N4L and OMGTech! bring edtech resources to Kiwi teachers
With the help of N4L and Pond, OMGTech! is making its educational resources available to teachers around New Zealand.
Every teacher in the country will be able to find OMGTech resources in the online learning hub, use them to help deliver OMGTech programmes in their own communities, and connect with other teachers wanting to get involved, according to N4L.
OMGTech! is a new charitable education initiative launched last night and founded by Dr Michelle Dickenson, AKA Nanaogirl; Vaughan Rowsell of Vend; and Rab Heath, who is a Kiwi entrepreneur, adventurer and technologist.
The initiative's primary focus is to get more Kiwi kids interested in STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), and now has Pond as the primary platform for its educational resources.
Dr Michelle Dickinson, OMGTech! co-founder and nanoscientist, says Pond is a good fit for the charity's community approach being used to extend its programme to primary and intermediate students across the country.
"Supporting teachers and volunteers to help them deliver our workshops in their own communities is key to getting more Kiwi kids exposed to the wonders of science and technology.
"We see Pond as a trusted and valuable online community for teachers, a place where they can go and share the knowledge they've learned in our workshops with their peers, access our learning resources, and provide support to other teachers," says Dickinson.
John Hanna, N4L CEO, says, "We are excited to be supporting OMGTech! as they embark on their cross-country journey to involve as many young people as possible in their technology learning programmes.
"The future of today's young people will involve a lot more of the technology that OMGTech! is bringing to schools and it is fantastic to be a part of their plans to build a supportive community for teachers through Pond.
Manurewa East Primary was involved in one of the earlier OMGTech! Workshops.
Principal Phil Palfrey says his school is positive about the national programme and N4L's support.
"If schools want to increase the uptake and enthusiasm around teaching STEM subjects, then it is really important for their teachers to feel confident around the content they are using and to know they are well-supported.
"It's really encouraging to see N4L and OMGTech! working together to bring technology and learning resources to more schools," he says.
OMGTech! is now in Pond as provider of education services, joining around 400 other organisations registered as 'education providers'.
All of Pond's content is generated by its user community, where it can be tagged, reviewed, bundled with other items, and shared with other registered users.
