eLearning & ICT issues for New Zealand Education

	Ministry of Education eLearning Fellow Michael Fenton suggests ways to bridge the gap between technology enthusiasts and skeptics. See the video here He provides a new take on how educational institutions might use and encourage apparent reluctant users of technology.
Education issues	by Waikato Doctoral Scholar Christine Fenton
	EDTalks, a free database of short videos featuring New Zealand and International educators talking about learning.

Using digital multimeters as data loggers in science and maths (New) Suitable for Primary and Secondary students.

Learning from Life: Communities of Learning via a Connected Curriculum. Authentic learning using ICT and using ICT outside the classroom.  2009 Microsoft Partners in Learning Regional Innovative Teachers conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 

Ministry of Health HPV school vaccine DVD gets a Not Achieved in its science animations

School science earns an F by Virgina Winder, Taranaki Daily News. What did the Ministry of Education ELearning Fellowship research reveal about the state of New Zealand's science teaching? What are some example sof 'best practice' when using computers in education, particularly to teach science?

Saving New Zealand Science. Why are scientists meeting to discuss flaws in NZQA science exams? Is it a case of dumbing the curriculum down or scientists being too 'academic and expecting too much? How does NZQA pressure resource writers to perpetuate errors of fact in books and hence examinations?

2008 eLearning research report: "Authentic learning using mobile sensor technology with reflections on the state of science education in New Zealand". 

[Much of this work highlighted and anticipated many of the issues covered in "Looking ahead: science education for the twenty-first century" recently released from the office of the Prime Minister's Science Advisory Committee.]

Teaching and the f word: From the New Zealand INTERFACE article....putting the fun back into teaching while dealing with the competing tensions of assessment and covering the curriculum. For primary and secondary teachers.

Create educational virtual laboratories, simulators and interactive science software ... Game Maker is easy to programme and is more than just games! Interative mathematics tools and a flight simulator are just the beginning!  Science simulators don't have to be boring either. A game based on the 'Dr Who' TV show involves being inside a 3D TARDIS. Players can visit the Doctor's laboratory to learn about astronomy, go to the library, or, for a break, evade Daleks and Cybermen. 

Game Maker in schools - a look at the uses of Game Maker in education and a New Zealand teacher creating educational games, interactive science simulators and mathematics tools for interactive whiteboards adn SMARTboards. 

ICT: Interested in Conversations and Thinking - technology is less important than the conversations it permits students to have with their teacher. For the techno-phobic this puts the student in the role of expert technologist but the teacher remains the expert assessor.

How to add a PICAXE to a Casio graphics calculator for robotics, science and mathematics

Shining a light on the future by Virgina Winder, Taranaki Daily News. What comes after the "knowledge economy"? Should the focus be on technology helping with understanding rather than collecting or sharing data?

Understanding versus Knowledge; the new role of ICT and eLearning by 2008 eFellow Michael Fenton

A critique of eLearning 2.0 by 2008 eFellow Mark Callagher

Using Game Maker to create interactive whiteboard (IWB) or SMARTboard applications.

Interactive ICT tools for Mathematics, Science and Robotics - getting the most from Game Maker. Presented at the New Zealand Association of Mathematics Teachers conference 2007

MoodleBites course - learn about Moodle

Press release announcing eLearning Fellowships for 2008

 

The poster presentation and associated powerpoint slideshow reflects only part of the research carried out as a Ministry of Education e-Learning Fellow. FULL RESESEARCH REPORT: Michael Fenton's full Ministry of Education E-learning report can be found here: 2008 eLearning research report: "Authentic learning using mobile sensor technology with reflections on the state of science education in New Zealand " Much of this work highlighted and anticipated many of the issues covered in "Looking ahead: science education for the twenty-first century"  recently released from the office of the Prime Minister's Science Advisory Committee.