• MTG educator on Home Learning TV channel tomorrow

MTG educator on Home Learning TV channel tomorrow

Museum educator Natasha Hanara from MTG Hawke’s Bay will star in the very first episodes to highlight the work of the country’s Raranga Matihiko- Weaving Digital Futures programme tomorrow on the Home Learning Papa Kāinga TV channel.

Natasha worked alongside fellow MTG educator Sarah Knight to bring the episodes to the screen, with Natasha featuring in the Waka Hui For Juniors, and Waka Hui For Seniors episodes screening on TVNZ2+1, tomorrow, 28 May, and on TVNZ On Demand thereafter.

They were busy during lockdown despite the museum’s doors being shut – they also developed some exciting new virtual lessons and teacher resources.

Raranga Matihiko Project Director Tara Fagan from the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa drove this initiative as part of the Raranga Matihiko response to the pandemic, funded by the Ministry of Education.

The team worked hard to translate an idea into screenable episodes in less than three weeks. 

Educator Natasha Hanara being filmed for the Home Learning channel by Andy Browne from Indelible

Combining Museum Taonga with digital technologies has been a way to continue to support the students, schools and kura that we work with while extending our reach across the country, she says. 

“The collaboration between our four museums - MTG Hawke’s Bay, Waitangi Treaty Grounds, Waikato Museum and Te Papa Tongarewa -  really adds to the programme and you get to meet the educators from each location during the series as they share some of their museum collections.”

This is the third year the Raranga Matihiko- Weaving Digital Futures programme has been running at MTG, and it has been hugely successful in reaching low decile schools and kura kaupapa within a 120km radius of MTG, improving their access to both the museum and digital learning.

The educators work collaboratively to deliver individually-tailored lessons in English and Reo Māori onsite, offsite at the schools and online.

The focus of Raranga Matihiko – Weaving Digital Futures is to bring technology-rich learning to students, help them tell their own stories in a culturally relevant and meaningful way and ultimately offer them further options in the future.

“No child should have to miss out because they don’t have access to technology and digital fluency is important in every facet of modern life, and the importance of this will only grow over time. The opportunities this programme has provided since 2018, along with introducing the next generation to the treasures of the region’s museum, cannot be under-estimated,” says MTG Director Laura Vodanovich.

Sarah Fergusson and Mandy Paige, the educators responsible for MTG’s other programme, Learning Experiences Outside the Classroom, have also developed a new virtual programme called ‘Intrepid Explorer’. This provides a live virtual lesson in the museum, so the educators ‘beam’ into classrooms.

This is a safe and exciting way to explore the museum, although bookings are being taken now for future face-to-face school visits. 

Combined, MTG’s museum education programmes provide an exciting insight into the region’s taonga for students of all ages. Tune in to Thursday’s episode to find out more.

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