Digital Porirua Trust Achievements
This page describes the achievements of the Digital Porirua Trust since its launch in March 2009.
The growth of community learning environments and digital projects was made possible through receipt of a $400,000 USD Education Grant from Hewlett-Packard, and additional support from Microsoft, the Department of Internal Affairs, Porirua City Council and several dedicated service providers and individuals in the Porirua community.
Hewlett Packard Education Grant
In 2008 Hewlett Packard allocated an education grant to Digital Porirua Trust. The grant of $400,000 USD was made up of approximately $55,000 cash and $345,000-worth of HP products, including servers, desktop and laptop computers and printers.
HP made the decision to focus the entire grant on one deserving community, with a clear goal of effecting considerable change to the way everyone within that community used technology.
“The Digital Porirua Trust received the grant because Porirua could already demonstrate its commitment to becoming a digital city through ICT infrastructure development and community programme initiatives,” says Brent Kendrick, General Manager, Personal Systems Group, Hewlett-Packard New Zealand.
“The Digital Porirua Trust’s vision for its community was very compelling for HP, particularly alongside our own commitment to helping New Zealand businesses, communities and individuals grow through the use of HP’s innovative products and services. HP is proud of to be part of a community project of this magnitude.”
Community Access Points
A number of Community Access Points (CAPS), consisting of computers, server and printers, have been established in community sites around Porirua.
Programmes have been established at these sites using the technology received from Hewlett Packard. Today people from across the broader Porirua community are exploring new digital technology in an environment they feel comfortable – at little or no cost.
The goals are:
- To assist with the learning and development of individuals in using technology, and
- To provide after school and homework facilities, as well as school holiday programmes and activities.
School NetPods
Local schools also form an important part of the network, with eight primary schools having received clusters of four to eight computers, called NetPods, offering students and teachers access to latest technology and new learning possibilities.
School NetPods have been allocated to:
Corinna School
Linden School
Maraeroa School
Postgate School
Rangikura School
Windley School
Tairangi School
Porirua School
Community Portal
The community website www.ourporirua.com was developed for local clubs, small businesses, non profit organisations and special interest groups in the Porirua region to create and manage their own web presence.
The main barriers to using new technologies are: cost, lack of knowledge and understanding, and access to a computer. This project aims to help Porirua businesses and organisations to break through the entry barrier to establishing an online presence. Each hosted site is allocated 10MB of space. Online resources and web raising workshops are offered to assist each business to build their website.
Technical Support Network
The aim of the Technical Support Network is to consistently deliver reliable, computer technical support, planning and advice to schools, families and non profit organisations in the Porirua City community in a friendly and cost efficient manner.
The previous Government's Digital Strategy for New Zealand emphasised the necessity for affordable community access to technical support. It outlined the need to provide technical support for those who are disadvantaged, and mentioned the development of community-based technical support services to assist community groups to use digital technologies. The key objectives of the technical support initiative were set up to align with this part of the strategy.
ICT Training
Providing people with the opportunity to acquire ICT skills was always at the heart of Digital Porirua's philosophy since its inception. People benefiting from the work of the CAPs extend from youth, unemployed, people upskilling, refugees and retired groups.
Sixteen individual ICT training modules (referred to as Digital Steps) are established and are offered through the Stepping UP programme. The total number of people completing training reflected Digital Porirua Trust’s commitment to "promote, develop and provide blended ICT environments and resources that facilitate, foster and extend teaching and learning to meet individual needs at low or no cost."
Digital Porirua Learning Network
Working with Secondary School representatives, local Community Access Points and the wider Business Community, Digital Porirua sought to further bridge the gap between students leaving Secondary Schools and engaging in further education and to identify new ways to reach individual learners by leveraging the Digital Porirua Learning Network (DPLN). Research identifying barriers and obstacles to individual learning, individual needs, cutting edge ICT tools to aid learning/methods of delivery and opportunities for growth was undertaken. This research, lead the way for piloting, evaluation and full implementation of Moodle on Porirua City Council servers.