1-1 Device Consultation Workshops

In the first two weeks of Term 2 we will be holding a series of 1-1 device consultation workshops.  The purpose of these workshops is to answer any of the questions you have relating to specific themes, and to collaboratively problem solve around concerns that have been raised.

This post outlines the content of each workshop with an outline of the questions we hope to answer and the concerns we hope to address:

Workshop 1

What will this look like in Classrooms?

Thursday 8^th May 5:30 – 6:30

Staffroom

“A typical day with Chromebooks … including hands on opportunities to explore how the Chromebook works.”

Questions raised around this theme based on emails received and "post it" charts at the parent evening: 

• What is the expected life of a Chromebook?
• What kind of device will parents need to access the portal?
• What access is there to the print server?
• What will teaching in maths look like – do they just learn off the web now?
• Will there be a keyboard skills component to teaching?
• Will there still be traditional reading, writing etc (don’t want devices to take over)?
• How will Chromebooks help to better cater for different ability levels?
• How will Communication skills be developed… this looks like less personal interaction with teacher and each other?
• How will Chromebooks support pure curriculum (numeracy literacy)?
• Will there be time wasted learning basic computer skills when my child should be focusing on foundation learning?
• Will there be training for parents on how to use the Chromebook?
• What about homework...  Will I be expected to have Wifi/broadband at home?
• What charging facilities will be provided at school for these devices?

Workshop 2

How can we protect our learners?

Tuesday 13^th May 5:30 – 6:30

Staffroom

“Including Discussion on Digital Citizenship, Cyberbullying, Email Protocols etc.”

Questions raised around this theme based on emails received and "post it" charts at the parent evening: 

• What is the school’s cyber bullying strategy?
• How will my child learn to filter all the crap on the web?
• What controls will there be to protect my child’s identity?
• Will I be able to see all my child’s online communications?
• How can I prevent them download software onto  the Chromebook without my permission?
• I want to make sure my child will not be left behind if they choose to run and play in the weekends.
• How will we manage the increase of screen time?
• Will the school enable access to unmonitored social media like facebook or twitter?
• Will Chromebooks have unlimited access to Youtube, Google etc?
• Are we making our children innocent targets?

Tech Think Tank Meeting

Further Financial Considerations

Thursday Wednesday 14^th May 6:00 – 7:00

Staffroom

Including discussion on rental options, insurance considerations, sponsorship/donation of individual machines.

Questions raised around this theme based on emails received and "post it" charts at the parent evening: 

• My excess won’t cover it, why should I bear all the risk?
• It is irresponsible for the school to suggest retail finance… what other options are there for those that can't afford it?
• What other costs will there be?  Can we have a full cost break down… bags, mice etc)?

NB: Most questions from the post its at the parent evening have been answered either on the evening or through the supplementary FAQs (click here to access), this session will predominantly be to discuss/explore other options as outlined in italics above.

Workshop 3

How can we ensure the safety of devices?

Thursday 15^th May 5:30 – 6:30

Staffroom

“Including discussion on care of devices, insurance considerations etc.”

Questions raised around this theme based on emails received and "post it" charts at the parent evening: 

• Who will care for the safety of devices after school at sports practices etc?
• What if a drink bottle leaks onto the Chromebook?
• Potential for this to be lost / stolen / damaged?
• My excess won’t cover it, why should I bear all the risk?
• How will Chromebooks be stored/looked after before school?
• What about during assembly times or when classes go out for PE?

ANZAC Service

Today our House Captains hosted our annual ANZAC service.  It was a real honour to hear from one of our students and his mum about a hero in their family who served in World War 1.  We thought the ceremonial sword and medals were very impressive!

Even though the weather meant we couldn't go out to the flagpole, we were still able to listen to the Last Post and Reveille and lay our wreaths at our make-shift cenotaph.  Our House Captains did a fabulous job as cenotaph guards!

I would like to thank Major Peter Jacobs (ret) and Major Peter Stitt (ret) from the Petone RSA who came to support our House Captains and answer our questions about ANZAC day.

How do we plan for our student's future?

This short clip was shared with me last night.  It has really made me think - if this is happening in our universities now, what skills can we teach to better prepare our learners for a future that is so different than the one we experienced when we left school???

Thought provoking!

1 - 1 Devices Email Home

Nga mihi nui kia koutou, 

Thank you to all those who attended our 1-1 device evening on Wednesday night.  We were thrilled with a turn out of close to 100 parents, and are grateful for the level of open discussion and healthy debate on the 1-1 device initiative.

Reflecting on the comments made both verbally and through the wall charts; it is clear that families support the end point outlined in our booklet two weeks ago (reinforced by our teaching staff on Wednesday night and back in October last year). The change this project represents is transformational in terms of teaching. Most parents also understand that the world our children are entering is very different to the world when we finished school, and that we have a collective responsibility to prepare them for this as best we can.

It is an exciting time, but there are also a range of concerns and issues that need to be addressed by the school and the community before we proceed to the next step.

A significant concern expressed was the lack of consultation through the decision making process to date.  The school acknowledges this concern as valid, and is keen to move forward by working with families to help us achieve our vision for e-learning and 1-1 devices.  To this end, we will be holding a series of consultation workshops early in Term 2 to outline our current thinking and seek more input from the wider community on some of the common questions raised.  

Based on feedback on Wednesday night, these workshops are likely to cover things like:
• Safety of devices in and out of school (including discussion on insurance considerations)
• Protecting our learners (including discussion regarding digital citizenship, email and cyber bullying)
• How this will look in classrooms, particularly in relation to core learning and how we will measure success (including discussion regarding non screen time, handwriting etc).  
• Look, touch and play: a hands on opportunity to use the Chromebooks.
In addition to these consultation workshops, we also intend to hold information sessions for interested parents around topics such as: using the Google Apps for Education suite at home and how parents can access and monitor their child’s work through the Hapara programme etc.  We are keen to hear of other topics you would like covered and will seek your input on this following the workshops.

We have heard the concerns many families have regarding the financial outlay required by families and, as indicated on Wednesday, are continuing to explore options in this area.  There were some great suggestions on the night about different approaches to this issue and these are all being evaluated.  We will also be canvassing those families directly affected by the Term 3 timeline to get a clear indication on their overall thoughts following Wednesday night’s discussion.

An interesting suggestion made towards the end of the evening, was that there may be families out there prepared to sponsor a device for the use of a student who may not otherwise be in a position to participate in the initiative due to financial constraints. We think this is an incredibly generous and thoughtful offer, and would like to explore this option further.  If you think this might be something you could do, or know of another member of the community or a business that may consider sponsoring a device, please let me know.

We’ve committed to sending out more information about the other options that were explored by the school and tech group (such as bringing any device, and school-owned devices), the pros and cons of each, and why the school ultimately came to the 1-to-1 recommendation. Look out for that in the coming weeks.

And lastly, I am very keen to discuss any other thoughts, questions or concerns any parent might have about this project directly. I’m happy to meet with any families at any time including over the school holidays; just drop me a note and we can arrange a time. Alternatively, feel free to email or ring with your thoughts, good or bad.

Once again, many thanks to those who came along and participated in the discussion.  The strong turnout and excellent discussion was testament to a very caring community and we see an exciting future ahead for learners at Maungaraki School and look forward to continuing this journey together.

Kind regards, 

Lisa Cavanagh
Maungaraki School

1-1 Device Evening Presentation

Here is the presentation shared with our families during the 1-1 Device Evening:

1 1 device evening for blog from LisaCavanagh


Here is the clip we shared at the beginning of the evening.  It is astounding to reflect on how much more things have changed in the 2 years since this was created!

Implementing 1 - 1 Devices at Maungaraki School

We know we are already doing an outstanding job of teaching and learning at Maungaraki School.  This has been confirmed by ERO and by our fabulous achievement results.

Our Maungaraki School vision; “We Aspire to Excellence” challenges us to think about what we can do to achieve even more.  We believe that introducing 1-1 digital devices as a learning tool in Years 5 – 8 will not only accelerate the progress of our learners even further, but will also better prepare them for success in the digital age that is their future.

This post includes links to our information booklet, websites and videos that provide background research and examples to help you understand our initiative:

We also have an information evening happening on Wednesday 9th April to share our vision and answer any further questions you may have:

Wednesday 9th April, 6:30 - 8:00pm, Maungaraki Community Hall

Click here to download our information booklet for parents.

Click here for One News clip about Chromebooks in Education.

Click here for Campbell Live clip about Chromebooks in Education.

Click here for general information about the Manaiakalani Trust.

Click here to hear a student from Manaiakalani explaining how their learning is different with Chromebooks.

Click here to read a blog post outlining research comparing Year 9 students from Manaiakalani schools, with those from other schools (at Tamaki College).

Click here to read a blog post sharing student views about the impact of Chromebooks on their learning.

Click here to link to the OECD white paper on the Nature of Learning.

Click here for an outline of how Chromebooks for Education work.

Scroll down my Blog (October 2013) to see information on the ICT evening held at Maungaraki School in 2013.