TaraNet 2007 Online

Another reason I have been too busy to blog lately. Have spent the last couple of weeks flat out getting our VC distance learning classes up and running. It was a buzz to join our first class this morning so much so that i wrote up a press release and fired it out to all our local papers - not too late for more enrolments.

TaraNet Press Release
"TaraNet E-Learning classes began today as Christine Hodge, St Marys Diocesan School, takes the roll with her Year 11 Accounting class. Students from St Marys, Forest View High School (Tokoroa) and Mangakino Area School will meet once a week through Video Conferencing for class.

2007 is the third year that distance learning has been offered through the TaraNet video conferencing (VC) network. French, Art History and Agriculture are other subjects being offered online by Taranaki teachers. TaraNet students also have the opportunity to choose from a wide range of subjects from other schools throughout the country. 40 students studied via VC in 2006 and enrolments are still being taken for 2007 E-Learning classes.

TaraNet is a cluster of Taranaki rural secondary schools collaborating regionally and nationally to provide distance learning opportunities for senior students. Schools involved are Coastal Taranaki School, St Marys Diocesan, Inglewood, Opunake, Stratford, Waitara, and Waverley High Schools. TaraNet is part of a wider network of schools, tertiary institutes and training providers offering courses to our students nationally. This distance learning education network is supported by the Virtual Learning Network (Ministry of Education). Full details of education providers involved and courses offered can be found at www.virtuallearning.school.nz

Benefits to students are the availability of subjects (in some case specialist or advanced level subjects) that are not available in their home schools and the flexibility to choose subjects that may be available in their home schools but can’t be catered for because of timetabling clashes. With this method of distance learning, students have the support of a teacher with face to face contact weekly through video conferencing, interactions with other students in their ‘virtual class’ and ongoing interactions through web based learning environments and email communications."