How does it work?

The majority NetNZ teachers are provided by affiliated kura who by doing so, engage in a reciprocal exchange which by providing a course, enables them to enrol their learners in a broad range of online programmes. All of which are provided by other, member schools. However, some schools just choose to enrol learners, rather than provide and do so on pro rata basis.

NetNZ programmes usually consist of 10-20 learners from between 5-12 schools from across Aotearoa, New Zealand. Large courses can be split into independent classes or, as is becoming more common, two or more teachers will work collaboratively with the entire group. 

Each course uses an online hub, which acts as the focal point for asynchronous learning and interaction. The teacher develops these community spaces using their platform of choice - commonly highly connected spaces such as Google Spaces and Mattermost.  The hub centralises all learning, encompassing activities,resources, communication, discussion and collaboration. 

Each school has a learning support person (in Secondary schools an eDean) who provides on-site support for learners and acts as a point of contact for the online teacher. 

All programmes run a once a week synchronous or real time session of 40 -60 minutes where all learners gather with their teacher(s) using Google Meet. This provides an extremely important chance for the group to engage in more immediate, face-to-face type activity which helps build relationships and maintain learner engagement. Teachers increasingly use synchronous technology in more flexible ways, especially in providing one-to-one support or to gather a group of learners together for a specific reason. At other times, learners may organise their own sessions to work with other classmates in real time.

This mix of asynchronous and synchronous technology is vital to maintaining a learner centred environment and ensuring ongoing engagement. 

Our pedagogical approach is firmly founded on evidence and research.