An Incredible Response

Auckland's Kids Fair 2009 was well worth the investment. Our 'eLearning @ Home and School' approach attracted parents with students as young as 3-4 years old, with the majority of the market involving parents of the 10-14 year old age group.

Of greatest interest to us, was the nature of interest by parents. Maths tuition was tops and general extension an incredibly close second. Demand for extension honed in our more outside-the-square areas, with a particular focus on small business programming, to virtual field trips and international community service work by students.

Direct enrolments were delightful and we're wading through an astonishing pile of names expressing interest, from subscribing to updates, to continued dialogue and discussion via email. It'll all be a work in progress for the next week at least. Unlike any marketing done to date, this was the most fulfilling style. We're usually made to feel as though we're a little 'too outside the square', but the majority of those we connected with during the Kids Fair/Family Expo were hugely in tune with our mission. So many took handfuls of fliers to distribute to local schools or friends.

But exhibiting at the Kids Fair wasn't the only highlight of this particular weekend. Connecting with other educators with like minds and missions left us with much to talk about and consider on the way home - both at the Kids Fair and 'after hours'. Especially One People One Planet where we caught up with Vivienne Wright & Dai Bindoff (watch this space on that one - next week!). All up, we'd otherwise like to pay tribute to:

• Polkadots: Programmes & materials for preschoolers & parents
  
• KindyRock: Preschool music - movement and dance on CD...
  
• World Buddies: World Vision's connection of students with students

However, ahead now is a new term, returning clients, new teams, programmes, schools and individuals (by way of both staff and students). It's exciting!

Kids Fair - Auckland, NZ: 11-12th August

The annual Kids Fair in Auckland kicks off this coming weekend with huge media coverage and just on 100 exhibitors, of which we are one of them. We're looking forward to it! 10am-5pm Saturday 11th & Sunday 12th July.

This time last year, when first learning of this event, we took it on in Wellington with its 3 day event and loved it! The hype of families and many teachers created a huge buzz, alongside such presenters as dance teams, Ronald McDonald, Cookie Bear, gigantic bouncy castles and everything from learning stations to face painting. While a handful of 10,000 or so visitors came through those doors, the Auckland expo brought in just on 25,000 people last year. We can only assume there'll be more this year - word of mouth and marketing does wonders and the timing is perfect...right in the midst of the school holidays.

Learn-Now will take position in Stand 74 and while we had a treasure island theme last year, we're all the more hands on this year, within the Learn-Now online learning centre itself. Students can experience life within the programme, with connections with Scotland, Astronomy, Chocolate in particular. We were to promote another partner we admire greatly, but at the 11th hour, have been thwarted by legalities. A shame - but as complimentary as it was, the show goes on, opening up more scope for our programmes.

There'll be chocolates on hand, in association with our ChocLot Paradise Chocolate Factory programme, fridge magnets give-aways (see image on right), and a running slideshow featuring life with Learn-Now. eLearning@home and eLearning@school will feature as our tag lines and we're of course looking forward to it.

(We pray that on our home front all will be well though - when last at the Kids Fair, the 5am call on Day 3 to say that Jo's house had been completely destroyed by fire most certainly dampened a little of the buzz. Be that not so this time, even if only at the interim rental, pending even a peg in the ground for the new place! :).

Kids Fair Auckland - this weekend, 10am-5pm, Saturday and Sunday @ The Trusts Stadium, Waitakere. Or follow us on twitter... http://twitter.com/learnnownz

A Slice of Learn-Now

While Authentic Encounters Online itself scored a wealth of contract work, its core project Learn-Now found itself further embedded in Canterbury, Southland, Tauranga, the Wairarapa, Kapiti - Wellington, Auckland and Scotland!

It's been a stunning couple of months/term! ERO's been involved again and we keenly await any updated reference of it within their report to the school under review. In August, feedback on Learn-Now was acknowledged in this context: "School-wide assessments are appropriately used to identify students who require additional learning support and those requiring gifted and talented education (GATE). A part-time teacher provides high quality withdrawal programmes for both groups. Students in learning support groups receive targeted assistance and their progress is well monitored. Those who participate in the GATE programme are taught and encouraged to use a range of thinking, inquiry and computer skills to assist in self‑selected investigations and practical projects."

Maths Tuition, Science, Youth Enterprise, Literacy programmes, Team work and Virtual Field Trips currently dominate the life of Learn-Now. Scotland is at the top of list, with dozens of students following two NZ students in ancestral homeland Scotland, while also creating their own travel centre and partaking in challenges, case studies and collaborative activities. A new chocolate product's all go again with its associated survey still seeking participants (please be one). 84 students are actively enrolled and thrown into the mix is homeschool support, learning support tuition, gifted and talented programming, after school activities and a wealth of tools.

Student programming has involved Skype, Adobe Connect, VoiceThread, YouTube, Twitter, Wix.com, SurveyMonkey, Google Docs, Flickr, Online chat & forums, Jabbster, various widgets, wikis and LAMS - through to even PowerPoint (still) and the MOE's Digital Learning Objects (c/- Learning Federation). Many are age-old tools to some of us, but ALL those above are brand new to 85% of the students who've adopted them with us this term. They're but tools applied to the learning intentions and are just a taste of those commonly used, rather than the life of the programming. Even Bebo's been a requested connection for one student's Astronomy work with us...integrating her associated community as interactive participants for her work :).