Part+2+b+-+E-learning+today+in+New+Zealand

E-learning has been adopted in New Zealand’s secondary schools through five main projects that have been put in place to support e-learning: Information and Communication Technology Professional Development (ICTPD), Virtual Learning Network (VLN), Laptops for Teachers (TELA), Te Kura (Correspondence School), and the Te Kete Ipurangi (TKI) Website.


 * ICTPD ** –These clusters have been established for 11 years. The Ministry of Education works in collaboration with clusters by providing funding and support over three years to schools for implementation of their individual programmes. Each cluster programme is unique; however, most cluster models include a combination of teacher educator facilitation and mentoring, as well as opportunities for feedback, observation, modelling, and peer support. Clusters also use an online environment to discuss and share ideas.  The cluster provides a community where teachers can share knowledge, experiences, identities, artefacts and activities.

The ** TELA ** programme provides laptops for teachers which enable staff to develop their ICT use and allows teachers to practice new skills they have gained from their professional development.

The ** Virtual Learning Network and Correspondence School ** are programs that offer distance learning for students in New Zealand. They began with the need to serve students living in the most remote areas of New Zealand, and the programs are now growing and offering courses to all students in New Zealand through Video Conferencing, the Internet and correspondence materials.

Finally the ** TKI website ** was created by the Ministry of Education to provide digital content and resources to classroom and online teachers. This bilingual portal has grown over the years from a small educational search engine to a global community of users sharing educational  resources with one another. As well as extensive resources and links to many secondary e-learning opportunities, it also encourages use of Assessment Resources developed by New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER). These are called Assessment Resource Banks (ARBs) and cover English, Maths and Science from levels 2-5. Ministry of Education, (2011) TKI also leads teachers to the English on Line site which has prepared units and digital activities in the English strands and provides a teacher resource exchange. Te Kete Ipurangi,(2010b). The other programs provide professional development and technology for teachers and courses for students, while the TKI site completes the projects by sharing curriculum.

The final benefit that comes from all of these projects is that they have fostered professional collaboration on all levels of the New Zealand education system. The ICTPD clusters have brought teachers and schools together to identify shared goals and collaborate to reach them. The VLN brings schools together at a national level and both students and teachers can build new relationships that may have not been possible without the technology. Finally, the ** TKI **website has brought together educators to share resources with other educators from New Zealand and globally.

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Te Kete Ipurangi, (2010c)

New Zealand is a leader in e-learning for Years 1 -13, as seen by other countries coming to visit and learn from their experiences. Their model is being implemented and is working in schools all over Asia and Europe (Powell, 2011). Schools are being encouraged to develop web portals for both students and whanau. This link to the school resources includes the community in the e-learning and links to online results for students that are instantly updated and available from the schools' SMSs. The myportfolio option allows for reflective thinking on units of work and is transferable between schools and is accessible through out a student's lifelong learning.



Discussion point: What do the above approaches have in common? Think about how the design of these initiatives may have shaped e-learning implementation.
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