Loop 2

You're 10 years on with people who understand this intuitively. They understand the way of thinking with a 'hive mind,' with a brain with an external hard drive; they've grown up with Google.
Bridget Agabra, project manager for the Metaverse Roadmap at the Acceleration Studies Foundation

Social software so what?
“In the participatory era, the distinction between content creators and consuming audiences first gets blurry and then disappears completely...Instead of media being delivered as a sermon or lecture, it becomes a conversation among the people in the audience” ;(quote from Andreas Kluth, Technology Correspondent of The Economist)


Teachers are the gateway to larger cultures of knowledge. No amount of ICT will ever replace teachers in this respect.’


The knowledge society has major implications for how our secondary schools are organised, how we think about teaching, learning and assessment, and for teachers' ways of working.

Dr Jane Gilbert Chief Researcher for NZCER in her book Catching the Knowledge Wave says that rather than focusing on what has traditionally been done in schools, we need to completely rethink much of it if we are to prepare students for the 21st century.

Technology, whether it is ATM banking or paying accounts online has changed expectations of what is possible and altered timeframes for living.
The Wellington Loop adds many dimensions to opportunities for learning, including the possibilities of student communities in multi-level, multi-site collaboration.

The young man, who is completing a scholarship photography folio, can work with students at the other Wellington schools over the year, share ideas, images and online support. Working at that level is lonely and difficult especially when using advanced Adobe Photoshop and Adobe After Effects techniques. The is something best done with keyboard short cuts which are hard to learn quickly unless peer-to-peer knowledge is exchanged – perhaps forming a community in an environment like the Loop with mentors from University is one very imaginable process.

.

What may be philosophically hard for anyone who is not involved, to action and to understand is visualising a purpose and process for learning, that doesn’t look or feel the same as those known already. It is hard for teachers, parents and BOT members who are on the fringes of this connected culture to imagine how significant this paradigm shift is - both towards more community and towards greater diversity



The Wellington Loop is an opportunity to enable more depth and diversity for students, using different processes and connecting differently.
The Wellington Loop Project is proposes to the following goals over the next three years:-

1. Developing teacher ICT capability aligned with the priorities of The Schooling Strategy
2. Developing evidence-based learning opportunities for students and their whånau
3. Integrating Student Management System (SMS) administration processes
4. Catering effectively for the diversity of students and schools through technology within the Wellington Loop Project
5. Using the collaborative strength of teachers from a range of schools to find and support niche communities of students and their whånau
6. Maximising and amplifying the opportunities to be part of groups of experts for mainstream and niche curriculum through connection to other Advanced Networks such as Kiwi Advanced Research Education Network (KAREN)

Welcome to the discussion

Welcome to the discussion around all the information on the Wellington Loop project.
Currently Citylink are supporting
Wellington Girls' College,
Wellington High School,
St Mary's College,
Wellington College
to develop the Wellington Loop for schools. In essence the Wellington Loop is a fibre optic network that will provide high speed (I Gigabyte per second) connections for all participating schools. In doing so, however it provides an opportunity for a ‘blue sky’ view of teaching and learning. The development process will involve the prospective close collaboration of schools within the Wellington Loop and partnership with Wellington Business and Wellington City Council.
What is the Wellington Loop and why do we need one?

The Wellington Loop is based on a fibre optic cable that runs around the CBD, and is capable of moving data at a very high rate. This cable and the switches that allow clients to connect to a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN), or the Internet, are owned and managed by City Link.

This existing infrastructure is important to the successful implementation of the Wellington Loop. Other similar projects, such as the Nelson Loop, have had to procure their own infrastructure that has led to increased funding requirements and a diversion from the focus on pedagogical thinking.

Why does a Loop of this fibre and the hardware that schools use to connect make a difference?

It will be at a faster data transfer rate than is currently available in schools
The envisaged urban fibre network will provide 'open access to Loop members' and provide two-way data transfer rates of at least one Gigabyte a second
It will conform to international technical standards allowing connectivity with other advanced networks such as the KAREN, and the Ministry of Education Virtual Learning Network (VLN)
It will enable real time multicasting – a set of technologies that enables efficient delivery of data to many locations on a network e.g. to allow content sharing between schools

Why should we develop this now?

The stage is being set for a new era of global network systems
The demand for global information is growing exponentially
All technology evolves. All technologies commonly used today will be replaced by something new
Communication systems are continually changing the way people access information

“If schools don’t take control someone or something else will control and manage these connectivity and communication systems - these may be global corporates who don’t have Learning or social justice as a top priority”
- Jane Gilbert address to Ulearn conference, Christchurch, 2006

Dr Jane Gilbert states in her speech to Selwyn College 2006 that all educational institutions in the future will be multi-campus entities, offering multi-layered and modularized learning programmes; functioning as learning ‘brokers’ – matching students with whoever/whatever can best meet their learning needs and working closely with other agencies and communication organisations.


The Broadband Challenge projects The Hon David Cunliffe

1. North Shore City - Vector
2. Hamilton City Council
3. Smartlinx
4. Nelson Marlborough Inforegion Here is a link to Learningontheloop for Nelson
5. Canterbury Development Corporation