This week I'll be mostly... in New Zealand

I'm quite glad I don't have to commute here every week. The 27 hour flight over via LA (and the 28 hours back over China, Mongolia and Russia) make this Auckland jaunt quite a trip, especially with a six week old babe to keep me company, but it's setting up to be an amazing couple of weeks in New Zealand.

This week I'll be keynoting the ULearn07 conference in Auckland's Sky City, as well as doing a day-long pre-conference live web workshop and a couple of sessions on Thursday afternoon at the conference itself. I'll be blogging all the notes for these sessions as they happen, including a special set of notes for Foreign Languages teachers.

Next week, I'll be working with teachers and people from CORE, the education not-for-profit people here, in Hamilton and Christchurch, to find out what makes New Zealand education tick, see what we could learn from this beautiful country, share some of our work in Scotland and, above all, create some links that will last us into the future.

Six Degrees of Separation?
I can't express how grateful we are for the support of CORE, for getting us here in one piece and taking so much care of us. I hope that I can give enough back to the educators of New Zealand to make it all worthwhile. I guess that's what the bloggers' café and my own digital native are for ;-) Interesting point number one: many of the people who founded CORE were also joint founders, with Stephen Heppell, of Ultralab. Interesting point number two: an enthusiasm for sailing is the thing that brought these education innovators together in the first place.

Keeping in touch
This fortnight you can follow my take on ULearn07 and New Zealand education here on edu.blogs.com, by learning how to subscribe for free to the blog or regularly flicking over to the ULearn07 category on the blog.

I'm going to be doing something different for Learning and Teaching Scotland's Connected Live, writing up some posts with more of a comparison angle, between Scotland and New Zealand's education opportunities and futures, and publishing some video and audio from my experiences here.

I'd also be keen to recruit some guest authors from New Zealand for our NZ Season on Connected Live. If you've never blogged before, or just want to write the odd post with your perspective, please drop me a line.

If you want to hook up with me while I'm in Auckland, feel free to leave a message at reception of Sky City Hotel, or catch me in the Bloggers' Café, at the CORE Education stand (next door to the Bloggers' Café) or at the RED-Apple Stand.

In the meantime, although this post looks like it was posted on Sunday night, it's actually breakfast time on Monday morning, and that's where I'm off now. I quite fancy one more of these.

Update: Just seen my paranoid mother's fantastic use of technology to follow our flying in real time - I was fascinated by Air New Zealand's Google Maps rendition of our journey in real time, and now you can do it, too!

Comments

[Lynne]

Have a great time in New Zealand - I went to visit a friend there a few years ago who was working in a town just outside of Hamilton and spent a bit of time in Auckland and Wellington and travelled a bit around the north. No blogs back then though and no digital photography, so no online record of my trip!

[OllieBray]

Have a safe trip Ewan. I have to admit after I picked up your mums post - I checked to see where you were on your travels. What an great bit of technology!

[nzchrissy]

Welcome to Aoteaoroa, Land of the Long White Cloud. We are thrilled to have you here in New Zealand and looking forward to hearing you speak at ULearn07.
PS I have my "clean sock" ready!

[Stephen Heppell]

Heh! have a good time - and say Hello to the wonderful CORE folk - top of Argyll and Manchester Street is a special place in my heart if you get over to the Mainland!. As we join up the front running nations in iCT+learning you can sure that NZ and Scotland will be in the mix - so make good friendships while there.

The sailing link was important - NZ's quite exceptional minister of education Trevor Mallard (who is now minister for economic development and acting finance minister I believe) was also minister for the America's Cup when i was out there lots!!! I see he is now minister for the Rugby World Cup. But everyone in Aukland sails, as you will discover!

Enjoy. Ulearn is a fab event.

[Joe Wilson]

We have quite active links with NZQA and
NZ Enterprise. Biggest project we have is through http://www.sport4life.biz/ we sourced this through NZ Enterprise who were orginal sponsors of idea for an on line enterprise game for all in New Zealand .We and the Small Business Company from Christchurch have taken the idea on and as you know is going down a storm in Scottish Schools. All thanks to Microsoft Partners in Learning funds. If you get some time off head up to Bay of Islands or around Whangaerei - beautiful beaches everywhere and great snorkelling. The palm trees stand alongside trees that look like Scots Pines.

[Rachel Boyd]

Welcome to NZ Ewan!
I have just been over and registered and got my laptop configured for presenting tomorrow etc...

Have so far heard from 2 people that your pre-conference workshop went really well today.

I look forwards to your keynote, as well as hopefully catching up with you.

Cheers, Rachel

[Beverly]

Thanks for an awesome talk and the encouragement to keep going. No digital holiday for us... especially with this kind of inspiration.

[Janet]

Hi Ewan

Welcome to NZ to you, your wife and the babe! She is certainly very alert for a six week old! I thoroughly enjoyed your inspiring keynote and it has certainly provided some food for thought.

Enjoy your stay and I hope the trip back is not too gruelling!