June 2025 Newsletter
- GCSN
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
Kia ora,
I orea te tuatara ka patu ki waho
A problem is solved by continuing to find solutions
With Term 2 well underway we are looking ahead to what the rest of the year has to offer. This newsletter spotlights some of the opportunities being supported by the GCSN. We hope you that you are also excited about the opportunities coming up for ākonga, kaiako and schools/kura.
This month we want to remind you about the Top of the Pods, a podcasting competition for ākonga across greater Christchurch to create their own podcasts, learn new digital technology skills, and even win brand new podcasting equipment for their school! We also wanted to remind you about our suite of AI-related resources and how these can be used by schools/kura to support the safe, ethical and effective use of AI to enhance learning and teaching.
If you have any questions or want to get in touch please reach out to us at info@gcsn.school.nz or via the GCSN website.
Noho ora mai rā,
The GCSN Team
GCSN's AI Resource Suite
The GCSN has been working on developing and publishing a suite of free AI-related resources to be used by schools/kura, kaiako and school leaders that can be downloaded from the GCSN website. It is hoped that these resources can be used to enhance teaching and learning opportunities for ākonga, support the safe, ethical of generative AI tools by schools/kura, and build kaiako capability regarding the use of AI.
Our range of resources includes:
👩🏻💻 Harnessing the Power of AI for Future-Focused Learning - This guide is intended to give educators a general understanding of the potential benefits and risks of AI technology and provide some practical tips for how it can be used for different school-related functions.
👨🏽💻 AI Workshops and Resources - We have created three workshops for kaiako to support them to meaningfully integrate AI in the classroom in innovative and effective ways while ensuring it is used safely and responsibly. Each workshop is suitable for self-directed learning or to guide staff PLD and include examples, discussion points, questions and activities.
🧑🏿💻 Digital Wellbeing Resources - The seven modules focus on different facets of digital wellbeing. The latest, Safe and Ethical Use of AI in Schools, is a presentation which introduces genAI and what it means for learning, outlines positives and negatives of genAI for learning, but shows that mitigating factors add a protective layer, and introduces a couple of activities that educators can use to encourage responsible AI use.
👩🏼💻 Cyber Safety Action Plan - This short paper is designed to be used by schools to introduce and/or strengthen cybersecurity systems and processes, including the use of AI. This complex, ever-evolving area of technology is required to keep ākonga and staff safe, not only from cyber threats and scams but also to mitigate instances of cyber-bullying and inappropriate online behaviour.
Top of the Pods 2025
Alongside Christchurch City Libraries and Plains Media, we here at the GCSN are excited to announce that the Top of the Pods podcasting competition is back for another year!
Schools or whānau from across the Greater Christchurch region can submit a podcast episode (5 - 20 min) or snippet (under 5 min) in teams of up to 12 tamariki in Years 5 - 10. This year we also have an optional theme with special prizes for those that choose to incorporate it into their podcast. The 2025 theme is: "How can we make the future a wonderful place?"
The competition will wrap up with a showcase and prizegiving event on Wednesday 22 October (approx 5:45 - 7:00pm) at the TSB Space at Tūranga Library. This event is for ākonga to celebrate what they have created and share their podcasts with whānau and friends. We hope to see you there!
Important dates
Competition launch
Friday 30 May (Week 5, Term 2)
Submissions close
Friday 10 October (Week 1, Term 4)
Showcase & prizegiving event
Wednesday 22 October (Week 3, Term 4) approx 5:45-7:00pm
Podcasting PD for kaiako
Free Podcasting PD for Kaiako brought to you by Plains Media
When: Tuesday 22 July 2025
Where: Christchurch Multicultural Recreation and Community Centre
Keen to bring podcasting into your classroom?
Join our free professional development workshop designed specifically for kaiako. Learn how to teach podcasting and radio production using our new resource, “Content Creation for Podcast and Radio”, aligned with Curriculum Levels 3–8 and NCEA Levels 2–3.
What you’ll get:
Hands-on training to support classroom podcasting
comprehensive resource to guide your teaching
Ideas to support creative student voice and storytelling
An opportunity to use what you learn to enter your students in the Top of the Pods competition and stand a chance to win up to $500 worth of podcasting gear for your school, thanks to Rockshop NZ
Podcasting learning opportunities for ākonga
To support this year's competition and hopefully inspire you to get involved, the GCSN is funding a number of podcasting-related opportunities delivered by our project partners.
These include:
Podcasting Essentials - This full-day Christchurch City Libraries school programme provides ākonga with all the basic podcasting skills they need to create their very own podcast snippet. Learn more and register your interest here.
GCSN podcasting kit - a full podcasting setup that can be borrowed by schools to create their own podcasts. Register your interest here.
Write On School for Young Writers - Supported by Plains Media, this programme provides ākonga with everything they need to write, record and produce their own podcast episodes. Register for the programme here.
Looking for inspiration?
Check out previous year's podcasts here and the images below from the 2024 showcase and prizegiving event.
👀 More opportunities for you! 👀
GCSN supports many other opportunities for student and kaiako learning. We are looking forward to all that the rest of 2025 has to offer including:
👩🏻💻 Libraries school programmes - Creative Design, Crafting Empathy, Podcasting Essentials, and Miniature Maker are now available at the New Brighton Library and the refreshed Coding Creations programme is coming soon...
🎙️ Podcasting PD for kaiako - As part of the Top of the Pods 2025 competition, Plains Media will be delivering professional development workshops focused on podcasting in the classroom for kaiako.
📚 GCSN resources - GCSN has many other resources available to support kaiako, whānau and schools/kura. These include workshops, tools and publications about the use of AI, cyberbullying, cybersafety and security, digital wellbeing, and the innovative use of digital technologies to support learning.
Keep an eye out for updates about these opportunities and how to get involved!
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