Exciting start to 2016

Well we have a really busy start to the year in our Region with classes in Taihape, Ohakune, Marton, Keith Street School and Tawhero School already in their third week.

Here are some photos from our Taihape classes.  We have an afternoon and early evening class going. The parents have a great setup and the school lets them practice their new skills during the week.  The principal gave us some great feedback this morning saying "Computers in Homes has been good for our school"

Next month I will be able to bring you photos from our first Chromebook trial which we are starting at Carlton School next week.

Whanganui Region Computers in Homes Classes starting March 2016

If you have children at school, no computer at home that your children can use and you haven't done Computers in Homes before then chances are you fit our criteria.  If you come to 2.5 hours of training once a week for 8 weeks and paying a deposit of $20 and $5 per week for the first six weeks of training then you will be the proud owner of a refurbished PC complete with MS Office and Windows 7, you could opt for subsidised internet and we look after your computer for 12 months.

So if you have children in Ruapehu, Taihape, Marton, Ohakune, Raetihi or Whanganui then here are your options:


Keith Street School  - Wednesday mornings 9.30 - 12pm  starting early March  address: Keith Street, Central City,  Whanganui (register at the school - other schools very welcome)

Tawhero School - Tuesday mornings 9.30 - 12pm  starting 15 March address: Totora Street - Gonville - Whanganui (register at the school - other schools very welcome)

Whanganui Learning Centre, Thursday mornings 9.30am - 12pm  starting late March 2015 - 232 Wickstead Street, Central City

Marton ICT Hub , Thursday evenings - 6 - 8.30pm starting 10 March  (behind the Library)

Taihape Area School - Wednesdays either 12.15 - 2.45pm  OR 4.30 to 7pm  starting early March (register at the school - other schools very welcome)

Ohakune Primary School - Tuesdays either 12.15 - 2.45pm  OR 5.30 - 8pm starting early March (register at the school - other schools very welcome)

We may have another venue very soon so keep an eye on our Facebook Page Computers in Homes Wanganui

Understanding the difference between a legitimate website and a dodgy one

One of the tricky things for new internet users, and some long term internet users, it coming to grips with what is a legitimate website and what is a dodgy one.  This guide is not designed to be read for research purposes but rather to provide a simple guide for people who don't know what to look for.

Simple Ways you and your children can tell if a Website is reliable?

The Internet contains some extremely valuable, high-quality information sources – and it also contains some very unreliable, biased sources of misinformation. Remember ANYONE can make a website.

That means you need to evaluate the quality of each website you use, whether it’s for a class assignment or your own use. Sometimes Internet sources can be more accurate than print sources. Sometimes it is better to stick with print sources. Be especially careful when shopping.

Depending on what you are using it for will need different levels of research.  This is designed as a guide to help you evaluate whether a particular Internet site is appropriate for your purposes.

Basic checks on Internet Information

1. Who authored or wrote the site?

Look for an “About” link at the top, bottom or sidebar of the webpage. Some pages will have a corporate author rather than a single person as an author. If no information about the author(s) of the page is provided, be suspicious. If there are no contact details also be suspicious.

Does the author provide his/her credentials? What type of expertise does s/he have on the subject s/he is writing about? Does s/he indicate what his/her education is? What type of experience s/he has? Should you trust his/her knowledge of the subject?

Try “Googling” the author – search his/her name at www.google.com. What kinds of websites are associated with your author’s name? Do the websites associated with the author give you any clues who they are? “Google” with caution – remember that sometimes more than one person can share the same name.

2. Who published the site?

What is the organization’s main purpose? What is the main purpose of the site? Is it cluttered with advertising? (suggesting it's not fully credible)?  Does the page appear to be professionally designed? Is the writing trying to persuade you to buy something? Are they promising something unrealistic?

Who is the intended audience? What is the quality of information provided on the website?     What type of other sites does the website link to?  Does it look and feel right after doing these checks?

Look at the domain name of the website – that will tell you who is hosting the site. For instance, the UCOL website is: https://www.ucol.ac.nz/. The domain name is .ac.nz  this URL tells you that the library website is hosted by UCOL. Do a search on the domain name at http://www.whois.sc/. This site provides information about the owners of registered domain names.  It is a .ac.nz site which means it is an educational site.

Check the organization’s main website, if it has one. Is it educational? commercial?  Government? Is it a reputable organization? Where is it based? Don’t ignore the suffix on the domain name (the three-letter part that comes after the “.”). The suffix is usually (but not always) descriptive of what type of entity hosts the website.. Here are some examples:

.edu.nz  = school
.ac.nz  = educations tertiary
.com or .co.nz or .co.kiwi = commercial
.govt.nz = government
.org.nz = non-profit  (mostly but not always)

The suffix at the end also tells you where it come from for example New Zealand sites are co.nz  OR .kiwi OR .nz where as a UK site might be .uk.  Here is a site where you can check where the domains come from http://www.computerhope.com/jargon/num/domains.htm THIS is REALLY important if shopping or paying.

3. Why did the author write it and the publisher post it?  

Why is the website there - is it to sell a product? „ as a personal hobby? „ as a public service? „ To further explore on a topic. To provide general information on a topic?„ To persuade you of a particular point of view?

Have a look at the site and ask yourself -  who is this designed for - people studying or the general public?  Which age group is it written for?  Is it aimed at people from a particular place?  Who is it aimed at?

4. Is the information timely and reputable?

When was the website first published? Is it regularly updated? Check for dates at the bottom of each page on the site. If you’re looking for statistics, information on current events, or information in fields like science, technology or healthcare, you probably need the most up-to-date information available. If you’re looking for information that doesn’t change, such as someone date of birth, it may not matter as much if the website is a little older as long as it is published/authored by a reputable source.

Are they reputable sites? If the author references online material, do they provide links to the material referenced?  What type of sites link to the website you’re evaluating? Is the website being referred by others?

This is the most important check.  Look the information you’ve gathered about your website and compare it to your information needs.  Ask yourself the question "Does this website provide what I need?"

Not all websites will work for all purposes – a website that is fine for finding general information on a disease won't work for a doctor.

If you are in doubt, ask someone who knows more.  Be especially careful when shopping.

2015 the year that was

Yesterday we celebrated the final graduation for 2015 for the Te Heti Te Kohanga Reo and Whanganui Learning Centre classes.

 The theme of this graduation was how technology can empower lives and the lives of our children. I had the privilege to share the story of one our Computers in Homes mums who finished Computers in Homes in 2006.

After Computers in Homes she went from being a volunteer to part time work.  She then went on to be a part of our BYOD trial in 2014 and has just completed her Kiwiskills Jobseeker qualification. She has dyslexia and was amazed to find how easy Kiwiskills was for her to learn. It really suited her to be able to do it whenever she had time rather than turn up to class. A group of mums got together and learned together to get them focused. She loves that now she knows stuff like doing a poster for work, converting it to a PDF for email and then a jpeg for facebook - "It's so awesome to be able to do that" she said.

She also  spoke about how having technology at home has enabled her boy who is often unwell to keep up with his school work. The teacher can email him the work to do, he does it online and then the teacher reviews it online, makes notes and sends him the next lot of work. Before technology he would have just fallen behind.

 She also spoke about how, living week to week, they can't afford to travel. They have whanau all over the world. Having skpe means they can be there virtually at all of there families events. It keeps them connected as whanau.


Our 15 graduates today spoke of overcoming their own learning challenges and how supportive their tutors and environment were. Congratulations to you all.  Our team wishes you every success on your technology and learning journey

Graduation at Te Heti Kohanga Reo on PhotoPeach


2015 has been a challenging one for Whanganui. The flood in our region in June has had a very real impact on the health of our families here.  We look forward to a positive, healthy 2016 and wish you and yours a very happy holiday season from all of us.

Tawhero and Aranui Schools November 2015

Graduations are always special. This evening we were celebrating not only the Computers in Homes graduates but also the six first ever Tawhero Stepping Up graduates and the first two people in Whanganui to complete the Kiwiskills Jobseeker programme. The sad but sweet part of the evening was farwelling Petera Hudson who has been with us for the last 2 and 1/2 years but now goes on to fulfill other goals and the welcoming of Aaron Tasker to our Computers in Homes whanau as a trainer. Petera has taught many of our whanau here in Whanganui and will be sadly missed. Congratulations to everyone.

Tawhero and Aranui School Graduations on PhotoPeach

Whanganui Learning Centre October 2015

This term has been filled with people being ill and lots of people being away and therefore unable to complete their courses.

This wonderful small group at Whanganui Learning Centre battled the elements and illnesses and finished their course this month on October 22.  We trust they are all enjoying their computers at home.

Because it was a small, intimate celebration we got to hear from everyone about what they got from the course.  The all spoke of overcoming their fear of doing something wrong and growing in confidence with technology.  They also spoke of their joy at being able to now share that world with their children at home.

Our team wishes them all well.

A big thank you to Sally Jane Smith for all the problem solving, Nessa Williams for the training and Sue Simons for getting everyone registered and to classes.

Also to our team Simon Waters for the technical support and sharing your wisdom generously and Robin Williamson for your support.

Here is the graduation

Whanganui Learning Centre Graduation on PhotoPeach

Our Computers in Homes Whanau of 2014-15 year

I had the privilege today of starting some of our graduates from November 2014 and May 2015 on the Kiwiskills Jobseeker programme.  These families started with Computers in Homes, have done Stepping Up and now are doing a qualification with Kiwiskills.  One of the families is currently volunteering on a current Computers in Homes course with the goal of training for us in 2016.

Technology has the ability to do that, to grab our interest, to engage us and to make us want to motivate ourselves and learn more.

After 12 months we hear many stories of success and here are a few of their stories in their words:

• My boy will look up how to draw a face (for example). He's into comic books and will look up who wrote them and how they got famous. My partner has been doing courses and now works as a teacher aide. My son's art has improved, he's doing really well with his art on the computer. He reads a lot of things, so his reading has improved too. He searches for things, and that has helped his spelling. His mouse control is great. I've noticed the kids have bonded better when on the computer, they are interested in what each other is looking at. Also they cooperate really well when they are interested in something they are looking at. They help each other. Having a computer at home now means I do not have to pack up my whole family and leave the house to use one. When we forget something the computer tells us. If I need to find things out for myself I can find things out. The computer has helped us a lot. My partner does her study on it." - RM graduated Nov 2013

• "It impresses me the most seeing my children having the same advantages and opportunities as other children. It puts them in a quality space. They have the technology. They can do what anybody else in the world can do and learn. To see them use that is great. They won't be left out. They can make choices and they will be informed. Having the computer here has kept us as a family, it's kept us together - we can do our searching with our fingers. We are saving energy and we are loving, growing, getting angry together, looking at things together. I would not have been able to do my coursework without this computer: a lot of interaction is required with other students. Improvements: I do not know how you can make CIH better. It's a gift! - TT graduated Aug 2014

• There's a significant amount more information that can be accessed easily through computer rather than phone. I think they are more aware of things happening to others (some of which are not so happy - but that's life). Having the computer here has enriched the family. It gives me more free time. When they are in bed then it's MY time. We have massive discussions about things and I notice they observe others' comments in a different way. My relationship with my kids is stronger now. I have to trust them that they are not looking at nasty content and that they are using this tool wisely. They sort out their times on the computer between them. We know we are so lucky - we remember what it was like not to have one" MB gradauted Aug 2014