Masterton Kids explore Global Citizenship

Dedicated To Our Enrolled Kids...
This blog site's a shocker at taking forever to feature new posts and just as much a shocker for marathon ones. Core business (Learn-Now) is often overlooked and it's taken a student to pluck up the courage and ask why they're very rarely featured here. Fair call.

I have to confess that I've underestimated them again - I'd never even assumed they'd even be an audience! In light of that, marathon blogs had better become a thing of the past! Welcome, from this moment on, to Bite Size Blog Posts!

Uganda: The WOW Factor
The beauty of Learn-Now, is its freedom to (eg) enrich, motivate, and generate. With scope to seed concepts and enable students to create a focus, be entrepreneurial and go global, we find ourselves off to Uganda! At Solway School, Masterton, there's a fired-up team of G&T kids with us, aged 8-9, who are adopting the issue of global citizenship.

This young team's hooked into the life & times of 16 year old NZer, Lucy (a Learn-Now student from 2001-3). When Lucy's not rescuing abandoned babies, she's (eg) teaching local Ugandans and working alongside her Dad, Kiwi farmer John Ward from Raetihi, teaching locals the basics of farming, be that tick spraying, or washing hands before milking etc!

The intrigued young Masterton kids have decided to adopt an entrepreneurial spirit, that aims to generate funds for a little hand-up support. Funds aim to buy a milking goat (NZ$180) and supply Lucy with activities to use with the Ugandan kids around her. For more, check out 'Wards Under African Skies'. Consider too, joining us! We're launching an official Global Citizenship Programme encompassing Uganda and much more...

Ulearn - collaborate, innovate, educate

Way2Go Core Education!

There's a stunning face2face & online buzz at Core's Ulearn conference (Christchurch, NZ) 2009. The tools used alone, prove how in tune they are with cutting edge ICT. It's possible to be at one breakout, while at the same time, attend several others located blocks way from each other. Or for that matter, when most presenters are in the land of nod!

CoveritLive / Backchannel & more.
Ulearn's on twitter, coveritlive, facebook, a wiki, flickr and now probably 100s of blogs. There's video, photography, TV, student reporters and website support that's not only accessible for delegates, but globally. Curious kids who are checking in on eTeacher 'yours truly' are here too. They're virtual delegates - digging in to even the latest on tweets through to even Netsafe voting campaigns, while behind the scenes, they're sharing views on what they hear (from the horrific, to the amused and exciteable).

Key Snippets Accumulated So Far...

• Change the system, not the child.
• Do things with children, not to them.
• Testing content is dead as it is freely available to all
• Don't write a strategy for something you haven't used
• Teacher has to talk less, so that the kids can learn more.
• A goal for schooling: "its the best 6 hours of a students day".
• Goggle Apps = ownership of learning, feedback & feedforward;
• You can lead kids to the internet but you can’t make them think
• All curriculum planning documents MUST incorporate ICT in tchg.
• Imagine if the goal for 'education' was not to kill curiosity & creativity.
• Kids will have access but yearn for structure – that's the role of educators.

..and when browsing around...
(thanks to tweets leading us productively astray), here go my favourite ones (and after 11 years as a face to face teacher & 9 years as an eTeacher, I agree!):

• Online education is more effective than face-to-face learning;
• Online learning combined with some face-to-face learning (blended learning) is the most effective;
• Face-to-face learning alone is the least effective method among the three types studied. (notes to self for 2moro nite: must blog a personal take on this...)
  
• ...for more around this, see Derek Wenmoth's latest presentation notes

A Multitude of Projects

Not one project, but a multitude...

We're holding true to our key focus - taking kids global is now happening on a weekly basis. There's also a global focus in terms of developing an online learning centre for learners from afar, upon entry into NZ schools, at an ESOL level. On the national NZ stage, there's even a focus ahead that's wonderfully exciting for the Primary & Intermediate sector within NZ's Virtual Learning Network.

Taking Kids Global

Learn-Now is currently responsible (both directly and shared) for the online learning life of 284 students. The largest contingent live in the US, with neighbouring Australia, Fiji and the Soloman Islands amidst the fun. Indonesia, Italy, Canada and New Zealand are interconnected, with Holland, Uganda and Pakistan in the throws of adding a considerable level of interest and activity. The extent of it all is not without its gremlins though. Timetables, internet speeds, school buy-in and student ambition has its trials! The greatest of which, sits with schools who won't allow students on idle classroom computers due to supervision issues, view YouTube, use email, blog, or get anything more than their scheduled hour per week in a programme. Thankfully, the successes far outweigh the gremlins, so productivity & skill acquisition remains high.

Global Projects

Between the life alongside Operation Christmas Child, CyberPals and ePals, Learn-Now's joined a Virtual World Tour project with an Australia school, and is cranking up a life that'll involve (enjoy this...) cows, orphans, seeds and medical supplies in our own International Hands Up programme. Care packages, learning support packages and Christmas packages meander through programmes, alongside youth enterprise work, cultural awareness programmes and heated global issue discussions. Curriculum & key competency coverage is wonderful. Wiki's, blogs, tweets, wix sites, forums, snail mail, live chat, interactive online whiteboards and personal project architecture is very much alive and well...

eLearning IT Consultancy

The most thrilling nature of all so far though, has been the recently stunning levels of consultancy work gained within both the eLearning Department & Foundation for Learning Departments at the Ministry of Education (NZ). Learn-Now has not just been about what it can provide by way of enrolment and direct programming. The experience and student-centred nature of Learn-Now's online learning centre has been 'hopefully developing' as an online learning centre model. A model by virtue of structure, design, intent, story and journey. Of perfection? LOL! It would be unwise to think that such an attribute is possible with any kind of learning centre - desired of course! Will keep the blog posted with developments as they take root...

Ulearn - Christchurch, NZ & more...

Ahead for now though, is the Ulearn conference in Christchurch, New Zealand, just 3 days away. Time to catch up on the latest around the eLearning world and meet with colleagues and potential new (Learn-Now & sub-contractor) recruits. It's also a chance to connect with those who are about to make a mark in upcoming contract work. The latter being those who in turn have wonderful online learning models of interest for the wider online learning communities.

All's well on this front - like never before!
How great it is, to be saying this despite recessions, public (and often colleague) skepticism and a tiny rural office space. Thanks goes to those who share a passion for learning that's on the same page as students with the 21st century buzz.

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 :).

Learn-Now Updated

Something of a Catholic confession is brewing in my mind... 'Bless me Father for I have...no, not sinned - just have been remiss of keeping up this blog'! We'll aspire to be amazing bloggers... pray for us that it'll happen. LOL!

Life behind the scenes has reached wonderful new heights - and finally, Learn-Now / Authentic Encounters Online Ltd, isn't just seen as a Gifted & Talented Programme - but where intent and experience is now the desired nature sought of us, for support and insight, by others - beyond G&T education at that too.

Up opened the world of official IT consultancy work - and within one amazingly bizarre week end of April, three completely independent approaches were made, and varying 'titles' were employed. One labelled their request in need of an IT Consultant for an MOE (ESOL) contract, another an eLearning Consultant and the third, a Practitioner Consultant. All in the field of practical eLearning, providing support at grass-roots level. For one contract, that meant an ideas development phase; another, that 'right-now-for-the-student-tomorrow' approach and the third, an 'up-and-running-for-next-term please', deal. Even fees offered were stunningly relative in today's consultancy/commercial market.

In the process, Learn-Now itself grew tenfold+, much attributing to the swine flu and the wish for so many more parents to homeschool, but also with a great deal more interest from schools, in outsourcing G&T and from parents - remedial tuition. Repeat clients are full on - with many upgrading enrolments for each and every subsequent term to date. Still though, many others struggle to handle the 'we're not a course' nature of Learn-Now and continue to seek more traditional approaches to learning. The toughest thing we still handle, is the adult world baulking at student autonomy (right through to even baulking at animations on a page - those heartened 'way2go' features from students, but quashed as always by so many in charge). But it's all part of the fun and we are so very used to it. The amazing takes however, far outweigh yesteryear moments.

So that's us - but not for so long this time...our next post is in the making :)