You can contact LEARNZ, part of CORE Education, at:
Postal Address:
PO Box 13 678,
Christchurch 8141,
New Zealand
Testimonials
Waterview Connection
This is amazing! It has created some excellent discussion amongst our class. My class would have loved to see Alice in action live but your virtual accounts are a brilliant substitute!
Maria Semmons from Glen Eden School
It was appropriate for us since we live in West Auckland and the students travel near the Waterview area. The students were fascinated with the work that Alice does. I will use LEARNZ again as it is an important digital learning community that encourages the students to collaborate and expand their learning in their own time.
Shirley Bishop from Royal Road School
Really got us thinking about cars, traffic, air polution (in the tunnels) and safe alternatives like cycling. Very engaging and relevant material, presented well.
John Brunton from Marshall Laing School
We thought the field trip was friendly, effective and interesting. Waterview project is local to our school and the Year 8 girls were interested in the development.
Sanet Bircham from Marist College
Because it is our backyard it was very useful for the children to understand fully how huge this project is. A really good link to our Inquiry topic and the careers work we have been doing.
Sue Meltzer from Kadimah College
High engagement in the elements presented. Great stimulation for discussion and further investigation. A powerful extension to our EOTC programme.
Martin Dodge from Balclutha School
Students learned more about a huge project that is occurring in their local area and have an interest and awareness that can be built on as the project continues, either in school or with their families. Our Year 4-6 children have shown huge interest in accessing the video content and audioconferences in free time, and have actively asked for extra time to do this with their Netbooks.
Jacqueline McGivern from St Therese School (Three Kings)
It was appropriate to our Sharing the Planet inquiry, enabling children to have a structure in their learning and learn more than what they would if independent.
Helen Prescott from Glenfield Intermediate
The students get to see places they often would not get to see. They are introduced to amazing concepts and get to think about how this may affect them in the future. We used the easy background information which was very well suited to our Year 5 class.
Paula O'Neill from New River Primary School
This field trip made us all think about population in cities, progress in transport and caring about environmental issues, and it really made the students unpack the information given and think about their open ended questions. Our students attend an isolated, rural school and enjoy learning about the technologies used in the cities and our global world. This was our first time participating and I would do it again.
Jennifer Vincent from Marco School
Excellent for future focus, development, problem solving, and technology.
Dorothy Hutton from Columba College
LEARNZ is a great way to engage students and take them places that it is not possible to go any other way. Videos and images allowed the class to interact with the field trip in an engaging way,
Aaron Frost from Pukete School
Year 10 classes enjoyed it and thought it worthwhile. Very good for career pathways (a school-wide goal), especially enginnering. Helped the students know what is happening in their local area. Supported NZ Curriculum. Vision - connected, actively involved. Principles - inclusion, community engagement. Values - innovation, inquiry and curiosity, community and participation, ecological sustainability. Key competencies - thinking, managing self, relating to others, participating and contributing. Learning area - real life physics.
Stuart Braithwaite from Lynfield College
The field trip was excellent for both genders. Great for students to learn about how their voice and contribution can help shape the future.
Kevin Jones from Te Rapa School
Students really enjoyed the opportunity to take part in the competition. And really good to gain skills in cross-curriculum links.
Stephen Fennessy from St Andrew's School Timaru
It supported and extended our current social studies/science (engineering) curriculum areas. The opportunity to go back and view videos again was very useful for my son.
Brenda Town from Town Family Home School
My ESOL and Maori students are very engaged and a typical query I get is when is our NEXT trip!
Christine Hailes from North Street School
We have been viewing the videos from the second field trip and children have been totally engrossed. It is something that is happening very close to our school and the planning of the Waterview School playground is also relevant to us.
Heather Mays from Edmonton School
He Hokinga Whakaaro
We have been researching about Captain Cook and we are also preparing for a Marae visit so components of the field trip have been particularly relevant. The easy background pages and the associated activities were just right for my Year 4 class. It is always interesting to learn from Shelley and Andrew while they are on location. The students develop a connection with them, particularly if they participate in an audio conference.
Fiona Mackley from Alexandra School
Highly engaging and extremely usable! Students gained in constructing questions to put to experts. Interpreting and making meaning of a variety of language and symbols, managing self, relating to others and also developed a wealth of knowledge about the topic.
Karen Edwards from Brightwater School
It backed up our camp from last year when we looked at the Waitemata Harbour and we are looking forward to the upcoming LEARNZ field trip to Lake Taupo, continuing our water inquiry. On this field trip, students compared the two harbours which reinforced their learning.
Pamela Furze from Roto-O-Rangi School
Good to get affirmation that other schools in NZ are learning about the First Encounters. Lots of opportunity for role play and integrated learning. The audio recording was most valuable as an addition for those who find difficulty in reading.
Pauline Maclean from St Theresa's School (Plimmerton)
Engaging and interesting for the children - they enjoyed the videos and especially the interactive activities. I loved how the children were really motivated to read and use keywords from the background pages so they could get 100% on the activities! There were also some wonderful gems from the audio conferences which we discussed and learnt from as a class.
Vanessa Cannon from Matua School
We used some of the background pages to support learning about the arrival of Europeans as part of a Treaty of Waitangi unit. We also used the Marae Protocols material and quiz as part of our preparation for a Marae visit. I found the targeted use of specific web pages (on the site) useful for a mixed range of levels.
Jacqueline McGivern from St Therese School (Three Kings)
Most appropriate for my Year 7&8 class. Incredibly effective in terms of meeting the desired Learning Outcomes. The most engaging learning experience the children could have.
Graham Elsmore from Christian Renewal School