Recent government iniatives

* What are (if there are any) the current government initiatives and/or plans for IT in high schools

The Current initiatives do not just go for Secondary schools, they are from Early Childhood right through.
There are ICTPD Clusters
The intended outcomes of the programme are:
Implementation of the New Zealand Curriculum / Te Marautanga o Aotearoa through the use of e-learning;
Increased capability of teachers and principals to improve students' learning and achievement through e-learning;
Strengthened professional learning communities and increased collaboration within and across schools;
Increased e-learning leadership and ICT strategic planning capability of principals and teachers;
Increased understanding of the educational contribution of e-learning by teachers, principals, students and school communities.
http://www.minedu.govt.nz/index.cfm?layout=document&documentid=7383&indexid=6919&indexparentid=1024


This research report is submitted to the Ministry of Education as part of an ongoing evaluation of the Information and Communication Technologies Professional Development Cluster Programme (ICT PD), a teacher professional development initiative announced in the strategy documents Interactive Education: An Information and Communication Technologies Strategy for Schools (Ministry of Education, 1998) and Digital Horizons: Learning Through ICT: A Strategy for Schools (Ministry of Education, 2001, Revised 2003). This report on the 2004-2006 cohort of ICT PD cluster teachers supplements, and makes comparisons with, the evaluations of the first four ICT PD Cluster Programmes submitted to the Ministry in 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2006. Read more

TELA Laptops, this is a scheme to get laptops for teachers and data show projectors into classrooms
The purpose of this evaluation was to investigate the impacts of the Laptops for Teachers Scheme: TELA (referred to from here as the TELA scheme) on teachers’ work.
TELA: Laptops for Teachers Evaluation Final Report Years 7 & 8
TELA: Laptops for Teachers Evaluation Final Report Years 9-13

ICT Resourcing in schools, this is something new that has been announced from the minister as part of the budget.

Used effectively ICT has the potential to bring about improvements in educational outcomes for all 21st century learners. To achieve this, however, it is vital that ICT becomes better integrated with teaching and learning. This report outlines the proposals for the development of a framework for the resourcing of ICT across the schooling sector and to inform policy advice to the Minister.

Read more here.

Digistore
Online Learning Objects - Digistore is the New Zealand gateway to a collection of quality digital content (digital resources and learning objects) being developed through The Le@rning Federation (TLF) initiative.
In Digistore, you can register your interest in accessing this content, search the digital warehouse (repository) containing thousands of items of digital content and get ideas on how you might incorporate this curriculum content into your existing classroom programme.
http://www.tki.org.nz/r/digistore/

Microsoft Licensing in Schools
The latest Microsoft software products are available, at no cost, to all state and state-integrated schools.
http://www.dsv.co.nz/moe/moe_info.html

Enabling the 21st Century Learner,
The e-Learning Action Plan for Schools 2006-2010 outlines the key outcomes and actions for e-learning in the New Zealand school sector for 2006-2010. It describes the goals for e-learning in schools and the projects, tools, and resources that are being developed to adddress those outcomes.
e-Learning Action Plan

Network Standards and Broadband uptakes
This project is about bringing school networks up to an acceptable quality and providing a standard for networks to adhere to.
http://www.minedu.govt.nz/index.cfm?layout=document&documentid=9680&indexid=9320&indexparentid=1024

There are a number of websites dedicated to ICT in schools, two of these are the Ministry of Education click here and tki.org.nz click here

* What is iLearn and how does it fit in the over-arching IT solution - are you able to point me to any documentation you may have?
iLearn would seem to me to be a Learning Management System(LMS) or a Content Management System(CMS). There are a number of providers out there who are trying to get into schools. Ultranet, knowledgeNET, moodle, Joomla.
There are some questions and some answers about looking at a CMS or LMS available through tki,
It is called Managed Online Learning Environments and provides information on selecting a Learning Management System, a 2 Phase look at identifying needs, analysing priorities, as well as looking at how Student Management System can integrate into the LMS.
http://www.tki.org.nz/r/ict/online_learning_environment/index_e.php

These are just some of what is going on out there. It is big stuff but the government still needs to get a curriculum or an outline of where ICT should be going, ie Achievement Standards for Computer Science.

The NZ Computer Society today released a highly anticipated report reviewing the NCEA ICT-related Achievement Standards in Secondary Schools. This report raises extremely serious concerns regarding the state of secondary school computing education. You can download the full report here and the associated press release here.

Thinking about your questions

1) How to get staff more enthusiastic about using IT in their teaching

2) How do they identify the required hardware/software

3) Putting together an IT plan for the future that can be presented to the board

IN brief
1. Many ways including ICT committee members(each department has a member on the committee to raise ideas and generate discussion around how ICT could be used in their department, what the department needs are), ICT PD sessions (developing skills, we look at inspiration(mind mapping/brainstorm software), managing your email, clickview(video on demand) e-asTTle training, what you have on tape, how can you get it off the tape and onto your computer(video editing) getting staff to show how they are using ICT in their classrooms), conferences (Ulearn www.ulearn.org.nz and Learning@School 08 Conference http://www.learningatschool.org.nz/. And the Board paying for the lease on the teachers laptop.

2. ICT committee members plus IT Manger works continually with every HOD to discuss needs and opportunities. Also integrating a bottom up approach, getting the teachers to think about what they require (Interactive White Board is an example) rather than a top down approach, “you must use a… “. Example, Teachers and students have pushed the need for student email, so the management listened and have implemented a trial at the moment with a number of classes, to see how the network, internet data usage, will be affected.

3. In our ICT plan to develop a 5 year plan, term 3? This is looked at every year with the changing IT landscape