In July of 2014 I was approached by N4L to act as an advisor on their Interim ICT Advisory Service. It was a unique opportunity to see beyond the school environment that I was in, and to support people in making the best use of their N4L connection.
For two days a week, I become an advisor who was given technical training, engaged in big picture idea discussions and contributed to conversations with schools across the country. I spoke with school leaders, teachers, ICT providers and helped out at conferences. I also gained an entirely new appreciation for the people and thinking that is going into making N4L a useful and viable part of Aotearoa’s education infrastructure.
It was a hugely rewarding experience, both professionally and personally, so when the opportunity arose to be part of N4L on a permanent basis, it wasn’t a difficult decision to make. In my new role as School Training Lead my focus will be to “ensure that schools have all the training and resources that they need to make best use of N4L’s Managed Network”. It’s a wide-ranging role, that requires meeting schools in the places they are at – to best meet the needs they have. I will be presenting and sharing with educators and having conversations about how this network can be part of their practice.
While I’ll miss the classroom environment, and the students who surround me every day, I have always said that it’s important to be in a place where you can make the most change.
I believe teachers have the power to make the most change, in the lives of the children they work with. They do this daily, in a range of ways, using a variety of tools.
I believe the role of N4L is to help create space and time for teachers to do what they do best. That could be in relation to technical support, working with other organisations that support schools, or simply having conversations with an individual teacher or student. Most importantly it’s about informing and empowering schools and the people within them. It’s about supporting the people who use the network’s resources, power and potential to affect change in the lives of the students they lead and work alongside.
I’m stoked at the opportunity. Here’s to 2015 being about starting conversations and making change!