You can contact LEARNZ, part of CORE Education, at:
Postal Address:
PO Box 13 678,
Christchurch 8141,
New Zealand

My class were hooked and the videos were great as they helped my kids understand geohazards better (visual). The class are now planning their next steps 'how to prepare'. I will use LEARNZ again as it provides interesting topics that affect my class and ensures they develop their own thinking/questions to explore (what now? what next?). Also oportunities for research, reading and exploring non fiction texts, science case and effect.
The field trip supported both our social sciences and science learning areas. The students loved the real life content and particularly enjoyed the audio conferences. I like the fact that we can revist the fieldtrip resources throughout our learning unit ... which will come in handy when the students need to research a natural disaster that may occur in our area (Nelson) and how to prepare for it.
Pitched to range of levels - many students are visual learners so the videos and photo gallery are especially useful. Ability to revisit info and to pace themselves as they read through the background notes is also good.
Level of language in the resources was perfect for my wide-range ability Year 10s. The format encourages persistence and allows students to work at their own pace, through material that engages them, testing their knowledge without lots of writing! Parents were able to view the material and this was a valuable opportunity to engage our community.
Very appropriate for my multi level and age class. Well supported. The field trip enabled learners to gain knowledge in aspects of geology which they then used in writing and oral language. Students were highly engaged. Excellent resource!
Up-to-date, relevant, interesting and provides a great framework for computer assisted research while at the same time students are developing social and cooperative skills. Particularly useful as we were specifically looking at Tsunami. Information is culturally relevant and there is a wide range of resources so all learners in my class can achieve, accomplish something.
The videos and background material on the Alpine Fault were useful to the students in their studies of Achievement Standard 1.1 - extreme natural events.
The ability to use archived material from previous trips is wonderful. Teachers can encourage interested pupils to use the materials for homework reading - the videos, photos, diaries and related activities are treasure troves for curious students with a passion for knowing more about a particular topic.
The values of respecting one another by listening to each other was important (and able to be reinforced by the field trip context). Applying the principle of learning to learn independently and collaborating information in groups proved to be an asset for managing self and relating to others.
Our topic this term is actually civil defence and I used this field trip as motivation. Living on the lower slopes of Mt Taranaki the volcano parts were our particular focus and as my class are year 2-4 we used the fabulous videos and the photos in the gallery. The class have gained a huge understanding even from what we have used. There was a lot of information they could access with a little guidance, and they really enjoyed it. It was also easily accessed by the special needs children with their teacher aides.
Formed the basis of an introduction to AS90952 - Demonstrate understanding of the formation of surface features in New Zealand. Curiosity increased as a result of the first audioconference in particular and led to some interesting off-line questions and discussions.
Students are continuously thinking and evaluating information they are reading or viewing. They are self managing their learning and using technology to enhance it.
Highly engaging, complimented our topic "Our Place". Supported many literacy skills, thinking, reflecting, questioning, discovering.
A LEARNZ trip has great relevance - it is NZ based, which I like, as this is our students' real world context. Te Ao Maori is often included ... giving validity to the voice of our Maori students in a positive way
Best comment was from a student who is going to Wellington and is planning to go and take a look at the construction site. It covered a range of curriculum areas and also looked at beliefs and attitudes. There was some challenging new vocabulary in this topic which was very good for the students. Other language keywords were great for low level NESB student.
The audio conferences and videos were amazing. Perfect for my class. We had all Year 8's do it together and they loved it. My class are already asking about the next one.
This is by far the best learning experience we can offer 21st Century elearners. We use the iPads to follow the virtual field trip from go to whoa. This field trip definitely captured the interest of the boys in the class because it was technical, involving digging machinery, geology and archeology.
The material was pitched at the right level for year 7/8s and linked into our ANZAC day topic. It is a fantastic resource, easy to use and understand, and it compliments reading, writing and inquiry programmes. It is great to have the real world contexts for children to engage in.
Very relevant for the upcoming Anzac celebrations due to take place. The children were engaged and it linked in well with the other activities we were doing during the end of the term.
Student engagement in this media platform is apparent, they love it! From students who need support through to students who require extension, Learnz field trips have been able to be implemented in the classroom to meet all needs. There was parental involvement and interest in this topic, with more learning conversations happening at home. This programme will be picked up in our senior classroom because of the success and engagement from students in my Year 2-4 class.
I have a boys only class and they were all very interested in what was happening and how it related to WW1. It was inclusive for all students and could be adapted to cater for all needs. The audio conference was a new concept for my class and they enjoyed coming up with questions and then asking them live.
The theme of this field trip fits in with WW100 for this year. This field trip helped students develop an understanding of how an entire community gets behind a project like Memorial Park. It also encouraged students to think about what happens in our own community.
Definitely appropriate to my Year 6 class, especially as it was local and all knew the area well.
This field trip will really emphasise to students that memorials and remembering are an essential human condition, and that the Anzac Day commemoration is nationwide. We plan to visit local memorials and attend our local service to tie in with Anzac Day.
Kids were amazed at the thought and influence of soldiers' personal journeys that were included in the design and symbolism in the park. Making connections with schools and viewing questions and listening to responses was great. Kids enjoyed learning about what the experts did to enable the park building project to work.