You can contact LEARNZ, part of CORE Education, at:
Postal Address:
PO Box 13 678,
Christchurch 8141,
New Zealand
Teacher testimonials
Waterview Connection
Students really enjoyed the opportunity to take part in the competition. And really good to gain skills in cross-curriculum links.
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.
100% engagement! Lots of discussions both in the classroom and in homes. Really good for the children to see the teams on the videos talking about work place treaties, working together, effective communication and all the things we talk about at in the classroom - quite a few lightbulb moments for students.
The vast amount of information, data, videos and teaching resources were incredible. I fully appreciate all the hard work the team puts in to make these learning opportunities so effective.
On so many levels, this field trip has enhanced, extended and promoted learning for our students. Fantastic opportunity for students living next door to gain deeper understandings into what is required to achieve this massive project. Multi Language support is awesome. Pictures and videos are particularly important for special needs and also ESOL learners.
Opera
We were able to link this field trip with our school learning about performance, and our "showcase" which will be at the end of this term. The content was accessible to all students, with them able to listen to the information if they were unable to read it. Students were particularly engaged when taking part in the audioconference and asking questions, live.
I used it with a learning group within my class and it supported their understanding very well. The flexibility in the level of involvement was great. We joined last minute based on an emerging interest/need within the group and it engaged them wonderfully. Great use of eLearning.
It was really successful and appealed to both boys and girls, who embraced the whole opera idea. Students' KCs developed well and the use of devices proved really successful. Great resource: cross-curricular, useful for literacy, and Maori keyword translations were appreciated.
Used this for my music unit this term. It was exciting for the kids. Great opportunities to participate and contribute to each other's learning. The learners used what they discovered in many ways.
This term's topic is wearable arts, so the field trip was a perfect immersion into the world of performance and costuming. It was useful for increasing interest in the world and performing arts, and I was able to use the information and interactive questions as an effective reading activity, which I then used as a prompt for writing.
This field trip tied in perfectly for our school focus this term, as we are putting on our own school production so it was great for the students to learn about the variety of roles involved. Helped develop deeper understandings about the Arts, particularly with Understanding Drama in Context (UC) and Communicating and Interpreting (CI).
We used this as an ignition to our art and drama unit. Added depth to children's learning and they enjoyed the interactive experience. The pre and post assessment showed a lot was learned during the field trip and some children asked their parents if they could go to a performance
This field trip tied in perfectly with our own school production and really got the ideas and understanding flowing. The videos kept the kids attention and sparked their interest for more.
Allows the students to go beyond their own back door and extend their learning to other areas and experiences that may not be available otherwise. Encouraged the Arts and English curriculum areas and I have noticed my children listening to different music during class time.
From the beginning, our learners were very interested and engaged. We overlaid SOLO taxonomy as an activity pathway and for children to set goals and evaluate progress in terms of being supported, self managed or self directed learners. We have found all the Learnz field trips give a great scaffolding for explicit teaching of skills, and effective tools for those children who learn differently, such as oral material and videos to provide information.
It was a great way to expose the Year 7 and 8s to something new and different, and to learn at their own pace. I have had very focused classes during each lesson. It covered all The Arts, with visual art (props and scenery), as well as dance, drama and music.
In terms of the students' topic specific language, and all talking about things in the same context, it was fantastic. It also spread into the community and the children were sharing what they learnt with their parents.
This trip led to our kids being more excited than ever about putting on our own show! Thanks for the encouragement! It's great to see Learnz embracing the Arts like this - you broaden our appreciation of what is around us.
Well-integrated, interactive, inquiry based. Encouraged thinking, questioning, and valuing other cultures. A visually impaired student commented: "I could listen for myself, I didn't have to use a reader".
LEARNZ is a fun way to learn, that exposes students to things that are happening nationally and globally. It is real life learning. Lots of fun and high interest videos. Students could relate to the (performers') need to practise, and rest too, which links nicely to lots of classroom learning areas.
Fantastic use of The Arts in the NZ curriculum and all key competencies. Highly engaging for all students.
Fitted in nicely to the curriculum (The Arts) - I found the unit plan really helpful and a time saver. The background information gave a great range of information all in the one place.
Every time I have used a LEARNZ field trip with my class, the students have absolutely relished the chance to explore something outside of their realm of experience. We are focussing on the performing arts (Music, Dance, Drama) in class/school - this field trip helped to expose them to the combination of these arts areas, and all the efforts that go into putting on a show of this type and size.
Our KC for Term 3 was Using Language, Symbols and Texts. This trip offered the opportunity to see a completely different view of the ways people communicate though opera. We were also able to integrate the trip with our Arts programme. One of the best virtual field trips we have been involved with.
As we have our school production this term, it was really valuable for the children to see it done on a larger scale. I love these trips - the children really get to learn things in a lot more depth than they would normally. The use of technology is a great way of hooking them in too!
This field trip fitted in with the Arts Curriculum perfectly. I used the background information to teach the children about Opera and its place in NZ culture.
Virtual Great Walker
The students had their own inquiry questions and enjoyed the freedom to move around the field trip. They are learning to refer to their evidence in their statements of writing, and a LEARNZ field trip is a great resource for doing that.
From the start of the trip, the students were actively engaged - making connections with their own lives and new information they were receiving - even our hunters were interested! Throughout this year we are looking at environmental issues and what we can do to help - as individuals and as a school. This field trip aligned with this nicely.
We connected this field trip with an older one - Restoring the Kepler. By doing this, students began to look at ways that they can contribute in the wider community as well as our school community, working towards a common goal. Maori students in the class particularly liked the glossary - we also added more to our own one on the wall.
Students are focussed and engaged. They have a purpose. "This is fun, I didn't know you can learn like this". During camp we studied the native birds and plants and compared them to the field trip. A great effort went into using our thinking skills to prepare for camp and doing the research.
It was an excellent insight into exploring a new area that not a lot of children had visited before. The children came up with a lot of great questions, especially around saving native birds and the effect of a beach mast this year.
Great for extension group. Broad range of materials for reading and writing.
It was a great support for the Virtual Great Walkers competition, that we have entered in. Lots of helpful information that covered all areas. Valuable resource.
Students said about the live audioconferences: "We got to talk to real people who are actually there" and "We get to ask questions and they actually listened to us". This field trip enabled my students of different academic abilities to all access the same information in a number of different ways, which led to great discussion and debate about aspects of physical activity and conservation.
Love your Rubbish
It really fitted in with our Wellbeing Inquiry and also with us as a Green-Gold school. All learners benefit from LEARNZ in multiple ways but ESOL students partcularly benefit from using the button which allows them to listen to the text being read, while they read themselves. This helps them with new technical vocabulary and helps them to access the curriculum effectively.
Students got to experience aspects of waste management that they could not in our local environment and have become really motivated to address waste management issues in our local area. I also find that special needs students are supported on Learnz by the differently leveled materials available and by the different types of media (Text, Audio, Video).
The field trip was followed by our trip to the Bromley Recycling Centre. So it ... completed the journey of our rubbish. Our children were engaged in following the trip and it prompted them to ask lots of questions.
Being an Enviro School, this field trip provided real depth to the enviro theme. As an e-learning class, all of the resources were readily available to the students so they could have some 'student choice' in what they did. This is what 'personalised learning' is all about.
Many accessed the website at home and shared the parts they enjoyed with their family, which was great. My boys loved the machinery and trucks. Great use of technology and targets students of all abilities.
Very effective as we have been studying zero waste. Students also gained skills in "Participating and Contributing" and "Managing Self".
This trip gave the students an insight into ecological sustainability. We also tied in a visit from a council person which gave students an insight into our own rubbish process. Students really enjoy watching the videos at home, which can then encourage further discussion on the topics with families.
Fantastic, up-to-date, real time, interactive resource on a current environmental issue. Related well to Social Sciences, L.4, innovation, challenges, people, places and environment. NZC Vision: a greater awareness of how students can be positive, lifelong contributors. Values: linked with innovation, community, ecological sustainability. Principles: community engagement, future focus. Related to all KC's as they were communicating, thinking-inquiry, participating, and completing tasks on time.
We used the field trip to plan, implement and evaluate a programme to reduce waste and improve hauora of our school environment. I found the videos and background information very useful for my class and I have used the photos for sequencing ideas for writing. My class loved Andrew's diaries and could connect to him when they viewed the videos. Lots of curriculum links to Health and PE, Social Sciences, English, Science and Key Competencies.
This service is absolutely fantastic - have used it for years!
LEARNZ is another way to educate the students who are unable to physically participate in these field trips. A great medium for teaching. It's fun having 'live' updates. The students were intrigued with the covering up of the waste, the sheer size of the land area and of course...machinery! We are an Enviro School.
Wonderful. Good resources, and meeting with the key competencies. Fantastic resource to fit in with science, social studies etc.
I have been running an online class with my Social Studies class. The virtual field trip enabled the students to utilise a variety of tools and learning medium to enhance their learning. Linked with the topic "Sustainability" extremely well.
Very effective. We were able to consolidate a lot of the learning we had been doing since our trip to the Wellington landfill. It (the virtual field trip) catered to a wide range of students and met the learning of my year 4-6's very well. The students were active participants who were challenged to think critically.
This field trip was well pitched to my class level,informative and kept the students engaged. The field trip and its sustainability theme supports all learning areas of the curriculum especially science and social studies.
Wetland Biodiversity
Students felt they learned a lot. The LEARNZ trip was used to introduce our inquiry and then provided a good follow up. We also visited a local wetlands and planted trees. The key competencies of Thinking, and Participating and Contributing were well covered. The field trip integrated well with Science, Social Science, Art and English. There was also a good emphasis on ecological sustainability and community engagement.
Real life visuals and information were very specific and had a greater impact on my students and myself then scrolling through unlimited amounts of information via search engines. It supported my students learning with in-depth knowledge on worldwide topics from within New Zealand. Learnz caters for all learning needs. Totally appropriate.
You bring the outside world to us! Boys especially are absorbed by the videos and discussions with scientists - you help turn them on to learning. The field trip helped us connect and participate with our community and is making science real and meaningful.
Key competencies were all addressed through the use of this field trip and it was easy use the material to differentiate for different learners. The LEARNZ trips are motivating for students and supporting for teachers. They are broad enough to use as the basis for many Inquiry topics and versatile enough to use over a long or short period.
Our school curriculum focuses on the environment and having outside experts present information is a fantastic way to extend my students' learning and knowledge.
Wonderfully appropriate. Supported our science focus very well, as well as the key competencies of self management, relating to others (sharing tablets, working together) and texts (reading and responding to the information).
It supported excellence, high expectations, learning to learn, diversity and environmental sustainability, as well as the NZC level 4. It ticked all our Level 4 boxes. Great resource. My class can't wait to use it again.
Students got to continue to learn about the environment (following on from involvement in the Virtual Great Walks field trip). The detail and facts included in the background pages made things more interesting to read (or listen to!).
Very purposeful learning. Supported our bi-cultural focus. Supported different learning styles. Found it very easy to incorporate into our long term plan and to integrate across learning areas.
Kauri
My 31 mixed-ability children were completely engaged in our study. It was such an authentic context for us, as we are a silver enviroschool and we have three kauri at our school that we are learning to protect. Was great for the children to see real science in action; they were very interested in the laboratory work.
I used a lot of independent learning time using the background pages which promoted managing self. Also promotes community engagement, future focused thinking. It is well integrated across the curriculum and supports a range of learning types.
Activities that went with the videos were fantastic.
We used this field trip to help us cover our Deep Learning Topic of Past and Present. it was very helpful in many aspects as we also wanted a science based focus in this area. The activities and background pages were useful for self management.
It is visual, relevant, easy to access, and makes good use of technology to be virtually there. Very relevant and topical in Northland.
There is so much in a LEARNZ field trip that it is possible to pick and choose what is most suitable for each class. There is so much motivating stuff to choose from for supporting reading, writing, inquiry, oral language, etc. I like the way that Te Reo is incorporated - this really supports Te Reo in my class.
I like that we can do the work live, or delay it to suit our needs, and either way not miss out on any of the content. It helped the children to further understand the need to value our natural environment and how easy it is for us to lose a taonga through lack of awareness or willingness to contribute. This topic also increased their cultural awareness.
... upon completion and reflection the most impact was on the areas of our Key Competencies. Absolutely without a doubt the field trip supported the true essence of our NZC. The children became kauri experts and were keen to cometogether as the Kauri Class and learn. It promoted true collaboration and it was thoroughly enjoyable for both the children and myself.
Related to our personal environment, local issues, and experiences at camp. Very relevant to developing a MLE and BYOD environment. Combined literacy, science, social science. Andrew (the LEARNZ Teacher) was friendly, engaging, and related well to students and experts.
It illustrated clearly community engagement, ecological sustainability, participating and contributing. Students were interested. It also helped in the Nature of Science ... seeing how the community can work with the scientists on an issue.
Owing to time constraints with other curriculum areas, I sadly did not get an opportunity to use this wonderful resource with my class. I will be using it retrospectively however.
High Country
It assists with student thinking and setting goals and meeting deadlines.
Useful for itroduction of new technologies used in Geography, visual interpretation. Also useful for self directed learning and independence. I have always found LEARNZ field trips a useful tool to back up and extend in school learning. Now retired, I would like to thank the team for your enthusiasm and professional learning.
Our focus was Social Sciences Geography and it certainly gave us some future focus discussion points. I also wanted to open their eyes to some possibilities re the use of technology and future careers.
Yes the topic was good, interesting etc, linked to the human uses of the environment for 2.1 Geography and was generally interesting to students; drones are very in! So it is a great way to engage students, use technology and get students enthused about Geography.
Being able to connect with real people is very meaningful for students. The drones, satellites, pests, and mapping areas became focus areas for the class and they have continued inquiring about these.
My year 7 and 8 students have really engaged with the trip material. Thank you for providing such an interesting resource. A lot of my students like to spend time in the bush and were keen to learn more about the application of technology in this area.
In the backchannel it was really interesting to have our questions answered during an audioconference when we weren't a speaking school. This was a Maths group involved in this trip, so it was ideal for providing authenticity to their Maths, alongside the natural integration with all other areas of the curriculum.
The audio conferences were particularly helpful for our students. As a whanau hub we have been working on aspects of flight and transitioning into digital platforms. This has assisted us to transition our students.
An invaluable insight into the use of technology in the outside world. It gives students another resource for gathering information from experts in particular fields.
The video clips of the drone in action was a major success. This put the whole subject in perspective. Because of the novelty of the subject the student engagement was exceptional and they gained skills in elearning as we used the iPads to read and study the background pages.
My class enjoyed reading the information and watching the videos, especially the drones.
Geohazards
Students gained through the Science strand - Nature of Science - How scientists work.
Excellent resource that can be picked up by all students or just one who wants to delve into an area at a greater intensity. Self regulated, great background to an area of interest.
Was at the right level and linked in really well with our Inquiry / science focus of natural disasters - "What's the plan stan?" Good platform to teach the nature of science.
The lessons and resources targeted the students learning needs while challenging their thinking. It supported my kids' knowledge, future learners, sharing of information and becoming 21st century learners ... connected learners.
... brought the curriculum to life. Opened the eyes of the class to all the interesting things going on around them.
Contributes to learning objective for both Earth and Space Science L2 internal and external assessment. Helped as part of the inquiry process with student-led learning. Good opportunity for managing self.
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.
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!
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.
Totally in line with our Disasters topic. Worked well with the Key Competencies we aligned with our unit. Backchannel was great for the class next door.
The class had just completed an Earth Science unit and this VFT (Virtual Field Trip) was like the icing on the cake. I am not aware of a more effective and powerful learning medium. The Key Competency of Thinking by constructing questions to put to experts during Audioconferences was most effective.
Memorial Park
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
Students are continuously thinking and evaluating information they are reading or viewing. They are self managing their learning and using technology to enhance it.
Linked to Social Sciences and linked well with build up to Anzac unit.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The timing was good. We all want to see it (Pukeahu National War Memorial Park) if we go to Wellington. It was a really good way to learn about Memorial Park. The videos were a good length and gave us a different perspective of the construction. The website was really easy to use and didn't go off to other topics. It was level appropriate.