Russell Burt

Russell Burt MNZM is an educator who has been trying to hack school ever since he left it as a student. After initial years working in Tāmaki he and Dorothy worked in Papua New Guinea for 5 years and began using various technologies as ways of enabling young people to “live local and learn global” which is still a mantra today. On return to Tāmaki, Russell and Dorothy, along with other Manaiakalani Educators, Hackers and Philanthropists have continued to apply this focus and advocacy for tauira, whānau and their communities, who struggle with remoteness, disconnectedness and a lack of equity. Together this group have designed and built pedagogy, online solutions, a community wireless mesh, methods of affordable device ownership, home connections, a body of solid research evidence and worked to raise student achievement outcomes. They now support a network of 120 schools across Aotearoa ranging from Te Hapua in the far North to schools in Hokitika on the West Coast. The Manaiakalani Programme, supported by Manaiakalani Education Trust delivers a variety of programmes targeted at improving equity and raising student achievement outcomes for poulations who need and desire this. The Manaiakalani Research & Development Team support this work with evidence based identification of necessary hacks and high leverage practices.

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