Chromebook Launches

   A number of schools in the cluster have now launched their chromebooks. What this means is that the parents of all the classes involved in the 1:1 digital immersion programme have all committed to purchasing a device for their child/ren. This commitment is expressed in a $40 deposit and weekly on-going payments for 1, 2 or 3 years.
   When you consider that some families have multiple children in the programme, perhaps at both a primary and high school, this is a very significant commitment. These schools are all decile 1, bar one, which means that families have the lowest incomes, the most crowded homes, and the least education of everyone in the country. Just putting food on the table each day is a challenge, which some primary schools have responded to by providing a free breakfast, morning tea and lunch everyday for their students.
   The Papakura community is one of the poorest in NZ, yet, families have signed up for these chromebooks because they are intent on providing the same opportunities for their children as those in more wealthy communities have. One parent at a recent launch was seen to hold a chromebook and express the idea that now, her children will become the doctors, lawyers and teachers of the local community.
   These children indeed have their hands firmly on their own device for learning: for opening up to them the world of knowledge, of creativity, of thinking, of learning, of setting their own path into their futures. All credit to the parents and whanau for their support of their children and the schools. We are excited to be in partnership with you all.

Another remix project today

https://d157rqmxrxj6ey.cloudfront.net/angelag/45527

Remix with Google Draw

   

This morning at Stonefields School, the students were taught to remix using Google Draw and this is my result.

Chromebook Care Collage

This morning, I learnt to take photos, make a 4-picture collage and then add captions to demonstrate how to care for a chromebook. The students did their own collages and I sat alongside my group making mine. Thanks to the wonderful students of Room 9 at Ruapotaka School.

My 6-Word Summer Remix Using Mozilla Thimble

This was a great lesson with the year 7 and 8's at Stonefields School. We remixed a summer poem and picture to learn, create and share our work. We altered HTML script and learnt how to link the outcome to the photographer and our personal blogs.

Sponsorship Announcement Breakfast

Last week I was invited to a breakfast launch of Westpac's sponsorship of the Mana-a-Riki programme. This programme is run by the Middlemore Foundation which supports the Kootuitui Cluster through the provision of funding for aspects of our work. At this breakfast were a number of Westpac employees, people representing other community funding organisations, representatives from the Middlemore Foundation, the health sector and our own educational institutions.

There was an enormous amount of goodwill in the room to get behind this initiative. But as I looked around I realised one important thing: that the community all these people were here to support was not very well represented. Yes, there was the chair of our Trust, two school principals, two board of trustees chairmen. But where were the people of this community whose children attend our schools? While never under-valuing the leaders of our community who are driving this programme, it will be good to see the 'ordinary' people; the recipients; the mums and dads who are paying their $3.75 per week to purchase a chromebook for their child; in the room as real people rather than just statistics.

Outreach Support and Collaboration

Yesterday, the Principal Convenors of the Outreach Clusters met in Auckland at Edmund Hillary School. They come together about once a term to receive the assistance of the Manaiakalani leadership. These meetings move around the the clusters and yesterday was Kootuitui's turn. There is a lot of serious talking to be done in a day, as well as a little socialising on the night of arrival, but it is a pity that the group do not have longer to visit one or two of the other schools in the cluster being visited. Principals have travelled a long way from the West Coast, Christchurch and Northland and yet they only get to meet the staff and students of one school.

Principals from the Ako Hiko Cluster (above) and the Hornby
Cluster (below) address the students at Edmund Hillary School.

Another thought I have was that there could be some benefit from the other principals of the cluster being visited meeting with this group. These people do not have to travel far and could perhaps spare an hour or two participating in one section of the Convenors' Forum. A form of leadership development or at least a session involving a wider number of the school leaders who have opted into the outreach programme. There could be huge benefits to offering a part of the Leadership
Forum day to all school leaders
when the forum visits their cluster.

A third thought from yesterday is that no secondary principals were present. I think there is an issue that all the Principal Convenors are from the primary sector.  In NZ, it is a disadvantage for our children that in our system the sectors are separated and that primary teachers and principals don't have a full understanding of how secondary schools work and vice versa. Secondary schools are different and need to be represented at the leadership level. In fact, the need for secondary school participation is nowhere more plain than for one of the clusters which does not have a secondary school member. Our children all pass through primary and secondary school within their educational lives and therefore secondary schools must be brought on board as full participants.

Thanks to Raina for hosting a lovely karakia with the delightful students of EHS, and for organising class visits, morning tea and "meet the staff" at the school.