Back, again!It's been a busy few months - new staff, new styles, new programmes, initiatives and potential and new focal points - galore! One team even scored themselves little media coverage...
Authentic Encounters Online
We're now a team of 6 staff - all specialist, part-timers, merging eTeacher, Tutor, Facilitator, Sub-contractor and Project Architect roles every which way. Four of us (staff-wise) are North Island based, New Zealand but two of us are as far away as Uganda and Peru.
AEO Ltd's wearing consultative and advisory hats for three Ministry of Education contracts, and consultative support to two other independent groups of schools and teachers. All revolves around virtual learning issues in NZ, from the development of a national plan for Primary schools on the VLN (Virtual Learning Network), to demonstrating models depicting learning pathways of young eLearners. The greatest of all contracts lies with the development of the Online Intervention Model for ESOL students - Foundation to Stage 1. A successful trial for the proof of concept saw the end of Term 1 out and follow-up design and development's been all go since.
Managing demand, perceptions and scoped visions is our greatest challenge though - a prayer goes out seeking miracles often! Our own Learn-Now online learning centre had been on hold to some degree, but with an amazing team on deck now, we're ready to roll again, with marketing and promotional ventures underway accordingly.
Meet the 'Sugar Squad'.
Matt Stewart, journalist for the Wairarapa Times Age, caught up with our ex'09 Solway Lead Team (Masterton), last week, as they handed over their $520 portion of chocolate production profits, to a Ronald McDonald House rep, Wellington. Our Learn-Now project was the driver... See pic above. The mission? To help 'all-sorts' of sick kids and their families when living away from home, while undergoing long-term medical care. The newspaper article tells the rest - enjoy all...read more!
Learn-Now - the opportunities just got a whole lot bigger!
There's maths tuition beaming out of Carterton via web conferencing using Adobe Acrobat Connect; student website and wiki development; Cyber Field Trips to join with (NZers) Cushla in Peru and Lucy in Uganda; CyberPal exchanges with Spain, Peru and Pakistan pending and Spanish lessons which are about to beam in from Peru...to name but a few programmes. Amongst all, is a financial literacy programme where students can collaborate together learning everything from tax issues to just how banks can afford to provide loans - but the students are creating the programme - stategising, gaming, virtually operating, designing and developing at every step of the way.
For now though, it's just great to share an update! This isn't really official 'blogging' (since we've been told that there's a very right and very wrong way of 'blogging' and duly suspect we don't cut the mustard...), instead consider this as just a news board.
We're looking forward now to diving into all that's been in set-up mode, ready now to enjoy interactive time with new enrolments, existing enrolments and those we'll be inviting in. Come and join us! Or at least, chat about options :)
Cheers!
Jo
Director, AEO Ltd
eTeacher & ICTELT Consultant
