You can contact LEARNZ, part of CORE Education, at:
Postal Address:
PO Box 13 678,
Christchurch 8141,
New Zealand
Students could see links between real voyages (now) and those made by our ancestors. The programme was well thought out, informative, and had many options to use it in a variety of ways. It was engaging, fun, and a great way to learn something through a different medium.
The students were able to be self directed through this field trip. They then published a blog about their experiences.
Allowed opportunities for students to develop self management.
Students participated using all of the key competencies.
This field trip fitted in nicely with our health focus for the term, exploring hauora. The children were hooked in by the videos, with real people doing the jobs on the waka. It also fitted in with the Key Competencies and values - showing perseverance in the face of adversity, working together as a team, looking after our environment.
We also visited the waka and helped with repairs to Nukutaiao. That made the (virtual field trip) experience very meaningful.
I try and do a field trip every term. They are so valuable as a resource and really promote learning in a real life situation. I love the Learnz Field Trips!
The topic tied in nicely with our class health focus on 'being in the waka' and working together. Although many of my students didn't connect culturally to this field trip, it was a new experience for them and therefore was engaging.
The content was engaging and this was evident in the thinking that took place and the work produced by all my students, who absolutely loved this trip regardless of their abilities or interests. For our Maori students this was a particularly awesome experience and it was also great to look at hauora from the angle of working together to crew the waka.
Was topical and at appropriate level for my student. Encouraged good discussion and gave excellent information. Student said "That was great. Can we do another one?"
The visual content helped quite a lot of discussion. So many real life experiences that the children can piggy back onto. The Field Trip was an asset for all the class. Thank you.
The children saw themselves being part of a wider community, participating with other schools and learning from their questions. It was especially useful to have Te Reo words to complement the learning.
We had been involved in the Geohazards VFT so the children were well briefed and ready to take part in ShakeOut. The class really looks forward to taking part in the LEARNZ trips.
It broadened students' thinking and understanding of the large scale of the event and excited them about the topic. The ability to access information, colleagues and a world which we otherwise wouldn't have access to makes the learning process really meaningful.
All my students could relate to the information according to individual ability and interest levels. LEARNZ opens up a whole new dimension of making outdoor teaching a reality.
This was my first time on LEARNZ and I loved it. Apart from the well-prepared unit as such, the level of motivation for the kids was instant, high and continued through-out the whole series of lessons.
LEARNZ is doing a brilliant job and this is a fantastic resource for all teachers and students. Excellent contextual learning, and made really good links to the NZC. I loved how there was appropriate Māori and Pasifika language included to support our learners, while the inclusion of both easy and more difficult support materials allows for differentiation.
This field trip was a short mini-unit to prepare students for the national shake out drill and was in addition to our School Curriculum plan.
Relevant to topic at school and it was all current. Great tool.
It supported the Shakeout event we were participating in. It also supported the curriculum well. Visuals are excellent and information is current. The videos led to good discussions and recall of prior knowledge.
Enjoyable to hear first hand accounts - made it more real for the children.
The field trip allowed children to think deeply about emergencies, which was relevant to what we were learning in class about preparing an emergency plan. It was real life experiences from children to children which was great and the children were engaged because it was with other learners at their level.
It was good to have a child's perspective in the videos and background pages were good science information. The field trip enabled and empowered students to have an understanding of others' experiences and the impact these experiences have on themselves and the world in which they live.
The field trip connected the students to issues about earthquakes in a practical way. It was also great to connect with children who have been in earthquakes - this gave a realism and reality to the trip. Andrew (the LEARNZ Teacher) is marvellous - he really helps to ignite curiosity in the students.
The content was very appropriate as they were able to relate it to their own experiences, having experienced a 5.8 earthquake the night before. The audioconference was an excellent opportunity to focus on asking quality questions with a purpose and to interact with experts.