1. Introduction

1.1 YEAR 7 AND 8 CONTEXT

For Years 7 and 8 of their primary education, most New Zealand children either remain in a full primary school or attend an intermediate school where there are only Year 7 and 8 classes. Others attend middle (Year 7 to 9/10 and Year 7 to 13) schools. Data were accessed from Year 7 and 8 teachers from full primary and intermediate schools for the evaluation of the impact of the TELA scheme. In this report the findings are not differentiated by school type unless there was a marked difference in the data. Some differentiation was made where support provided by the different school types is discussed. It should be noted that on the whole, Year 7 and 8 teachers in full primary schools received their laptops a year before Year 4 and 6 teachers, and two years before Year 1 to 3 teachers in the same school, so certain support mechanisms may not have been in place for laptop teachers at the beginning of this evaluation.

1.2 LAPTOPS FOR TEACHERS IN NEW ZEALAND

The Digital Horizons: Laptops for teachers scheme (TELA)¹ (Ministry of Education, 2003), was one component of the New Zealand compulsory school sector ICT strategy: Digital Horizons: Learning through ICT ² (Ministry of Education, 2002a). In 2006, Digital Horizons was superseded by the new e-Learning Action Plan for Schools (Ministry of Education, 2006a) which outlines the key outcomes and actions for e-learning in the New Zealand school sector for 2006-2010.

From 2003 the TELA scheme has provided permanent full-time and part-time (up to 0.8) teachers in schools that opted into the scheme to have access to a laptop for a minimal or no cost. The stated goals of the TELA scheme are ‘to develop teacher confidence and competence in the use of ICT for professional growth and collaboration, for teaching and learning, and for administration’ (Ministry of Education, 2004, p. 4). Schools gained access to laptops for their teachers on the condition that they managed the integration of the laptops into the school environment, including providing and meeting the costs of additional ICT infrastructure, professional development and technical support. The Ministry information package for the scheme stated that school commitment to these requirements was essential for an application to succeed (Ministry of Education, 2003).

The TELA scheme reflects the government’s commitment to increasing the use of ICT in schools to help improve student achievement and teaching practice (Ministry of Education, 2002b). It was set up in recognition of the value of the laptop as a teaching tool. Initial advice sent to schools with Years 9 to 13 teachers in September 2002 was followed by implementation commencing in November 2002. The scheme was extended to Years 7 and 8 teachers in 2004.

1.3 LAPTOPS FOR TEACHERS (TELA) EVALUATION

The purpose of the evaluation summarised in this report was to investigate the impacts of TELA on Year 7 and 8 teachers’ work over a period of three years beginning in 2004 (see evaluation timeframe in Appendix A). The particular focus of this long term (2004-2006) evaluation project was to explore the impacts on teachers’ professional growth and collaboration; on their lesson planning, preparation and administration; on their access to and the quality production of teaching, learning and assessment resources and on classroom practice. Information over the course of the evaluation has been gained through yearly cycles of questionnaires, which were informed by yearly cycles of focus groups and vice versa.

1.4 STRUCTURE OF THIS REPORT

This final report is a summary and synthesis of the three years of data collection (2004-2006) carried out with Year 7 and 8 teachers who were participants in the TELA scheme.

The report begins by providing background information regarding the TELA scheme and how the scheme fits within the international setting for the use of laptops/ICT in education. The evaluation methodology is explained in section three, and in section four the impacts of teachers’ access to a TELA laptop on their professional work are examined. Enablers and constraints for teacher laptop use are described in section five. The report looks at how teacher laptop use might be sustained and accelerated in section six. Section seven outlines where teachers see the future of laptop in schools, and recommendations at national, school and personal levels are made in section eight.

Footnotes

1. http://www.minedu.govt.nz/goto/tela
   
2. Digital Horizons: Learning through ICT is the foundation policy document for ICT in the New Zealand compulsory education sector. It outlines the government’s goals in relation to ICT as an area of knowledge relevant to all students.