Teacher testimonials

Very effective not only because of its relevance to the area we live in but also because it enables students to think critically and develop connections within our community. Using LEARNZ trips encourages me to leverage digitally into other areas of my teaching.

Explanations were clear and my classroom were buzzing all week about the content. Students were keen to research and find out more information, they also spoke to their families about emergency plans and kits at home. Awesome fit for our school inquiry "Keeping myself Safe and Healthy".

This was effective, interesting and aimed at the students' ability, with interesting quizzes too. Students learned a lot and they enjoyed the videos, which generated a lot of discussion. It was good not to be the one imparting the information, to have experts explain how things happen.

A LEARNZ field trip is such a great motivator. The visuals meant that all students could participate in this field trip during ShakeOut. 

I always enjoy the LEARNZ Field Trips. They enhance my teaching.

We gained valuable information from the experts. We practised 'Managing Self' while completing the web conference task sheets.

The children were engaged and enjoyed having their questions answered in real time. All the background material with links to NZC was fantastic and we could weave this in to our reading, writing, health and science learning.

The children love tuning in live and this really motivates them. We had been on the LEARNZ Kaikōura earthquakes trip earlier in the year and this was a great follow up.

Connects with studets' wider lives, and engages the support of their families, whānau, and communities. Another vehicle that can be used to engage students with like-thinking students across the motu.

This field trip linked in really well with our Science Inquiry and the real world nature of the field trip, which the children felt connected to and motivated them to self-direct their learning and go further. I have had excellent learning from my children from the LEARNZ Virtual Field Trips. I think they are fantastic.

I used it as part of my independent learning and group reading sessions. This field trip showed the children how they can be managing their own safety.

The resources were excellent for research and reading tasks, and we learnt the importance of being prepared as we practiced our earthquake drills. Everything supported our unit of inquiry about natural disasters specific to New Zealand and my students valued being able to speak to experts in the field.

It helped students to see the key competencies in action in a real life situation outside of the classroom.

Learnz virtual field trips are an integral part of our programme - students look forward to each one. What's the Plan, Stan? led to research around a range of topics - particularly in response to Web Conferences. Special needs students can access ALL aspects of the tour. Maori students are able to add context and their own ideas and understanding, from talks by representatives of local iwi.

My class enjoyed the little videos and learnt heaps about earthquakes. Linked well to managing self and community. It involves the children with things outside the classroom - connects them to real life NZ.

We were involved in the Nationwide 'Shake it Out' and this added value to the day. LEARNZ is a 'one stop shop' for me - it means I do not have to spend hours surfing on the internet to support my learning programmes.

Field trips like these help build connected, lifelong, sustainable learners.

It was well organised and at the students' levels so no-one was left behind. They now have a good understanding of what to do next in the case of an emergency.

Our students are manly visual learners so through watching the videos they were able to sustain attention longer and retain more information. Also every activity in the field trip, I believe, has in some way reflected the Key Competencies and Values in the Curriculum.

The field trip really helped the children to think and plan ahead what they would do to keep safe in an emergency. The videos linked to disasters that could happen in our area.

It led to a combination of other tasks including preparing their own households in the event of a disaster, getting to know their neighbourhood and even who can assist in times of need. Children can explore the information independently, challenge their understanding with the quizzes and then be encouraged to follow-up with related tasks and websites.

Fitted with our science unit, values of looking after others, and furthered competencies such as speaking and listening and communicating using written language.

All of my students, including Maori Pasifika and ESOL, have good understandings as a result of the LEARNZ What's the plan, Stan field trip. It was helpful having experts answer inquiry questions my student had, and videos helped certain students gain a deeper understanding.

It got the class thinking deeply about the actualaties that would happen, particularly in our area of Porirua, even though the field trip was based in Auckland. The class enjoyed being part of a New Zealand-wide group during the audio conferences.

I adapted it to be useful for my Year One class. I concentrated on How to keep ourselves safe during Earthquakes and Tsunamis. It assisted my delivery of interesting authentic material for my students.

My multi-levelled students thoroughly enjoyed participating in watching the movies and learning through accessing the background pages and quizzes. LEARNZ is a great package of information and up to date footage, that makes usage and planning of the unit very easy for me as a teacher.

The subject was national and we localised it by making a plan for our schools which we shared with the whole community. The key competency of  'managing self' is very relevant here and the activities and videos were great.

At Year 2 level, fire drills, earthquake drills etc need more context, and this field trip provided that. This field trip helped students to become engaged in society by having a better understanding of how good citizens understand and prepare for disasters.

Motivating and interesting for my Year 4 class. Audio conferences great. They also especially enjoyed the videos and the ability to have text read to them was really helpful.

Engagement levels were very high, and they were keen to know more following the video conferences, even though we were watching them after they were recorded. The field trip enabled me to support learners with barriers to their learning, e.g. reading, and enabled the class to continue to develop their self-directed/guided learning style.

The trip encouraged a great deal of thinking, with students participating in discussions where they could develop empathy for others in disaster situations. They were able to do lots of reading and writing in a meaningful context.

The field trip was appropriate for our class of Yr 3 students and met many aspects of the NZ curriculum. Students are now highly motivated to find out more about hazards/disasters that are likely to impact them at some stage.

The field trips cater for a number of learning styles providing visual, written and audio information. I love using Learnz with my class. Thank you for providing this fabulous resource. 

A great resource for reading and inquiry. Students really enjoy the reading and activities.

Children were highly engaged with the (e)learning. Having the children's own questions answered was so valuable and we loved the link to SOLO, supporting children going from surface to deep. We loved how the children could listen to the background pages not just having to read them. The unit was integrated so well across the learning areas of NZC.

I really enjoy the experience of using the LEARNZ field trip as it adds to classroom experiences by being relevant, authentic and with experts adds real value to the children's learning. I use the field trips when the topic is relevant to one that I am already completing with my class, rather than add in as an extra.

The learning in the field trip fitted perfectly with our Social Science focus for the term and was an appropriate level for my Year 7/8 class.  It also linked in with Science Fair work - so helped keep students engaged.

We got some great deep learning happening and it brought up a lot of questions from the students. During the learning there was a lot of reference to language as well as values; both the NZC ones and our own school ones.

The students thoroughly enjoyed the field trip to Ahuahu Great Mercury Island. Although it was a virtual trip, the concept of interacting with real people, animals and landscape made it seem very real and helped them to connect their learning. Sending an ambassador was awesome for the students too! Principles, Values, Key Competencies and Learning Areas of the NZ Curriculum were all very well supported in the field trip.

Great reading resource. Fresh and up to date. Great for students to view videos and photos. Brings other places and people to us.

The archaeology theme helped make my lessons/teaching culturally responsive. I love being part of this learning too.  Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be on the journey as well!!

Our unit had a strong Maori Achievement focus - we really appreciate the links that the field trip allowed us to make to early Maori, and the cultural DNA of being explorers and innovators. This allowed us to link to the learning competencies and vision of the NZC.

Culturally significant and interesting material for my Year 7/8 class, that also helped us focus on the Key Competencies. I would like to thank the LEARNZ team for providing such a fun, interesting, hands on and informative resource to add to my teaching! Thank you for helping me love my job even more!!

The values of ecological sustainability and inquiry stand out. Future focus Principle. Connected life-long learners. Postive feedback from Māori and Pakeha students alike. Lots of links to our Year 8 Science program, especially Nature of Science, helping students understand how science takes place in the real world.

Because of the secondary timetable, I found it more useful for me (than my class) as PD on how to include digital ideas into the classroom. We did create a digital map in the last lesson of term so the field trip inspired me to have a go at something new with my class.

The videos with children of a similar age explaining what they were doing, and why, created a real link to the kids in my class and great motivation to take part. The sense of belonging for ALL my class no matter what their heritage was reinforced by the work we undertook as a result of this field trip.

A LEARNZ trip like this keeps learning exciting and interesting. Makes you feel connected to the world outside the classroom.

Prompted me to explore mapping with my class. We mainly used the background material and explored concepts using maps of our own area.

All the students were engaged, especially my Maori and Pacific Island students who were empowered by this resource. I am always looking for different ways to engage the class and LEARNZ never fails to deliver. Thank you.

This trip gave different students a chance to shine and it linked strongly to cultural competencies. LEARNZ helps me link my teaching to what is actually going on for us in New Zealand, and keeps lessons and unit plans real.

It fitted in perfectly with our "Our Place" inquiry with high levels of engagement in this meaningful and authentic activity. Having each learner research and share their cultural heritage and ancestry has been enlightening and empowering. Using the digital tool Tour Builder and Google earth to map their waahi (ancestral journey) incorporated the new strands of the Technology curriculum with learners designing and creating using digital technology, not just consuming.

This trip created a lot of 'wondering' moments and also helped raise the profile of reo Māori in my class. It really supported cultural diversity, which is something that our school and Kāhui Ako has been focussing on. 

This mapping field trip was a great context to explore sustainability and te ao māori.

Supported our heavy focus on the key competencies and principles as we develop our local curriculum. Interesting, well thought out, engaging, and followed on nicely from other inquiries.

Helped provide an exciting context for students to learn about mapping. The field trip was presented in an interdisciplinary way which made the learning meaningful. It also supported me as a teacher to provide learning through the use of digital devices, and made learning both fun and engaging.

This fieldtrip fitted into our planned learning well as it had a variety of linked objectives. It enabled lower ability readers from my Year 5/6 class to work with a buddy to complete reading and activities for the fieldtrip.

The way the field trip was structured caught students attention and kept them interested. The emphasis on local history, starting with Maori legend worked really well. Lots of interest in being able to plot the trip using the mapping tool.

The students have continued, even after the end of the field trip, to explore their own passions around mapping, e.g. mapping their own whanau story. My Maori students showed full engagement in this trip, especially when listening to the oral stories of the local area. LEARNZ definitely supports my teaching, by providing a wide variety of resources and experts to support the class inquiry learning. 

Brought NZC alive e.g. "Participating and contributing" to create questions, as well as "Relating to others" by practising asking questions of experts. A sense of community and commitment extended from class group to wider world. Extended student view of He Waka Eke Noa.

This provided our students with experts in their fields. It allowed us to connect with them more easily. It made direct links to the learning of their world around them and connections to where they are from.

This field trip along with the last allowed our learners to ask questions, be inquisitive and actively involved in what is happening in our world.

 Interesting insight into volcanoes and earthquakes. Kids were amazed to learn about other countries with the similar to NZ geological issues. Activities were interesting.

Linked well into our unit on puia and maunga, with good information in the background pages and activities. Dipping into videos was useful. Fitted well with our unit, which is assessing Earth Systems at Level 4/5 of the NZC. It also allowed for participation and contribution for both the KCs and the NoS branch of Pūtaiao.

The field trip gave my students a good hook into volcanoes and natural hazards. It supported the science learning area well. Watching the scientist's plane trip sparked my kids curiousity, as did the trip up the volcano.

It encouraged a purposeful use of digital devices. The children found it very interesting to hear the scientists, see the location and the work that is being done. It brought everything to life for them.

The timing and content of the field trip was appropriate for my Year 9 class and they were all engaged, especially in the live web conference. I thought the virtual field trip was a valuable experience; both for the students and for my professional development.

The field trip allowed the children to dig deeper than just volcanism in Iceland. Students followed up with research on NZ Geology and experimenting making ther own lava, like Ben does in his lab!

It was at a perfect level for Level 3 to 4 of the Curriculum with extension opportunities. We participated live in one web conference but being able to replay all the web conferences was awesome! Took away the need for all the paperwork now needed for any outdoor education trip!

It was effective and was presented in such a way that it was really enjoyable, and the learning appropriate. LEARNZ trips give a great insight into the world and allow us to see and learn things we otherwise would not. Great learning tool - making learning real.

From the NZC, all Principles, Values covered in the programme, Key Competencies all used to reinforce learning; Science - natural hazards - future focus.

Gave us some great connections and real life examples of what we have been reading, talking and doing experiments about. It tapped into a lot of natural interest we have in our class, especially following our visit to a geyser at Te Puia.

My class were able to learn at their own level and pace, at the same time exploring the Principle of Learning to Learn and reflecting on how best they learned. Great to see my students raise their level of questioning and their confidence and independence since our first LEARNZ web conferences, on the previous field trip.

We absolutely loved this Iceland field trip and got so much out of it, that it took over a very intense 3 weeks of our learning. The content was so well pitched that all our children from year 1-8 could understand and learn from it.

This trip generated a huge response and the students loved being in Iceland. I was constantly asked if they could have more time researching-looking at videos and following their own Inquiry trail on this topic. All key competencies were used.

Absolutely ideal for my year level 3 & 4.

The reading background pages are well designed, with easier options and the audio button, so every student is included regardless their ability. The scientific content extended learning, the environmental message was strong, and students felt empowered to manage themselves better in protecting our natural environment.

All students were able to access information and deepen their understanding regardless of their reading level. A great resource with expert knowledge being shared with learners. Opportunities available for students that we can not provide.

Provided opportunity for collaborative learning around our current topic inquiry, so encompassing the Key Competencies, particularly Thinking and Managing Self.

The learning was relevant to our own estuary study and at a level my Year 5/6 children understood. This field trip hooked them in; students became curious and built their own scientific understanding of how habitats thrive.

Absolute perfect mix of Living World Science and Sustainability/Social Studies aspect that tied in well with our Inquiry. Curated to make life simple for teachers and very engaging for students, especially when putting their own questions to experts.

The children were focused for the entire live conference and the conversation that was generated afterwards was great. A great lead in to our next topic - Our Local Ponds. Thank you to those of you who make these conferences possible.

I felt that the live feeds were aimed at a younger audience than my Year 13 Geography class but the resources and background pages are excellent.

Spot on for our Inquiry context. So good to have it online after the trip is finished. Children enjoyed the 'real' places we are seeing.

Highly engaging, targeted the Principles, Values, Key Competencies, Learning Areas and Vision of the NZ Curriculum very well. Fantastic resource!

It consolidated what we are undertaking with our inquiry unit.

This field trip supported all students in developing their own learning direction for this topic. Enabled students to make contact and initiate conversations with experts who do not live in their area.

Great learning to be had by all children. Very engaging. We also used this field trip to prepare for an overnight trip to the Tawhiranui Open Sanctuary.

Fitted in perfectly with our school's vision, the key competencies and values. It was an excellent resource to supplement what we were doing in the classroom.

It was perfect for our purposes. I'm looking forward to the next one!

Complements classroom programmes really well. Useful for the strands in SST on Place & Environment and Continuity and Change. The trip also supported the future focus and sustainability concepts found in the front of the NZC.

It has provided authentic and real contexts for teaching and learning and really engages students. It tied in with what we had been learning around Sea Week and covered all the key competencies as well as many learning areas such as Science, Health, Reading, and Oral Language.

Great for literacy, using computers in a different way, introduced science thinking and specific vocabualary in Maori and English. It was effective in the sense that it gave me a framework to work within and draw ideas from, as the material was there to guide me.

I appreciate the support these field trips give to my broader teaching programme and the fact they are so accessible. Thank-you!

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.

Appropriate and effective, especially for Kaitiakitanga. Students particularly liked looking and watching the updates.

Good to have a variety of ways to understand the Water topic such as web conferences, quizzes, background information etc.

It fitted well with our Sustainability Social Studies topic.

LEARNZ field trips like this expose my students to things (places, concepts, experts etc) that they would not otherwise be exposed to.

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."

We planned a trip to discover Canterbury based on this virtual field trip. It was good for the students to meet real life experts and it was good to follow Andrew's progress via daily updates online.

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.

The course was great for student engagement and they had fun learning about farming and irrigation.

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.

We were able to relate this field trip to our learning around literacy, science, social science & the arts. The setup of the material encouraged students to work both collaboratively & independently.

It integrated well with the NZ Curriculum i.e. Thinking, Managing self, Relating to others, Participating and contributing, High expectations, Treaty of Waitangi, and Future focus.

Good background and build-up to Matariki. Prompted cultural awareness and discussions.

As this was about Matariki and Navigation, it was of interest to my Maori and Pasifika students and showed them that we valued their stories. Excellent opportunity for all my students to learn in areas that would otherwise be inaccessible and from people they can't access locally.

This coincided with our Inquiry and the class were fully engaged with the content. The learning is accessible, with differentiated activities that allow the class to learn at their own rate. All the key competencies, principles, values and different learning areas were covered. Promoted inclusion of Māori students, who were encouraged to show their knowledge and share their views.

Encourages thinking. Culturally responsive. Appropriate access to relevant and current topics for my Y10 Geo class.

Meaningful and relevant content for students, pitched at an appropriate level for our multi-age classroom. Having the opportunity to interact and ask questions in real time was appreciated and is valuable.

Engaging, motivating, easy to use, great resources, tailor-made for busy teachers to implement. Resources fully support an integrated approach. Thoughtfully curated. Children loved the digital content and videos. Rankings via quizzes very motivating for my class.

Our focus this term was "Exploration" and this trip linked beautifully with this. We have many Pacifica students in our class and it enabled them to make connections to their heritage, culture and history.

It fitted in exactly with what we are studying, and my students really responded well to hearing information from different people and in different ways. The web conferences were particularly empowering and transforming for my four dyslexic learners, as their questions were chosen as "best and deepest".

In the web conferences, I find the guest speakers and hearing the other schools' questions makes our learning authentic and relateable.

The class were motivated and excited by the learning, as the field trip gave students the opportunity to strengthen their own identity and cultural connections/ whakapapa. In addition, I tried new ICT aspects linked to the field trip and explored the concepts of 'Cultural Narratives' and 'Social Mapping'.

Trips like this are great because all of the students can access the material, not just the capable readers, as so much of the content is video based. Being able to access the material after the event is also great.

This field trip is a great experience and learning for students and teachers alike. It caters particularly well to the High Expectation, Inclusion, Cultural diversity and Treaty of Waitangi Principles. All students have access to the knowledge offered by the audio option, and learning of Te Reo words, history and culturally different points of view are being taught. 

This was a wonderful field trip which linked with our classroom learning. The kids particularly enjoyed watching the web conferences.

Fabulous trip; excellent daily videos that support teaching practice. The Māori aspect was particularly good with the lead up to our Matariki celebrations. Students loved taking part in the web conference, especially having their extra questions also answered.

It added significant context and background to our current Matariki study. The range of experiences, media and personalisation was great! My students really look forward to, enjoy and learn from LEARNZ field trips. Every one they have been on is remembered and has driven a huge amount of new learning.

The topic linked into our current Integrated Inquiry. Great resources on the website that the kids enjoyed interacting with.

It was a lot of fun and very valuable learning. It took a lot of the research and planning out of my hands and allowed me to learn alongside my students.

Excellent that students could replay the web conferences, as they can view later to find answers to their questions and hit the pause button as often as they need.

Perfect timing for Matariki. Tamariki were very connected with this field trip. Strong Social Sciences link around cultural ways of knowing.

Perfect fit for our learning. Students really responded to this teaching medium. It met our AO about understanding cultural aspects - stars / navigation, understanding signs and symbols, participating and contributing, and thinking. Also helped a special needs student to shine.

In this virtual field trip, the students studied creatures while learning about the concepts of biodiversity and conservation so we built our Inquiry around native animals. We decided to go to the Groynes and check out creatures there. We also looked at the wildlife at Willowbank.

The content was pitched perfectly for Year 7 & 8 tamariki. As part of our unit of inquiry based around ecosystems & biodiversity, there were strong curriculum links. The word bank helped build our te reo Māori too.

It followed on very well from the inquiry we have been doing into the plants in our local native bush. The most noticeable impact was a increase in our classes' scientific vocab. Great opportunity to communicate and collaborate with others outside of our school.

The learners were excited by the theme of the trip and carried out their own BioBlitz as a result. LEARNZ provides great resources and exciting opportunities for our learners to hear from experts in the field and to see practical applications for their learning.

Stimulated students to look at environmental issues and biodiversity in our local area. From a teacher's perspective it was a simple way to get children engaged in learning using a digital tool. 

The BioBlitz trip was an excellent activity in terms of supporting NZ Curriculum objectives in Science and Ecology for Levels 3 and 4. Science is a way of explaining the world and scientists work together to support their ideas. Ecology - students can see how organisms are adapted to their environment.

Great way to extend learners in science and mathematics. Adjustable for Years 1-6. Lots of Key Competencies.

Not only did my students enjoy this BioBlitz field trip, they were able to apply their learning to our local area. Having the ability to listen to the background pages being read to them is empowering for my lower ability readers. It means that they can still get the same information and complete the tasks.

As a school our Inquiry was Biosecurity. This was a fantastic resource for the class. The content of the field trip made it accessible for all members of the class; they were all able to experience it.

Great to have a primary industry field trip and a set of videos that can be used as the basics for Level 3 Apple Production for Year 13 AgHort. Would love more on other primary industry production processes in NZ.

Great to have a primary industry field trip - this provided a great range of videos as starters about the apple production process for Level 3.

This Apples field trip was highly inclusive and supported students with different learning styles and learning challenges - great to have reading support on the site. High engagement, helps develop intrinsic motivation in my students as well as inspiring them.

Sometimes we cannot offer our own EOTC experiences so LEARNZ Virtual Field Trips are a great way to show the students, instead of just reading about it or hearing it from the teachers. Students find it motivating and enjoyable. The videos are specific and not just general videos that may be found online. Andrew talks to the students through the camera and makes them feel a part of the trip. 

The videos are a great way to ensure all learners gain from the lessons. The chance to identify with a person and watch what they are doing (in their work) really connects with the students.

A great resource for NZ teachers and students. As always, this Marine Reserves virtual field trip infused all the Key Competencies and the Vision of the NZ Curriculum.

We cannot easily get out on actual fieldtrips so this is an especially good alternative. Integrated well with our Sustainability course.

Really enjoyed it! Lots learnt! Very effective - more so for the older kids but what my young enjoyed most was the diaries.

This was an amazing way to make the learning come alive for our study of Antarctica. Very effective - personalised the learning.

The students particularly enjoyed the videos and the quizzes. They also commented on how much they liked how the diaries were written as if they were there. This LEARNZ Antarctica trip fitted in well with the Nature of Science aspects of questioning and using vocabulary that we were focussing on.

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.

Led to better engagement and met the learning towards taumata 5 tikanga ā-iwi marau in the TMOA. Outcomes for my kura were evident and supported our kura value system or mātāpono, kaitiakitanga (guardianship of our earth mother Papatuānuku) and rangatiratanga (self-determination that comes from our own actions).

Listening to someone who was there reinforced how close we are to Antarctica and viewing the videos diaries really focused the students into the whole experience. The readings and activities made students manage their time appropriately.

Students said it was great because it simulated going to Antartica and it was awesome seeing (our ambassador) BuzzBee there. It was easy to set up my programme using Google classroom so students and their families could see what was happening whenever they wanted.

Great resource with a variety of media. Very comprehensive, providing students with another layer of learning material connected to real world around them.

Catered to the needs of all students. Tasks were easily differentiated for all curriculum levels. Great opportunity for students to make connections with the wider community.

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.

It made the students aware of the value of the work done in Antarctica, both in the past and in the present, more effectively than just reading about it.

It has taken my students to new worlds of understanding, given them purpose and focus to read and write about a 'real-life' topic that is of interest to them.

It definitely ticked the boxes. A great topic. We enjoyed all that was on offer.

Real life engagement with scientists on ice was interesting - great for students to see what we had been studying in real life.

I thought LEARNZ did a great job of mixing up content that covered multiple curriculum areas in a logical and accessible way. Most of the time my Year 8-9 class were engaged and absorbed by what was happening.  Well done.

Students became very curious with lots of wonderings about Antarctica and they decided that science is really cool. The field trip made for fun learning and helped us use the i-pads and laptops more effectively for independent research.

This was so engaging for our class. This is a great way to bring science alive in the classroom and it led to so many discussions.

Interactive, engaging and highly motivating. Helps create partnership between home and school as students are extremely keen to share the field trip experiences with their parents.

This field trip has been the highlight of the year for all the students. Amazing enthusiasm from the whole school.

The field trip supported the development of Key Competencies, and provided up-to-date information relevant to Education for Sustainability.

For my Year 4 class enjoyed the learning experience. The virtual field trip raised their awareness of how special and unique Antarctica is and made them think about being the guardians of the area.

Very appropriate for year 7/8 students. They absolutely loved being able to look at the resources, especially the photo/video content. It gave maximum opportunity to discuss what they were looking at and learning.

Great for Nature of Science. Also enviroscience topics. The kids were really interested - we found all the science fascinating and it was delivered in a way that made it understandable for the class. Also just the glimpse into life in the Antarctic.

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.

The field trip was extremely appropriate and challenging. Very effective. My class really got into it - it was so well organised for teachers and students.

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.

Provided real meaning and connections to topical subjects like global warming. There was a high level of interest about Antarctica from the students.

This unit linked with our topic of sustainability and enabled cross curricular learning in a digital context. This type of learning resource helps students to work at their level, irrespective of where they start and their reading ability.

Excellent source of information for the students, aimed at their level, well presented and easy for the students to access and work with. Students found it extremely interesting and they learnt plenty of new things about Antarctica.

My students have a different view of the world we live in after this field trip. My students love the field trips.

It was superbly rich with a wide range of activities to select from, to cater for differentiated learning in a class of individuals with multiple learning needs. LEARNZ Field trips have been an intrinsic part of my teaching aand learning programme for many years now. Extremely appropriate.

The unit was an excellent opportunity to integrate the Principles, Values, Key Competencies across a range of curriculum areas within authentic learning situations. The students really enjoy the online learning resources, especially the audio conferences.

My Year 7-10 students can access the field trip whenever needed, not necessarily during the trip. Relevant topic. Students keen to learn more about Antarctica.

It was great to have people there in real time - it connected the students to the context. It was fantastic where they could type questions to the experts even though they didn't have a speaking role.

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?

Engages the students. Interesting material which covers a breadth of issues and topic areas. Students gained an understanding of the Antarctic food web.

We used the Inquiry method to study Antarctica and we loved it! Shelley's videos created lots for discussion. Brilliant!

WOW, what a powerful learning tool the Audio Conference was - our extension Year 3-4 students were so engaged in listening and learning that they didn't make a sound.

Students who watched videos were motivated to set up a fresh water tank at school. Good science, reinforcing concepts of food webs and freshwater ecosystems.

We use material from completed field trips (Freshwater Ecology and Whio) on school camp at Tongaririo which provides excellent, authentic, high motivation support for our Year 7 students and relates well to our similar interets in Taranaki. I certainly appreciate the quality of the online resources that LEARNZ have produced. Thanks very much to the LEARNZ team.

We particularly enjoy the videos and questions, as they are effective at any time. Followed on from our water study and reinforced our learning around water ecosystems. The field trips have relevance even when they don't exactly fit a planned topic. I am hooked!

LEARNZ field trips are resource rich and they are scaffolded really well. Layer upon layer of information goes on and children pick up knowledge directly and through class discussion. This field trip has motivated me to come back for more.

Highly relevant to the students who self-regulated, worked collaboratively, and applied learnings locally. The multiliteracy approach is very engaging.

Because it was so interactive the children were 'hooked in' from the beginning. Listening comprehension was made to be fun as it was learning they were interested in. It covered everything we wanted to know and what we were learning about.

It tied in with our statistics unit, collecting data and using it to make a difference and to advise. My class love when they can view things through the data projector and it was helpful to generate discussion. Students were kept motivated and were also interested in the jobs available in this field. LEARNZ fits with all learners.

Students were captivated by this context. An outstanding resource to facilitate effective learning.

First time we tried a field trip - so much potential - it was great. We were learning together. Great timing for Te Wiki o Te Reo - Maori place names.

It gave a real context for elaborating on the aqueous chemistry we are studying. It gave a chance to explore a 'real world' environment from the comfort of our classroom, without spending the time and resources to commit to a full-blown field trip.

They are so relevant to the children who are at an impressionable age. They are now telling others what we should all be doing re health of our water sources.  They were so focussed upon the videos and the short reading tasks held their attention and were relevant to what we were doing. The cultural component was relevant to all children, not specifically to just Maori or Pasifika ones. It is such a great resource for teachers and students alike.

It is real time, here and now as well as New Zealand info and presenters which all makes it more authentic learning for children. The field trips offer current visual, aural and authentic learning for children, without a huge amount of time and preparation on the teachers part. The teacher can learn along side the children.  It's easy to access, well planned and organised and encourages a passion for our beautiful country.

The experience that my students got was fabulous. They gained skills in manaakitanga, independent learning, and the ability to refine questions through inquiry. All my students, in particular my boys, thoroughly enjoyed the activities  Beforehand, a lot of my students did not understand the magnitude of sustainability but there was lots of information that helped students understand it in the context of freshwater ecology. As a bi lingual class my students enjoyed using the Māori kupu in our word wall, using them in conversations with their peers and asking lots of questions about the Māori kupu in general.

As we are going to all these places for our school camp in September it was awesome to give them some background and really light the fire of the students. The activities were at the right level and there was a range of interesting things to do. The kids were very enthusiastic and were looking forward to each new day and what was happening to the experts. The learning they got from it was very real. I have got some amazing writing from the students as they try to explain complex terms like ecology and such like. It was a really good experience for me and my class, they learnt a lot about the topic and themselves. Brilliant. Have already recommended to many colleagues both in my school and at other schools.

Great for Participation and Connections, knowing our native flora and fauna are at risk, so students are feeling more compelled to change habits and do something about it.

I have been using LEARNZ for over 10 years - it is so awesome. Extremely beneficial in helping students see real life issues outside of the classroom. 

Excellent resources, great engagement from the learners and provoked good thinking surrounding our own restoration project. Fully supported the science learning areas of Living World (Ecology L1-6) and Planet Earth & Beyond (Earth Systems L3-4).

My class were very engaged in the web conference. This trip supported the science learning area and the children were keen to learn more.

My students love working in pods learning and researching on all the background pages and then seeing the real life videos. To the LEARNZ team thank you for such an awesome resource, that I love using with my students!

Roads and road safety and public spaces are a part of everyday life, so it was great to think about and talk about how this effects us and how our behaviour effects others, in a meaningful way. I love, as always, the Learnz topics and the framework provided to have some interesting conversations, share ideas, and expand our knowledge in fun and interesting ways.

Very useful videos, students enjoyed them. I have got a few dyslexic children so videos and live interviews were really helpful to get them involved in learning.

The children were really engaged and being able to ask an expert made them feel like they were really on board the Spirit of New Zealand. I particularly found the easy readings great for my Year 4-5 class and used them as the reading programme. Totally satisfied with all that was offered!

This field trip enabled my students to explore diversity, excellence - aiming high and giving things a go and themes of working together to achieve goals. Really helped in developing a great classroom culture.

The field trip certainly connected my students with the NZC. It was an authentic context for children to be involved in, covering all the key competencies, learning areas etc.

Linked through te reo me nga tikanga Maori - caring for our environment. Redwood Forest is in our area so able to connect to it through this field trip. Related to the NZ Curriculum - Community engagement, Cultural diversity, Future focus and the Vision - Confident, Connected, Informed, Contribuors.

We learnt things that were directly related to our topic of kaitiakitanga and sustainability. It is great to have the background information, videos and photographs that support a NZ topic.

It gave them the sense of being there, and the children were motivated and empowered to make a difference. The children loved watching the videos, and it made the whole learning process more authentic.

It was a really good way for students to learn about NZ and what's happening currently and in a manner that they could choose how they participated; some were more independent and others more supported.

It has benefited all akonga (that includes me). We knew nothing about kauri dieback disease until this field trip. Really relevant to us in Northland.

My students from this field trip are now very connected to kauri, that four weeks ago was just another native tree. Very powerful to have online learning with experts. Made a national taonga come alive and made kauri dieback real, relevant and contextual. Brings in elements of Nature of Science and the Social Science curriculum.

Kauri is one of our taonga, and this field trip supported our role as tangata whenua and kaitiaki. A great resource and easy to use with the class who learnt so much about the kauri and the disease affecting it.

My 31 mixed-ability children were completely engaged in our study. It was such an authentic context for us, as we are a silver enviroschool and we have three kauri at our school that we are learning to protect. Was great for the children to see real science in action; they were very interested in the laboratory work.

Activities that went with the videos were fantastic.

It is visual, relevant, easy to access, and makes good use of technology to be virtually there. Very relevant and topical in Northland.

I like that we can do the work live, or delay it to suit our needs, and either way not miss out on any of the content. It helped the children to further understand the need to value our natural environment and how easy it is for us to lose a taonga through lack of awareness or willingness to contribute. This topic also increased their cultural awareness.

Related to our personal environment, local issues, and experiences at camp. Very relevant to developing a MLE and BYOD environment. Combined literacy, science, social science. Andrew (the LEARNZ Teacher) was friendly, engaging, and related well to students and experts.

Owing to time constraints with other curriculum areas, I sadly did not get an opportunity to use this wonderful resource with my class. I will be using it retrospectively however.

The field trip was yet another way to utilise the tools in our digital classroom. My recommendation to colleagues is this resource, while valuable when it links to current teaching and learning, has also proven to be excellent for use with smaller groups to extend critical thinking and learning linked to a real context.

The visual and aural activities of the virtual fieldtrips, real time and recorded, are an immediate way to bring the wider environment into the classroom. The field trips and their material are flexible enough to give opportunities for a variety of uses in the classroom.

Resources that we used were excellent, thought provoking and have my whole class sold on taking care of kauri. Teaching kit very helpful, well thought out, age appropriate.

The kids really enjoyed it and were well supported on the website, as they we able to navigate to find their way around to answer questions they had generated. I was able to take different aspects for different abilities in the class. We also followed up with a visit in our local area to a native bush stand.

Ties in so well with the guiding principles - Education for sustainability, Treaty of Waitangi etc. My Year 4 children were engaged and able to relate this field trip to our term concept of Turangawaewae. Content interesting and informative. Well presented as usual by Andrew with passion. Children with different learning styles are well catered for and my special needs children are also keen to engage in this type of online learning.

As an Enviro school it is wonderful to be interfacing with experts in the field on real issues in real time. Some of my students go onto Learnz to explore further as additional home learning. Great to hear them educating their parents about what's happening to our mighty taonga, Kauri. LEARNZ is the most marvellous educational resource for NZ teachers. This is my 14th year with Learnz and I get great great support if I need it. The staff are truly amazing at every level.

My students enjoyed it and learnt so much. They were inspired and did their own projects on kauri dieback. They learnt to do inquiry learning. They enjoyed the videos and doing the activities to test their knowledge.

Hearing from experts is fantastic from a multi-layer perspective - from learning about future careers (scientists, DOC rangers, visitor centre staff) to the significance of the kauri to NZ was excellent. The (bilingual class) children really enjoyed hearing guest speakers present in Te Reo, present their mihi and hear first hand how important the kauri was and is to them.

We found it an effective way to learn. It focussed us on our work and was more interesting than just picking up a book. We would use LEARNZ again because we get to learn more about what's outside of our local community.

Adds to the learning experiences of our topic studies. We are studying kauri dieback using the "Keep Kauri Standing - Kauri Dieback" school resource so this trip supported that learning. It visited some of the areas we had already learned about and added some information from experts that helped to answer some of the questions we had.

Fitted in very well with our non-fiction reading strategies and gave information that we weren't aware of. Also topical with the news broadcast about Coromandel.

They (LEARNZ virtual field trips) are informative and they reinforce what I am teaching. We had watched with real disappointment the Kauri Grove in Cambridge and our local area die in last year's drought.

It provided a quality opportunity for integrating eLearning into the Inquiry programme. As part of our inquiry we will be researching possible sites at school and in our local area to plant several Kauri. I really like the questions and activities for further inquiry in the green boxes at the bottom of the Background pages. The videos also provided excellent class discussion with the questions that were attached to each video. Many children revisited the videos frequently during the trip.

The virtual field trip worked well for my mixed ability y9 science class. It engaged the students and it was relevant to the curriculum. The class enjoyed the wide range of activities. One of my students is a boarder, who has iwi connections, with the far north and kauri forests - the kauri are taonga to her iwi. She was very engaged in this unit of work.

The kids get really engaged with what they are learning about. Because it is real the kids really respond to it. We can make links to what is happening around our area, also.

Excellent resource, Learnz is so integrated into our schooling now we call it a learnz week and we have learnz books.  We love it.

Well connected to the science curriculum and reading. Students found the background information easy to read and gave them lots of information. The audio was very helpful to some of my less able students.

LEARNZ is so great for Science and Technology. This field trip provided awesome help with GPS and satellites.

Students participated fully in the drone demonstration and researched after the field trip had been completed. They were able to come up with their own inquiry into a part of the topic they were interested in. It involved all the class.

The students really related to the modern technology like self driving cars and how this relates to them. The field trip linked to many areas of the curriculum and students enjoyed the different ways of learning (eg videos, conferences and readings).

I enjoy the real life aspect of LEARNZ with relevant topics for our students learning across the curriculum. This was of interest to my year 7 students of all (learning) levels.

This term our focus was on Ranginui and Navigation. This field trip was perfect for connecting our focus to technology and making it relatable. The newsletters were also really helpful in providing info on how the trip would work.

Great Safety management ideas came through and layering on what we've learnt in Stan the Plan Learnz. Kia Pakari resource was fantastic. We had some great discussions on how different people help in the community and key messages endorsed such as - have a grab bag etc.

This field trip ended our term long unit on preparing for an emergency. It was spot on for my year 4-5 class, giving us a chance to hear from experts and people who experienced the earthquake. It also allowed us to ask questions and clarify our understanding. This has opened another door for me. It was so interesting, meaningful and relevant. It shows how technology can be used to extend learning. The students loved it - all rating the experience 9 or 10 out of 10. Thank you.

Students were engaged with the topic and it was great having experts to answer their questions. Interactive activities have been helpful to scaffold learning for all students.

Matched well with the NZ Curriculum in Social sciences and Planet Earth science. My children did enjoy using the Maori vocab.

This Kōkako field trip heavily support our focus on māori perspectives and tikanga practices surrounding nature and our syndicate mountain. The videos and background sheets are also excellent and catered for the range of levels in my class.

LEARNZ field trips like Kōkako are great for inquiry projects to show children another way to find information and to feed into passions.

This field trip was perfect as we are researching New Zealand, in particular birds. It helped us to learn about kōkako but also allowed us to value the kōkako on a personal basis.

The field trip catered for a wide range of abilities. Introductory video, photos and captions were brilliant to help construct questions for the videoconference. I found the SOLO taxonomy excellent. Having the Māori words with the correct pronounciations was fabulous. 

The project itself was great. It was interesting and my science students were really engaged from the outset. The website was awesome but one of the greatest things was the communication with the organisers and scientists.

It was good for our students to apply principles we have been learning to the kōkako and Mt Pirongia. Videos were great and also great to include a context from our local area, with corrrect pronunciation of Māori terms

I like the way that it has opened our learners' eyes to the use of experts to support your inquiry. It has also been a powerful tool for getting students used to the idea of 'actioning' something as part of an inquiry.

In a very powerful way students were able to work collaboratively and at their own pace. Practical as our school is isolated rural, 40km from the nearest township and our class is mixed ability Year 6-8.

Effective with real time and current information that covered many facets of inquiry and opened up deeper thinking. Receiving the letter with the liner sample from CWS was fabulous! Established a very tangible connection for students.

The field trip supported our delivery of the curriculum - especially having the ambassador, as he gave an added interest and focus. Students found it user-friendly and easy to access on our Chromebooks. 

The children all understood and could remember the waste process because of the clarity of the message from the videos.

The students were very interested and challenged throughout this virtual field trip. It was very appropriate, as we are completing an Inquiry on "Our Environment". The online support section was comprehensive and well organised.

Fabulous topic. Very easy and user friendly website, accessible for everyone. Thanks for sending the sample of the liner material used in landfills - it was very effective to see and feel the liner, and it covers a big area of technology.

The trip supported the Curriculum values by enabling students to work in differing capacities. LEARNZ gives me the opportunitiy to share experiences from all over NZ with the students in my class whose life experiences may be limited.

The field trip fitted with our environment and sustainability topic and saved a lot of resource development time which allowed me to focus more on my students learning. The content was readily accessible for my year 9 students and was effective because of the bite-size delivery e.g. short videos and diary entries that did not take too long to read.

Under our sustainability inquiry during this field trip, students had a say in what they learned (student voice and agency); they were motivated to learn new things and were comfortable about this (personal agency); and they worked in groups to find answers (peer support). Also students are thinking about changes/actions needed in the future (future-focussed learning); and they worked with other students and people in the community who help them learn (connected agency).

It was a great follow on from our litter less lunch inquiry. Good for Social Action, informing our parents about choices when purchasing goods and disposing of the waste.

It (the virtual field trip) helped students think about the environment and how they can contribute to looking after it. The topics related to what we were studying and we did't have to leave the school to experience it.

The field trip supported our study on the Environment and Sustainability and also worked in well with our Zero Waste Education study on Composting. Students were given an insight into landfills and recycling, and the activities gave the students a lot to think about.

Students got to experience aspects of waste management that they could not in our local environment and have become really motivated to address waste management issues in our local area. I also find that special needs students are supported on Learnz by the differently leveled materials available and by the different types of media (Text, Audio, Video).

Being an Enviro School, this field trip provided real depth to the enviro theme. As an e-learning class, all of the resources were readily available to the students so they could have some 'student choice' in what they did.  This is what 'personalised learning' is all about.

Very effective as we have been studying zero waste.  Students also gained skills in "Participating and Contributing" and "Managing Self".

Fantastic, up-to-date, real time, interactive resource on a current environmental issue. Related well to Social Sciences, L.4, innovation, challenges, people, places and environment. NZC Vision: a greater awareness of how students can be positive, lifelong contributors. Values:  linked with innovation, community, ecological sustainability. Principles: community engagement, future focus. Related to all KC's as they were communicating, thinking-inquiry, participating, and completing tasks on time.

This service is absolutely fantastic - have used it for years!

Wonderful. Good resources, and meeting with the key competencies. Fantastic resource to fit in with science, social studies etc.

Very effective. We were able to consolidate a lot of the learning we had been doing since our trip to the Wellington landfill.  It (the virtual field trip) catered to a wide range of students and met the learning of my year 4-6's very well. The students were active participants who were challenged to think critically.

It was very relevant as we visited our own local Maungatautari wetland, so it was great to compare.

Students valued the inclusion of speakers who related the land and resources to an earlier style of living on the land by Maori, in pre-European times.

Another valuable and appropriate topic from the LEARNZ team, as we knew very little beforehand about wetlands and their importance. LEARNZ is an excellent education tool.

Used to support digital devices in science at high school and an opportunity to experience the South Island. Some videos included Maori content - used as a role model for students. Pronunciation of Maori place names helped me as a teacher, as I try to improve and utilise Te Reo in the science class.

Our Inquiry was Sustainability this term and students really got into the field trip. It was a spectacular way for students to practice the Key competencies and meet people online they would otherwise have no access to.

Utilised the focus on te reo and cultural-history aspect of biodiversity. Students enjoyed the field trip as part of our ecology topic -they engaged well with the learning and were willing to contribute.

It (the field trip) was related to what we were learning and generated more inquiry questions. LEARNZ motivates the students and the information is pitched at the appropriate level for my class. Another portal of learning that lifted the enthusiasm of my students.

We used it as part of immersion for starting off on our journey of restoring a Wetland. It prompted questions, wonderings and enhanced their interest. Being able to send along an Ambassador was fantastic as it helped the younger members of our Wetlands group relate to what was happening.

Students have learned so much and they have become overnight advocates for wetlands. The LEARNZ programme really enhanced the pronunciation of Maori place names, values and importance of early Maori traditions to our lives today.

Students were asked about the KC's they used during this field trip and they unanimously said: Thinking, Relating to Others, Participating and Contributing, and Managing Self. They also said they enjoy the enthusiasm of the presenters, especially Andrew (the LEARNZ Teacher).

Very hands on feeling to videos and a very good learning experience all up! One of my sons loves animals and the outdoors. Living in New Zealand we all should know about the importance of these areas.

Students felt they learned a lot. The LEARNZ trip was used to introduce our inquiry and then provided a good follow up. We also visited a local wetlands and planted trees. The key competencies of Thinking, and Participating and Contributing were well covered. The field trip integrated well with Science, Social Science, Art and English. There was also a good emphasis on ecological sustainability and community engagement.

You bring the outside world to us! Boys especially are absorbed by the videos and discussions with scientists - you help turn them on to learning. The field trip helped us connect and participate with our community and is making science real and meaningful.

Our school curriculum focuses on the environment and having outside experts present information is a fantastic way to extend my students' learning and knowledge.

It supported excellence, high expectations, learning to learn, diversity and environmental sustainability, as well as the NZC level 4. It ticked all our Level 4 boxes. Great resource. My class can't wait to use it again.

Very purposeful learning. Supported our bi-cultural focus. Supported different learning styles. Found it very easy to incorporate into our long term plan and to integrate across learning areas. 

I feel it covered all areas of the key competencies - I used it to foster new learning relationships within our class, and it was an excellent tool to draw out my innovative thinkers. Due to the video nature of this field trip, the students were very engaged.

I particularly used the field trip in a Science context and looking at work scientists do (science capabilities). Videos had lots of content that was appropriate to use to discuss what scientists do. Community and participation as well as ecological sustainability were principles that were supported by the wet land field trip. We had a discussion about the drought as our overarching topic this year is water. 

We were studying a local waterway and were able to compare the bio-diversity between our waterway in the Far North with a fresh waterway in the South Island. The students were motivated to research their topic, find out more about their own community and particularly enjoy the audio conference and following their ambassador.

Great for Maori and Pasifika students and ESOL.

We used the field trip as an alternative programme for our advanced readers. The students who undertook this field trip were engaged and interested in the content. We were able to select background information and activities that were suitable, yet challenging enough for our students. The use of video, with the ability to replay and revisit parts to gain a greater understanding, was helpful. They had very little knowledge prior to the 'trip', but demonstrated a great understanding afterwards.

Science is an area we are trying to strengthen and this was a perfect opportunity to put the students in a real life context or study. The students were really engaged in the topic. I am looking forward to sharing with my students both the Antarctic and ANZAC Memorial Park trips. Both are topics we were already studying.

Love the SOLO Taxonomy integration - that is the kind of thing we love! Great model for us of how to use such tools. The field trip was part of our Wonderful Wetlands term focus. We also went for an afternoon to Travis Wetlands in Christchurch. Good contrast of virtual and hands on. LEARNZ gives access to environments and experts that are pure quality.

The quality of resources is exemplary. Being able to access audio to support the readings is crucial for a number of learners in my class. The field trip met all of the learning intentions outlined by the LEARNZ overview and opened new lines of discussion and knowledge for all students.

Great engagement in our inquiry topic. Great content in differentiated forms. Connected to the environment and groups involved in community. Experts' content was put into language the students could understand.

We enjoyed the audio conferences - the children who were involved in them will never forget that experience. This was the first time I have been on a virtual field trip and was pleasantly surprised at how much 5 year olds were able to get from it. Having Percy the Pukeko go as our ambassador helped the 5 year olds follow along. There was also lots of discussion to and fro between the children and parents.

The students loved it. It gave me an easy way to extend the knowledge of my more able students while also engaging my less able students. Great for peer work. Because of the way this was set up, I was able to create links to my class page, which encouraged students to access the class page out of school hours. We are also currently in the early stages of Enviro-schools; this helped get students thinking about what is going on around us as well as human impact.

The field trip dove-tailed nicely with a trip we made to a wildlife reserve and reading material covered in class. Students were able to make connections with prior learning and consider some of the threats to wildlife with a view to how they could make changes or take action to make a difference. I have learners with a range of needs and some particularly benefit from having learning presented digitally.

It is a great way to motivate students and it was set at the approximate age and interest. The virtual field trip was effective and we are planning a field trip to our local wetland area next term.

It was a great learning experience that is still going as an inquiry! I love the interacting that occurs between the LEARNZ teacher and the children. The activities are very child friendly and engaging. The language was able to be learnt and the videos were fantastic to clarify anything. I love the use of Maori words throughout.

Provides an interactive online learning website that is safe and relevant to the student's needs and interests, in regards to protecting NZ's wildlife and environment. Māori dictionary and glossary is provided and the relevance to the past use of wetlands to Māori shows respect for their ancestors and the future of NZ.

It is an amazing opportunity for the students to able to experience natural NZ. As this is our first virtual field trip we are busy exploring and familiarising ourselves with the website and using it as a warm up for Kauri (the next field trip).

The videos make it easy for all students to access and understand what is happening. Material was accessible for different learning styles. Students really enjoyed it, they were able to ask questions and get answers, it encouraged deeper critical thinking and students worked cooperatively to learn.

The field trips are informative, exciting and a great learning experience. Relevant to all learners because it used correct language for te reo maori and showed how LEARNZ value te ao maori through the concepts explored. The newsletters were also great, with lots of easy steps.

Students appreciate information from different, up to date sources and they can work at their pace. Allowed for differentiated learning. Good photos.

Student engagement in LEARNZ field trips is always high - they had also recently visited a local wetland. The knowledge students gain from listening to experts, developing questions, reading and viewing the videos and diaries is compelling learning! Highly motivating for students and teacher workload is reduced!

The answers were in-depth from the three experts for the areas that we are investigating. An easy way to conduct a field trip. Also very accessible for those with learning challenges.  

LEARNZ adds depth to a study, and purposeful inquiry for reading groups. The background reading and the videos gave students a wide appreciation of the diversity of our native wetlands.  

Really got us thinking about cars, traffic, air polution (in the tunnels) and safe alternatives like cycling. Very engaging and relevant material, presented well.

The field trip was excellent for both genders. Great for students to learn about how their voice and contribution can help shape the future.

It was appropriate to our Sharing the Planet inquiry, enabling children to have a structure in their learning and learn more than what they would if independent.

The field trip about the Waterview Connection was particularly interesting for some of my boys with an engineering bent, and they asked some good questions. The time-lapse video and pictures were particularly engaging for the class and they really enjoyed the detailed information available on the website about Alice the TBM. 

Served to show the variety of options available as an engineer and that there is a requirement for qualifications. Reinforced science, maths and English as important subjects.

Promoted coherence in our school as teachers of physics, Maths, Careers and Techology worked together with groups of Year 10 students to focus on Engineering as a future career. Watching the videos and engaging with the material gave the students a real live experience which left them talking about the tunnel afterwards.

We have been viewing the videos from the second field trip and children have been totally engrossed. It is something that is happening very close to our school and the planning of the Waterview School playground is also relevant to us.

Students really enjoyed the opportunity to take part in the competition. And really good to gain skills in cross-curriculum links.

100% engagement! Lots of discussions both in the classroom and in homes. Really good for the children to see the teams on the videos talking about work place treaties, working together, effective communication and all the things we talk about at in the classroom - quite a few lightbulb moments for students.

On so many levels, this field trip has enhanced, extended and promoted learning for our students. Fantastic opportunity for students living next door to gain deeper understandings into what is required to achieve this massive project. Multi Language support is awesome. Pictures and videos are particularly important for special needs and also ESOL learners.

The students get to see places they often would not get to see. They are introduced to amazing concepts and get to think about how this may affect them in the future. We used the easy background information which was very well suited to our Year 5 class.

It was appropriate for us since we live in West Auckland and the students travel near the Waterview area. The students were fascinated with the work that Alice does. I will use LEARNZ again as it is an important digital learning community that encourages the students to collaborate and expand their learning in their own time.

This field trip made us all think about population in cities, progress in transport and caring about environmental issues, and it really made the students unpack the information given and think about their open ended questions. Our students attend an isolated, rural school and enjoy learning about the technologies used in the cities and our global world. This was our first time participating and I would do it again. 

We thought the field trip was friendly, effective and interesting. Waterview project is local to our school and the Year 8 girls were interested in the development.

I love the links to Te Reo and the culture of the Maori people, particularly things like kaitiaki and karakias. Thank you.

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. 

Great to connect with others in a real world context.

We are learning about sustainability and this was a good trip to take.

It was really well set up with appropriate material for classroom writing and got all of my students excited about marine mammals.

I felt the field trip was well done and very engaging. It supported the key competencies very well and there was a lot of thinking, cooperative learning and activities that required a lot of self-management and participation by the students.

The field trip had a place in all areas of the NZ curriculum e.g covered reading, writing, geography, mathematics, art. Students were able to make connections to their own personal experiences.

Making the resources very NZ based and knowing other students were also doing it around the country was motivating for many. Having the correct pronunciation of words (Māori and English) available was valuable for the teacher, as was allowing the lower readers to listen to the text.

The children enjoyed the focus on marine mammals and the field trip was a very effective, engaging way of learning. Supported the overall vision of the NZC to become confident, connected life-long learners along with Values around Community Engagement and Future Focus. Supported the Learning Areas of Social Science, Science.

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.

It engaged the children in a different way; more authentic learning. Got students thinking about their role in our future world and how they could participate and contribute.

The LEARNZ field trips are a fantastic way to expose students to learning that they may not otherwise have, at places they wouldn't normally go to, while giving them the opportunity to get information from experts.

It was related to a topic the students could branch out into/feel passionate about and the resources were suited and adaptable to our year 7 class. Engaging with an expert models the quest for knowledge and students take it more seriously/engage more when they know the expert has dedicated their life to their chosen field.

It allowed students to work independently and collaboratively depending on their age. It encourgaged values - respecting our environment. And met a need for science.

Great variety of ecology concepts covered in the virtual field trip each day for my Year 9 students. Many opportunities for students to manage themselves and work through the activities in preparation for the field trip.

Timely and relevant.

Being a Citizen Scientist was extremely valuable and hit many curriculum areas, especially science, maths, art and language. We have been prompted by student feedback to move onto healthy environments and Maori aspects as well. 

These trips are fantastic. Students absolutely love them. Meets lots of areas of the curriculum - science, arts, english (reading, writing, speaking), maths.

When taking part students had to manage self, a Key Competency, to find out more information and research the bird of their interest.

This field trip aligned perfectly with out native bird inquiry this term, and gave great background information to support what we had already been learning. It was motivating and engaging - now the students are starting to have a real connection to the LEARNZ team and the process (of a virtual field trip).

It was absolutely excellent! It was very appropriate for the citizenship in Science that we are learning about, and is perfect for an authentic context to reinforce teaching of the science capabilities and the Nature of Science.

This Learnz Geohazards site allowed my students to work at their own pace and helped them to become drivers of their own learning.

Supported L6 of the Science curriculum, in particular the ESS standards, plus Nature of Science for my Year 12 Science class. Video conversations enabled the "real"world into the classroom - the presenters are more than talking heads, as they have a wealth of background knowledge and make learning fun.

The live link up is great. Great to be able to observe, listen to experts at work. Real life context.

This field trip catered for many learners - with videos and photos to support the learning, it is not all reading. And with the readings being able to be listened to, it allows many lower readers to be involved in the content.

The field trip helped to make the content very relevant and allowed the students to feel like they were getting first hand experience.

Formed the basis of an introduction to AS90952 - Demonstrate understanding of the formation of surface features in New Zealand. Curiosity increased as a result of the first audioconference in particular and led to some interesting off-line questions and discussions.

Level of language in the resources was perfect for my wide-range ability Year 10s. The format encourages persistence and allows students to work at their own pace, through material that engages them, testing their knowledge without lots of writing! Parents were able to view the material and this was a valuable opportunity to engage our community.

The students now have an increased sense of responsibility and citizenship regarding Geohazards, especially as I was able to completely integrate the learning into my reading and writing programme. The resources are amazing and so perfect because they are about N.Z. and show how scientists work.

Used for Science/Geography/Earth sciences - natural disasters as well as Maths/Science - data collection and interpretation.

Excellent resource that can be picked up by all students or just one who wants to delve into an area at a greater intensity. Self regulated, great background to an area of interest. 

The lessons and resources targeted the students learning needs while challenging their thinking. It supported my kids' knowledge, future learners, sharing of information and becoming 21st century learners ... connected learners.

Contributes to learning objective for both Earth and Space Science L2 internal and external assessment. Helped as part of the inquiry process with student-led learning. Good opportunity for managing self. 

Very appropriate for my multi level and age class. Well supported. The field trip enabled learners to gain knowledge in aspects of geology which they then used in writing and oral language. Students were highly engaged. Excellent resource!

Totally in line with our Disasters topic. Worked well with the Key Competencies we aligned with our unit. Backchannel was great for the class next door.

Great material, age appropriate, to generate interest and questions. Great engagement. Students gained knowledge of volcanoes and geothermal activity, connected to wider New Zealand. 

A good introductory approach for Extreme Natural Events (for Level 1 Geography). Encompasses a different approach. I rate it. It gathered interest and allowed for better retention of some of the key points than just class notes and activities would provide.

Our topic this term is actually civil defence and I used this field trip as motivation. Living on the lower slopes of Mt Taranaki the volcano parts were our particular focus and as my class are year 2-4 we used the fabulous videos and the photos in the gallery. The class have gained a huge understanding even from what we have used. There was a lot of information they could access with a little guidance, and they really enjoyed it. It was also easily accessed by the special needs children with their teacher aides.

Pitched to range of levels - many students are visual learners so the videos and photo gallery are especially useful. Ability to revisit info and to pace themselves as they read through the background notes is also good.

Childern learnt a lot about geohazards in NZ, other than just earthquakes. So easy to incorporate into the programme; can 'take' children to parts of NZ that we are too far away from; can access any time after the trip begins; has good range of material that engages children eg photos and videos and background pages...

 A neat and different way to engage kids.

It gave real life situations to our study. My Maori student liked the fact that the list of geothermal (Ngawha) terms were able to be related to the study. The videos were great - most enjoyable. Students gained skills in note taking as well as knowledge which they later used to write a report on the Tarawera eruption. We are going to the buried village for a class trip so the children are very excited about what they will see.

As an introduction to the the topic, this was based at an ideal level. Students thoroughly enjoyed the experience and were able to share new learning. Questions gave them a focus and they were directed to information that helped them build understanding. The programme is set up in such a way that all students were able to participate. The way it is formatted into sections removes barriers for students who would otherwise have found it difficult. Awesome way of extending understanding and knowledge about our country.

Was an awesome collaborative and digital experience for chn.

Fantastic link to the Great Kererū Count. Helped support learning in class and our participation in the count itself.

This trip was real science in action and my students had buy-in from the start. The videos and real life experiences are very beneficial to the children's learning, opening their eyes to the wider world and I love the way the field trips incorporate aspects of Maori culture and beliefs.

My students were very engaged in the kererū topic and enjoyed learning about something they could see in their own environment. It aligned with our theme/values this term of tangata whenua - kaitiakitanga. The web site encouraged independent learning and I was also able to use it to enhance our reading and writing programme.

Great. We used it to plan our own Kereru Count field trip.

It supported teaching about the principles and values of the NZC for this group of 5-10 year old students, who are a part of the school's environmental team. It has been a driver for these students to form connections with those experts in our community who can support their projects, such as biosecurity officers at the regional council and local iwi.

Very appropriate and engaging both due to the focus of the unit and the delivery. Extremely motivating for the students learning. Great to have the personal touch where the children get to interact with Andrew. Very relevant and future focused.

Provided wonderment and awe !!!! The akonga loved it - fantastic. Amazing PD for me, too.

Using a LEARNZ field trip is important in transforming my teaching from a part digital to a fully digital classroom. We spend three weeks working on this field trip as it fitted in really well with our whole school topic of examining our place in the world. It covered many of the areas of the NZ Curriculum through a cross curricular learning experience. My year 4/5 class liked the choice of reading or listening to the background material. The support provided is thorough and I found it very useful in my teaching.

This field trip provided ample opportunities for my Year 11 Geography students to engage in the subject matter and context. It was appropriate, and linked well to establishing a base understanding of GIS and some of its real life applications.

There was something for everyone, even for students with prior knowledge.

Good platform for introducing Science students to the concept of GPS. Students liked that there were videos of how GPS worked. The field trip also worked well for international students in the class and those with English as a second language.

It gave a rich context for our Maths and provided real relevance. All learning areas were integrated even though our focus area was Maths and the virtual field trip supported all aspects of the NZC vision statement.

Our values at our school include Creativity, so this was a great link to the curriculum as well as seeing the production elements of performance. The performance technology students got to see elements of performance for something we can't teach at school.

Fantastic for my year 5/6 class. They learned so many skills and it was great to apply them to a real-life purpose, putting questions to experts in the audioconference. The field trip was a very effective learning experience for my class, which was added to by attending the dress rehearsal. 

Students were engaged, motivated and excited to be taking part, and learnt a great deal from this field trip as it encouraged them to work towards excellence. Participating meant they engaged with the curriculum in English, The Arts (Music, Visual Arts, Dance and Drama), Technology, and with many of the Key Competencies.

Very appropriate in that we are doing a production this term, and it was a cool way for my students to see the arts in action for real.

My online (distance) class was focussing on a topic about creativity this term so the Opera Trip was a great complement to this. LEARNZ trips offer rich, pertinent learning about the place we live in.

It was an opportunity for students to experience something they may not have ever been able to, had it not been for this field trip.

We were able to link this field trip with our school learning about performance, and our "showcase" which will be at the end of this term. The content was accessible to all students, with them able to listen to the information if they were unable to read it. Students were particularly engaged when taking part in the audioconference and asking questions, live.

It was really successful and appealed to both boys and girls, who embraced the whole opera idea. Students' KCs developed well and the use of devices proved really successful. Great resource: cross-curricular, useful for literacy, and Maori keyword translations were appreciated.

This term's topic is wearable arts, so the field trip was a perfect immersion into the world of performance and costuming. It was useful for increasing interest in the world and performing arts, and I was able to use the information and interactive questions as an effective reading activity, which I then used as a prompt for writing.

We used this as an ignition to our art and drama unit. Added depth to children's learning and they enjoyed the interactive experience. The pre and post assessment showed a lot was learned during the field trip and some children asked their parents if they could go to a performance

Allows the students to go beyond their own back door and extend their learning to other areas and experiences that may not be available otherwise. Encouraged the Arts and English curriculum areas and I have noticed my children listening to different music during class time.

It was a great way to expose the Year 7 and 8s to something new and different, and to learn at their own pace.  I have had very focused classes during each lesson. It covered all The Arts, with visual art (props and scenery), as well as dance, drama and music.

This trip led to our kids being more excited than ever about putting on our own show! Thanks for the encouragement! It's great to see Learnz embracing the Arts like this - you broaden our appreciation of what is around us.

 LEARNZ is a fun way to learn, that exposes students to things that are happening nationally and globally. It is real life learning. Lots of fun and high interest videos. Students could relate to the (performers') need to practise, and rest too, which links nicely to lots of classroom learning areas.

Fitted in nicely to the curriculum (The Arts) - I found the unit plan really helpful and a time saver. The background information gave a great range of information all in the one place.

Our KC for Term 3 was Using Language, Symbols and Texts. This trip offered the opportunity to see a completely different view of the ways people communicate though opera. We were also able to integrate the trip with our Arts programme. One of the best virtual field trips we have been involved with.

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.

The students were able to be self directed through this field trip. They then published a blog about their experiences.

It was excellent, it fitted in really well with our topic as well as curriculum values, principals, KCs. Students got a lot out of the Waka virtual field trip and were excited by it.

This field trip was perfect for our combined Māori and Health studies for Term 1. My class were able to use this at school and in their home with parents. Very satisfying to observe students personalising the learning.

An interesting style of learning - lots of potential. This has been a great experience as a teacher and for the class.

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.

We also visited the waka and helped with repairs to Nukutaiao. That made the (virtual field trip) experience very meaningful.

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.

Anything to do with Culture is well received by our Maori students! Also covered all the Key Competencies. Was fantastic to be able to be a part of the field trip. Our students loved it!

Traffic in Auckland is a big part of our lives so my boys could relate to this topic in real life. The background pages, pictures and videos held their attention. My boys enjoyed the smart motorways trip - they learned so much. 

The children loved this field trip. We integrated it into our reading programme where we focussed on the reading strategies of: Summarisation, Synthesising, Making Connections, Inference. The structure of the field trips makes my life easy as far as planning goes. The fact that the children can log on at home is great. The parents love logging on and listening to the audio conferences.

The class found it effective as the resources invited collaboration and discussion. It was a new context that demonstrated science in action. Learning areas could all be linked and the key competency of self management was explored.

We were able to relate this situation to those we know more about in Auckland. As our topic for the year is responding to challenges, we were able to see how this is being effected in the area of transport.

The students were motivated by the fact that this was real time learning about a new technology in NZ. Helped to inspire the students into inquiry based projects related to our term's concept of 'Movement'.

We are studying Structures and Smart Motorways tied in well with our schoolwide topic. The field trip made the children think at a deeper level and apply knowledge gained to other areas of the curriculum. The activities and videos supported the context well. The children enjoyed sharing what they had learned on the Field Trip with their families at home.

The field trips meet the needs of lots of learners and enables multi level learning on the same topic. I like the ability to easily revise, and work can be looked at outside the classroom. Excellent links to key competencies, self management, use of 21st century learning environment.

Useful for itroduction of new technologies used in Geography, visual interpretation. Also useful for self directed learning and independence. I have always found LEARNZ field trips a useful tool to back up and extend in school learning. Now retired, I would like to thank the team for your enthusiasm and professional learning.

Yes the topic was good, interesting etc, linked to the human uses of the environment for 2.1 Geography and was generally interesting to students; drones are very in! So it is a great way to engage students, use technology and get students enthused about Geography.

My year 7 and 8 students have really engaged with the trip material. Thank you for providing such an interesting resource. A lot of my students like to spend time in the bush and were keen to learn more about the application of technology in this area.

The audio conferences were particularly helpful for our students. As a whanau hub we have been working on aspects of flight and transitioning into digital platforms. This has assisted us to transition our students. 

The video clips of the drone in action was a major success. This put the whole subject in perspective. Because of the novelty of the subject the student engagement was exceptional and they gained skills in elearning as we used the iPads to read and study the background pages.

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.

Reinforced other learning on natural disasters, emergency procedures and being prepared. 

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.

Very relevant for year 7 students. I really like the audio voice over which has allowed the lower reading level students to work with a lot of independence, without having to wait for the teacher to say the word / discuss the word / explain context etc. 

Resiliance was a key idea we discussed, as were some of the key competencies and their application in real life situation. Right level, good content.

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?"

We used the videos and some background pages for discussions.

We think this (field trip) was very effective as we are much wiser about what we need to do at school and at home, to be prepared during and after an earthquake. LEARNZ is a remarkable online learning community which allowed us to get information on earthquakes from schoolchildren, parents and teachers. 

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.

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. 

 Enjoyable to hear first hand accounts - made it more real for the children.

Relevant to topic at school and it was all current. Great tool.

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.

We are a sole charge school of 12 students and I was able to adapt the content to suit all levels within my class. This was our first live field trip and the students really enjoyed it and got a lot from it. There were lots of comments over the week about how 'cool' and 'fun' it was.

Great to follow this field trip while preparing for Shake Out on Thursday. Engaging way of learning for students. Lots of great information given and the opportunity to ask questions of experts.

Other than learning about our environment, we also used it in our creative writing unit.

It was wonderful having a bird students already had contact with to focus our inquiry skills of research, communication and self-regulation. There is an excellent balance of texts and photos which can be related to all the learning needs in my class. The field trip was so relevant and the format easy to use.

My students learned heaps about kea and the amazing people working with them. Students love these virtual field trips which provide for different levels of learning at the same time. We asked questions, did shared and independent reading, did shared and independent topic writing, art, technology, poetry and incorporated measurement and mapwork into this study topic.

This trip was most effective in supporting the theme of 'Kaitiakitanga' for my Year 4 class. The programme supports modern learning approaches very well and combined fabulously with SOLO. The children all loved it and it has really inspired them to want to learn - they were keen to get on the computers each morning to catch up with the latest happenings.

Students thoroughly enjoyed reading and learning about the Kea. Information was appropriate for their age.

We have a strong interest in native birds at our school and this field trip fits in with the value "ecological sustainability" and the "future focus" principle. I've used it as a science context but also as a high-interest and friendly reading and viewing resource.

The whole class decided that having access to the experts was invaluable (via the audioconferences), and we wouldn't have that access otherwise. Great way of engaging the children and having them learn about our natural environment. Hugely motivating for the children, able to be integrated into all aspects of the curriculum.

Hugely effective in that everything we wanted the students to do was covered by you in an engaging and motivating way.  We covered most areas of the curriculum, as well as fostered a new understanding of what 'virtual' actually means!

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.

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.

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.

It was a great support for the Virtual Great Walkers competition, that we have entered in. Lots of helpful information that covered all areas. Valuable resource.

Relates well to developing thinking and analysis skills, applying information and evaluating conservation issues. Students used the information as a basis to do further research on NZ Great Walks.

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.

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). 

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.

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.

It helped to put our school values and KC's in a real learning experience - one which the students could discuss. It also allows my class to have access to experts.

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 have a Yr 5 6 7 class and all were interested. LEARNZ helps with the range of learning abilities within my class. It also gives students from different backgrounds a variety of different experiences that they may never have the chance to do.

The children were enthralled by this trip. They all want to go and walk the Routeburn for real now! A great way to 'hook' the children in. So interactive and 'real'.

Very engaging. Tied perfectly with our current inquiry into Hauora.

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.

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.

Students are continuously thinking and evaluating information they are reading or viewing. They are self managing their learning and using technology to enhance it.

Kids were amazed at the thought and influence of soldiers' personal journeys that were included in the design and symbolism in the park. Making connections with schools and viewing questions and listening to responses was great. Kids enjoyed learning about what the experts did to enable the park building project to work.

The theme of this field trip fits in with WW100 for this year. This field trip helped students develop an understanding of how an entire community gets behind a project like Memorial Park. It also encouraged students to think about what happens in our own community.

The audio conferences and videos were amazing. Perfect for my class. We had all Year 8's do it together and they loved it. My class are already asking about the next one.

Definitely appropriate to my Year 6 class, especially as it was local and all knew the area well.

The material was pitched at the right level for year 7/8s and linked into our ANZAC day topic. It is a fantastic resource, easy to use and understand, and it compliments reading, writing and inquiry programmes. It is great to have the real world contexts for children to engage in.

Highly engaging, complimented our topic "Our Place". Supported many literacy skills, thinking, reflecting, questioning, discovering.

The flow on from Memorial Park 1 through to 2 was good. Looking forward to the next one. The use of some of the technical language was great. Love the interactive nature of the field trips - especially the Twitter updates! The diaries are always interesting.

 Fantastic - we were going to Waitomo on our field trip, and the timing and content could NOT have been better. Greatly improved audioconferences - the backchannel improved engagement, and the kids were highly interested in hearing their questions asked over the Internet, and the immediate responses.

 Excellent self paced real world learning. Great to have multi media resources students could relate to. Individual support and emails made the programme more accessible for our Special Needs Class.

 It built nicely onto our class trip to Oamaru airport. Children were engaged - videos and activities were much enjoyed. Audioconferences are a great way to engage the children - developing and asking their own questions is great.

My class loves being part of the field trips, watching the teachers on the videos and listening to real people in real life situations. We were learning about transport with a technology focus so it was a very interesting topic for the children, pitched at a good level.

 Suited all students regardless of their knowledge of International airports. All were interested in the behind-the-scenes look at how an airport works.

Was incredibly engaging for the students. They learnt a lot more about digital citizenship as well as working together in a community group. They also found out a lot about what goes on when they arrive in a country and in regards to the process of an airport.

Great outside of the classroom learning and the kids love the fact that it is a virtual trip.

I had a careers focus with my Year 7&8 class and I could not have chosen a more effective venue than an airport. The LEARNZ experience cannot be matched for engagement and student enthusiasm.

The field trips work for independent and well as peer work. They ignited passions the students didn't even know they have! I have a number of low ability readers in my class, being able to listen to the text is fantastic.

Engaging and interesting for the children - they enjoyed the videos and especially the interactive activities. I loved how the children were really motivated to read and use keywords from the background pages so they could get 100% on the activities! There were also some wonderful gems from the audio conferences which we discussed and learnt from as a class.

It backed up our camp from last year when we looked at the Waitemata Harbour and we are looking forward to the upcoming LEARNZ field trip to Lake Taupo, continuing our water inquiry. On this field trip, students compared the two harbours which reinforced their learning.

We have been researching about Captain Cook and we are also preparing for a Marae visit so components of the field trip have been particularly relevant. The easy background pages and the associated activities were just right for my Year 4 class. It is always interesting to learn from Shelley and Andrew while they are on location. The students develop a connection with them, particularly if they participate in an audio conference.

Great visual learning, auditory learning, and inquiry learning. I like the way Māori words are put into every context of the trip.

High level of student engagement, interesting topics that are relevant to students' lives. Videos are always pitched at a good level, interesting - many of my students access them at home too.

Students from my digital class were very interested in how technology was used, particularly in planning buildings.

The field trip inspired students to find out more about geographical names close to us. Engages students, ignites passion and interests the students didn't know they had; develops awareness of things that students wouldn't generally have access to. They love being a part of the audio-conferences.

My Year 9 class liked the fact that the experts' answers were not too technical. The field trip was a different delivery format that the students enjoyed.

It was great for all children in my class, and I have Māori, Pasifika and special needs learners. Tied in excellently to our inquiry with a science focus and gave my children another avenue to explore, if they chose to, and exposure to a real world context.

It fitted into the Level 3 Earth & Space Science Oceanography topic very well and extended able students in this Scholarship class. Also an excellent way to gain an understanding of careers in Science as well as current scientific research in NZ.

The students we highly engaged. They love doing the LEARNZ field trips. It has activities that they can use in and out of the classroom, and it promotes a blended learning approach.

 Students loved it. Specifically noticed lower level students had high engagement and enjoyed the whole-class, real-world learning.

Extremely effective. Activated higher order questioning and students engaged in inquiry learning and we as a class had great discussion from the Argo Floats field trip. Keeping things simple with the live audioconferences was great. Easy for me to connect, thanks.

They learnt a lot and I hear them telling others all about it. Loved the connection to the sea and the environment. 

The videos and photo gallery were very popular. The children had access to tablets, which were well used as the children investigated the information supplied independently. The children enjoyed the field trip and have a much better understanding of the Argo Floats than if they had used in-class resources only.

It is AWESOME! Students were engaged and intrigued by the ARGO floats field trip. They had heaps of questions and the trip enabled them to extend their critical thinking skills. The interactive nature of the website means that students can work through the material at their own pace and level. The field trips give the students the opportunity to interact with people who are experts in their field and find out information first-hand.

It is a modern way of getting the children engaged in their learning. The children are now a lot more knowledgeable, geographically - they can identify oceans, understand currents etc. Being part of an audio conference allowed children to ask questions at their level.

Generated a lot of questions and interesting discussion after a term of learning about water and rivers. The activities provide just enough information to allow students to think and ask questions. I find the field trips allow for a range of learning opportunities and experiences for our students.

It linked well with our focus on global issues and water use. It caters for a range of abilities and now that we have more devices allows students to work at their level. The live links created more reality and interest to begin with. Great stuff.

The students were very motivated and learned many new things. They have changed their attitude to estuaries in our area. They particularly enjoyed the audioconferences and twitter - audioconferences are fantastic. I like the contact with scientists and other experts. Good links with careers education and Nature of Science.

Appropriate as an introduction to harbour ecology. Made for a useful comparison to our own harbour. My Year 12 Science students were able to compare and contrast both ecological and social values of the harbours.

LEARNZ field trips provide an inclusive blended elearning programme that has heightened student learning and enthusiasm for learning in my class. The information available to support planning and implementation of classroom programmes is amazing. The curriculum integration opportunities LEARNZ field trips presents has provided my students with a rich literacy programme. Parent feedback from our annual teaching and learning survey provided positive feedback about how effective and apparent the students learning is when participating on a LEARNZ field trip.

Students loved it - really got into whaling debate. Loved the audioconferences. Great learning experience - we use SOLO and all students moved their learning.

It would be one of the richest learning experiences I have experienced with a class.

This was a great field trip. Students have been really inspired to find out more and are interested in what the scientists are trying to find out.

Use of Maori words and history helps us connect to NZ and the culture.

We are starting science fair and this was a good introduction. Wide range of students who all enjoyed it and worked at own level.

I was amazed at how much the children could tell me about whales, and more importantly, explain to me the process that the scientists were using to research the humpback whales.

Our Enhancement group ranging in age from 6-10 all got value from the trip.

We are itching to start the background on whales as part of our science. Students are really excited.

Having our ambassador go along created real buy in for the children.  

For students, the 'big idea' that what they do does count. Fabulous 'virtual' trip for low decile schools. Great for English language learners. 

Andrew's videos were awesome. His interview questions and video shots provided a solid insight into the area and associated issues.

We will use LEARNZ again because it is a wonderful and free resource.

Fitted well with our topic "Our Planet is in Danger". Good quality, interesting material, flexibility in how much to use and when. Freedom to adapt and do it our way and use as little or as much as we need.

The virtual field trip caters for all types of learning. Students enjoy doing the worksheets and researching them. Information pages are appropriate to their level. Videos are engaging and the questions help direct the students to focus in on the learning.

Well planned, organised, interesting, and good interactive stuff for the students.  

Great info from fantastic experts guiding us through a real conservation/science issue. Fitted perfectly with our term unit on Native Plants and Animals.  More from Chris on the VLN. 

The biggest benefit was being able to relate to it on a personal level and also to be able to follow up on it in our local community.   

Related it to our small area of bush at school. So far we have set a trap, the same type as was in the video. Special needs loved the video presentations and gained from them.  

Hooked them in from the beginning - ambassadors/videos - high interest activities. Helped the children to focus on our concept of "taonga". Authentic learning that helps all children through the use of various learning styles. Great for helping to differentiate the programme for the wide range of children in my class.  

Resources were very easy to download and adapt for our students with specific needs. Our school had a Maori Community Hui during the trip and feedback directly from parents of children in the class was extremely positive. Great to be able to follow from home as well.  

Great to learn about our New Zealand icons. I always enjoy Learnz and have been using it for the last 6 or 7 years because it is an absolute gem to all teachers and students.  

They are well planned and provide us with a link to experts and sites we would not usually visit. Excellent for developing literacy and numeracy in a purposeful context.  

It is a great way to learn. Students are made aware of important conservation issues in a fun way. The various activities cover a variety of learning styles.The topics can often be linked to local communities.  

Many of our reading and writing strategies and progressions were able to be met by the field trip, as well as integrating our topic studies. I also used the diary readings as a shared reading activity, which was great. Students recorded questions throughout the audio conferences and we posted them in the Ask an Expert forum. Shelley responded that evening and we were able to integrate that into the classroom programme the next day. The students loved seeing their personal questions answered.  

Provides access to areas that we can not just jump in a van and travel to.  

The way the scientist answered made the children feel valued and that he was very interested in their ideas.  

The questions were excellent and the short videos really helped to maintain the boys' interest. Because there are visual/ audio resources it meant that the learning was more accessible to everyone. 

Linked into our Bounce Back school wide theme. This project was brilliant for exploring how humans adapt to disasters. Awesome way to engage all learners, the activities, audio conferences, video diaries - just excellent!