Conference look at future of education
Kerikeri High School has hosted a cutting edge conference for educators, featuring keynote speakers from Canada, the universities of Canterbury, Wellington and Auckland, who presented challenging, futurefocused sessions for a large gathering of teachers, librarians, administrators and school leaders.
The conference was headlined by Ian Jukes and Nicky Mohan, directors of Canada’s InfoSavvy Group, who presented on the subjects of reinventing learning for the ‘always on’ generation, critical thinking through real world problem-solving, and cultivating critical thinking in the Age of Distraction.
University of Canterbury computer scientist Tim Bell, winner of the 2018 Outstanding Contribution to Computer Science Education Award, presented An ABC of computational thinking and digital technologies, integrated learning with computational thinking and computational thinking for digital technologies.
The menu of sessions included the elective garden, She Can Code, wearable tech, mixed and virtual reality in the classroom, Code Club 4 Teachers, email security and cyber crime and literacy tools. An initiative that provides disadvantaged families with free wireless broadband is credited with making a significant difference to their children’s achievement at school, along with improved attendance and enabling them to participate in more activities.
The pilot programme, a partnership between Variety — the Children’s Charity, and 2degrees, is now to be rolled out across the country.
At the end of the trial in Auckland last year, where 25 families were given internet access, 82 per cent said their children had achieved more at school, and 86 per cent said their children had been able to participate in more school activities. There was a 50 per cent improvement in school attendance, and 82 per cent of children said they enjoyed school more once they had internet at home.
Variety CEO Lorraine Taylor said providing children and families most in need with the right support was the charity’s top priority.
“The pilot was deliberately small, with the sole purpose of testing the programme to ensure it would have a lasting and significant effect on the lives of some of our most vulnerable children, and their families — and it absolutely has,” she said.
“As the world becomes more connected there is a significant group of children, of families in this country who are being locked out. This programme addresses that divide.
“The little things many of us take for granted, like staying in touch with family and friends abroad and paying bills online, and for the kids, being able to check public transport times online so they can catch the bus to school, or to be able to look up a website a teacher has given them as a resource for learning, is simply out of reach for families who do not have broadband access.”
Now the project would be extended to 100 more families in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch for the next three years, as 2degrees and Variety work together to identify and assist struggling families across the country.