The sunny North shines once again - tu meke Te Tai Tokerau!

What a great school Portland is; nestled at the western entrance to Whangarei Harbour, they have the most glorious views and setting in which to learn.  The school families are terrific, so open-hearted and thankful for the gift which is Computers in Homes.  This was felt not only by me but our trainer, Rowena Walters.  Ro' has trained at a number of schools for me now, but this school in particular was a real pleasure.

Thank you to Portland School and more importantly tumuaki, Mr Jodi Edwards.  Thank you for welcoming us into your community and kia ora to the parents for attending and achieving such a lot within the programme.  I know from experience that your tamariki will love the Chromebook and internet connection within their home and I look forward to keeping in touch with you during the next 12 months.  Meri Kirihimete - Merry Christmas!

Noho ora mai rā, nā Sue Kini

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First Graduation for 2016!!

Annaliese Storey, you are amazing!  Do you know that?  I hope you do and I hope you know how much we appreciate you!!  For those of you who do not know Annaliese, let me explain....

On the second week of Term 1 (when she would have been seriously bogged down with her school office administration work) Annaliese rallied her families and started Computers in Homes training.  I turned up to the first session to introduce myself and Annaliese had already sorted the training resources into the participants very own special folders, including plastic sleeves for all the information that was coming their way over the next 10 weeks.  She also had her attendance sheets all laid out, and the contact and address details of every single family.  The Parent Pack had been printed and shared with everyone and she was busy collecting agreement forms and answering questions - I tell you - this woman is a LEGEND!!!!!

During the following 10 weeks Annaliese then taught these Mum's and Dad's computer skills; explained concepts; supported them when they weren't sure what they were doing; feed them biscuits with cups of tea & coffee; kept in regular contact with me.....and the list goes on really.

You are a fantastic trainer Annaliese, Tikipunga High School is extremely fortunate to have you in their administration team and I know your Principal, Alec Solomon, rates you extremely highly.  Thank you so much for all of your dedication and commitment to the CiH programme, not just this term, but from terms of past too.  We appreciate you and thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

11 wonderful families graduated today. 11 families who've now got a fantastic digital resource in their home and with most opting for an ultra-fast broadband connection (fibre) with our ISP who gives us wonderful service - 2degrees.

Let's keep this ball rolling in 2016!

Computers in Homes at Tikipunga High School, Term 1 2016 on PhotoPeach

We've been making hay while the sun shines!

I've been the regional coordinator in Northland for nearly seven years, and never in all that time have I had five schools running CiH in Term 1!!  It's a wonderful feeling to be up and running so early in the school year, not to mention working with an amazingly dedicated group of principals, trainers and techs.

As mentioned in previous posts, we've been trialling Chromebooks as the training and take-home device for our families.  Northlander's recognise the importance of being involved in their children's education, and there were plenty of 'nods' around the room when I explained why we're focusing on a device that directly relates to what their kids are using in the classroom. It was fantastic to meet all the participating families during the information sessions as it's one of my favourite parts of the job - people connecting with people.

As Northlander's we sometimes like to think we lead the way in particular areas, and hopefully this pilot will be so successful that I can continue to provide my community with an opportunity to gain not only an awesome digital device, but to upskill in cloud computing, internet safety and security and social media to name but a few new skills.

Schools currently running Computers in Homes in Term 1, 2016:

Northland to pilot CIH Chromebook programme

2016 is set to be an incredibly exciting year for Computers in Homes in Northland.  The 2020 Trust is collaborating with the Taitokerau Education Trust and Te Puawai e-Learning Cluster to provide training for parents in Chromebooks.

The Chromebook is designed to be used primarily whilst connected to the Internet, with most applications and data residing "in the Cloud”.  Its cost, long battery life and functionality have made it the platform of choice for many students, schools and homes. 

Whilst there is still a place for pen and paper in schools, technology will only continue to advance.  It’s important that children don’t get left behind.  Digital literacy is never going to be any less important than what it is now.  Embracing change shows our tamariki that change is good and it empowers them to move forward in their education. 

Internet access in a classroom (provided it's a safe and monitored experience) gives kids the opportunity to expand beyond the boundaries of what they'd find in a textbook.

Using Chromebooks in the classroom will allow teachers to adapt to different learning styles, make learning more flexible, create excitement in learning for the kids and prepare them for the future.

Seven schools in Whangarei will participate in the Chromebook pilot this year.  Six are from the Te Puawai Cluster, and another is also keen to be involved as they use Chromebooks within their classrooms too.

I look forward to posting updates to my blog, showing the fabulous parents who undertake our training and their stories of achievement.  Watch this space!....

Good news leading into 2015-2016 funding round...

So often I hear people in my community expressing dismay at decisions made by the New Zealand Government.  Whether their grievances hold water or not, what is agreed is that big decisions are made at 'the top' which affect the people at the grassroots of NZ society.

And so it is with great pleasure that I announce some good news!  Some positive and proactive news for the people of our Northland region.  The Ministry of Education have recently announced that 100 more families will be funded to participate in our Computers in Homes programme through 2015-2016.  See?  There are good decisions made at 'the top' too you know?

I can't wait to meet the new families from a number of new CIH schools and watch their learning journey.  The job satisfaction I receive by attending graduations of CIH families is second to none in my working day!

Watch out 2015-2016, here we come!

CIH Northland like a machine in two thousand and fifteen!

We are off with a hiss and a roar this year with plenty of classes and different programmes in the pipeline.  I'm really looking forward to coordinating Computers in Homes, Stepping UP, KiwiSkills and BYOD training within schools and learning centres.

There are six Northland schools in various stages of planning and implementation.  Whangarei Primary School has their suite installed and are collating their families.  Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Te Rawhiti Roa already has their participants and has a whanau information night booked for 18 March.  Ruakaka, Tinopai and Matakohe Schools are still planning but keen to get going, and Te Roroa Learning Assistance has a bunch of people on waiting lists who are just looking for the go ahead.  Phew! And that's only the CIH programme!

2020 Communications Trust is becoming involved in the Te Puawai Education Trust's BYOD programme.  Six schools in Whangarei will have at least one (some have more) fully digital classrooms this year and whilst the kids are already savvy with their Chromebooks, their Mums and Dads may not be.  So 2020 Trust has agreed to train the parents and give them the helping hand they'll need to fully engage in their tamariki's education and homework.  There's obviously more to this and I'll keep you updated in weeks to come.

We hope to continue our relationship with the newly formed Otangarei ICT hub by offering the Kiwiskills 21C programme.  This programme is for unemployed people who want to gain essential digital skills to help them find work. They attend weekly classes over 10 weeks studying and taking tests to gain an ICDL qualification covering modules Computer Essentials, Online Essentials, Word Processing and Spreadsheets. 

Over the past two years, our Stepping UP programme that was developed for CIH graduates to continue their learning, has been running at the Whangarei Central Library.  The response to this free training has always been outstanding.  Whether we will run it again this year is yet to be determined, but I do hope so as feedback from participants is awesome and always positive!

Thanks for reading my blog, feel free to comment and ask any questions, and you'll be hearing from me in the very near future!

The sun is shining in the good ole Bay of Islands!

In early November 2014 I once again had the privilege of watching a large group of Bay of Islands College parents complete our Computers in Homes programme.   Their continued level of attendance and commitment to the programme blew me away; so determined were they to learn new skills and provide a digital resource for their whanau.

I often think our school-aged generation can't quite fathom 'what's so hard about using a computer?'  Digital technology is such an integral part of their learning that they aren't fully aware of their inherent skills.  It's not until they see their parents learning how to use a computer, and learning skills these kids take for granted, that the penny drops! 

There is still such a huge community of people that need the Computers in Homes programme in Northland, and I dearly hope our New Zealand Government continues to pave the way for this invaluable programme in our country.

One million thank-yous' to everyone involved in the Bay of Islands College CIH programme this year - trainers Briony and Paul Johnston and Ariana Waiomio, technician JP Vandenameele and the Principal and staff of this fantastic school!

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