You can contact LEARNZ, part of CORE Education, at:
Postal Address:
PO Box 13 678,
Christchurch 8141,
New Zealand
Testimonials
Virtual Great Walker
It was very engaging for all students and they learnt a lot. It was also easy to integrate across the curriculum. Very effective to encourage fitness and knowledge of other New Zealand Great Walks.
Bridget Patrick from Rosebank School Balclutha
Great for extension group. Broad range of materials for reading and writing.
Rhys Clark from Rahotu School
This field trip ... encouraged students to develop Future Focused thinking - how the way we interact with our environment now, impacts on the future.
Marcia Ferguson from Rosebank School Balclutha
For the Year 7/8 class I was working with, the field trip tied in perfectly with their camp (Borland Lodge). It worked well using the background pages as build up prior to camp, then using the audio-conferences the week following the camp.
Marcia Ferguson from Rosebank School Balclutha
It was an excellent insight into exploring a new area that not a lot of children had visited before. The children came up with a lot of great questions, especially around saving native birds and the effect of a beach mast this year.
Jeffrey Burrow from Warrington School
Giving the students the option of listening to the background pages is fantastic! It takes away the fear of trying to read something that is 'too hard'. It also develops a familiarity with the LEARNZ teacher.
Marcia Ferguson from Rosebank School Balclutha
Students are focussed and engaged. They have a purpose. "This is fun, I didn't know you can learn like this". During camp we studied the native birds and plants and compared them to the field trip. A great effort went into using our thinking skills to prepare for camp and doing the research.
Marne Hendriks from Rosebank School Balclutha
The students had their own inquiry questions and enjoyed the freedom to move around the field trip. They are learning to refer to their evidence in their statements of writing, and a LEARNZ field trip is a great resource for doing that.
Suzanne Paice from St Bernard's School Brooklyn
Our class is studying ecology in the lead up to our annual camp so the information was very fitting in all aspects.
Nina Booth from Newbury School
We connected this field trip with an older one - Restoring the Kepler. By doing this, students began to look at ways that they can contribute in the wider community as well as our school community, working towards a common goal. Maori students in the class particularly liked the glossary - we also added more to our own one on the wall.
Marcia Ferguson from Rosebank School Balclutha
Children inspired to walk tracks and parents wanting to join them. Great topics, different way of presenting things in class, able to get involved through audioconferences. Differentiated readings and audio/video options meant all class could access information, including Special Needs children.
Hazel Halton from Rapaura School
Definitely sparked some very valuable discussions on stewardship of our natural resources. Worked well in bringing the reality of the walk to students who are unfamiliar with these areas.
Gabriel Hawke from St Mary's School Hastings
From the start of the trip, the students were actively engaged - making connections with their own lives and new information they were receiving - even our hunters were interested! Throughout this year we are looking at environmental issues and what we can do to help - as individuals and as a school. This field trip aligned with this nicely.
Marcia Ferguson from Rosebank School Balclutha
We thought it was brilliant! It tied nicely in with out Health, and Science topics. Kids loved the Ambassador and (the field trip) helped prepare for our own walks.
Stacey Vowles from Hillcrest Normal School
It (LEARNZ) is the best online learning community I know of for NZ students. Working with real scientists on real issues and practical matters such as preparing for a tramp really fired the imaginations of my students. It has been fantastic for my ESOL learners, particularly the videos and it is great to be able to listen to the text as well.
Sue Hodge from Elm Park School
Very engaging. Tied perfectly with our current inquiry into Hauora.
Courtney Wiedel from Ashburton Borough School
Antarctica
LEARNZ is a great way to study a topic using a medium that is accessible to all, even my low vision student and those with poor reading skills. The Antarctica field trip supported the science and social studies areas of the curriculum and much more, such as the key competencies.
Carolyn Thelning from Weston School
This is an effective and engaging part of my literacy programme. My Pasifika students, in particular, are much more engaged with a Learnz field trip than other academic activities. Especially relevant in meeting the vision of the NZ Curriculum.
John Brunton from Marshall Laing School
Great for students to have new people connecting to them in a different way, linking many aspects of the curriculum in a real setting.
Janet Valentine from St Brigids School Johnsonville
Fantastic links to the science curriculum AOs - lots of learning due high interest and combination of videos and great background information. Learnz is real world and happening at the moment. Where else can you get this sort of access to scientists and researchers?
Christopher Wratt from Hanmer Springs School
Excellent presentation and a great learning experience for the students. Students really enjoyed a different approach to learning and it was good that the weaker readers were able to participate.
Susan Dane from Elm Park School
It was in line with our learning focus for this year of being a fully digital classroom. Online help was all good.
Jennifer Barrow from Kaniere School
The idea of virtually going to Antarctic created such a buzz and a HUGE level of engagement. It's great the way LEARNZ leaders connect with students - they present everything in such an accessible way but have high expectations that students can and will be able to understand fairly sophisticated concepts.
Christine Hailes from North Street School
It takes us to a place we have never been and experienced before and it gives us more insights of what's happening there. It's incredibly interesting.
Arfi Binsted from Binsteds Home School
It motivated my top reading group. It was well organised, informative and something different to use as a reading tool/experience.
Heather Mangan from St Joseph's School (Upper Hutt)