half the clientele of the company are not performing then the CEO should at least find out why. In the Auckland market where schools are being built, fund a boys-only (and girls-only) college for years 7–11 with an adjacent co-ed senior college for years 12 and 13. It is time that research into real issues comes to the fore. Devise and establish a philosophy curriculum for secondary schools. This is the counterweight to the dumbed down curriculum of the present day where students are becoming proficient in barista coffee making and travel and tourism without even understanding the basis of their lives and where their Western tradition arose. Is it wise to throw out the Christian/Judaic tradition upon which most New Zealand institutions were built? So the end is the beginning and the beginning is the end. Roll on the future. As the Bard would say: To retire ... ”perchance to dream”.

Boys learn differently, move differently and behave differently.

Outcomes through Technology iPad It’s a camera. A library. A movie theater. A teacher. A game console. A business partner. A coach. It’s so powerful and easy to use you won’t want to put it down. Yet it’s so thin and light, you won’t have to. A device that fits in a classroom and an enterprise setting equally well – empowered by appropriate apps.

Device Enrolment Program (DEP) DEP simplifies initial setup by automating mobile device management (MDM) enrollment and supervision of devices during setup. Enabling you to configure the devices without touching them. To further simplify the process, you can skip certain Setup Assistant screens so users can start using their devices right out of the box.

Volume Purchasing Program (VPP) Organisations can buy apps, in volume (20+ per app) with a purchase order via Cyclone. Education customers may have access to significant discounts on some apps. Cyclone is able to provide you this procurement capability locally. Mobile Device Management (MDM) MDM is the administrative tool to deal with deploying, securing, monitoring, integrating and managing mobile devices, such as smartphones, tablets and laptops, within your organisation. Cyclone has expertise with both Casper and AirWatch covering all main operating systems. All component parts together, provide a touchless deployment and management solution for your iPads within your organization – the pain goes away! Professional Learning Once deployed… how do you move your users from digital substitution towards transformative digital workflow/learning? Cyclone has a team of professional, experienced, Apple qualified learning consultants to lead you on this journey.

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Academic teaching and learning with digital devices

All-of-Government contracts

To AoG or not to AoG? – that is the question for schools The renewal of the All-of-Government (AoG) IT hardware procurement contract provides a good juncture to look at why the contract hasn’t had greater buy-in from schools so far, and whether a new contract might turn this around. JUDE BARBACK investigates.

ith the renewal of the All-of-Government (AoG) IT hardware contract underway, it is timely to reflect on how successful the current contract has been with schools, and whether its renewal will bring any changes to encourage more buy-in from schools. The current IT hardware contract began in 2010. The level of participation from schools has been fairly underwhelming. Of the 2,440 schools eligible to participate in AoG contracts, approximately 1,400 initially requested to see the catalogue with the full range of products and pricing. Of these, just 185 schools currently participate in the AoG IT Hardware contract.

Why aren’t more schools participating?

While it was always expected to be a slow-burner, five years in, the level of takeup of the IT hardware contract from schools remains low. Some schools are adamant they can negotiate better deals themselves. Head of ICT at Te Aroha College Troy Smith said they believed they could get better deals and more choice by purchasing directly. Principal of Point England School Russell Burt said they purchased outside of the AoG contract because they can negotiate cheaper prices. Other schools prefer to support local suppliers. The schools involved in the Te Puke Learning Network said local suppliers have been able to give the network deals and insurance, finance and service that they couldn’t have found through an AoG contract supplier. The roll size or location (i.e. urban or rural) of a school could perhaps have a bearing on its decision to opt in to the AoG scheme. However, there is no correlation between decile and the rate of participation in the AoG IT hardware contract, with participating schools spread fairly evenly across the deciles. Similarly, there doesn’t appear to be one level of schooling that favours the scheme over another, with full primary schools accounting for a quarter of the schools participating in the contract – roughly the same proportion of secondary schools. Graham Prentice of Cyclone Computers, a supplier for the current AoG IT hardware contract, suspects one of the main reasons is that the catalogue doesn’t offer low-end consumer-level products. He says that if a school has a relatively small IT budget, it might prefer to opt for cheaper alternatives than what appears in the catalogue to make its money go further.

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A second reason for the low take-up, speculates Prentice, is that the catalogue is vast and complicated, making selection a daunting prospect for schools. With over 800 items listed, Prentice believes there needs to be some form of filtering offered to make the process more streamlined for schools.

Renewed contract now launched

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s New Zealand Government Procurement has taken note of such suggestions as it prepares for the renewal of the AoG IT Hardware contract. A Request for Proposals (RFP) for the new contract was released early this year, asking bidders for ideas on how to encourage schools to engage. “We sought feedback from government agencies and schools as we looked to develop this new solution to ensure that the second generation contracts are fit for purpose and deliver value for money to government agencies and schools,” says Larissa Hill of New Zealand Government Procurement. “This includes the scope of products available in the catalogue and we also consider any other areas for improvement identified throughout the life of the contracts.” In 2013 MBIE told Education Review it was focusing on simplifying the endto-end process for schools and making the whole process more user-friendly. The changes made to the new AoG Office Supplies contract reflect this. Hill says they have seen great uptake from schools already, with more than 200 schools signed up since the Office Supplies contract went live on 18 July this year.

All-of-Government contracts

Advocates impressed with savings

Certainly, the schools that are on board the AoG procurement programme are advocates. Wellington College has had great success joining the AoG contracts. The school has signed five AoG contracts, including the IT Hardware contract, and director of ICT Helen Jones says they are enjoying the savings. Lytton High School in Gisborne has also been impressed with the savings they have been able to achieve through AoG contracts. “We have a cost savings analysis now for Travel, IT hardware and BP Oil and have some indicative savings for Electricity. With taking these contracts into account, we are looking at saving approximately $50,000 per year for our school,” says Raymond Pereira, business manager at Lytton High School. Nigel Georgieoff of Christchurch Boys’ High School says the AoG contracts give schools options when it comes to spending.

What are All-of-Government (AoG) contracts? All-of-Government (AoG) contracts are part of the Government’s Procurement Reform Programme, negotiating supply agreements between the Crown and approved suppliers for selected goods and services. By harnessing the collective buying power of over 200 State sector agencies and now 2,500 schools, government has positioned itself as a ‘customer of choice’ and is able to achieve substantial cost savings. The initial four contracts – Desktop/Laptops, Office Consumables, Print Devices, and Vehicles – were established in mid-2010.

Current AoG contracts take-up numbers

“Make it easy, make it accessible, and you’re bound to get more engagement from schools.”

“It makes you look at all other costs eventually, including non-AOG items, and review how you do things and where other savings can be made,” he says. The university sector also appears to be on board, with seven out of the eight major universities now signed up to the current IT hardware contract.

What will the new contract deliver?

The new AoG IT Hardware contract will go live 23 September 2015. The RFP closed on 11 March and successful suppliers will be awarded contracts soon. MBIE remains committed to getting a good deal for schools (and other agencies) through the negotiation of the second generation AoG IT contract. “Providing a contract that suits the needs of all government agencies and eligible schools remains a priority for New Zealand Government Procurement,” says Hill. Prentice firmly believes there are savings to be made for schools. He points to the way the AoG IT hardware contract works for government departments and agencies, which, unlike the education sector, are required to make their purchases via the AoG contract. As a result these organisations are now seeing the power of group purchasing, achieving significant savings. “Make it easy, make it accessible, and you’re bound to get more engagement from schools,” says Prentice of the incoming new AoG IT hardware contract. Come late September, when the new contract is released, it will be interesting to see if this advice has been taken into account, and if more schools opt in as a result.

AoG contract

No. of schools

Advertising Media*

792

Air Travel

Electricity

External Recruitment Services

IT Hardware

185

Mobile Voice and Data Services

Motor Vehicles 2nd Gen

Office Supplies

205

Print Devices

Rental Vehicles

Reticulated Gas

LOCKABLE SECURE iPad and tablet enclosures

Travel Management Services

COUNTER TOP

Total schools participating in at least one AoG contract

1,033

*No formal sign-up process is required for schools to access the discounts through this contract.

Source: Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment

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Fundraising

Making ends meet: schools’ reliance on their communities

JUDE BARBACK looks at the co-dependent relationship between schools and businesses as schools try to meet funding shortfalls and businesses strive for corporate social responsibility.

ducation between the ages of five and 18 is supposedly free in New Zealand. Yet many argue that the resources provided by the state, both in terms of funding and staffing time, are insufficient to meet the costs of delivering a meaningful curriculum. There are so many things tugging on a school’s purse strings as it strives to meet parents’ expectations – learning resources, ICT requirements, sporting tournaments, sports equipment, musical instruments, field trips, and so on. Many schools struggle to stretch their Ministry of Education operational grants as far as they would like.

A New Zealand Secondary Principals’ Council survey found that since the guidelines were introduced, nearly two-thirds of high schools report a reduction in school finances. It also found that curriculum-related activities like field trips, science experiments and costly courses have been removed by some schools. Of the 54 secondary and area schools who responded, 59 per cent had removed some field trips and 68 per cent had changed to cheaper field trips. Approximately 59 per cent expected to see a negative impact on programmes like Education Outside the Classroom, Outdoor Education and food technology workshops.

Donations

Decile ratings also impact upon school coffers. Schools held their collective breath as the new deciles were announced late last year. While the Ministry of Education’s 18-month transition period offered some cushioning to the change, an increase in decile rating ultimately means less funding for schools. The resulting funding drop from Picton School’s increase from decile three to five meant its six teacher aide positions and the school’s access to the Duffy Books in Homes scheme were under threat. Principal Alister McCosh told the Marlborough Express that school staff and the board of trustees would have to decide how the funding shortfall would be met. “If we want to maintain the things that we’ve got we’ll have to fundraise in some form.”

In 2013, the Ministry introduced new funding guidelines that prevented schools from asking parents for money for activities considered part of the national curriculum. Donations for voluntary activities such as cultural and sporting trips can still be requested. The guidelines were introduced with good reason: prior to their introduction there was much debate about state-funded schools asking cash-strapped parents to cough up money they didn’t have.

Decile facts Decile ratings were introduced in 1995 and are adjusted after every census. Schools are compared nationally and about 10 per cent put into each decile. Decile one schools have the highest ratio of students from low socio-economic communities and decile 10 schools the lowest. Funding is graduated across the deciles, with the most funding given to decile one schools and the least to decile 10 schools. A school’s rating determines about a tenth of its funding. In the last round of decile adjustments, about a third of schools had an increase in decile rating, a third stayed the same and a third had a decrease in rating. 12

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The curse of a high decile rating

Fundraising

Businesses like those in The Warehouse Group have found a space they can occupy that benefits schools, communities and themselves through such initiatives. A little corporate social responsibility can go a long way. Caltex was the latest to announce a scheme along these lines. The company aims to raise $100,000 through its new Fuel Your School initiative, which will see schools receive funding towards improving STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) activities in the classroom. Every time a customer redeems their AA Smartfuel savings at Caltex service stations between 27 July and 23 August,Caltex will donate 25c to the Fuel Your School fund.

Technology and fundraising Higher decile schools are particularly mindful of the need to top up their limited funding through other means. Many look to international students and community fundraising initiatives to help bridge the gap. In a note of thanks to the Yummy Stickers promotion team for the grant for sports equipment, the sports coordinator for decile 10 Gardens School acknowledged how necessary support from outside sources is for high decile schools. “Just wanted to pass on how much we appreciate the support you show for schools. As a decile 10 school, our budgets are very tight and we really look forward to the top up we get every year from you guys!” A similar note from the teacher in charge of sport at decile 8 Stanmore Bay School confirmed the same. “Any initiative that puts useful equipment in the hands of students is welcome. Free gear means that allocated funding can be spent on providing even more resources that we may not have been able to purchase otherwise.”

Business-school relationships

The Yummy Sticker promotion is a good example of how the socially responsible actions of a company can help meet a need in New Zealand schools. The Yummy Sticker promotion – in which schools collect Yummy Stickers from fruit to receive money for sports equipment – is in its 18th year. Marketing manager Sue De Lisle said the programme was initially designed to encourage people to buy apples in the winter and ran only in terms 2 and 3. But it was also about “giving back”, she said, about encouraging kids to be healthy. In the first year they gave away $50,000 of sports gear; today they spread gear worth $200,000 between the 600 and 700 schools now taking part in the promotion. De Lisle credits the programme’s success with its simplicity and the fact it is driven by a passion for helping kids stay healthy. Each school receives a portion of the $200,000 based on the percentage of stickers they’ve collected. It tends to work out fairly as the bigger the school, generally the more stickers collected. The reason schools have given for not participating are that they don’t have a Pak’n Save or New World in their area, or sadly, that their families can’t afford to buy apples. The Warehouse’s token scheme is similarly effective and simplistic. For every plastic bag purchased, a token can be placed in one of three bins for local community groups, including schools. The Warehouse then donates the proceeds of plastic bag sales to the groups according to the number of tokens. Selwyn Park School principal Vern Stevens told the Kaipara Lifestyler that the school hoped to purchase a GoPro camera with money raised from their local Warehouse’s token scheme. Tangowahine School had earmarked the money for new technology, with the hope of realising the school’s aim of one device per child. Warehouse Stationery’s Support Your School programme allows schools to receive points for purchases made which can then be redeemed for rewards such as Warehouse Stationery vouchers to buy things like school stationery, art supplies, furniture and computers.

Technology has helped fundraising take new forms, and crowdfunding sites and online fundraising communities are becoming increasingly popular. Relatively new to the Kiwi online fundraising space is Kiteflyr. Like traditional fundraising, supporters are able to make donations directly through the cause’s profit page, but there is also the opportunity to purchase deals in a similar manner to sites like GrabOne, but with a portion of the purchase price going to a cause of the purchaser’s choice. The site also allows causes to set up fundraising events with discounted offers tailored for large groups from local venues and sell tickets through the Kiteflyr website for their profit. Kiteflyr appeals to schools as a fundraising medium, and as such there are many schools listed on the site, most requesting support for sporting endeavours. Pakuranga College, for example, is in the process of raising $10,000 for its boys’ and girls’ basketball teams to go to the national competitions. Entertainment books have been in many schools’ fundraising calendars for much longer, having started 15 years ago in New Zealand; however, in recent years Entertainment has branched out into online memberships as well. Families can purchase a book or ‘Entertainment membership’ for around $60, giving them access to a huge range of discounts to attractions, eateries and services with 20 percent going back to the school. St Heliers School PTA and BOT member Kathy Harding says their school has raised over $2,500 through Entertainment sales over the past three years. FundraiseOnline is another web-based initiative offering event-focused fundraising in a similar vein to sites like Givealittle as well as the opportunity for supporters to donate on a regular basis. The Minister of Education has signalled a new funding system for schools is on the cards; however, whatever system emerges is unlikely to replace the need for schools to seek out opportunities to top up their funding. Promotions that bring money, sports gear or stationery from local businesses will always be popular with schools, provided they are easy to administer and understand. Similarly, fundraising initiatives, both traditional and technological, will always be needed to keep up with expectations for a school experience that is rich and diverse in opportunities.

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ICT & Procurement 2015

in the classroom

iss Green records a documentary on TV that will perfectly complement her year 11 geography class’s module on sustainability. She can’t wait for them to watch it, and has planned a whole lesson around the programme. She decides to check if the school has the right copyright licence in place and is dismayed to find it doesn’t. She’s tempted to show the documentary anyway – chances are no one would ever know. But then if she was caught, she, the principal and even the board could be held liable. She’s also eager to do the right thing, especially in front of her students. What’s a teacher to do?! Fortunately, copyright licensing is easier than ever for schools, thanks to the ongoing partnership between Copyright Licensing New Zealand, OneMusic and Screenrights. For the third year, the organisations are continuing to collaborate to make school licensing even easier, offering a sort of ‘one stop shop’ solution that allows schools to ‘pick and mix’ the licences they require to access the print, music and audio visual content needed for lessons and teaching.

“Obvious decision” for Taupaki

Taupaki School in Henderson, Auckland, is a copyright conscious school. Each year they take up all three copyright licences: a CLNZ licence for print, a OneMusic licence for music and a Screenrights licence for television and radio content. Principal Stephen Lethbridge says it is an obvious decision for his school. “We can access far more material – across a broad spectrum of media – and use it knowing we’re doing things legally. The licences give our

Copyright licensing allows schools the freedom to plan media-rich, creative lessons – and stay on the right side of the law.

teachers more freedom to be creative and we can also encourage our students to respect creativity, knowing that we’re doing the same.” Lethbridge says it is important for students to understand intellectual property issues and to think about their own creative ownership as well. “We aim to embed intellectual property education into our everyday teaching practice and having the correct licences is an important part of that.”

No restrictions

The main benefit, of course, is that teachers aren’t restricted when it comes to planning creative lessons that involve mixed media elements. Thanks to the school’s CLNZ print licence, year 7 and 8 teacher JJ Purton Jones can provide copies of a poem in its entirety to students to help them understand types of poems and inspire them to write their own work. Without a licence she would only be able to provide students with copies of up to half of a poem. Because the school is licensed with Screenrights, she can also save programmes onto her school device to share with her class. “I also use the TVNZ archives and eTV a lot with my class – often for inspiration at the start of an inquiry topic.” When the school wants to perform or play music during assemblies their OneMusic licence means they can do this, without the drama of seeking permission.

Straightforward process

Westlake Girls’ High School is another copyright conscious school that has all three licences in place. They receive an invoice each year so the

School licensing FAQ What is copyright?

Copyright relates to a set of laws that grant the creator of published material the right to say how it is used and shared. Generally speaking, copyright law permits users to access content for personal use only. So, if someone wants to share the material, even if it’s for educational purposes, by law, the copyright owner must grant permission first.

What are copyright licensing agencies?

Copyright licensing agencies like Copyright Licensing New Zealand (CLNZ) have gained advanced permission from the creators of the published content for their work to be used for educational purposes – far beyond what is normally permitted under the Copyright Act.

Who is liable in the event of a copyright infringement?

Without the right licence, teachers, the principal and the board of trustees can be held liable.

What are the Pick & Mix Licensing Options?

There are three licences to choose from and they cover print, music and audio visual material. While each licence is available individually, the dynamic nature of the lessons being delivered in the modern classroom mean most schools need two, if not all three licences, in order to be compliant.

How are licences costed and renewed?

The licences are renewable annually and are costed based on student numbers. 14

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process of renewing the licences is “reasonably straightforward”. Associate principal Julie Saikkonen says the school displays posters reminding teachers of the guidelines around copyright and says teachers have found these to be helpful in aiding their understanding of their rights and obligations. Saikkonen admits getting properly licensed does not come cheap. “It’s expensive but as a school we want to stay within the law and so it’s important to be licensed. Schools have to budget for this cost and is funding adequate? Probably not.” However, schools’ licensing fees are necessary as licensing helps the owners of creative content earn a living from their work. The income received from licence fees is paid to the owners of the creative works that licensed schools use in their classrooms.

What licences are available and how much do they cost? A CLNZ licence enables teachers to: Photocopy and scan: 10 per cent of books 15 pages from short story and poetry books complete journal and newspaper articles Share with students via: printed handouts electronic whiteboard intranet. Annual fee: $1.60 (plus GST) per primary student; $3.20 (plus GST) per secondary student. A OneMusic licence enables schools to: perform music at assemblies, concerts and social events photocopy sheet music (for print musical works, up to 30 copies for every original owned; for choral works, up to five copies for every original owned) make recordings of performances available to students and families create and make digital music files for use in lessons stream recorded events from their website. Annual fee: $1.43 (plus GST) per student. A Screenrights licence enables schools to: record content broadcast on TV or radio keep copies to use as an ongoing resource download AV material legally online, including podcasts and vodcasts access more online resources including eTV and Clickview. Annual fee: $4.33 per student. Sourced from getlicensed.co.nz.

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Teaching Abroad

A Kiwi in

Kazakhstan Education Review asks New Zealand teacher CHRIS SHORTER about his current job teaching in Kazakhstan.

Prior to teaching abroad, what was your teaching experience in New Zealand? A: By trade, I am a qualified senior English teacher. I’ve taught in New Zealand for 25 years, including 20 years at Wanganui Collegiate. I also taught briefly at King’s College and Whangarei Boys’ High. Since 1994 I was in management positions, specialising in foreign students; my last seven years at Collegiate, two years as international manager at Christchurch Polytech and two years as principal of a new language school in Christchurch.

easily overcome culture shock, working with cultural challenges and adapting their teaching styles to fit the often different curricula. That said, attaining and maintaining true professional excellence (overseas) is not a task for the faint-hearted and good foreign teachers in general should not wish or hope for a highly recreational lifestyle. Too many of those who do, get lost!

What prompted you to consider teaching abroad? A: Having previously taught for three years in Japan, three years in Africa and a brief spell in Saudi Arabia, together with my New Zealand experience, I had developed empathy for foreign students aspiring to a Western education. I went to China in 1995 and eventually, after a brief foray into business, I was headhunted over the next six years to head up international schools, especially in Qingdao, where the principle responsibilities included foreign staff management, curriculum development, student pastoral care, and marketing.

What was involved with your agency registration process? A: There were no registration issues in China other than the need to present my qualifications and details of my experience. These provided the necessary credentials to qualify for a ‘Z’ (working) visa. Initially I did not deal with an employment agency (in New Zealand) and just ‘found my way’ when I was overseas. I did have an excellent agent (it was required) when I applied for Kazakhstan: Teachanywhere.

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Did you set out to teach in Kazakhstan, or were you open to ideas? A: I had been asked to start a new school in Shenzhen by my previous Qingdao employer but it bore all the signs of a failed and professionally compromising project. At that moment one of my previous staff (an economics HoD), widely known for his generally cynical nature, wrote to me to tell me that he was now working in Kazakhstan, in what he described as the most remarkable school he had ever had the pleasure of encountering and recommended me to join him. There happened to be a senior management position available in the 20-strong network of schools (for gifted children) and so began the most extraordinary two years of my already extraordinary career.

How do you think New Zealand teachers are perceived at your school and overseas in general? A: New Zealand teachers are well received. Their generally laissez-faire attitude allows them to more

How has working with other Englishspeaking teachers of different nationalities impacted on your teaching? A: Although as a senior manager I have not been contractually required to teach, I am a teacher at heart and always assign myself to a class. The main positive impact has occasionally been from excellent foreign teachers but more consistently, it’s been the impact of local teachers’ standards which has been most humbling, dramatic and professionally enriching.

Has working in a different academic year been difficult? A: Not at all.

What has your experience of the different cultural aspects been? A: Both Chinese and Kazakh work cultures share one virtue: diligence. In the case of China it might be reasoned that the austerities endured in their country’s historical background (of the last 50 or so years) has bred a focus and determination which creates admiration, envy perhaps (and even misguided resentment) amongst foreign onlookers. Those who try to emulate those standards are making the most of their experience and will emerge as teachers, all the better for it. In Kazakhstan, while the culture overall is nothing like as dynamic and energised as China’s (having

Teaching Abroad

been somewhat cowed as a vassal state by decades of Russian domination), it nevertheless boasts a stunning history and vestiges of it are proudly celebrated. Some families are keenly aware of their lineage going back to the time of Genghis Khan and bear the appropriate aristocratic mark of it. I have become personally very deeply involved in researching this part of Kazakh culture.

Do you have family over there with you? How have they adjusted to the differences? A: I have no family overseas. Some of the staff have, however, and when their children accompany them, they either attend the employer’s school or more often, complete home-schooling courses. Several families have stayed for years.

Have your financial expectations been met? A: Both China and Kazakhstan pay well. There is a wide variety of schools, and plenty of ghastly ones which pay as little as US$2,000 a month (even less on occasion), with no perks. Kazakhstan is currently the world leader in teacher remuneration. Front line teachers are salaried at US$4,500/ month outside the two main cities (where they are paid US$3,500), together with excellent free accommodation and two return airfares. I was working in a provincial school this last two years

and most of the teachers saved US$3,500–4,000 per month. One married couple I know was saving US$8,000 a month. Cost of living is low.

What advice would you give to New Zealand teachers considering teaching overseas? A: Research as widely as possible where you are going and if possible correspond with foreign staff to get specific on-the-ground impressions. Standards vary enormously. Of this, beware. Don’t go overseas because you think it’s an easy option, or a way out. You should go, yes, as an adventure, but primarily as an opportunity to further develop your teaching skills. Professionally, you will be handsomely rewarded.

Would you consider teaching overseas again? A: I am extremely happy in Kazakhstan. In September I have been asked to take on the role of international principal at the network’s latest school. Out of a pool of 6,000 clever applicants, the school has selected 600 truly gifted kids. Such a school, like my last one, does not have a disciplinary system; it is based on a system of student care. It is a ‘praise culture’, not a ‘blame culture’. There’s much to be learned from that... I’m not in a tearing hurry to return to teaching in New Zealand!

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Cybersafety

Web Rangers:

teens tackling cyberbullying

A new law and resources for teachers and parents are good steps to help tackle the problem of cyberbullying among young people; however, the most effective weapons for preventing cyberbullying are teens themselves. JUDE BARBACK looks at why Web Rangers is proving to be successful.

oung people are particularly susceptible to cyberbullying as they begin to experience the freedom of having their own social media identity through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Ask.fm accounts – to name a few.

“It’s young people creating content that young people understand.”

New law to help tackle cyberbullying The Government appears to be taking the problem seriously with the introduction of the Harmful Digital Communications Act. Passed through Parliament in June this year, the new law was a response to the rise of the worryingly nasty online culture in New Zealand. The Act gives a web host two days to respond to a complaint from someone offended by comments about them – or images of them – published online. If the host gets no response from the person who posted the content, it can simply take down the offending material. If the offending material remains online, the offended party can also complain to an approved agency, which will try to mediate a settlement. But if the parties can’t agree, the web host and the author of the allegedly harmful comments may face criminal charges. Justice Minister Amy Adams recently announced that the search is underway for an Approved Agency where victims of cyberbullying can turn to for help. The Agency is a core part of the new law and will be required to work with victims and the offending party to resolve complaints about cyberbullying in a quick and efficient way. It will also have a role in reducing harassment or bullying by advising on policies and educating people in appropriate online behaviour. The new law is likely to see social media sites routinely taking down contentious comments after complaints to avoid the risk of prosecution and the hassle of dealing with the process.

The role of teachers and principals

While the legislation around cyberbullying is certainly important, it probably feels somewhat removed for the secondary school student who is struggling to deal with online abuse. NetSafe provides support and access to resources, such as the ‘Lets Fight It Together’ and ‘At a Distance’ films for teachers, principals and parents to help them effectively deal with cyberbullying. It gives guidance to teachers on holding classroom interventions and encouraging students to be positive bystanders.

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Education Review series

Web Rangers

Arguably the most effective way of preventing cyberbullying is to promote the message among young people. NetSafe has partnered up with Google New Zealand and Sticks ‘n’ Stones to offer Web Rangers – now in its second year. Web Rangers is an initiative that challenges teens to create their own nationwide campaign encouraging better internet behaviour, leading to a safer online environment. The programme encourages 14–17 year olds to sign up to become Web Rangers, and has also enlisted the support of Web Ranger ambassadors Caito Potatoe, Liam Waverider and comedian Rhys Mathewson. Caito, of X Factor RAW fame, has nearly 30,000 YouTube subscribers, and Waverider has two million Instagram followers. In a series of interactive workshops in Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington in June and July, the teens brought their own personal online experiences to their fellow teens. The workshops looked at a variety of topics around web safety. As well as looking at cyberbullying, they addressed issues like financial scams, over-sharing, balancing life with life online, public and private settings. Participants are given six weeks to produce their campaigns to address issues around cyberbullying. MPs from across most parties, as

well as last year’s Web Rangers winner Angus Slade, will judge the entrants, with the winners getting the chance to show their winning concepts to Google executives in Sydney. One of last year’s winning campaigns featured a video filming the reactions of passers-by to an anonymous voice calling out insults and compliments. The clip ends with the text, ‘Just because it’s anonymous, doesn’t mean you don’t feel it. #BeKindOnline’. Other winning entries featured animated videos set to song, and an online compliment generator. NetSafe chief technology officer Sean Lyons says challenges are a normal part of online activity, but young people sometimes need help to successfully manage them. “The best place for teenagers to get support and understand how to be safer online is from their peers. “That’s what Web Rangers is about. It’s young people creating content that young people understand. Campaigns like this help foster a better online environment for some of our most vulnerable digital citizens,” says Lyons. Google spokesperson Ross Young says the Web Rangers programme is about getting teenagers to think creatively about how to stamp out bad online behaviour. “Making sure all young people know how to help themselves and their friends is a vital part of building a safer online environment for everyone. We’ve found the best way to make that happen is to put the power in young people’s hands, because no one can craft a message to a teenager like another teenager.”

Holding classroom interventions Continue to promote safe and responsible use of technology in your learning environment. Develop a ‘class contract’ with your students that includes appropriate behaviour online/ on mobile both inside and outside of school time. Ensure all students understand your school’s ICT Use Agreements (templates are available from NetSafe). Make sure parents and caregivers are informed about what cyberbullying means and that it is not tolerated among your students. Create a pledge in your classroom to be positive bystanders. For more advice on staying safe online visit www.cyberbullying.org.nz/links.php Source: NetSafe’s cyberbullying.org.nz

School success

A plan, a workforce,

and a way of doing things Gisborne Boys’ High School was awarded the Prime Minister’s Supreme Award for Education Excellence this year. Principal GREG MACKLE discusses how the Tu Tane and Whakairo programmes have helped contribute to the school’s success. “Te toia, te haumati – nothing can be achieved without a plan, a workforce and a way of doing things.” Good ideas and aptly titled strategies/programmes abound in education. At Gisborne Boys’ High School, whether our Tu Tane and Whakairo programmes actually produced outcomes that positively impacted on teaching and learning depended on a few absolute factors.

First of all – a plan

Tu Tane, celebrating manhood and growing good boys into good men, was planned in response to the need to enhance the culture of the school. It was aimed at our year 10 cohort. It is a values-based programme, delivered through the PE/Health curriculum. Most teachers of young men would agree that a year 10 young man can be a major headache at the best of times.What they need is set of values – coconstructed with them, continually put in front of them, and always much more than words – role modelled by other ‘blokes’. This was our plan for Tu Tane. Similarly, the Whakairo programme, teaching the art of carving, required a structured, creditable plan, initiated in stages. Engagement of young Māori men in a culturally relevant programme was the focus. Transferring success to other curriculum areas was the future focus. For both Tu Tane and Whakairo, we needed to recognise and work with our young men in order for each one of them to engage with us in teaching and learning that they saw as relevant and appropriate to their lives. Our local community had to add their rich understanding and knowledge to both programmes. Being flexible and responding to co-constructed problems as they occurred was an absolute requirement. The plan was not set in concrete. Significantly, the ongoing success of both Tu Tane and Whakairo has resulted from solving problems together – teachers, young men, and parents/ whānau.

Secondly – a workforce

It would be true to say that behind or at the front of any plan, there has to be a person or a team prepared to commit time and energy into actions. For Tu Tane, this workforce was our PE/Health staff led by Tom Cairns, the assistant principal responsible for students. The workforce grew quickly with the addition of young men, community wisdom and knowledge, and a truly committed group from our local police force. Together, this energised the “never give up on the kaupapa” group and guided the actions required to implement the plan. For Tu Tane, there were few problems. Resourcing was of course a major problem. But if any plan is to be actioned then it simply needs to resourced, somehow! Because Tu Tane was integrated into the PE/Health curriculum, issues such as timetabling, staffing and financial resourcing simply became a part of the overall school resourcing. The Whakairo programme was different. Specific knowledge and skills were required in the workforce. Thankfully, Craig Callaghan was the totally professional staff member who stepped forward. What the school needed to do was to ensure that he was supported in every aspect of initiating the plan. Significant consultation and support was provided by community experts whose cultural knowledge and skills were freely given. The major problem was overcoming sceptics who considered that achievement in NCEA Level 1–3 Whakairo was “irrelevant credit attainment”. Over time, through community communication, exhibitions/displays of Whakairo work, and most importantly the transference of knowledge, skills, Continued on next page >>

Education Review series

ICT & Procurement 2015

School success

Social media

and attitudes into other curriculum areas, these sceptics have seen the huge benefits of a culturally engaging teaching and learning programme. Another problem to address was the “strait-jacketed” code imposed by central government for building or teaching spaces. It is almost impossible to have a Whakairo facility adjacent to any other teaching space. The small problem of carving a totara log in a confined spacewas not one which fitted this code – let alone four or five totara logs! Thankfully, our Board of Trustees knew that a board-funded specialist facility was required. $150,000 solved the problem!

Lastly – a way of doing things

Slowly, with constant and thoughtful monitoring, data-based achievement, target setting, co-constructed review and forward planning, recognition of success, pride with humility, and a determined focus on what the plan was aiming to do, a way of doing things was developed. Both Tu Tane and Whakairo are models in progress. Tu Tane has led to our Tu Whānau programme – raising boys’ achievement by involving parents. Whakairo has made our school consider and plan for 2016 a school curriculum that addresses both the needs of our young men and the aspirations of our school community.

Tu Tane

The programme, which runs in line with the New Zealand PE/ Health curriculum, is based around celebrating manhood and the process of becoming a good/great man. It is run with the support of the Gisborne Police. In addition to their teacher, each class has a policeman as a mentor throughout the year. The programme offers boys the values, beliefs and personal growth they need and lack but which we (as a community, country) do little to address. It is telling them that it is okay to celebrate being a man and that there are a lot of positive ways to explore masculinity.

Whakairo

The Whakairo Unit is a facility that has been catering for the demand of Gisborne Boys’ Māori youth for the art of traditional carving and the modern contemporary methods. There are three levels of Nga Toi Whakairo classes working from Level 1 unit standards in year 11 up to Level 3 unit standards in year 13. As the course has developed, extra unit standards have been added to complement the skills that are being achieved. The course enables students to experience, to explore and finally to develop their ability in Māori art.

ICT & Procurement 2015

Education Review series

“Check the blog, ”

Mum!

JUDE BARBACK looks at how technology is changing the way schools engage with parents and whānau.

t’s Thursday afternoon and I receive a text. It’s from my daughter Emily’s New Entrants teacher, Mr Jay. It reads: ‘Challenge question: What is the name of Mr Jay’s cat? P.S. Don’t forget mufti day tomorrow.’ I relay the text to Emily who responds with great excitement. “Check the blog, Mum!” she says. “There should be a picture of the cat on the blog. I’m pretty sure its name is Bella. We talked about families today, and Mr Jay’s family has a cat named Bella.” We check the classroom blog and, sure enough, there in the latest post is a huge fluffy cat, purring away. Friday morning rolls around quickly and Emily is in a huge rush to get to school – her fifth day. She says they have to whisper the cat’s name to Mr Jay if they think they know it. She barely manages to say goodbye to me, such is the excitement. She is beaming when I collect her that afternoon. The cat’s name was indeed Bella and she and others received a small prize for having listened carefully to get the right answer. In many ways it was such a small thing, yet the text and the blog post gave parents a topic on which they could engage with their children about what they did at school that day. It had the effect of helping parents feel included in their children’s learning, and of making the teacher more accessible. Technology can be used to help strengthen teacher-parent-student relationships in a multitude of ways.

Putting technology in the hands of the parents

Of course, not all families were created technologically equal. Most schools are aware of the best way of communicating with their school community, but it doesn’t hurt to introduce new mediums and new ways of doing things either. Jason Ruakere is a facilitator for the Ministry of Education’s Enabling e-Learning hub www.elearning.tki.org.nz, which supports teachers and schools in developing their e-learning practice. He worked with a group of boys at Te Ika Unahi Nui, a marae-based wānanga that was developed and trialed with students from Coastal Taranaki School at Puniho Pā, Tarawainukumarae in Okato, Taranaki. From the outset, whānau were invited to provide their input into the learning programme and regular, ongoing communication was maintained through texts, phone calls and notices in the school blog. The firm foundation of communication allowed Ruakere to trust the boys to take their iPads home and share their learning with their whānau. He says conversations about expectations of the appropriate use of the iPads took place from the very beginning of the initiative. This inclusive approach to using digital technologies is helping the wānanga achieve its goals of strengthening the relationship between the school, whānau, and the local marae, while also supporting learning and literacy. Hillcrest Normal School also found a creative way of engaging parents. On an Enabling e-Learning thread, teacher Michelle Macintyre explains how “technology has enabled parents to be involved in a different way”. She told how they gave iPads to parents at the school’s learning conferences, gave them a quick demo on taking videos and photos, then allowed them to document the conference. Upon uploading the video clips and photos to the classroom blogs, they found that the parents engaged more with the blog as they had contributed to the process. Macintyre said that the blogs proved particularly effective for parents who spoke English as a second language as the photos and clips allowed them to

Social media

discuss the learning experiences with their children in their first language – therefore contributing to a richer and more in-depth understanding of the the learning that took place.

Social media transforms home-school partnerships

The blog is a powerful tool. In addition to providing practical information and outlining homework and expectations, it can serve as a photo diary to highlight students’ work. A parent of a new entrant, perhaps feeling a little shell-shocked that their little one is now in school, or already missing the cosy learning stories of early childhood education, is bound to appreciate the classroom blog.

“The system was so clever that when I tried to book back-to-back interviews, it suggested this might not be a good idea in case the first overran.”

However, it is perhaps even more appreciated as children get older and the parental ‘head in the door’ of the classroom is no longer needed in the morning. The update chats with the teacher can be replaced with the blog, limiting email communication for specific queries that aren’t captured in the blog’s contents. Some teachers have admitted to feeling a little disheartened by the lack of comments or parental interaction on the blog, which is why some have taken to Facebook community pages as a way of communicating with families. With most ‘on Facebook’ already, in many cases this prompts more feedback and engagement. Both can exist. A parent at Holy Cross Catholic School shared her experience with Enabling e-Learning, saying that the blogs, in addition to the school’s text messaging service, teacher emails, website and Facebook page all allowed her to keep up with what was happening with her children regardless of time, place, or device. Rachel Boyd’s article in Education Review last year outlined how Waiuku Primary had found Facebook to be useful in terms of directing people to the classroom blogs. The Facebook page has also helped to publicise school events, celebrate achievement and canvass community views and ideas. Interestingly, Boyd says Twitter was a less successful social media tool; however, the school has used it to power their daily text messages to whānau,

which is useful as almost everyone in their school community owns a mobile phone. Boyd says social media has transformed home-school partnerships and made school information and engagement a lot more accessible to whānau.

An end to the humble newsletter?

Schools are faced with the tricky job of trying to meet the needs of a diverse community and educating them at the same time. While I was impressed by the ease of the online school interview booking system, I heard another parent complaining about it. While I enjoy being able to read the school newsletters in digital format, I heard another lamenting the lack of a printed newsletter to slap on the fridge. Australian e-newsletter platform Schoolzine has recently announced its expansion into New Zealand schools, offering an efficient way of producing and disseminating their school newsletters so they can easily be read by parents on any device. From print to emailed PDFs to e-newsletter platforms that allow schools to monitor and increase engagement, it is clear the days are numbered for the humble print newsletter. Or are they? Boyd makes the point that while social media might work for some parents, others may still prefer a printed newsletter. Consequently, Waiuku Primary School ran a “Connect with Us” campaign allowing whānau a choice in how they engage with the school. The key seems to be not necessarily to choose one medium, but rather link the various communication channels so they are all working in unison with each other.

Digital alerts and bookings

The process for booking teacher-parent-student learning conferences at my children’s school was enlightening. Towards the end of term 2, parents received the opportunity to vote on their preferred time of day for the school to hold the interviews. “We value your feedback and ask that you take the time to let us know your preference for when these sessions will be offered,” read the school’s electronic newsletter. “The link to the survey is below.” Sure enough, I was able to vote accordingly via a SurveyMonkey link. Then in term 3 a newsletter contained a link to www.schoolinterviews.co.nz with an event code. I hopped onto the site, where I was able to specify that I had two children at the school, at which point it gave a range of available 15-minute time slots for both the kids’ teachers. The system was so clever that when I tried to book back-to-back interviews, it suggested this might not be a good idea in case the first overran. All done. A ping on my phone immediately alerted me to the email confirmation of the bookings. This is the world we live in now – one of alerts, online voting and booking sytems. With parents so digitally connected now, it makes total sense that schools employ the technology in their interaction swith parents and whānau.

Education Review series

ICT & Procurement 2015

Virtual Learning Network

Physics in the Far North – the video solution With modern technology there is no reason why students in the Far North can’t have access to a physics teacher on the North Shore. ELAINE SHUCK discusses how video helps to deliver a collaborative learning culture within Northcote and Kaitaia Colleges.

t is an exciting time to be in the education sector, given the countless ways that collaboration technology is changing the way teachers teach and students learn. The biggest issues for teachers when introducing video and collaborative learning for the first time is often the change management process – the steps and planning required to ensure a successful integration of technology into the learning environment. Northcote College is a Polycom customer and a member of HarbourNet, a geographic cluster of schools within New Zealand’s Virtual Learning Network (VLN). Working closely with Kaitaia College, also a Polycom customer and part of the VLN via the FarNet geographic cluster, a unique partnership has evolved. While both schools are experienced in using video collaboration to defy distance, this is the first time they are sharing teaching resources. Northcote teacher Tony Zaloum is delivering physics Level 3 to a group of Kaitaia College students who would otherwise miss out. Here, he answers some questions about how video collaboration is transforming teaching and learning.

Q&A with Tony Zaloum, Physics Teacher, Northcote College

How has video collaboration changed teaching practices within your school? A: At Northcote, we are able to offer courses that we would not normally be able to offer due to small class sizes, thanks to HarbourNet.

ICT & Procurement 2015

Education Review series

This demonstrates that students can and do learn outside of the traditional teacher and student classroom paradigm. We also find that learning continues when the teacher is not present through online student collaboration. Teachers also start thinking about their evolving role as ‘teacher’ and how they could do things differently, and better, for the students who are with them in the classroom.

How has this collaboration between Northcote and Kaitaia Colleges enabled the creation of a new, virtual physics class? A: We are initially running two short video collaboration sessions per week: 30 minutes on Mondays and 45 minutes on Tuesdays. If timetables allow, there is an option to extend. One of the challenges in sharing resources across Northcote and Kaitaia Colleges has been matching timetables. To address this, we are using intervals and lunchtime overlaps. In addition to video, we make extensive use of a private Google Community where students pose questions and I provide input that benefits the whole class (rather than a one-to-one approach). If questions are emailed individually, I post responses into the forum for the benefit of the whole class. Students are encouraged to make their learning transparent and to support each other, which is easily accomplished with a class of 13 students. Course work is delivered through LAMS (learning activity management system), a resource hosted by the Ministry of Education. It steps the students through material that includes interactives, links, notes to read,

Virtual Learning Network

“ … this is one example of how video collaboration is changing the way students learn, while also creating a collaborative learning culture among schools.”

worked examples and questions to test understanding. I then check the students’ levels of understanding during the video sessions. Beyond this, traditional text books and a workbook are also used.

What benefits from using video technology are you seeing for students and teachers? A: The benefits for students are clear. The Kaitaia students now have a physics teacher. The students learn very important skills by working in a blended learning environment, as opposed to the sometimes more passive learning approach that can be adopted within a traditional classroom. With distance learning, supported by a range of technologies including video collaboration, the students take a far more proactive role in their learning, much like how they will operate in tertiary study. The benefit to me as a teacher? I enjoy it. I love teaching and I love my 13 physics students. It means a lot to me that these students are not missing out, especially having now met them. I enjoy the questions the kids come up with, especially the left-field ones! I travelled up to Kaitaia soon after picking up the class to spend a day with my new students and their families. It is very important to establish a good relationship with the class as soon as possible.

Where to from here? A: While it is early days for Northcote and Kaitaia Colleges, it is fair to say that this is one example of how video collaboration is changing the way students learn, while also creating a collaborative learning culture among schools. Distance learning can provide students with access to experts and experiences across geographic distances while minimising the limitations of cost, time, and travel. New Zealand is too small a country not to be sharing teaching resources and it is wonderful to see this shift towards a more collaborative environment.

Tips for first-time collaborators The aim is to make defying distance easy for everyone. For teachers new to video collaboration, here are some common challenges and tips: 1. Content sharing. With the right video conferencing solution (e.g. highdefinition) you can see all the participants clearly, plus share content with them anytime, anywhere – all in real time. 2. Can I have your attention please? Video collaboration features eye contact and non-verbal cues, encouraging everyone to collaborate and contribute as if they are in the same room. 3. All eyes on the board. Choose a video collaboration solution that allows everyone in your meeting to brainstorm and annotate directly on your content in real time. 4. Being a good host. Full participation is easier when you use video collaboration and content sharing technology that lets you see everyone you’ve invited to a learning experience, while also viewing and annotating on the content.

Elaine Shuck is the director of education and industry solutions for multinational collaborative telecommunications company Polycom, and United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) chairman.

OVERSEAS TEACHING POSITIONS

SHANGHAI, CHINA Teaching positions will be available in a well-established, bi-lingual private school in a suburb of Shanghai, China. An attractive remuneration package is offered including accommodation and return airfares. You will be joining a team of teachers, some from New Zealand, who are currently teaching in the school.

If you are an experienced, New Zealand trained primary school teacher, and keen to work overseas teaching the latest New Zealand Primary School Curriculum to students in Grades 1-8, please email your Curricuum Vitae to krugers@xtra.co.nz. You must include a recent passport photograph, full personal details, the names of three referees and two references with your CV.

Consideration will be given to family members travelling with the successful applicant, at the expense of the applicant. Further information about these teaching positions can be obtained from krugers@xtra.co.nz.

Applications for this position close October 31, 2015.

Early Intervention Teacher - Down Syndrome Association Singapore This is an exciting opportunity with the Down Syndrome Association Singapore for a qualified and experienced Early Intervention Teacher to help establish and run a new and innovative home and centre based infant toddler early intervention programme in Singapore.

The successful appointee will have:

• A Diploma or Bachelor of Teaching (ECE), a Diploma in Early Intervention and NZ Teacher Registration • A minimum of four years experience as an Early Intervention Teacher • Proven experience working in a transdisciplinary team • Proven experience of collaborating successfully with families of young children with special needs • In depth understanding of complex cultural situations • Proven experience of working with young children with a range of developmental and behavioural needs • Sound knowledge and experience in the use and implementation of authentic, socio-cultural assessment processes • The ability to develop Individual Plans identifying goals and specific teaching strategies based on assessment outcomes in association with the family/child’s team • The ability to monitor and evaluate processes using a systems approach • Excellent report writing and communications skills

Position details:

• One year, full time (42.5 hours a week) position – occasional Saturday work • Salary range: SGD $80 -90K per annum • Ongoing professional development through the DSA Educational Mentor • New Zealand - Singapore return airfare provided To apply for this exceptional opportunity, please email your CV, cover letter and a short statement on your ability to relocate to Singapore to Maureen Corby mp.corby@xtra.co.nz Applications close 4th September 2015.

Education Review series

ICT & Procurement 2015

Industry training

Getting the hang of IT: Learning on the job JUDE BARBACK looks at two companies offering opportunities for new or potential employees to become savvy with their IT systems and infrastructure. Is the growing complexity and customisation of businesses’ technology increasing the need for work-based learning?

student from Wellington Institute of Technology (WelTec) Aidan Brown describes his new internship with ANZ as “career-changing”. The 22-year-old has become ANZ’s first New Zealand Technology Intern as part of a programme that showcases the range of employment opportunities at New Zealand’s biggest bank by giving WelTec IT students a chance to view the bank from the inside. Businesses like ANZ are increasingly looking for new and appealing ways of preparing new and future employees to become savvy with their bespoke IT systems. They are keen to build on students’ prior training and knowledge by exposing them to their unique technological infrastructure, software and systems.

Technology internships

Aidan Brown is studying towards a Bachelor of Information Technology. Each week he spends a day at ANZ’s technology office in Wellington learning about different parts of the bank. “I am spending time in each part of the IT team – from attending business meetings where decisions are made about projects, to compliance, technical testing, quality assurance and looking into what is required to support ANZ’s core banking service,” says Brown. “At the moment I am primarily working on mobile phone development.” He says the internship has opened his eyes to different directions his career could take. “The ANZ internship is career changing. I wasn’t thinking about banking at the start of my degree as I didn’t know about the opportunities. The technology internship has really given me a lot to think about in terms of my future career.” The ANZ internship is one component of a new collaboration between ANZ and WelTec’s School of Business and Information Technology designed to address the skills shortage and gender imbalance in the IT industry. ANZ general manager technology Craig Bunyan says he thinks the internships will lead to more IT students considering the banking industry when they graduate. “IT is constantly changing and we’re keen to attract more young talent like Aidan to ANZ to keep pace with evolving technologies.” The 2016 ANZ Technology Internships are now open to WelTec students until 6 September. Students need New Zealand permanent residency and will ideally be completing a Bachelor of Technology. The 150-hour internship is worked out over the final year of study. ANZ is also developing a similar technology internship programme in Auckland.

Getting qualified on the job

Joanna Dargie from Palmerston North can’t believe her luck. Straight out of high school, the 18-year-old

ICT & Procurement 2015

Education Review series

has secured a full-time job with the local House of Travel branch and the opportunity to study towards a recognised qualification paid for by her employer. Like ANZ, House of Travel is eager to have new employees becomefamiliar with their specific IT systems. The travel agency has taken a different route, however, introducing a scheme that allows selected new employees to gain a nationally accredited qualification via on-the-job training. The scheme will see inductees working toward a National Certificate in Travel Level 4, an NZQA accredited qualification, while employed by the travel company. House of Travel will meet the costs of the training and qualification. It is expected to take employees one to two years to complete. The qualification is likely to appeal to school leavers looking for a career in the industry, like Dargie, who is the first person selected for the training programme. Dargie, who initially did work experience at the agency while still at school, says she’s grateful for the opportunity. “Getting a full-time job a week out of high school and getting to train without having to take out a big student loan is an amazing opportunity,” she says. “The team are really supportive and know so much, and I can’t wait to learn more, and travel more, as I work towards the qualification.” Stephen Parsons, owner-operator of House of Travel in Palmerston North says this is a significant step for the industry. The training will expose employees to the more technological aspects of the job. “Many of the graduates who come to work in the travel industry after training elsewhere have basic knowledge, but we need to teach them our technology, systems and culture before they can start work in earnest,” says Parsons. “We’ll be training Joanna in the technical side of things, such as how to use the up-to-date

technology we have in the office and how to process a sale, as well as teaching her how to deal with customers on an everyday basis,” says Parsons. Head trainer Pania Burgess says the ability to offer the qualification in-house is a huge step forward in offering development opportunities to staff.

Is enhancing work-based learning?

The programmes offered by ANZ and House of Travel are not the first of their kind, but they do provide good examples of different ways formal learning can be integrated into the workplace. Industry Training Federation chief executive Josh Williams says the industry training and apprenticeships sector has made changes to its programmes and qualifications as a result of the adoption of new technologies in firms. “The use of digital technologies is increasingly ubiquitous across the workforce through things like point of sale systems in the service industries and the widespread use of portable devices and GPS in many industries such as construction and transport, so we need to make sure that our training and assessment programmes are delivering these essential workplace skills.” Williams says digital literacy has become a key capability for workplaces. “Interestingly, it is also driving new and innovative training and assessment processes, through the use of digital portfolios, the use of photos and videos as forms of evidence, supporting long distance assessment, and also the onsite delivery of training and assessment resources to workers.” A new system (see side story) trialled by industry training organisation (ITO) ServiceIQ is a good example. It would seem technology is not only driving on-job training, but defining how such training is delivered.

Onwards and upwards with on-job training technology One industry training organisation (ITO) is making good use of technology to help employers and their employees complete their on-job training. Building on its existing technologies, ServiceIQ is currently trialling a system that will see an end to the cost, hassle and wasted time that comes with completing and sending in printed workbooks. The service industry ITO, started replacing time-consuming paper-based systems with faster, more effective technology in 2013. “The future for on-job training relies on flexible technologies where people can advance their skills anytime, anywhere,” says ServiceIQ chief executive Dean Minchington. “It’s helpful for employees and it makes the job of increasing capability easier, faster and cheaper for businesses.” Over 15,000 employees from a range of sectors used the ITO’s new Skills Online programmes in the first six months of operation, providing employees with a quick and easy way to upskill or refresh their knowledge. All training agreements are completed online. And now, its latest technology currently under trial will take this one step further, removing the need for paper-based assessment altogether. The switch to online technology is designed to enhance ServiceIQ’s customer experience at every opportunity – from the point a business registers and trainees sign up for workplace training programmes, through to assessment, completion and the awarding of qualifications.

nExt issuE

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Postgrad Education

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NZ Teacher

& Postgrad Research

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Education nEws at your fingErtips!

MASTER OF ARTS IN MĀORI DEVELOPMENT “THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO FURTHER DEVELOP MY SKILLS AND RESEARCH TOPICS THAT MATTER TO MY WHĀNAU.”

Toiroa Williams Te Whakatōhea, Ngāi Tai & Te Whānau-a-Apanui After completing a Bachelor of Communication degree, Toiroa Williams seized the opportunity to complete his postgraduate studies at AUT. During his studies, he gained insight and experience in the media industry by completing work at Sky TV and a number of independent film production companies. International Opportunities “I have been privileged to represent AUT and Te Ipukarea – The National Māori Language Institute at a number of Internationl haerenga. My studies have taken me to Washington DC, New York and Hawai‘i, where I attended a range of Indigenous Development Forums.” Unconditional Support Toiroa says that the lecturers at AUT have played a pivotal role in his success. If not for his family, school and university support base he admits that he wouldn’t be where he is today. “I encourage students – especially Māori to further their education. Education is key – by completing this degree I can enter the media industry and tell Māori stories that matter to my whānau and me”.

ENROL NOW IN THE MASTER OF ARTS IN MĀORI DEVELOPMENT POSTGRADUATE PROGRAMMES:

• Postgraduate Certificate and Postgraduate Diploma in Arts • Master of Arts — Māori Development • Master of Arts — Te Reo Māori • Master of Arts — Language Revitalisation

Programme Administrator: tsmith@aut.ac.nz | +64 9 921 999 (ext.) 6526

0800 AUT UNI (288 864) For the most up-to-date programme information visit our website: www.aut.ac.nz/tap/pg