Watsoning Around The World

FROM ANALOG TO DIGITAL LEARNING MANAIAKALANI IN NEW ZEALAND

About a week ago (’bout a week ago) I visited Panmure Bridge Primary, and boy do these kids have it going on. They’re bloggers, film makers, animators, publishers, and I bet half of them still sleep with a night light. From the time these kiddos come to school in year one to the time they graduate to high school at year eight, they are immersed in a digital learning environment. Using chromebooks and ipads to complete their assignments, these children are at the forefront of a shift in education. Say hello to digital learning.

I was surprised to learn that this school is classified as a “decile 1” school, which means that they are in the 10% of New Zealand schools who service the highest proportion of students from low socio-economic communities. This school primarily is made of students from Maori (More-Ree) and Pasifika backgrounds. Often, students will begin school already two to three years behind the national averages in reading, mathematics, and writing. Additionally, though Early Childhood Education (ECE) is encouraged and promoted by the government, privatization of ECE continues to create challenges for families with low socio-economic status. As a result, both Maori and Pasifika students around the country miss out on early opportunities to “learn the ropes” of school as well as practice valuable language skills.

So, how is it that the same kiddos who barely knew their alphabet in year one are maintaining a blog and editing their own youtube videos only a few years later? Seriously, I’m 24 years old and can hardly publish a four-minute video without first watching a half hour of “how-to” videos. These kinds are like eight *rolls eyes in envy*.

The answer is Manaiakalani, a program which focuses on shifting from traditional analog learning to full digital education. The Manaiakalani (Man-Eye-A-Ka-Lawn-E) program encourages school to fully plunge into education using technology. Through corporate sponsorship and donations, each student has access to either an ipad or chromebook, on which they read, learn mathematics, practice writing, and submit their assignments.

At first glance it sounds like students just sit at their desks all day and work quietly, staring at an ever-changing screen (I swear I just described undergrad), but in reality, what pans out is quite different. Teachers still work one-on-one with their students, creating personal assignments for each pupil, and children are still working with peers and learning valuable social skills. A major difference in this model is that students are given more agency over their own learning. They know their assignments, when they are due, and that their class will be able to also see their work, echoing Manaiakalani’s motto “Learn, Create, Share”.

Of course I still have a million questions about how the program works. This is only one example of it. The teachers and staff are undoubtedly enormous factors in the students’ growth. I mean it, these folks are cheery. It’s seriously refreshing. The same program without caring and dedicated teachers and staff leading the way would hardly be so successful in my opinion.

Stay tuned: I’m planning on asking a class if they would help me make another video for my youtube channel.

Further Questions: How does the education system in New Zealand make it possible for schools to freely implement their own programming and curriculum? Are there things lost in shifting entirely to digital learning?   What are similar programs ongoing in the United States and other countries?