Testimonials

Photos and videos were great! I have Year 1 and 2 children so I chose the activities etc that I though were most appropriate to support our virtual walk.

Students were really interested in the content which we used as part of our weekly reading programme and to support digital literacy. We also set it up for independent learning so students could gain self-management skills.

Ruud Kleinpaste's enthusiasm was very engaging for the students. The field supported: Principles - Learning to learn; Future focus (sustainability) Values - innovation, inquiry, and curiosity; ecological sustainability Key Competencies - Thinking; Managing self (encouraging students to think about how to prepare for a tramp); Participating and contributing (encouraging students to think about what they can do in their own area) Learning Areas - English (Listening, Reading, and Viewing); Science (Living World, Planet Earth and Beyond) Vision - Connected (seeing what the kids from Glenorchy are doing); Actively involved (encouraging students to think about what they can do); Lifelong learners (tramping is something they are likely to do throughout their lives). 

Audio conference was brilliant - by far the best component of the field trip (for us)! I used it (the field trip) from a health and physical education and science perspective.

My students loved Rudd and his enthusiasm for the great outdoors and flora and fauna. We have been doing individual inquiries on the Great Walks and used this one as a model to show students what is out there and what they could do. It integrated english, science, visual arts, health and physical education.

We are learning about Living things so this field trip connected in with our science unit.  As part of the Great Walks unit we are also trying to walk as much as we can this term which connects with the Key Competency of participation and contribution. Students found it very engaging and enjoyed being able to go on the LEARNZ website at home as well.  One student and their family is now going to go and walk the Routeburn Track next school holidays.

I integrated this field trip into my Literacy programme, with links to Health and PE, which is our overall focus this term. The Key Competencies are integrated into everything we do, Shelley did a great job at modelling many of these, Managing Self, Participating and Contributing,  and Thinking for example. Great to have the "Listen" feature, which really helped my ESOL children. My class absolutely loved going on the Great Walk Trip. They learnt so much and it provoked many conversations, including the water cycle! I particularly thought this one was great for boys - what sphagnum moss was used for in the war, Ruud was a bit gross!!!  The boys were hooked.

The whole field trip has added a sense of authenticity to student learning. This really is a wonderful way to give us invaluable learning experiences - students have been so engaged and have been thinking of their own experiments to test some of the things that they have learnt.

It was a very REAL and engaging focus for a lot of different interest groups. Use of the Audio conferences was a first and was very impactful for the students.

This is a rich experience for students who know NZ but are often living offshore.