The Background to Te Kete Ipurangi
In October 1998 the Government released the document "Interactive Education: An Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Strategy for Schools". The following goals are identified in the strategy.
By the year 2002, it is envisaged that schools in New Zealand will be:
- improving learning outcomes for students by using ICT to support the aims and objectives of the New Zealand curriculum and by providing ICT professional development for teachers and principals;
- using ICT to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of educational administration;
- developing partnerships with their communities to enhance access to learning through ICT.
The development of an education portal site was identified as a major policy infrastructure initiative in the strategy and Te Kete Ipurangi is the realisation of this objective.
Vision & Objectives
Te Kete Ipurangi - the Online Learning Centre is New Zealand's bilingual education portal and is an initiative of the Ministry of Education.
The Te Kete Ipurangi vision is to provide New Zealand schools with a cost effective electronic platform to communicate curriculum and administrative materials, enhance teaching and learning, raise student achievement and advance professional development for school management and teaching staff.
Te Kete Ipurangi, as a bilingual education portal, is intended to:
- Provide easy access to useful and relevant information on the Internet for New Zealand school communities and whanau.
- Help New Zealand educators to find reliable and relevant information on the Web quickly and easily by delivering a clear path to quality online information, services and resources to meet a diverse range of school needs.
- Provide access to quality information and resources provided by the Ministry of Education in New Zealand.
- Provide a gateway to useful and relevant education-related content available in the wider world of the web.
- Establish a community of learners, who are sharing information. Develop and shape the site by using the user feedback constructively.
- Provide fair opportunities for commercial providers to promote and house resources, products and services to the Te Kete Ipurangi audience.
Global Online Community
Through the medium of the Internet, a global online education community is growing and becoming established. By applying internationally agreed information standards and metadata, this community can share resources and experience worldwide.
Te Kete Ipurangi is a key participant in this community.
To Whom is it Responsible?
Te Kete Ipurangi is responsible to New Zealand schools, both teachers and learners,
in mainstream and Māori medium education.
Its audiences include
- principals
- teachers
- parents
- whanau
and this will shortly expand to include students.
The Ministry of Education provides the funding for the initiative and ensures that Te Kete Ipurangi's objectives are met.