The online collaborative portal MindSpring has been enthusiastically welcomed by a cluster of primary schools in Northland.
The RAPU (Reporting, Analysis, Planning and Use of Data) Project is a government sponsored initiative that is looking at ways of raising achievement levels of students from 18 primary schools in Northland.
Looking for a platform that was adaptable, functional and able to bring the teachers of schools together, MindSpring was the ideal fit and access for these schools was established about 3 months ago.
Currently, the RAPU Project’s sole use of MindSpring is as a communication tool. It allows principals, teachers and boards of trustees to regularly “meet” to ensure all the schools are meeting the project’s aims and objectives.
MindSpring has cut down on the need for teachers to always travel long distances to attend face to face meetings. Instead the minutes of meetings are uploaded to the portal and are able to be checked and added to by RAPU project participants at any time.
Project Coordinator, Linda Watson, says face to face meetings are still held but MindSpring has facilitated the continuous flow of information between members of the group.
“It’s great. It really has made all the difference,” she says.
Early next year, the RAPU Project cluster will further utilise MindSpring by uploading the preliminary data analysis results from the project to the portal.
The RAPU Project is a three-year project and finishes in late 2005.
