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Digital Citizenship – the role of the EdTech Sector

Identifying dangers and opportunities affecting the lives and life chances of tamariki (children) and rangatahi (young people).

Digital Citizenship is an evolving concept and focuses on the different ways that digital technology affects the lives and life chances of tamariki (children) and rangatahi (young people), identifying dangers and opportunities. Join EdTechNZ and our panel as we delve into the vital role of the broader EdTech community and platforms.

A 2017 report by UNICEF argues that governments and the private sector need to do more to keep up with the pace of change and to protect our children and young people from new risks and harm. More focus is needed on how we are supporting all of them, and not leaving the most disadvantaged behind. 

What is the sector’s role in the enablement of Digital Citizenship, and what are some of the challenges we face? Issues like digital equity will be explored. 

Join us to discuss the important role the EdTech community plays to support and develop the Digital Citizens of the future.

Speakers

Alana Pellow - Business Development Manager - Education New Zealand
Alana’s career spans 35 years across the education sector in New Zealand, Australia, the UK, Africa and Asia. Starting her professional life as a newly qualified teacher in London she has worked in teacher and education recruitment for private enterprise, a global professional body, and the University of Auckland. Her experience ranges from sales and marketing, student support and retention, programme management, communications and relationship development to strategy and people management. Currently Alana is a Business Development Manager for Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao supporting the Education Products and Services export community. Alana is also the current Vice Chair for EdTechNZ’s executive Council. Alana considers herself a connector, stakeholder champion and a doer.
Kathryn MacCallum - Associate Professor - Digital Education Futures
Kathryn MacCallum is an Associate Professor of Digital Education Futures within the School of Educational Studies and Leadership at the University of Canterbury (UC), NZ. She is also co-Director of the Digital Education Future’s Research Lab (DeFL). In 2019, Kathryn was recognised for her longstanding passion for integrating digital technology into her teaching and was awarded the Ako Aotearoa National Tertiary Teaching Excellence Award. Kathryn has over the years established a strong research background focusing on the integration of digital tools into the curriculum both in pre K12, K12 and tertiary contexts. She has led and been involved in a number of research projects exploring the role of technology (and more recently AR and VR) to support learners. She has been involved in a number of research projects, both in New Zealand and Internationally, developing innovative approaches to the integration of technology within all sectors of education. Her current work explores the broad influence and roll out of digital skills and computational thinking across school in NZ and the impact this has on digital equity. Alongside extensive publications, Kathryn has also edited three books on the use of emerging practices in education. Kathryn also serves as Editor in Chief for the International Journal of Mobile and Blended Learning (IJMBL), the Journal of Information Technology Education: Research (JITE: Research) and the Journal of Information Technology Education: Innovations in Practice (JITE:IIP). She is also current President of the International Association for Mobile Learning (IAmLearn) and is a board member of EdTechNZ
Evo Leota-Tupou - Founder and Director - Pacific Kids’ Learning (PKL)
Evo Leota-Tupou, Founder and Director of Pacific Kids’ Learning (PKL) - a start-up business specialising in providing creative solutions for language and literacy learning for young Pacific learners. Evo and her team successfully piloted the 'Pacific Digital Stories' project in 2021, working with 3 South Auckland schools, workshopping storytelling techniques using stop motion animation. These stories were then adapted into proper animation and showcased for parent and school engagement. As an added bonus of the project, the stories will also be used as a classroom resource in the form of eBooks and printed books. The PKL team are now preparing for the 2nd Pacific Digital Stories showcase, an annual event that aims to empower learning through technology.
Courtney Robinson - Teacher - Riccarton High School
Courtney is currently the dance teacher at Riccarton High School and is passionate about exploring technology for education through an artist's lens. This passion led her to complete her Masters of Contemporary Education at The Mind Lab and her final year research was focused on the development of students' skills in digital collaboration for dance projects. This process included using Project-Based Learning in conjunction with Microsoft Teams to bridge gaps in time and space between different classes. This experience highlighted the need to use real-world technologies in the classroom and teach our tamariki the skills needed to safely navigate the challenges involved with existing in a digital environment.
Stuart Wakefield - Chief Digital Officer - Ministry of Education of New Zealand
Stuart is the Chief Digital Officer for the NZ Ministry of Education and was previously the Director of the Office of the Government CIO. He has extensive experience in both private and public sector, across a broad range of industries, including health & education, banking & finance, utilities, and several years as an independent consultant. In the education sector Stuart leads a comprehensive programme of work that is helping drive transformation of education through the use of technology, with a focus on the key pillars of digital enablement, digital wellness & digital equity. Stuart also undertakes a variety of governance roles, including external board roles at other public sector agencies, and is the current chair of NZ Tech Leaders.
Tia Durovich - Executive Committee Member - YTech NZ
Kia ora, I’m Tia, an Executive Committee member of YTech and current Deputy Head Girl at Marist College. I am passionate about all things STEM, and next year plan on pursuing studies in computer science, politics and international relations. YTech is a non-profit organisation aimed at inspiring the youth of Aotearoa to pursue a career in the technology industry. Through this, I have gained insight into the endless opportunities technology holds for my generation. I aspire to empower fellow youth to explore the ever-growing tech sector, and hope to use my passion for technology to make a positive change in our global society.
Jared Daniel - Software Engineering Student - University of Auckland
2020 was the year when I began studying engineering at the University of Auckland. 2020 was also the year when students all over New Zealand had to take part in online learning. Back then were unprecedented times, and parents and students came to appreciate the importance of technological tools, without which learning would have been extremely challenging. 2020 was also the year when the limitations of technological tools were exposed. Unequal access to technology means that some students are disadvantaged over their peers. This can negatively affect team activities and even affect disadvantaged students psychologically, impacting their outcomes. At the same time, increased exposure to technological products and lack of skills in cyber hygiene mean that many students are unknowingly giving away insights into their personal lives to Big Tech, which can have long-term ramifications for their wellbeing. My name is Jared, and I am honoured to be one of the panellists speaking on behalf of students, for students. I envision a world where everyone has open and equal access to technology, where different platforms ensure interoperability with one another, and where data privacy and security are respected by all. In my free time, I tinker with free/libre and open-source software (FLOSS), which is built by the FLOSS community with the aim of ensuring that everyone has guaranteed rights and freedoms in the usage and development of software.
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Details

Date:
May 19
Time:
4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Cost:
Free
Event Type
Online
Is this event run by the Tech Alliance?
Yes

Venue

Online
New Zealand

Organizer