The Toki Pounamu Journey.

What impact has it had on myself and my class?

Who am I?

Kim Hines

Classroom Teacher Yr 7/8 at Grey Main School

My Journey

If someone said to me 3 years ago that I would have a fully digital class I would have laughed at them. The task seemed far too daunting and I had no idea where to start. But gradually with the support and knowledge spread through the Toki Pounamu Cluster, I now feel I am on the right track implementing the digital platform in my classroom.

Looking back...

Starting out on this journey I was pretty overwhelmed with the thought of changing my entire teaching philosophy and platform to something that looked exciting but slightly daunting at the same time. The mere thought of getting my head around the Learn, Create, Share pedagogy was enough for me to stop and think, “How on earth am I going to teach this to my class?” But looking back, without even knowing it, I have slowly embedded this into my teaching practice without even thinking about it and my class are now doing this daily as part of our programme.

What has changed?

The way I plan and implement the curriculum in my class has changed. My entire planning is accessible to my class and their whanau. They can access it 24/7 and can complete their work at anytime, anywhere.

With each child having their own Chromebook, they have access to all the information they need at their fingertips. I have had to explicitly teach being cyber smart and had a big focus on working on what sites are credible and how to find the information that they need.

My class share their work with the world. They blog regularly and share what they have learnt. This allows them to receive critical feedback from anyone to help enhance their learning.

Through Tuhi Mai, Tuhi Atu we have connected with classrooms just like our own around New Zealand. We have learnt to give constructive feedback and have made connections with children just like ourselves.

What impact has this journey had?

The impact on us as educators has been a fulfilling one. As educators we have had to think about our teaching philosophy and change the way we teach and plan.

The impact on the students has been huge. The way that they now learn and share their work has completely changed and now understand that their work is viewed by an entirely different audience. They are exposed to all the information that they need and know that they can have feedback from just about anyone. They seem to be far more engaged and willing to try new things all the time.

The impact on whanau has been huge also. The way that they have known school has completely changed and now are a lot more involved in their child’s learning. Parents and whanau are able to access their child's work anytime, anywhere and can comment and give feedback on their learning.

As a cluster of schools on the West Coast, it has had a major impact on the direction of the education on the West Coast. Schools now have a common interest and collaborate and meet regularly. Each school is delivering the same message across the cluster, which gives every child the same, equal opportunity.

A video of some of my 2017 class about their thoughts on the Toki Pounamu Project and using Chromebooks to enhance their learning… This was not scripted!