A blended way forward: Response to the earthquake and Christchurch schools

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Many schools are likely to be closed for some time following the Christchurch earthquake on 22 February 2011. At the present time 18 schools have been identified as having serious problems, representing more than 10,000 students. Dozens of other schools are also affected, but to a lesser extent.

St. Andrews College after the Christchurch Earthquake 22 Feb 2011

Finding a solution is complicated because of a range of issues, including:

  • There are a number of schools that will not be able to open in the foreseeable future, meaning those students will require alternative accommodation.
  • A large number of students have already fled Christchurch with their families, some are enrolling in schools in other parts of New Zealand, and others are simply not attending school at this stage.
  • Some parents are experiencing anxiety about their children attending school in the short term for fear of being separated in the event of another quake. Others are desperately keen for their children to be able to attend school because of the childcare role it plays, so they can return to work.
  • Teachers also are impacted, with many having left Christchurch in the wake of the quake, and are therefore not likely to be able or want to return to work in the immediate future.
  • Access to electricity and internet is a problem in some areas, so online programmes may be a part of the answer, but not entirely.

Thus, the solution will need to be creative, flexible and offer a sustainable way forward. This will take some serious thinking and coordination. A blended approach must be considered.

We have some excellent pockets of innovation in New Zealand in terms of what is being done within the school sector with distance education and online learning. CORE Education is working with others in the Greater Christchurch Schools Network (GCSN) to explore a blended solution that may bring together the strengths of…

  • Te Kura, with its track record of providing correspondence materials
  • The Virtual Learning Network (VLN), with their extensive experience in providing online education via combinations of synchronous and asynchronous tools
  • National and international online projects
  • International online education programmes from Australia and Canada
  • Online resources and curriculum in WikiEducator
  • Ministry of Education funded online support programmes such as wickEd and StudyIT
  • Local teachers with specialist knowledge and expertise
  • The national network of teachers who have skills and knowledge in this area, who may be able to contribute in a range of ways.

The Ministry of Education is, understandably, taking a considered approach, as they ascertain the exact nature of the problem, numbers involved etc. Whatever they decide to do, we want to be prepared so that there are a range of options available to those affected, and that these options may be presented in such a way that they might provide opportunities for a continued ‘blended service approach’ beyond when the immediate concerns of solving the issue of access to learning for the displaced students (and staff) have been addressed.

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Feel the fear – and do it anyway

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If Hillary had concentrated only on glacial ravines, would he have ‘knocked the bastard off’?’ Would Armstrong have taken his great leap if he had worried about his oxygen failing?

And can schools embrace the learning opportunities presented by the web, by ultra-fast broadband, if they focus only on cybersafety?

Sir Edmund Hillary, Neil Armstrong

Is preventing access the way to go?

We’re only a few weeks into the new school year, but there has been a slew of stories in the media about cybersafety – sexting, Facebook bullying and the like  – and we see the inevitable banning of technological access as a result.  A recent talk I gave at a local college to launch their e-learning professional learning for the year, saw excitement among staff but also concern about student safety and online bullying. A 2010 report, commissioned by the Ministry of Education, reminded us that “Preventing access in schools to mobile technologies or firewalling some sites does not teach effective and critical uses of these technologies that students have ready access to outside of school” (Wright, 2010)

Despite all the potential and promise that technology might offer to educators, to what extent do we still have a deficit model of technology?

The New Zealand Curriculum points the way—but through what lens do you read it?

NZ Curriculum

The New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) advocates for e-learning as a way to “open up new and different ways of learning” (e-learning and pedagogy, NZC). And yet, for many schools, it is the very ‘opening up’ that is so challenging. School leaders understandably have to balance the opportunities for learners presented by, for example, Web 2.0 technology, with managing parental expectation and the duty to keep students safe.

Perhaps a marriage of the Key Competencies and digital citizenship might offer a potential pathway through the minefield. The NZC is littered with phrases that clearly align to the potential of e-learning; for example, the “active seekers, users, and creators of knowledge” (Vision statement, NZC) should arguably be “confident and capable user[s] of ICT” (myLGP: Learn, Guide, Protect – Netsafe) in order to create and seek knowledge for themselves.

Most importantly, the Key Competencies of managing self, relating to others, and participating and contributing clearly align to the importance of students becoming confident in the way they manage challenges online, in the way to they relate to, and communicate with, others in cyberspace.

Looking for opportunities while managing risk—not prohibition—the key to developing integrity and responsibility

Embracing the teachable moment, managing risk rather than banning access, and looking to the opportunities rather than the dangers are approaches far more likely to foster students’ integrity and responsibility. Especially when they will inevitably have to face cyber challenges without adult supervision.

Like Hillary and Armstrong, perhaps those schools that interpret the NZC through the lens of digital citizenship have found a way to navigate the possible risks and dangers while maintaining their focus on a greater goal – that of students being able to fully participate in the digital world.

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The merits of the professional punt – the iPad in learning

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The use of Apple’s iPad in learning environments is a topic that is already eating column inches. Yet pinning down why something new might be worth testing or investing in is often difficult.

Use of iPad in learning

So it is with much anticipation that I watch two groups of teachers pushing the boat out.

iPad tests by BLENNZ excites

Firstly in Wellington, two teachers from the Blind and Low Vision Education Network NZ (BLENNZ) have begun to document the use of an iPad with students who have low vision. They are at the “toes in the water” stage and have only facilitated taster sessions (the iPads are personally owned by the teachers) but the initial footage is raising enough excitement that the documentation was shared across the whole school. From chatting to the teachers, it is one of those scenario’s that when you know the student, and you see the level of attention and engagement, it makes your heart sing.

iPad research in literacy skills

At the other end of the country, the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the the Blind (RNZFB) is in the initial stages of a partnership project with BLENNZ where they are purchasing four iPads as a resource for an action research project around access to literacy skills. Again it’s a punt, the technology is relatively new, and there is no research base from which to draw evidence with any longevity.

But just as Toni Twiss committed her eFellowship to investigating “the use of mobile phones in classrooms“, someone has to break the ground, and the more that do, the more variables we can bring together.

iPad suited to the school environment

The iPad is a big step forward to the school environment

My own first impression on handling an iPad is that it is sleek, light and will fit neatly wedged behind a lunch box in a school bag. These may sound like flippant observations, but in the land of assistive technology, such attributes are a good start.

For those of us who spend much of our day trying to support the adaption of learning spaces, the advent of technology that is flexible, functional, and good looking is enough to make us cheer.

For so long, technology solutions have been clunky, weighed a ton, and often the learner had to sit apart from their peers because they needed an extra desk to set up all their gear. Plus, assistive technology is notoriously “specialist” and uncollaborative because no-one, other than the learner, knows how to operate it, and by default it becomes the exclusive domain of the learner with the disability, a great model for inclusion!

What other stories and thoughts out there?

So to anyone out there reading this, I’d love to hear if you are using an iPad in the classroom as a tool for you, and/or with your students, or if you have stumbled on interesting stories from colleagues or from reading around.

One of my current favorites, covered by the New York Times describes the the introduction of an iPad into the world of a young boy called Owen Cain. What I love about it, is that it demonstrates how if the adults alongside learners are bold and prepared to take a bit of a punt, all sorts of unexpected learning opportunities can happen – check out the video and see what you think.

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