Innovation Partnership calls for implementation of education report’s findings

&NewLine;<p><img class&equals;" alignright size-full wp-image-869" src&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;schoolnewsnz&period;fastrackdev&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2014&sol;06&sol;SND04-wk2-Murray-Sherwin&lowbar;300x224&period;jpg" alt&equals;"SND04-wk2-Murray-Sherwin 300x224" style&equals;"margin&colon; 5px&semi; float&colon; right&semi;" width&equals;"300" height&equals;"224" &sol;>The Innovation Partnership supports the recommendations of the Government&&num;8217&semi;s 21st Century Learning Reference Group report on internet-based learning&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p> <&excl;--more--> <&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The reference group&&num;8217&semi;s report&comma; Future-focused learning in connected communities&comma; shows just how vital upgraded and energised digital education is for New Zealand&&num;8217&semi;s future&comma; chair of the Innovation Partnership Murray Sherwin says&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The report calls for all school students in Year 4 and above to have their own digital devices by 2017&comma; ensuring that all children have the right device to learn&comma; regardless of their location or socio-economic status&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;The Government has invested over &dollar;700 million in digital infrastructure for schools&comma; but we haven&&num;8217&semi;t made yet made the equally important investments to get devices to every child&comma; and to train our teachers in how to teach in digitally enabled environments&comma;&&num;8221&semi; Mr Sherwin says&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;Schools like Pt England in the Manaiakalani cluster in South Auckland have demonstrated the incredible educational benefits possible when access to devices is combined with innovative new teaching techniques&period; Community groups throughout New Zealand are doing great work to get devices into decile 1-3 schools and those efforts deserve support&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;The Manaiakalani Digital Teaching Academy is already training a small number of teachers in how to teach in digitally enabled classrooms&period; We need to act now so that all graduate teachers are walking in to their first classrooms ready to teach in digitally enabled environments&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The Innovation Partnership is a group of individuals and organisations from the public and private sectors who are dedicated to New Zealand becoming a world leader in using the internet in business&comma; government&comma; and education&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;