INTERFACE Magazine, Issue127, July2025

NEW ZEALAND

SUPPORTING THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY IN LEARNING

ISSUE 127 TERM 2 JULY 2025 $12

How are you going to get it right with Artificial Intelligence?

Ministry offers service to ensure that AI technologies in schools are safe and ethical.

Pages 6 and 7 Informed. Inspired.

Thanks for three lent days last month!

Page 2

Join the Frankenstories NZ Triathlon writing challenge.

Pages 2 and 3

Bringing farming to life in a virtual world.

Page 9

NDVIEWSNEWSANDVIEWSNEWSANDVIEWSNEWSANDVIEW THANKS FOR THREE

Meet the team

LENT DAYS

Wow! What a fantastic three days we had at last month’s INTERFACEXpo. Thanks to everyone who joined us – more than 600 of you across Lincoln, Taupo- and Auckland. We hope you came away informed and inspired for what’s next in your digital education journey.

EDITOR Greg Adams 027 255 1301 Greg.Adams@interfacemagazine.co.nz ADVERTISING 09 575 2454 Advertising@interfacemagazine.co.nz

We appreciate all the responses we received from the delegate survey afterwards. This feedback will help us with our review process and ensure we make future events even better.

The winner of the Mini HD Projector is Lana Bradley, Dairy Flat Primary School, Auckland.

DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Michelle Durbin 09 575 2454 Michelle.Durbin@interfacemagazine.co.nz

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DESIGN Design@interfacemagazine.co.nz EVENT MANAGER INTERFACEXpo Paul Colgrave Paul.Colgrave@interfacexpo.co.nz FOLLOW US instagram.com/interfacemagnz/

facebook.com/interfacemagazine

CHALLENGE YOUR STUDENTS’ CREATIVE WRITING SKILLS WITH FRANKENSTORIES NZ TRIATHLON!

@interfacemag youtube.com/interfacemagazine

NEW ZEALAND INTERFACE™ (ISSN 1177-973X) is published four times a year by G MEDIA PUBLISHING LIMITED

Ready to write? During Term 2, the inaugural Frankenstories Triathlon presented by INTERFACE Magazine is challenging classrooms throughout New Zealand to stretch their literary abilities across Narrative, Persuasive, and Poetry writing. With categories for Junior, Middle and Senior classes, there are some awesome prizes for teachers and students.

© G MEDIA PUBLISHING LIMITED 2025.

Editorial opinions are not necessarily those of the publisher. We do not endorse or accept responsibility for any third party featured in this publication, unless stated otherwise.

Don’t delay. Entries close on Friday 27 June (the last day of Term 2).

Go to interfaceonline.co.nz/ frankenstories2025/

SIGN UP TO INTERFACE NEWS For details go to interfaceonline.co.nz/signup

While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of information in this magazine, the publisher does not accept liability for inaccuracies, omissions or misinterpretations that may occur, and urges readers to always check online resources before using them in class.

THE LATEST COMPETITION WINNERS ARE …

NEW ZEALAND

Congratulations to the winners of our latest competitions. Connecting in style will be Anna Pinkerton, Westland High School, Hokitika, who won the Banana-shaped 4-Port USB Hub. The Omnidirectional Laptop Microphone goes to Nikita Brown, Bulls School, Manawatu--Whanganui. Tracy Byrne, Oaklynn Special School, Auckland, wins the Green Screen Mouse Mat. Lastly, the Keyboard-shaped Coffee Mugs with Tray are on their way to Steve Harper-Travers, Mellons Bay School, Auckland.

SUPPORTING THE USE

OF TECHNOLOGY IN

LEARNING

ISSUE 127 TERM 2 JULY 2025

How are you going to get it right with Artificial Intelligence?

$12

In this issue, we’re giving away more great prizes: Retro-Style Landline Phone Attachment, Cable and Charger Organiser Bag, Dual Alarm Digital Clock with Temperature and Humidity Display, and Kiwifruit Multi-Port USB Hub. Check them out and be in to win at interfaceonline.co.nz/competitions/

Ministr y offers ser vice to ensure that AI technologies in schools are safe and ethical.

Pages 6 and 7 Informed. Inspired.

Thanks for three lent days last month!

Page 2

Join the Frankenstories NZ Triathlon writing challenge.

Pag es 2 and 3

Bringing farming life in a virtual to world.

Pag e 9

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Accessit Roadshow returns to NZ – and it’s bigger than ever!

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From the UK to USA to Australia, the Accessit Library team has been making waves across the globe in 2025. Now it’s the turn of New Zealand’s educators to connect and explore as Accessit Roadshow reaches Aotearoa’s shores.

After a whirlwind international tour across the UK, USA and Australia, featuring everything from bustling city sessions to sold-out events (Adelaide had over 60 attendees), we’re thrilled to be bringing the Accessit Roadshow home for the final leg of the year.

These events offer much more than product updates, it’s about real professional development while connecting with other schools in your area, and they provide an opportunity to explore what’s possible in your school library and beyond.

Whether you are a Principal looking to understand how library systems support digital citizenship, an IT leader interested in smarter integrations, or a librarian

ready to build on your expertise, this event is designed for you.

What’s new for 2025?

This year’s Aotearoa roadshow offers a personalised programme with multiple sessions running at the same time. This allows you to choose the topics that matter most to your role and school. From dashboards and reporting to discovery layers and student engagement, there is something for everyone.

You won’t miss out if two sessions you’re interested in run simultaneously. Every attendee will receive a full eHandout pack after the event, covering all the content from every session.

We especially encourage schools to send

their librarians and wider library teams.

This is a valuable professional development opportunity – a practical, inspiring and future-focused day that builds skills and strengthens networks.

You will connect with like-minded professionals, share ideas and leave with new insights you can apply straight away.

If you’re ready to enhance your library and support your school’s digital learning journey, now is the perfect time to join our Roadshow.

Find out more about the events and register to attend now at accessitlibrary.com/roadshow Article supplied by Accessit.

Roadshows are back for 2025 Get ready for a learning-packed day of presentations and workshops catering for both beginners and Accessit experts!

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Find out more at accessitlibrary.com/roadshow

NOTICEBOARDNOTICEBOARDNOTICEBOARDNOTICEBOARDN NEW AI PROFESSIONAL LEARNING MODULE IS LIVE

TIPS FOR PROTECTING YOUNG GAMERS A recent survey by Norton revealed nearly 1 in 4 (24 per cent) of kids who play video games include their first name in their gamertag (username) and nearly 1 in five (17 per cent) included birthdates or pet names.

These seemingly harmless bits of information can help scammers guess passwords, impersonate players, or send convincing phishing messages. Norton advises young gamers: • Do not give personal information to strangers online;

‘AI Readiness: Preparing for safe and effective use of GenAI’, is freely available and provides an understanding of how generative AI (GenAI) tools work, what their limitations are, and how to evaluate the content they generate. It is designed to support educators to confidently make informed decisions about GenAI tools and use them effectively and ethically in the classroom.

Module two, ‘AI Implementation: Strategies for guiding students in safe and responsible use of GenAI’, is currently being developed. Each module takes between 60 and 90 minutes to complete.

Learn more at digitaltechnologieshub.edu.au/ai/

GOOGLE OFFERS TWO-HOUR, FREE COURSE ON AI Google’s ‘Generative AI for Educators’ is a two-hour, selfpaced course for learning how to use generative AI tools that help save time on everyday tasks, personalise instruction, enhance lessons and activities in creative ways, and more.

Developed by AI experts at Google in collaboration with MIT RAISE, this course will help you gain a foundational understanding of AI and bring AI into your teaching practice. You’ll also learn about the opportunities and limitations of this technology, and how to use it responsibly.

• Use strong passwords and a password manager; • If you don’t know the person, don’t accept their friend request; • Beware of impostors and ‘catfishing’. You may think you are talking to someone your age, but it could be an adult behind the screen; • Use caution when someone you don’t know approaches you in game and asks for personal information, and if something about it makes you feel uncomfortable, you should notify a trusted adult as soon as possible; • Join clubs or enter contests only after you’ve obtained your parents’ approval; • Never reply to “friends” asking for money or click on suspicious links you didn’t ask for; and • If it sounds too good to be true, it’s a scam. Scammers will attempt to sell you free in-game currency, weapons upgrades or cosmetics for real money or personal information.

MORE VISIBILITY AND MORE CONTROL WITH MYN4L MyN4L features smart and simple self-service tools that allow schools to see and do more on their network. Learn how to harness MyN4L to help manage your school’s digital environment and help protect ākonga from online threats at n4l.co.nz/myn4l/

BEWARE THE RISING THREAT OF QUISHING

Find out more and enrol at grow.google/ai-for-educators/

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Education Services Australia (ESA), in partnership with Microsoft, has launched the first of two new Gen-AI readiness and implementation professional learning modules.

• Don’t use a real name as part of a username or gamertag, it’s personal information that strangers can use for scams. Scammers can also use it to search for more information about you online;

REDUCED SUBSCRIPTION PRICES FOR TRIAL PERIOD USING SYMBAI During INTERFACEXpo 2025, sponsor Symbai was accepted into the Microsoft Founders Hub program. With this assistance, it has been able to significantly subsidise and reduce the cost of a trial period for schools.

Symbai is an AI-powered, gamified debating tool that helps students practise and build critical thinking skills For more information about the subsidised trial subscription contact Connor McFadyen at contact@symbai.ai

Quishing, also known as QR code phishing, is a type of cyberattack using QR codes to trick people into visiting fraudulent websites or downloading malware. These QR codes can be disguised in various places, including emails, flyers, or even on physical objects. When scanned, the QR code redirects the user to a malicious website designed to steal sensitive information or infect the device with malware.

Meet Ma-tiki Minecraft: New resource brings farming to life in a virtual world. Page 9

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New module aims to earn your trust for safer use of AI

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Artificial Intelligence (AI) is giving schools a whole new set of issues to think about. There are risks and rewards – but how do you know what to trust? That’s where the Ministry of Education’s new ST4S AI Module comes in, with the goal of ensuring that AI technologies deployed in schools are safe, ethical, and transparent.

Artificial Intelligence is steadily moving from the periphery to the heart of many education platforms. From AI-driven chatbots to content recommendation engines and adaptive learning tools, this technology is helping schools personalise learning, streamline administration, and explore new ways to engage students.

However, alongside that promise comes growing concern – particularly around privacy, safety, and transparency. For example, AI can generate unexpected content, repurpose student data in opaque ways, or introduce new risks that teachers and schools aren’t equipped to spot.

Maybe your school is considering a new product that uses AI? Or perhaps AI has quietly been added to something you already use? How do you know if it’s safe? How would you tell which products are using AI responsibly?

Here are just a few of the things your school or kura needs to consider: • Is student data being used to train the model, even in de-identified form?

• Does the AI service include chat features, image generation, or other

functions that could produce unpredictable or inappropriate outputs?

The good news: the ST4S initiative includes an AI module

• Can the AI generate content, images or messages that may be inappropriate or biased?

To address this, the Safer Technologies for Schools (ST4S) initiative has taken a significant step forward. In late 2024, it released its most detailed update yet: a comprehensive AI module that introduces new expectations and controls for vendors offering AI-enabled services to schools in Australia and New Zealand. This gives schools and venders a practical, nationally coordinated way to evaluate the risks and responsibilities that come with AI in education.

• Are there safeguards to prevent hallucinations or offensive output?

• Who’s accountable if something goes wrong?

• Are there guardrails in place to restrict usage to appropriate age groups or school settings?

• Is there transparency about how the AI works, and can you opt out of certain features?

Why the AI Module Now? The ST4S AI Module emerged in response to concern from schools, government agencies, and education authorities around AI-related risks. It was piloted in July 2024 and finalised in December, aligning with the Australian Ministerial Framework for AI in Education and other emerging global standards.

Its goal was to ensure that AI technologies deployed in schools are safe, ethical, and transparent – particularly when used by or with children. Crucially, this is not about blanket bans or rigid restrictions.

Instead, the ST4S AI Module introduces a clear set of criteria that vendors must meet to achieve a compliant assessment outcome.

Three risk areas the AI Module focuses on While the full module spans 15 sub-domains, the framework centres on three interlocking areas of risk that every vendor should understand.

Let’s briefly explore these: 1. Privacy and data use is one of the most urgent concerns in educational AI. Many large language models and generative AI tools rely on user interactions to refine or expand their capabilities, which raises red flags about how student and teacher data is handled. The ST4S module looks at

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The ST4S AI Module sets a new bar for trust in school technology.

2. Functionality and safety are assessed to determine whether the AI behaves in a way that aligns with school expectations and safeguards. If a product includes features like chatbots, image or content generation, or decision-making capabilities, the module considers whether these could lead to unsafe, biased, or misleading outputs. ST4S reviewers examine whether the service has been tested under realistic school conditions, what guardrails are in place, and how developers have mitigated the risk of hallucinations or inappropriate content.

The focus here is not on what AI can do in theory, but on what it does – and how reliably and safely it does it – in real classrooms.

3. Governance and control are perhaps the most complex but essential aspects of AI risk management. The AI module requires vendors to show that someone in the organisation is responsible for AI oversight and that clear processes are in place for incident management and accountability. It asks whether humans are involved in reviewing or moderating AI-generated outputs, and whether there’s a documented escalation path if something goes wrong. This ensures vendors are not only building powerful tools, but also maintaining the structures needed to use them responsibly in education settings.

That’s a very brief tour of the AI module but what does it mean for education technology vendors and schools?

Setting a new bar for trust in school technology This isn’t just a compliance exercise. The AI module sets a new bar for trust in school technology. It sends a clear message: if you’re embedding AI into your product and marketing it to schools, you need to demonstrate how you’re protecting student privacy, supporting educator control, and reducing harm.

For vendors, this may mean revisiting privacy policies, updating documentation, or improving technical safeguards. It may mean pausing to consider not just what the AI can do, but how and where it might go wrong.

For schools, they receive clear reports on the security standards of potential products they’re considering, to help guide their vendors.

It’s also worth noting that not every AI tool or use case is currently in scope for ST4S. High-risk and emerging technologies – like facial recognition or biometric tracking – are excluded for now.

But ST4S has indicated that the AI Module will be updated regularly as industry standards and best practices evolve, for example to line with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner’s biometric code of practice, once published.

A final word for vendors: Don’t wait to get ready If your product uses AI, now is the time to engage with the ST4S initiative, even if you haven’t yet been asked to complete the assessment. Start by reviewing your hosting, testing, and privacy practices.

Consider how you describe your AI functionality to schools and kura. And think beyond compliance: how can your approach to AI build long-term trust?

About Safer Technologies 4 Schools This is an initiative that aims to take the guesswork out of choosing the right technology for your school.

Led by the Ministry of Education, and its Australian equivalent, ST4S gives you clear guidance on whether software products for schools meet strict privacy and security standards.

The products that do meet the standard can display the trusted ST4S badge.

It makes your decision-making process simpler with detailed reports on how each product manages and protects data. These reports help you make informed choices, save you time and give you peace of mind.

Find out more at st4s.edu.au

What are AI hallucinations?

This refers to when an AI technology, especially a large language model (LLM), generates outputs that are incorrect, misleading, or nonsensical, despite appearing plausible. These errors can range from minor factual inaccuracies to completely fabricated information.

INTERFACEONLINE.CO.NZ

whether a product collects, stores, or reuses any personal data – deidentified or otherwise – and whether that data is being used to train or optimise models. It also examines whether schools are given clear information about these practices and the ability to opt out where appropriate.

Transparency about how AI learns and how long it retains information is no longer optional.

In education, trust matters. The new ST4S AI Module offers a framework to earn it.

Article by the Ministry of Education’s Digital Services Team.

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ILESHAREFILESHAREFILESHAREFILESHAREFILESHAREFILES ART

COOL GIZMOS

HISTORY

Bring your comics to life with Free Comic Strip Maker (adobe.com/ express/create/comic-strip). This Adobe tool lets you create and share comic strips – from templates or your own original designs. Use the editing tools to add text/images/shapes, change backgrounds and more. Save and share as a JPG, PNG, or PDF.

Glasp (glasp.co) is a PDF and web highlighter that facilitates the collection, organisation, and sharing of ideas, notes and resources from webpages. These are saved to a personal folder, where they can be managed and searched. Public highlights are unlimited; YouTube and PDF summaries have daily quotas on the free account.

From Socrates to Cleopatra, Nelson Mandela to Marie Curie, chat with more than 2,000 historical figures at Humy (humy.ai). Create an account, then visit the chatbots, known as Humies, to search for specific characters. Select one and begin your conversation. Tools include lesson planning and question generation.

The basic version is free but limited.

Release your digital artistic creativity with Brush Ninja (brush.ninja). The site offers a selection of browser-based, easy-to-use drawing tools that you can access for free: draw and paint, emoji art, photo collages, animated gif maker, and ‘make art with code’. Give it go, save and share your creations.

ThinkPost (thinkpost.io) is an interactive, split-screen diagramming, draggable block-based note-taking, and brainstorming tool. Editing options include fonts, sizes, shapes and colours.

There are also Drawing. Math, Text and Coding editors. Choose a layout and start brainstorming. There’s web app and Mac download version available.

Dr Seuss is well-known for children’s books but less known are his political cartoons. From UC San Diego, Dr Seuss Went to War (library.ucsd.edu/speccoll/ dswenttowar/) is a collection of more than 400 political cartoons from World War II. Each includes full citation and copyright information. Search by year and by battle, people, places, and issues.

Phrase.it (phraseit.net) is a simple, speech bubble generator for images.

Upload your image and pick from four types of bubble. Drag to any part of the image and add text. You can also change font and apply various image filters.

When finished, click on the save button and share. Register for free to save files.

Curious about what people think and are saying on a particular topic?

Search discussions on Reddit and other online communities with Giga (thegigabrain.com) to find the most useful posts and comments for you.

Refine results by most relevant, most recent or most upvotes, and filter by subreddit.

The J Paul Getty Museum’s Explore Ancient Worlds Through Art (exploreancientworlds.getty.edu) offers interactive tools, curated resources, and detailed lessons for learning the art and culture of Egypt, Greece, Rome, Mesopotamia, and other ancient worlds.

There are visual art materials, artifacts, and primary sources alongside suggested activities.

PLEASE REMEMBER TO CHECK THE APPROPRIATENESS OF ANY ONLINE RESOURCES BEFORE USING THEM IN CLASS

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Bringing farming to life in a Minecraft world

Science and agricultural students have stepped into a new world of learning thanks to Ma-tiki Minecraft, a resource that presents industry relevant challenges on one of the country’s most historically significant farms within the virtual world of Minecraft.

Going down on the farm has taken on a whole new meaning with Ma-tiki Minecraft, a game developed by a team of agricultural and horticultural science advisory teachers. It complements new study units they created for New Zealand Year 7-10 students’ science and agricultural curriculum.

Created by Sow the Seed, HATA (Horticultural and Agricultural Teachers Association) and Agribusiness in Schools, along with Anthony Breese from Museograph, the aim was to create a Minecraft universe for primary and secondary students to discover and learn about agriculture and horticultural science in New Zealand, says Sow the Seed subject advisor Suzy Newman.

“Students learn about early farming practices and can then modernise the online property into a sustainable working farm complete with modern infrastructure, practices, and systems.”

VIRTUAL: MEN’S QUARTERS AT SUNRISE

NAPIER BOYS’ HIGH SCHOOL AGRICULTURAL TEACHER REX NEWMAN DISCUSSES CALF REARING WITH YEAR 13 STUDENTS RILEY MULLANEY AND GEORGE RICKEY DURING TESTING OF MATIKI MINECRAFT.

history. In 1882, lamb meat from Totara Estate formed part of the first shipment of frozen meat exported from New Zealand.

The attention to detail in the graphics makes this more than just an educational too. The historic men’s quarters, cookhouse, and topography of Totara Estate have been faithfully recreated. The characters are dressed in black singlets and shorts similar to a popular New Zealand hard-wearing brand. Additionally, there’s a kiwifruit block, which to the creator’s knowledge, is the first time anyone has recreated kiwifruit vines using Minecraft’s blocky, pixelated aesthetic.

Future careers

REAL: TOTARA ESTATE

Attention to detail

Ma-tiki Minecraft designer Anthony Breese is a former primary school teacher and was tasked with building the online farm world and set the educational game at real life farm, Totara Estate in Oamaru. The choice of farm is significant as it is a heritage property that played a pivotal role in New Zealand’s farming

Included with the project is a website for teachers to access the world, and multi-level cross-curricular unit plans to support teachers with their classroom programmes. Content has been linked to key industries, such as beef, dairy, forestry, pipfruit, as well as careers that occur in each of those areas, with an aim to promote conversation with New Zealand’s young people about possible future careers in the primary sector.

The programme can be broken down into six areas: Innovation, Science, History, Knowledge, Creativity, and Challenges.

The game can be used with the new

Junior units that have been designed or can be used stand alone. There are a series of challenges or scenarios where students can innovate and create their own farming solutions to showcase inside their Minecraft world, like creating virtual fencing and drone use.

Early testing Napier Boys’ High School agricultural students have been testing early versions of the game.

Newman says Minecraft: Education Edition offers a structured and controlled environment for learning.

“Unlike commercial versions of the game, the educational edition removes in-game purchases and unrestricted exploration while allowing teachers to guide and monitor student engagement.

“Gaming and education can go hand in hand, inspiring students to explore New Zealand’s rich farming history while preparing them for its future.”

For more information go to sowtheseed.org.nz This site gives information on how to download Minecraft Education, including Ma-tiki Minecraft and a direct link to the Junior Teaching Units. These have also been placed on both the HATA and the Agribusiness in Schools websites.

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