Digital technologies professional learning

NOTE: Kia Takatū ā-Matihiko | Digital Readiness 
The Ministry of Education launched this programme in 2017 as a 3-year initiative to support and imbed the new Hangarau Matihiko and Digital Technologies curriculum in kura and schools across New Zealand. Face-to-face delivery ceased at the end of Term 4, 2020.

At present, transition is underway for content and resources to be transferred.

Please refer to Kauwhata Reo and Technology Online for contemporary teaching and learning and curriculum support materials for Hangarau Matihiko and Digital Technologies.

Kia Takatū ā-Matihiko | Digital Readiness included services to support educators in both English and Māori medium schools and kura. It is a uniquely Aotearoa programme based on the traditional story of how Māui discovered the source of fire from his grandmother Mahuika.

Learners are guided by Māui and Mahuika to engage with online and face-to-face supports to learn about this new digital content. This comprehensive programme enabled individuals and groups through a Te Tokorima-a-Mahuika | self assessment tool to gauge their current level of digital readiness.

To find out what colleagues shared or to see updates, join the Facebook page.

Kauhaurangi tuihono | Online webinars

Webinars were also held as part of the above initiative. These thirty-minute webinars were kept to small numbers so to maximize participant's getting the most out of the learning. The resources covered teaching digital technologies curriculum content through literacy, music, story-telling, and much more. At the end of a session, partipants were able to transform what they had learnt to their own lesson plans.

Rauemi Pīkau | Resource toolkits

Each rauemi pīkau had a comprehensive exemplar or model. They showed how you might integrate digital technologies and hangarau matihiko into your local curriculum in relevant and authentic contexts. 

Pīkau | Toolkits and Ngā kiriahi | Online community

Learners were able to complete pīkau | online toolkits in computational thinking/whakaaro rorohiko and designing and developing digital outcomes/tangata me te rorohiko. In addition, they were able to engage in an Ngā Kiriahi | online community of learning with thousands of other teachers. 

The pīkau | online toolkits, fun and full of practical ideas and resources for use in the classroom, were completed where and when it suited. There were 24 pīkau for both hangarau matihiko and digital technologies.

The pīkau were supported by open discussion on ngā kiriahi | online community of learning. It was a safe, open place to share wonderings, ideas, and expertise. There were groups associated with different Pīkau, as well as discussions about a range of digital technologies and hangarau matihiko areas.

The differences between e-Learning/ICT capability and digital technologies

Kia Takatū ā-Matihiko has a resource to help you understand the differences between e-Learning/ICT capability and digital technologies:

e-Learning/ICT Capability versus Digital Technologies (PDF, 1 MB)

Tahi Rua Toru Tech is a national team-based challenge about creating solutions for real-world problems using digital technologies. It is for students in years 0–13 and takes place in ten regions over 12 weeks.

Tahi Rua Toru Tech is especially effective for students without high-level digital skills. Students can learn and strengthen skills in research, teamwork, written communication, design, and development. Resources and industry mentor partnerships are provided to support teachers and their students. Resources are available in English and te reo Māori.

Tahi Rua Toru Tech is being delivered in partnership between the Ministry of Education and not-for profit organisations led by IT Professionals and Royal Society Te Apārangi. 

This free programme is designed to support you to introduce the new Digital Technologies & Hangarau Matihiko (DT&HM) curricula content to year 0–13 students and ākonga and is available in English and te reo Māori.

Watch the Technology Online webinar with teachers talking to project leader Joy Keene about how they are using the digital challenge in their classrooms:

• Tahi Rua Toru Tech | NZ's Digital Challenge in the classroom

The Digital Technologies for All Equity Fund delivers programmes to engage children and young people with limited learning opportunities in innovative digital technologies learning.

The project provides up to 12 500 student places per annum for 2018, 2019, and 2020. There are two programmes being offered under this initiative. 

Digital Ignition | Māpura Matihiko Programme

This is a face-to-face digital technologies education programme for students in years 3–10.

The programme includes professionally facilitated digital technology workshops.

• The programme is designed for years 3–10 and available for decile 1–3 schools.
• The programme has seven modules. Each module consists of three one-hour workshops delivered by professional facilitators. Each module is loosely related to a corresponding year group.
• The content is fully mapped to the digital technologies and hangarau matihiko curricula content.
• Workshops are available for English-medium or Māori-medium schools/kura free of charge. 

Register to show your interest in workshops.

Teacher resources for all schools are available.

Raranga Matihiko | Weaving digital futures

Raranga Matihiko are museum-led workshops that weave student and ākonga learning through digital technologies, creative exploration, and collaboration.

Inspired by museum taonga, primary and secondary school students, and kura ākonga will share their stories through a range of digital products.

Te Papa is working in partnership with Waitangi Treaty Grounds and Te Kōngahu Museum of Waitangi, Waikato Museum Te Whare Taonga o Waikato, and MTG Hawke’s Bay.

Raranga Matihiko – has a growing range of resources available, to support students, whānau, teachers, and leaders. Includes the following.

• Progress outcomes for digital technologies – supports teacher understanding of the progress outcomes for Computational Thinking and Designing and Developing Digital Outcomes and outlines Progress Outcome 1-3 for Computational Thinking and Progress Outcome 1-2 for Designing and Developing Digital Outcomes.
• Ngā Tupuruanga o Hangarau Matihiko – He rauemi kaiako tēnei hei whakamārama i Ngā Tupuranga. He rautaki, he ngohe hei whakamātau atu hoki i te karaehe.
• Decoded for learners series – a guide for learners on language and concepts in computational thinking for digital technologies and designing and developing digital outcomes.

The Raranga Matihiko | Weaving Digital Futures programme is available in Wellington, Waitangi, Hawke's Bay, and Waikato for all decile 1–3 schools and kura. 

Programmes are designed specifically for learners in your classroom, to build on your inquiry, and involves at least 16 hours face-to-face facilitation.

To book or inquire about this programme, please contact rarangamatihiko@tepapa.govt.nz.

For more information, go to: Raranga Matihiko | Weaving Digital Futures.

In a Technology Online webinar, Project Director, Tara Fagan, talks about using Te Papa museum's taonga with primary and secondary school ākonga to develop understandings of digital technologies:

• Technology Online webinar: Raranga Matihiko | Weaving Digital Futures

In a Technology Online teaching snapshot see how taking part in Raranga Matihiko inspired students at Richmond School to use digital technologies in their interest projects.

• Career videos – examples of digital outcomes – years 4–6 students from Richmond School completed projects that included creating videos about careers linked to their interests. 

The University of Auckland and Ministry of Education have partnered to make the online learning modules Digital Technologies and Hangarau Matihiko (DT & HM) for NCEA.

These modules support teachers, particularly those who are not subject specialists, to teach digital technologies and hangarau matihiko curriculum content at senior secondary levels. The modules provide student activities and teacher guides. Each module is divided into sections that focus on one NCEA achievement standard. Teachers can pick and choose parts of the modules to use for learning and/or revision.

Six modules at NCEA level 1 are available, including two digital technologies standards translated into te reo Māori.

Three modules at NCEA level 2 are available.

View this short introductory video which provides an overview on the resources. 

Teachers can register for any of the modules. Register at stemonline.auckland.ac.nz.

Teachers receive a direct link and class code once registered. The link allows immediate access to the requested module.

The Ministry of Education is keen to hear feedback on this approach to support teachers in other learning areas. To share your experience and feedback, contact digi.tech@education.org.nz.

Networks of Expertise support subject associations and broader networks used by teachers and school leaders. The focus is building teacher capability at school/kura and Kāhui Ako at regional and national levels to deliver rich, locally relevant learning experiences across the curriculum.

Digital Technologies Teachers Aotearoa (DTTA)

An association with the goal of advocating for our subjects, the aim of DDTA is to create a community of teachers who share resources and who communicate and speak with one voice to gain recognition for digital technologies.

For more information, contact: admin@nzacditt.org.nz

Robotics and Computer Science in Education

This teachers' network is described as being "like a community garden for teachers working in the New Zealand digital curriculum".

For more information, contact: contact@CS4STrust.org.nz