Assessing Learn-Now re: G&T Education

Having been invited to present Learn-Now to the Sector Advisory Group for Gifted & Talented Education at the Ministry of Education, it posed an opportune time to assess the level to which it fits into G&T Education.

While often cruising the research articles on TKI site, this time two in particular seemed particular pertinent. Dr Tracy Riley's Creating a Learning Environment for Differentiation (2000) and Sonia White's Reasons Why Gifted Children Sometimes Underachieve (2001). With a passion for student-driven learning, Learn-Now is hugely encouraged by what's presented within both papers. While Riley's paper addresses the physical classroom, it's very easy to translate the same points to the online environment Learn-Now resides in. White's paper endears us to sighing with relief! Class-based, 3 staged enrichment programmes based on a thematic approach with topics, over an 8 week time frame is right on par. But that's not all...

Learn-Now first evolved in 2003 more by accident than design, when a principal of a decile 1 school, saw its programme, employed a 0.2FTE component and became responsible for the first of many progammes since. After a year, he spread the world, resulting in an entire cluster of G&Ts in the surrounding schools being enrolled. Some of these students hugely benefitted, others - it was literally a waste of money to have enrolled them. The difference? There were schools who either allowed the students to drive their programme, or there were those who hardly gave them enough scope to have barely 30 minutes a week involvement and dictated much of what they'd do.

As the years passed and the liberties of Learn-Now became more flexible, our emphasis on providing for just G&T students eased. We chose to open the doors to what White's paper calls 'uncovering hidden talents'. Giving more students the opportunities to demonstrate their potential...to uncover 'talent in the making'. Right on cue with White's references, there became flexibility in identification and programming, so that students at risk of underachieving can have the opportunity to demonstrate potential.

Riley's makes mention of Learning Laboratories and Learn-Now is, in our view, one such example. It's a comfortable, autonomous environment, and while our 'furniture's not comfy, we have lounges, cafe's, chat(work)rooms and personalised (but audience designed) areas. It's learner-centred, not teacher directed; teacher independent; open to new people, material and risk tasking. It's hugely complex - often to its detriment, when many teachers will cruise through and see it 'too complex for us' - but ask the students who have been allowed to determine its suitability themselves...they love it. Students simultaneously participate in variety of activities; access material at different levels; engage in instructional groupings; self manage their work (with facilitation where needed); and there's a comfortable ambience...interschool and global at that.

We're on the right track. Yet, in saying this, we believe that every student deserves opportunities for enrichment and extension. All students are at 'a place' right now. How do they get to their where-to-next? By giving them opportunities to discover their potential. One student, once deemed 'hopeless' by their teacher came to us as a 'last resort - just for some computer work to keep him quiet' they said. He became the CEO who ran an International Chocolate Factory with us; lead an online house group to a winning end and lead a computer club in his district for 3 years. He found his potential in leadership, strategic thinking, compassion, creativity and team work. Maths still isn't his thing, nor is spelling, but there was a lot more to him...

The beauty of it now, is that G&T thinking in NZ is launching into an elearning, online headspace. Just yesterday we were approached by a very forward thinking group in the Wairarapa, about to take G&T into a whole cutting-edge zone, with online thinking. For our students who often wish there were more 'like them' here, their prayers may be about to be answered.

Enjoying The Ride

The journey that's on the go right now, is vibrant, progressive and wonderfully energetic. Life involves an incredible array of people, situations and a buzz that's picking up momentum.

As a Mac user, iLife has now (perhaps finally) been able to show itself off. Invited to present a workshop for the Time4Online national conference running in NZ right now, we got ourselves onto the podcasting bandwagon. Podomatic.com was a nightmare, amongst other alternatives, but thanks to the discussions in many Mac-based forums 'out there' we installed iLife and have had a ball since!

GarageBand 3 now has given us a new adrenalin rush. We're early days yet. We often keep uploading and deleting our (trial&error) podcast efforts, but all the same, watch Our Podcast arena!

Next up, we've been invited to present the life of Learn-Now to a national Gifted & Talented advisory group in Wellington, with the Ministry of Education, as they look into an online way-of-life for GATE students in NZ.

Along the way, we've continued to enrol new students, take on new staff & seed some very exciting upcoming projects. We've also been taking Authentic Encounters Online - as a company, to a whole new level of profile, with huge results. In particular, within the field of consultation contracts for parties keen to develop collaborative online environments themselves. All's good - aside from the hours being kept! The bounce makes sleeping feel like a waste of time...!

Travel to Turkey with us!

The greatest number of school and students within Learn-Now this term, are those involved with our Travel to Turkey programme. We've gone global with International Cyber Trips...not wanting to tred on the toes of LEARNZ, who run the most spectacular NZ based field trips, rich in Science, in particular.

Pauline McLeod, an ICTPD facilitator within the Cambridge district is off to Turkey and right beside her, are several schools who've been getting a taste of life online together, with a common theme. Learn-Now hosts her trip and has enrolled a huge number of students as her virtual tourists.

Pauline has her travel blog underway, the Learn-Now site has been running a Travel to Turkey programme and we've had students as young as 5 involved. There's been a great attempt to immerse ICT with inquiry based learning, and students 'home sick' haven't been able to take down time, logging in so as to not miss a beat.

The go-getter attitude of some schools has been wonderful. It's a tough call for teachers to let students lose with others 'on the internet', let alone squeeze yet another thing into the already tight programme. All credit to those who've let it happen - or more to the point for some..let their students 'go', work with us and explore a little bit at a time. Just over 100 threads within forums have featured in the very recent weeks, 18 'live' workroom discussions and copious emails. Not bad for a trip that's yet to step foot on the aeroplane...

There are three aspects to the programme:
1) Partake in an inquiry study
2) Engage in role play: be a consultant for Pauline eg: travel, food, medical...
3) Watch and interact with the trip as Pauline 'beams' in from Turkey.

If reading this and interested in taking part - or know of someone who could be, please contact us. We need to assign access to the actual student site, for facilitation & monitoring purposes. Ready for new members - now... interested particularly in proactive connections and contributors. Watch this space! This is still 'early days'...

Recent Activity

Term 1 is over for Learn-Now and Authentic Encounters Online and much has prepared Term 2 for a stunning amount of hype and activity!

80 individual students are currently enrolled, from homeschool settings, afterschool activity programmes and school groups. 17 schools are now aligned to Learn-Now, with 23 teachers - some of sole charge schools. Currently our age range of students is 5-15 year olds.

We're exposing action in Turkey, Brazil, England, Australia, Fiji, Germany, the USA and New Zealand, with plans afoot also, for Denmark and Sweden.

The key environments targetted to date involve our Global Horizons, Project Central and After School Activities learning areas. Within those fields, Maths Matters, International Cyber Safaris, Career Studies & Science Novelties feature, along with History 'with Sarah', with a look at WW2, Henry VIII & Elizabeth I.

Outside the Learn-Now programme, we've been honored to take the lead as the current 'Hotseat' guest for a module of study in progress by team of teachers at the Middlesex University, England. The module is developed in partnership with Core Education and SSAT. Learning through International Partnerships is the theme.

Alongside the Learn-Now programme and time with the Hotseat, is also a taste of contract work with the Virtual Learning Network with the NZ Ministry of Education. Creating an online environment for work around professional development work for Learning Communities Online, is all go!

Authentic Encounters Online Ltd

It's official. Learn-Now is the core project of Authentic Encounters Online Ltd. Authentic Encounters Online represents the nature of work that's become the key focus for one of New Zealand's newest education related companies. The focus is online and the encounters are authentic.

AEO (Authentic Encounters Online Ltd), is a hands-on elearning service for students and educators. Currently, AEO operates with a staff of six and three dimensions to its way of life. AEO both consults to and creates online learning environments for education providers; runs One Day Online Learning Experiences for staff, students and parents; and operates Learn-Now, an online learning centre, providing extension and enrichment opportunities for students aged 7-15 years. There are international cyber safaris/field trips (one coming up to Turkey in May), small businesses to design and develop (for even 7 year olds) and more.

All is based on the life of elearning, a wealth of experience and backed by MOE research and endorsement in several quarters. AEO's point of reference to much of what's going in the elearning industry, is via Derek Wenmoth. His blog continually keeps us in check - as he does with many education providers.

Dr Garry Falloon...

In NZ's 'Good Teacher Magazine' Term 1, 2007, Dr Garry Falloon, Waikato University, poses this question: ICT is it a case of too much too soon? There's reference to students with laptops to those sharing a PC, to digital film making and interactive whiteboards. But what caught my attention, was his support of what he sees as imperative. In particular:

* "We need to be educating children to be out of the box thinkers, who have that creativity and entrepreneurial attitude and the whole desire to learn..."

* "Kids need to know to respect others when interacting in an online environment..."

* "...not just taking notes about what they are seeing, but really learning more as they are doing it.."

These are the angles that drive Learn-Now. It's these practices and these reasons that have become 'the Learn-Now way'. But, most encouragingly of all, is our "Yes! We're just that', with regards to responding to Falloon's final point.

** "What are kids learning when they are on the computer? ...Are they learning about the world? (With Learn-Now, yes!). Are they learning about how to get on with other people? (With Learn-Now, most definitely). Are they learning about environmental issues? (With Learn-Now, yes - both NZ and globally). And do the children know what the contextual learning is around these activities? With Learn-Now, yes. It's built within their programme, through contact reflection and self evaluation.

We're hugely encouraged by what we read here. Learn-Now itself continually goes through intense reflection and evaluation. We are on track.

Incredible Leads!

A week on from being an exhibitor at the Learning@Schools conference in Rotorua, it's apparent that the impact of it is far more significant than imagined. We aimed to give schools an insight into what we offered. Instead, an additional buzz featured as well...

Three significant angles have presented themselves, some more directly than others. In presenting a 'Go Global' angle, we've found ourselves invited to now also make a connection with Jennifer Corriero from TakingItGlobal in Canada and thanks goes to Derek Wenmoth for the referral. Learn-Now has a huge network of international connections through travel done, a continued life with previous teaching environments, situations and colleagues, and more recently with conference associates etc.

We had a hugely exciting connection with one new conference associate this year. Pauline McLeod, an ICT cluster facilitator within the Cambridge area, may well be one of our cybertrip teachers this year, to Turkey. It's a personal trip that's on it's way to include an active example of what ICT can entail, with students destined to be her virtual tourists. If all goes well, they could also be her travel consultants, health advisors and project managers. Pauline is known by many through the Sunflower Connection, with World Vision, regards her trip to Malawi. Her enthusiasm is stunning. Her vision is very 21st century education.

Her latest journey, can be found in the Good Teacher Magazine', NZ. 'Catching Them - Hook, Line and Sinker', takes the reader through what Pauline McLeod and co-researcher Louise Bonnar share as the four key areas essential for a successful journey online: Preparation, Baiting your catch, Reeling them in and Keeping them hooked online. It's an awesome read! Within this same publication, we're also very drawn to the work by Dr Garry Falloon. More on him in our next entry here.