A long overdue update

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Since our last update we have mainly been working on the offering to schools to support maker activities. The product comes in three parts:
  • ·         Package X – free, online access to lesson plans, curated articles, videos, communities of practice etc
  • ·         Package Q – paid, borrowing of robots or 3D printers and laptops to support them
  • ·         Package Z – paid, access to expert coaching via AUT Colab

We have been working closely with Kootuitui trust in Papakura to test various aspects of the product. This involved some rapid learning as we took the technology into classrooms to run lessons. The testing has gone well and there have already been some positive stories coming out of the schools. However, we can see some challenges to getting effective programming especially since we can’t be in the classrooms all the time.

Robots at Edmund Hillary School
The next steps will see us piloting the scheme across Papakura. This will require some careful juggling to ensure that the schools get equal access and that there is minimal downtime. Nicky Kaye’s recent announcement regarding digital technology backs up our viewpoint that technology has a place in every part of the curriculum.

As we are all in (or about to be in) new roles it is unlikely we won’t be able to test the other product ideas we had been exploring. These will instead take the form of recommendations when we report back on the project. We know that we don’t want to write a lengthy report and that most people won’t want to read it either. Soon we will be participating in a workshop to explore ways of evaluating projects like ours and reporting back in a way that reflects the creative nature of such projects.

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