The Trial of a Parent Lounge

Communicating With Parents

Communication is an essential part of the home and school relationship and it's long been known that parent involvement relates positively to student achievement - including interest and motivation. Learn-Now now has the means to finally bring parents alongside the journey their children are on. We're trialing with one school team of parents to start with - where a team of 28 students are enrolled in Learn-Now.

Launching the Parent Lounge

This week launched the online community built especially for parents with children enrolled Learn-Now. The Parent Lounge is exclusively for parents to connect and share information and thoughts around their child's experience in Learn-Now. The lounge is designed to be as much a source of information as it is interaction... It's new though, and it's a case of make-it-up as we go, but hopefully the invited team's a forgiving bunch. It's a trial and much will be determined by how well we can engineer Elgg's functionality, as to how long it may continue, or at what point we invite a second team of parents in.

Communication Beyond The Projects...

Understandably, project life will be shared, but it's more than that... It's sharing the energy behind the beauty of what teaching and learning online now involves. It's involving them in the fun of it - actively so if they're open to it. It's taking the distance out of what can often exist between home and school. It's inviting them to also take part in what the students are doing, perhaps for most not directly, but in ways that'll enable them to at least get a taste. Above all, it's about building that community of practice (CoP) - their children aren't just 'a class', but members of another whole community...but just who? The lounge will share...

...and then there's Twitter and Facebook

Online Parent Lounges should have a place in all schools and beyond, on a platform such as this, via Twitter and Facebook, or combination of all - it's great way to reach plugged-in parents. Newsletters sent home in backpacks are so old school. We ourselves need to be more active with our Twitter and Facebook account (and will)...but neither give us much scope to really chat out the Q/As, insights and shared content matter. Tis a shame the students can't drive them though - being under 13 years old and legal about it, has its downsides...

Meanwhile though, bring on the Parent Lounge!

Learn-Now parents can now enjoy the journey with us as well.

Socialising the learning - young.

Meet Anthony - he's 13.

Socialised learning is alive and well for him. He just doesn't know it - yet. But in tuning into the socialised learning that a team of NZ 8-10 year old students are into, he's about to become the recipient of some wonderfully socially enabled interaction.

28 students at Solway Primary School in Masterton are virtual tourists in a Cyber Field Trip to Uganda - now in its second year. Led by Lucy Ward, a 19 year old NZer in Uganda, the students jump from focus to focus. Recently they were introduced to Anthony, but he's since lost the smile in this photo and his Dad's adopted a worried look... The cost of school fees are almost out of Anthony's reach. Our journey into Uganda takes a new direction and we're travelling on a new vehicle into its midst.

Thanks Elgg!

We've adopted a new tool for Learn-Now students in Lucy's field trip and Elgg has become that bees knees tool/learning platform. It's the vehicle we're travelling on, into Uganda. The latest vehicle, was Ning. But it wouldn't let students under 13 years old aboard. So, that cut the whole primary, elementary and intermediate sector out of getting aboard some serious socialised learning online. (Though in fairness to Ning - it's a great vehicle for staff groups to socialise their operations - especially when working remotely from each other...). Elgg however, is a great vehicle to foster community based learning for all ages.



Socialising the learning online
Hosted by the Ministry of Education in our case, Elgg gets it. The eLearning department at the MOE gets it. Social learning is now possible, beyond a blog and a wiki for under 13 year olds.

What do the kids love about Elgg? The 28 students at Solway Primary are one example. It's very facebook'ish (but with teacher-student access controls if desired); they take the lead in personalising their space and lo and behold, they can create their own groups and run their own interactive, learning based communities. They drop their jaw at the amount of widgets they have available to them and manipulating pods around a dashboard, is as simple as drag and drop.

Life's finally not all about blogging. Nor do they need to jump sites to wiki'fy co-construction of knowledge into eg: Wikispaces; run polls in Surveymonkey; or be banned from Flickr etc for photos, as is common in many schools. They can now have their own photo albums and shared ones... Elgg has become quite a cosy one-stop shop. Yet, like a teenager learning to drive a car, these young students have to be taught how to drive their online space; learn how to be passengers; learn and personalise the 'Cyber Road Rules' and so on. It's a work in progress.

Anthony - behind the scenes
With Elgg as a vehicle/tool for learning, it is up to us to design the learning theme and content, then manipulate its functionality as a team of facilitators and students. Naturally the Cyber Field Trip 'Uganda in Action' led the way. Lucy socialises their learning as she

1. blogs aspects of her life in Uganda;
2. involves students in authentic learning experiences with real people, real buzz factors and real plights;
   
3. poses questions in her blog to further develop the thinking skills of her students;
4. links questions in her blog to forums enticing 24/7 access to discussion, or the processing of information;
5. tunes into student responses and further facilitates their thinking;
6. becomes a substitute for 'Googling' for information - she's real, on the ground and very relatable;
   
7. models the making of an impact;
8. shows how skills learnt in NZ can be transferred more globally;
   
9. is a wonderful example of a global citizen...

Meanwhile, the teacher who facilitates the students through Lucy's programme

1. seeds discovery eg: navigates them to new material from Lucy;
2. scaffolds the skills they'll need to interact with Lucy;
3. introduces the 'Pages' functionality for wiki-like co-construction of depth;
4. asks 'how can you make an impact'. Take Anthony for example... where to with him?
   
5. hypes them up almost mercilessly, but rarely pushes her own agenda - opening up the means by which students might come around to decisions themselves, with facilitation;
6. is about to open up a parent lounge online for parental involvement;
7. has allowed students to set up and run their own 'student lounge' to experiment with site functionality (knowing that it'll be viewed as 'just playing' - but is secure with her agenda - it follows an edge that's enabling, cognitively challenging, multi-tasking in nature and so on - the playing now, will be applied learning in Uganda in Action, their upcoming Bagz4Tagz enterprise and so on... It's making learning fun and when the going gets tough (or boring as students might say) they've plenty to draw on to up the anti, further personalise their learning and be responsible for making things happen - not spoon fed - but to take the lead.
   

Chaos reigns upfront...
Maturity seeps below...
Face2face, the students are talking over each other and can't really be heard when tuned into Uganda in Action, but online, there's a maturity in their voice as they form an impact, consider the challenges, use knowledge gained and in time, apply a social impact outcome. They even have the notions of scalability and sustainability in their impact, in mind. Not bad when remembering that these students are 8-10 years old. Already, they've become enterprising, are forming teams to divvy up the work ahead, are evaluating, reflecting and calculating. They're already on the road to success after 5 weeks of a single 2 hour slot per week. The security of Anthony's life at school is about to change for the better - the chat, the banter and even the 'dancing around' behind the scenes is social learning.

Owning the learning

The students' quest for knowledge now isn't just Google or YouTube. It's Lucy. It's www.xe.com (eg: how much are Anthony's school fees?). It's learning is powered by Elgg and an emotional urge to help, work together, own a project and exercise their own thinking skills. It's socialising the learning. It's social inquiry - not just 'inquiry learning'. As facilitators we're busy - immersing them in concepts, background info, tools of the trades, authentic scenarios and what if's eg: what if we were to Skype Lucy in from Uganda?

So, how about ISCT now?
Should ICT really be ISCT?

I believe that we should be adding S for Social into the now age-old reference of ICT. Once, the hype was IT, before evolving into ICT. Now, as learning as become more social this factor should form the notion of Information, Social Communication and Technology. We could in fact drop the T - technology is a no-brainer these days.

Much is made of digital classrooms, pods of laptops and mobile learning in education. The 'T' of technology is alive and well in 'ICT' amongst the contacts I have here in NZ and across to the US, UK, Australia and many parts of Europe.

The 'I' of information is almost at wow-factor levels in some schools too, but when it comes to 'communication', aside from perhaps a blog or student-teacher responses, today's hell-bent socialising factor is less obvious. How many classrooms have to 'be quiet' when learning? How much of the blended learning is discussion based, where the teacher talks less?


Digital Classrooms: Leaders? Models?
Are the likes of Digital Classrooms in particular - leaders of socialised, community based learning? Or are they full on with the technology, still very teacher directed? Are they working outside the 4 walls of their classroom, with students in other schools, or guests in other communities? Are they creating partnerships with other communities online? Do they have 24/7 access to their learning? Can they contribute after school, during the weekends and holidays...? Are they having a say in what they learn, who with (outside those 4 walls) and with which tool?

What is a cutting edge Digital Classroom? We'd like to think we are one ie: Learn-Now, but truth be known, we're trying our best. We're lucky too - the customers/schools who have adopted us make it easy. They've got the technology in place and let us manipulate it to the extreme as we know it too. As we too learn more, we'll stretch it further...and further. But, we need more partners. More schools, more students beaming in from homes and more projects to adopt.

We're tackling Elgg week by week - there's not that much of a life in there yet, but that's how it is when the participants are in training - they're just warming up to being so public with their presence. Being socially 'out there' is just as nerve wracking as it is in new environments face to face.

And where are we at the moment? Here in Frontup4Impact

...having fun,
really trying to socialise the learning!

Make an impact...

Learning Intention: Make an Impact

It's the Learn-Now catch phrase...no matter what educational changes or standards occur. AEO Ltd and Learn-Now live and breathe all things digital and educational that we can... But with much discussion around Digital Generations, I can't help but tune into our very newest generation and 'keep up with them'. With 4 year old daughter Katelyn, I'm becoming increasingly stunned by the entrepreneurial spirit she's showing, alongside a resounding spirited passion to make an impact... Where's the digital in that - up front?


Lighten Up The Emphasis On 'Digital'... I think such emphasis on the 'digital' references with youth aged generations needs to lighten up. Granted, Katelyn's future is a huge unknown and we know that many of her potential jobs aren't even thought of yet...but let's not forget the timeless passion of some potential roles - to help others, to run ones' own business, make the world a better place no matter how small the engagement... In a timeless fashion, Katelyn, is exhibiting the same entrepreneurial spirit stemming from one of her great-grandfathers (died aged 98 in 2008)... She likens herself to Youth Enterprise teams aged 8-10 that she hears in action in Learn-Now and affiliated projects.

She's set herself on a mission to 'get money', not just for herself, but to also help others. Getting a job has become a self possessed interest - starting with collecting the eggs - her first paid job. She knows her dollars, is working out that several silver coins can bring the same benefits as the gold coins and size is relative to value...with NZ 's coin dimensions at least. But digitally? Mostly just a wealth of DVDs, home movies, photos, Skype and YouTube galore...


Skills Beyond The Digital
It's just under 10 years before Katelyn can tweet, blog or communicate her entrepreneurial missions and marketing... or in whatever tool's far more effective than blogs, tweets and IMs. What's timeless and needs far more emphasis is the context of what's she's doing. Learning other skills for life is giving her a huge head start. The beauty of it, is that she's leading her learning now - she's strategising, setting goals and monitoring progress. She's already a reflective practitioner, has end results in mind and multi-media (despite not having a TV) is as much part of her learning as Learn-Now students aged 8-16 years old are tuned into.

Immersion and Motivation
Little as she is, Little House on the Prairie is Katelyn's most sought after DVD/TV series to watch (thanks FATSO). Chance has it, that the lastest episode seen, sees 'Mary Ingalls' assessing the financial plight of her family, when father Charles finds himself out of work. Katelyn wants the debt explained, that's turning to custard at the Ingalls' local store. Mary chooses no longer to attend school,, but to work for what will be $1 a week full time, sewing with a local seamstress. Mary's rewarded with a bonus 75c for extra effort and commitment. This was the mid '70's...

Katelyn's soaked the working ethic storyline up and within a stunned few moments has engineered herself a job (with conditions!) and come the following Monday, a bank account and online access to her account. She's already tuned into earning interest... Immersion was accidental, but milked to the hilt, and she led it all, amidst a steady stream of questions. She wants to fill another Operation Christmas Child (shoe) box - with her own money 'for a baby who won't get a Christmas present from her Mum, because she can't work and has no money'. Sadly, the shoe box collection was weeks ago, but she's brainstorming an alternative.

Making An Impact or Making A Difference
It comes in so many forms. Today, the education sector drives this home in terms of learning, with digital references. It's so much more... Katelyn's nailing it. If this is her at 4, how will schools tap this when she's 5? 10? Digital or not... No doubting about it though, we'll be digital and be sure it'll be that that'll take her global. "5 year old exports goods and services to Australia and Uganda..." Perhaps she'll lead a Learn-Now team in FBFKids? Perhaps she'll go to Uganda and look after abandoned babies, when she too is 18, like Lucy (left), beaming her experience as a cybertrip back to others?

Immerse, motivate and enable kids to make an impact...
It'll go some way to creating a great sense of worth and global empathy.
Right now - life around us needs that, sadly...more than ever.
Social technologies will make it possible.
Understanding life's potentials and pitfalls first, is worth pursuing.


PS: ...thanks to Larry Bock (Sept 2010) and a sleepless night, I pursued this interest a little more after writing this. Who else presents a similar case? Says Larry " The chance to make a difference -- the opportunity to leave things just a little better than the way we found them -- when you think about it, that's what really drives most of us throughout life. Our kids are no different". Read more from Larry... I rest my case ;)

What The Kids Love...

The Teacher I Never Had

I went teaching to be the teacher I never had. I was all of 11 when I daydreamed what my classroom should really look like, as Mr Principal of good intent made 'middle evil' studies (as I thought it was...a la 'medieval') exciting as best he could. Years later I turned classrooms into castles, caves, jungles, oceans, pirate ships, goldmine sites, tribal villages and profitable business centres. I became the teacher I never had... My idol as such, was the teacher in the Magic School Bus series... I maintained the child-like vision and the kids loved it. Many in their 20's on FB now reminisce with a great sense of humour and assure me they're not taking the mickey out of it all :). Yet, it was all within the days of the now 'don't-go-there' industrialised teaching even so...at least my paper work reflected it, despite the defiance when with kids affront.

Industralised Teaching - Still Here...Sadly So.

Today, teachers still have the beauty of designing that pirate ship, goldmine or business centre as their classroom, combining it with Web 2.0 tools - the likes of what Learn-Now's also using. Put the Web 2.0 tools into the mix on their own or via other providers and how enviable their teaching situation is now! Yet, over the weekend, I sadly heard of one NZ school in a town I'd taught in, teaching a very industrialised model, despite their Mimo, data projectors and DVDs. This school, I had understood, was a cutting edge school... The town would put a plum a mouth in their mouth as they'd claim "Ah yes... Xyz School - that's a good school". Alas, it's more about power games, preferential staff treatment and paper work than about what the kids love. Hoping to pull a colleague of mine who works there on board with the Learn-Now teams - it was quickly established as impossible. The kids simply didn't have computer access - and were 'last in line/on the roster (if at all)' for anything remotely IT orientated - a scary thought considering we're talking about Y7-8's here. The teacher herself, simply wouldn't be allowed. Asked if the terms elearning, blended learning, co-construction or even collaborative learning were apparent around the school - the answer was 'no'. This teacher has been through the ICT PD programme, so does know in even general terms what this represents.

So What Do The Kids Love?

I can't fix the impossible, but am very into being available, with a team behind me, for who ever would like learning to be fun, to be kid-centred - if not even engineered, daring and different! Having just seen tonight's TV2's Extreme Makeover - Home Edition with the McCully family, 10 year old 'Job' (as in the biblical 'Job') gets what he loves - everything from a camp site, to pirate room and a starry role in his own video game. Joe Public gets it - they go out of their way to project what kids love. I'm not f2f anymore, but as a teacher online, I still focus on what's at the heart of today's kids. Magic, creativity, reality, friends, money, adventure, helping out or 'being the boss' - taking control, how things work, the world and 'a point to it all'. They're into colour, sound, invitations, movement, mapping out their own pathways...

As A Teacher, What Do I Do?

I experiment, I listen and I merge what I can - even if at my financial expense, and help other teachers along the same route, through the students (known largely as reverse mentoring). I desperately want to get into video game work, but that desperately needs a 48 hour day! Instead, other kid projects get due justice and in the fine print at all times, is the skill building/key competency component. Kids are taught how to take charge, source services, maintain drive and create the wow-factor impact - not just for themselves, but others as much as possible. Strangely enough, this appeals to the under-achieving student through to the happy camper and gifted and talented student. Particularly the under achiever, who very soon give the G&T kids a run for their 'money'!

You're Kidding!?

The funny thing is - my skill building agenda is as much mine as the kids. The first student wow-factor is 'You're kidding!? We can do that? You'll let us?' One student once asked 'How come you can do that and none of my other teachers do that'? Tackling that required another act of diplomacy! Much of it is being allowed to...for the students as much as for the teacher. I was lucky in all bar 1 of my 15 years 'under a principal' - I had the freedom to do what I liked with the kids, how and almost when - to even buying anything from wire mesh by the rolls instead of homework books. I had teacher autonomy. I'm even luckier now as an online teacher and elearning service provider - I have a wealth more tools to use!

The Tools That Foster What Kids Love...

For me (the kids and AEO staff I work with in particular), much boils down to just a few, once the core mission as been designed. The last thing we do, is choose the tool, then figure out the rest (as we see happens so very often elsewhere). In no particular order, we'll ensure that there's:

• A project (it too is a tool) with an impacting mission
• A team (another tool - a means to do something)
• Individualised and peer-tutoring components
  
• A central online hub (eg: moodle) to satellite spaces/tools
• Ability to create their own online environment
• Spaces to discuss, announce and debate - esp forums
• A space to 'waffle' (as one group called it) - a blog
• Support services e.g: websites, news clips, cyberpals
  
• The ability to create a community and invite others
• The ability to post pics and video
• Freedom to 'YouTube' and 'Flickr' it
• Scope to invite experts and guests
• Scope to be social, think, inquire, do, re-do and be.
  
  

A Contented Bunny Am I...

As a teacher today, I have the best of several worlds. The love of building life into projects; the world to loop in more easily than the class next door; kids who jump into elearning like ducks to water; the ability to reach more kids in a year than ever possible f2f: and dare I say...one very special MOE 'elearning' department who single handedly encourages, edifies, supports and dreams 'for the kids' with gob-smacking passion. I get to share with this dept, the buzz of winners who adopt the cool edge to learning and help path the way for next step potential. Ahead now, is the dream that every teacher and school desires to be on the same page. For years now, Learn-Now would hear the 'come back in 5 years time when we're ready for you' line...and still many wouldn't be ready 'in 5 years time'. I read dozens of teacher blogs a week now and thankfully though, it's heartening to see the positive, anti-industralised journey some are on... Way2Go to the winners - or at least to those who are allowed to be - many thanks to their leadership team who in turn allow it.

At the heart of the matter - is what kids love.
If they love it, they'll do well...

* Don't underestimate the kid
* Don't stifle their future
* Ask them what they'd like to incorporate
* Ask them how they'd like to adopt a focus
* Ask them who they'd like to involve
* Ask them why and where it should happen
* Help them with their learners' 'drivers license' to apply independence in time.
xx

Ulearn - Upcoming Taster Workshops

The heat is on!
With a week to go, the heat is on at Authentic Encounters Online Ltd. Staff are preparing teacher-parent spaces within their project sites in anticipation of Ulearn visits, while RfP's for Ministry of Education contracts dominate alongside.

The heat is on the Learn-Now project with ePals now gracing their presence from Turkey, Singapore, India, Russia, Spain and Peru. To top it all off, the team at Kidspot.co.nz have recognised Learn-Now for some high profile status, beaming out to 900,000 parents nationwide.

Presenting 'Taster' workshops at next weeks' Ulearn
conference, couldn't come at a better time.
We're delighted to step out and share the following...

Breakout 4A: CCC Meeting Room

Learn-Now: an online learning centre you

can enrol your class or individual students in.

Beaming out of the Wairarapa is an online programme, that is becoming an increasingly popular service for schools. Learn-Now, an award winning online learning centre established in 2002, is now run by a team of 8 globally minded, digitally passionate staff. Learn-Now offers programmes for students, and support for schools developing their own online learning centre. Delegates will get a taste of the tools used, partnerships adopted and Learn-Now’s point of difference in design, concept and student involvement. See how it can integrate into class programmes, be a homework service, make money for your school, take your students on international cyber-trips and more?

Breakout 4B: CCC Meeting Room

A Gifted & Talented programme online4u
– one that’s daring, different and dynamic

Meet (virtually) teams of students from Solway Primary, Masterton, for a taste of an online programme available to Gifted and Talented students at school and at home. Since 2007, Solway Primary has adopted Learn-Now, as one of its providers for extension and enrichment. Delegates will gain an insight into a progressive learning model with Lead Team and Dream Teams. Enjoy perspectives shared from the principal, parents and students. Savour a slice of student life with Peru, Uganda, Pakistan, financial literacy, and international community service and enterprise work etc. There is even their Teach English programme to students learning English as another language.

Breakout 6B: Crowne Plaza, Gallery D

Developing an online learning centre for students – what’s cool, what’s not and what’s crucial?

No matter what platform is used, Moodle, Ning, Shutterfly etc, it is the design and autonomy students have, that will make or break the success of online learning environments. What is a captivating experience? What is smart facilitation? What is typical of a groaning student or a ball and chain experience? Delegates will see how different platforms are used, as various tutors and teachers creatively present individual needs. See an example of a social studies, science, enterprise and language learning environment. See too, examples of learning pathways and how web conferencing is possible, and free, for homework or even interschool connectivity.

It's busy, but the excitement reigns high. One could say, we're achieving all dreams! Demand is tops, work comes knocking at the door, sharing what's learned enabling others to further reach their own goals is stunning. We're definitely growing in all terms possible.

UFB, RBI, Ulearn, Learn-now and more...

Dog Training Online?!
Students can now learn to train their own dog, with the expert instruction and assistance of a highly experienced dog trainer and ex-dog trialist online, with Learn-Now.

As Learn-Now continues to recruit new staff, Masterton's Tony Gibson steps up as one of its newest facilitators, leading the way forward for students to learn dog handling techniques, online.

After decades working within the rural sector and chasing dog trials from one end of New Zealand to the other, he's now developing a cutting edge dog training programme to provide personalised, student centred support. Tony will merge information based websites, with discussion forums, online meetings and movie clips. Mid-late October 2010, will see the launch of the new dog training programme. We welcome enrolments now with admittance on a first in, first served basis. This course is limited to 6 new students per month. Once enrolled, students are recommended to undertake a 6 month programme. For further discussion contact Jo...

Ultra Fast Broadband (UFB)
Rural Broadband Initiative (RBI)

As our core business expands further into Ministry of Education and rural sectors we're thoroughly enjoying a more direct ear to ground with information streams and networks. Of huge appeal is the latest, now more publicly profiled next step in NZ's UFB and RBI as alerted to today, on WikiEducator...

Ulearn - A Conference MUST for Educators!

October 5-8, Christchurch, New Zealand... This is the best conference in my mind, for keeping abreast of just how it is in the educator sector, from the toddlers to the university age. This year, we're stepping out from behind the web, to present 3 'Taster Sessions' and high on our agenda is the design and development of online learning centres. We'll be presenting an insight into:

1) Learn-Now's online learning centre, life abroad and its offers
2) A snapshot of the Learn-Now's Gifted & Talented sector and
3) A guide into how one can create their own online learning centre.
If attending Ulearn, these are tagged as Breakouts 4A, 4B and 6B.

While AEO's got a 14 year history of eLearning, the last 10 years have been wholeheartedly involved in designing online learning centres. We've had wonderful support along the way, scoring an innovations award, becaming a MOE research project and most recently, an ICTELT Consultant for the MOE.

It's been a thrill to design the National Plan for Primary on the (MOE's) Virtual Learning Network NZ for the MOE's eLearning Department and help design and build what is perhaps becoming one of NZ's most comprehensive, specialised online learning centres - for the Ministry of Education's ESOL sector. We can't but help think we need to give a little back in return! So, hence the tasters on offer... The kids love online learning centres, they're easier to create than imagined and we'd love to see and support more of them... They are the way of effective, efficient, student centred, student-networked education.

ImageCodr.org

by aussiegall

Best find this week? The site that takes the pain out of sourcing the most user friendly images to use as we're in full flight redesigning all our web spaces! More on those spaces next time, but for now, see ImageCodr.org - a wonderful tool in association with Creative Commons.

In just 90mins per week...

It's snapshot time
It's time to record an insight into the Learn-Now 'online learning centre' as it is for just one group. In brief, it's a taste of what 90min sessions per week have encompassed. The mechanics of elearning, global connectivity, international community service work, financial literacy, responsibility for personal impact, strategic planning, design, productivity and social inquiry reign high on their agenda...

It's Thursday
...and as is the case every Thursday there's a team of 13 students who give up half their lunch hour to take a quick flight to Uganda, Peru and wherever else is on their itinerary. It's a 90min flight, more easily recognised by the students as a 90min Learn-Now session. They're classified as Gifted and Talented 9-10 year olds, and have the luxury of a computer each, to use during this flight. They require little in the way of encouragement to turn up on time, to think twice about what they could be doing, or which tool, site or technique to be using.

General Operations

The sessions are a combination of teacher and student driven components with a range of activities to deal with as per choice, mandate and routine. There can be 13 very different activities on the go at times and aside from 2-3, most can also be found chatting through all that's being learnt, considered, designed and developed. In that Learn-Now's a collaborative programme, silence rarely prevails unless we're Skyping, composing complex text or presenting for team input and due consideration.

Managing Impact
The team may only be 9-10 year olds, but they're engrossed in 'life as it is out there'. Curriculum management of Learn-Now sees the staff team source or design opportunities to match, designed to enable students to drill down into life around them and consider making an impact. What impact does 'life out there' have on their life and how best might they consider managing that impact? What impact in turn, could they have on these environments, now or in time? It's amazing how much can be covered in just one 90min session per week.

Life as it is 'out there'...
Over the past many week, these students have gone live with Learn-Now Project Architects Lucy and Cushla, in Uganda and Peru respectively. One moment, they're tuning into the NZ Heifer Project with 18 year old Lucy, and coming to terms with the plight of the abandoned babies she's also looking after. Next, they're learning Spanish, ensuring their English is a perfect model for a 10 year old in Peru, before tuning into the incas or Peruvian culture with Cushla.

There's Operation Christmas Child to fall in love with and of the greatest hype of all, is their financial literacy programme... There's a wow factor developing around what tax, interest and GST are. So too credit cards, online banking, loans and mortgages. They earn virtual Learn-Now dollars as they work and cover the ground of entrepreneurial thinking, employment and sales pitching... They're creating business websites, employing one another, selling goods and services to each other and in all, doing an amazing job of developing a community spirit (give 'n take a little competition which threatens some).

They want more?
As of this week, 90mins may well be a thing of the past for many of them. For some, it has been for a long time. Independent time at home has been instigated by some, in pursuit of further depth to a focus. Now, student-organised sessions for additional facilitation steps up the anti... I couldn't have asked for more! Did they have a little encouragement? Of course...they're still learning to speak up and see support as more than something that is put upon them. The beauty, lay in their enthusiasm and desire.