The ubiquity of devices, even in lower decile schools, is playing a huge part in levelling the playing field between urban and rural schools, Pomare-Peita says. Every senior student at Panguru has a phone, which means they can share their work with their teachers, and access the internet from home, even if they don’t have an internet connection. And that means no excuses about their assignments.
“I say to them ‘Gone are the days when you think you can’t access your work from home. If I can use my thumb to write long emails at home, so can you.’”
Another huge advantage of working online through a document sharing platform like Google, rather than using pen and paper, is that teachers can give comment and learning support quietly and confidentially, says Rodgers. And that’s particularly important with students who struggle with learning.
“I’ll walk into an NCEA classroom and there are kids with their laptops open and they are learning on Google Docs, and the teachers are giving them feedback or feedforward individually and privately via comments and messaging. No one else can hear what’s being said.”
“Students can share their work with me and ask for feedback or feedforward. I’ll send them a message digitally and say ‘Can you just come into my office,’ and they’ll look over my shoulder while I go through their writing,” says Pomare-Peita.
Has it made a difference to student achievement? Absolutely, she says.
“If you could see what I see; where the lights go on, and children see themselves as independent learners because they have built capacity as digital learners. It’s so satisfying. When I see the results for Māori boys, I know what success looks like. You can see it in their eyes when they can share work and ask for feedback... It’s a huge achievement.”
Click here to find out what broadband options are available in your area.