title: The digital technology components in the New Zealand Curriculum: Teachers’ journey of adoption

authors: Rhodes, Kate

subjects: Digital technology

abstract: Over the last century, digital technology (DT) has revolutionized our world. A digital revolution has taken hold; reshaping industries and schools, and making information, games and tools more accessible. Digital technology now has a steadfast place in our society and is changing the way we work and live. Subsequently, governments around the world are realising the benefit of digital technology and the need to incorporate it into educational curricula. 
In 2020, new digital technology components (DTC) became a mandatory part of the New Zealand Curriculum technology subject area. DTC aim to create students who are not just passive users of technology, but instead students who are digital creators and understand how computers work. DTC aim to teach skills that could be considered essential in the twenty-first century, such as deeper understanding of technology, problem solving and the processes involved (TKI, n.d.b). 
This research investigated teachers’ adoption of DTC. Scrutinizing how DTC can be effectively integrated, the main affordances for implementation and what teachers’ capabilities enable them to do. Adopting DTC was challenging for schools, as the new components encompass skills that are currently beyond many teachers' understanding of digital technologies. Therefore, the implementation of DTC can be problematic, needing to be scrutinized and unpacked by teachers as they work out how, when and where it will best fit and be integrated into existing classroom practices. 
A qualitative approach to the research was adopted in this study as highly skilled teachers could struggle with DTC implementation. DTC recent establishment meant it introduced new concepts to teachers and schools and therefore a qualitative approach allowed participants to partake no matter what their current knowledge or experience of DTC. Participatory Action Research (PAR) was selected as the most appropriate research methodological approach. This approach enabled the teachers to have ownership and create lasting change, as teachers took on the role of coresearchers. The researcher also intended that participants would gain from the iii research, as they developed their knowledge of DTC during their personal journeys of adoption and implementation. 
The research found there were several problems in adopting DTC. Teachers articulated that professional learning development (PLD) and integration of DTC was unclear, misinterpreted and insufficient. Additionally, it was identified that teachers’ confidence played an important role in DTC implementation. However, through suitable professional development sessions and successful integration teachers could build confidence and subsequently overcome several of the negative affordances associated with DTC adoption. 
The agenda for completing this research lay within a belief that ICT is valuable to educational outcomes, that it should be utilised to benefit the next generation, enhancing their learning, abilities and subsequent employment opportunities. Assisting teachers in their adoption of this new curriculum and anticipating that schools and policy makers might take note of these findings is the main rationale for the research.

text: The digital technology components in the New Zealand Curriculum: Teachers’ journey of adoption Over the last century, digital technology (DT) has revolutionized our world. A digital revolution has taken hold; reshaping industries and schools, and making information, games and tools more accessible. Digital technology now has a steadfast place in our society and is changing the way we work and live. Subsequently, governments around the world are realising the benefit of digital technology and the need to incorporate it into educational curricula. 
In 2020, new digital technology components (DTC) became a mandatory part of the New Zealand Curriculum technology subject area. DTC aim to create students who are not just passive users of technology, but instead students who are digital creators and understand how computers work. DTC aim to teach skills that could be considered essential in the twenty-first century, such as deeper understanding of technology, problem solving and the processes involved (TKI, n.d.b). 
This research investigated teachers’ adoption of DTC. Scrutinizing how DTC can be effectively integrated, the main affordances for implementation and what teachers’ capabilities enable them to do. Adopting DTC was challenging for schools, as the new components encompass skills that are currently beyond many teachers' understanding of digital technologies. Therefore, the implementation of DTC can be problematic, needing to be scrutinized and unpacked by teachers as they work out how, when and where it will best fit and be integrated into existing classroom practices. 
A qualitative approach to the research was adopted in this study as highly skilled teachers could struggle with DTC implementation. DTC recent establishment meant it introduced new concepts to teachers and schools and therefore a qualitative approach allowed participants to partake no matter what their current knowledge or experience of DTC. Participatory Action Research (PAR) was selected as the most appropriate research methodological approach. This approach enabled the teachers to have ownership and create lasting change, as teachers took on the role of coresearchers. The researcher also intended that participants would gain from the iii research, as they developed their knowledge of DTC during their personal journeys of adoption and implementation. 
The research found there were several problems in adopting DTC. Teachers articulated that professional learning development (PLD) and integration of DTC was unclear, misinterpreted and insufficient. Additionally, it was identified that teachers’ confidence played an important role in DTC implementation. However, through suitable professional development sessions and successful integration teachers could build confidence and subsequently overcome several of the negative affordances associated with DTC adoption. 
The agenda for completing this research lay within a belief that ICT is valuable to educational outcomes, that it should be utilised to benefit the next generation, enhancing their learning, abilities and subsequent employment opportunities. Assisting teachers in their adoption of this new curriculum and anticipating that schools and policy makers might take note of these findings is the main rationale for the research.

year: 2020

title: Behaviour of Captive North Island Brown Kiwi (Apteryx mantelli)

authors: Davison, Katie Patricia Mary

subjects: Kiwi

abstract: The behaviour of captive North Island brown kiwi (Apteryx mantelli) in nocturnal displays and how different aspects of their enclosure and management might affect their behaviour has been studied.  The most common behaviours expressed by all kiwi was feeding and sleeping/resting behaviour.  Kiwi behaviour was compared from observational data collected at four kiwi facilities in New Zealand; identified as Kiwi House A, Kiwi House B, Kiwi House C and Kiwi House D.  Kiwi husbandry (hutches and enrichment) and enclosure design (naturalistic and complex characteristics, size and lighting) varied between facilities.  There is evidence to suggest that kiwi husbandry and enclosure design may have had an effect on the behaviour of the kiwi, as well as the kiwi viewing experience for the public.  Disturbance sources (visitor-generated noise, visitor proximity, keeper disturbance and environmental disturbance) were observed to elicit abnormal behaviours (pacing, startle response) among the kiwi at Kiwi House A, Kiwi House B, and Kiwi House D.  Results suggest abnormal behaviours can be minimised among the captive kiwi population by eliminating or reducing disturbance sources.  The soundproofing qualities of the enclosure viewing windows at each facility were tested; the viewing window at Kiwi House C was the most effective in reducing sound.  Kiwi House C also had the most soundproof enclosures due to the insulation material (Bondor Panel) used throughout the structure of the building.  This research has resulted in more detailed information of captive kiwi and enclosures, as little information was available on the behaviour of captive kiwi.  Furthermore, this research can provide reasoning for normal and abnormal behaviour demonstrated by the kiwi as well as give recommendations on how management of captive kiwi, enclosure design and structure might be improved in the future.

text: Behaviour of Captive North Island Brown Kiwi (Apteryx mantelli) The behaviour of captive North Island brown kiwi (Apteryx mantelli) in nocturnal displays and how different aspects of their enclosure and management might affect their behaviour has been studied.  The most common behaviours expressed by all kiwi was feeding and sleeping/resting behaviour.  Kiwi behaviour was compared from observational data collected at four kiwi facilities in New Zealand; identified as Kiwi House A, Kiwi House B, Kiwi House C and Kiwi House D.  Kiwi husbandry (hutches and enrichment) and enclosure design (naturalistic and complex characteristics, size and lighting) varied between facilities.  There is evidence to suggest that kiwi husbandry and enclosure design may have had an effect on the behaviour of the kiwi, as well as the kiwi viewing experience for the public.  Disturbance sources (visitor-generated noise, visitor proximity, keeper disturbance and environmental disturbance) were observed to elicit abnormal behaviours (pacing, startle response) among the kiwi at Kiwi House A, Kiwi House B, and Kiwi House D.  Results suggest abnormal behaviours can be minimised among the captive kiwi population by eliminating or reducing disturbance sources.  The soundproofing qualities of the enclosure viewing windows at each facility were tested; the viewing window at Kiwi House C was the most effective in reducing sound.  Kiwi House C also had the most soundproof enclosures due to the insulation material (Bondor Panel) used throughout the structure of the building.  This research has resulted in more detailed information of captive kiwi and enclosures, as little information was available on the behaviour of captive kiwi.  Furthermore, this research can provide reasoning for normal and abnormal behaviour demonstrated by the kiwi as well as give recommendations on how management of captive kiwi, enclosure design and structure might be improved in the future.

year: 2015

title: Perception and flagging of loanwords – A diachronic case-study of Māori loanwords in New Zealand English

authors: Levendis, Katharine

abstract: This paper combines a quantitative and qualitative analysis of a diachronic corpus of New Zealand newspapers built to analyse the use of Māori loanwords in New Zealand English. We report findings in relation to flagging (marking of loanwords as being foreign material in a given language) and show that it is (weakly) predicated by frequency-of-use and by semantic category of the loanword (core loans are flagged more than cultural ones), but not by listedness. Alongside this trend, we note that perceptions of writers using the words vary enormously in regard to which loans are integrated and familiar, matching neither listedness nor frequency-of-use patterns. This indicates that in NZE, loanword use remains strongly tied up with socio-political identity and language ideology, rather than rooted in linguistic factors (such as, bilingualism or filling in lexical gaps).

text: Perception and flagging of loanwords – A diachronic case-study of Māori loanwords in New Zealand English This paper combines a quantitative and qualitative analysis of a diachronic corpus of New Zealand newspapers built to analyse the use of Māori loanwords in New Zealand English. We report findings in relation to flagging (marking of loanwords as being foreign material in a given language) and show that it is (weakly) predicated by frequency-of-use and by semantic category of the loanword (core loans are flagged more than cultural ones), but not by listedness. Alongside this trend, we note that perceptions of writers using the words vary enormously in regard to which loans are integrated and familiar, matching neither listedness nor frequency-of-use patterns. This indicates that in NZE, loanword use remains strongly tied up with socio-political identity and language ideology, rather than rooted in linguistic factors (such as, bilingualism or filling in lexical gaps).

year: 2019