You can contact LEARNZ, part of CORE Education, at:
Postal Address:
PO Box 13 678,
Christchurch 8141,
New Zealand
I loved the way it generated discussion and encouraged inquiry so my students really thought about how we use and manage water. I also love how the students can access the material themselves and monitor their own interest in the before and after work.
This Water field trip fitted in well with our inquiry related to weather and it introduced the children to a variety of physical geography concepts and exmaples. It fostered curiosity and all the core competencies, and it effectively integrated a variety of curriculum areas.
It fitted well with our Sustainability Social Studies topic.
The course was great for student engagement and they had fun learning about farming and irrigation.
Year 4-5 student comment: "It is interesting because the people know stuff that we don't know - it's good to read and watch the videos about it."
Love the fact that the articles have an audio feature so children with low reading levels can be included too. The field trip connected to what we were learning in class and it provided a good hook-in ... and they got to learn from experts.
The material was definitely at an appropriate level for my Year 7-8 class. It tied in with our Science focus and enabled students to explore places that they would not usually see. It also gives them a chance to "meet" and work with outside teachers and experts.
The field trip encouraged my students to think more deeply about the topic while reflecting on what they already knew.
Appropriate and effective, especially for Kaitiakitanga. Students particularly liked looking and watching the updates.
Year 4-5 student comment: "Doing this field trip was interesting because I was learning about irrigators and water on earth".
We used the videos to connect with our conceptual learning topic of sharing our world. Appropriate and effective.
Allowed students to access information they would have struggled to find themselves and inspired independent study on questions students raised. This is an excellent multimedia resource with differentiated learning that supports an inclusive curriculum.
LEARNZ field trips like this expose my students to things (places, concepts, experts etc) that they would not otherwise be exposed to.
The LEARNZ delivery method made it easier to work alongside students with their learning rather than in front of them. Students have been engaged and motivated to ask questions and wonder about things.
I love how it helps my (secondary school) students see that they are part of a bigger picture and enforces the idea that small changes from individuals amount to big changes. Perfect for our topic of sustainability and worked in really well with the Sustainable Seas virtual field trip.
Hand-picked videos for my senior science class to show practical applications of theory. They help link an NCEA chemistry topic to the real world and show participation of science in the local community.
The variety of activities, materials and the actual (live) web conferences added value to our inquiry about water (wai). The way the topic was presented enabled my (predominantly Māori) students to put their own words to it, to explain it.
Very interesting and well explained. It helped my students to think about all the different users of the water and encouraged them to discuss it with whanau.
Good to have a variety of ways to understand the Water topic such as web conferences, quizzes, background information etc.
It was effective to tune students into ideas they had not thought of, and wonder. The virtual field trip is a good way to leave the classroom without the big cost.
The videos were good because they were short and they were 'in the field'. This field trip was part of our "Finding out about water" unit and so it had some useful information. The field trip medium means it is a future-focused way of delivering information and has the potential to connect students to other students' lives while covering a range of learning areas.
The children were particularly engaged with the videos, which were easily accessible and generated a lot of group discussion. The videos were a great addition to other images, written texts and resources that we used.
I like the LEARNZ Inquiry approach, how the students read (or listen to) all the background information first and then formulate their own questions.
Met our objectives for inquiry in the social sciences and science but also gave lots of opportunities for literacy. This experience also allowed the students to feel connected, to learn new things and to take responsibility for their own learning.
The field trip was a great way to hook the class into our Te Moana inquiry and the children loved it! LEARNZ is a super learning tool that links well in obvious and explicit ways to many aspects of the NZ Curriculum.