What you'll need

Te Kura is a leader of online learning. Students enrolled in online courses need access to a suitable device and internet connectivity. The following information is a guide only. The best choice will depend on individual circumstances. 

You might have to supply your own materials or equipment for some courses. Check out our subject and courses page to find out what you need or talk to your learning advisor or teacher.

What you'll need to learn online

Suitable device

My Te Kura works with many different devices. If you choose to buy a new device, a local retailer should be able to offer advice on what device would work best for your family. 

Don’t worry if you don’t have a computer at home – you may be eligible for laptop and internet assistance.

Secondary (Years 11–13)

A suitable device for studying is one that enables you to:

  • access the internet and My Te Kura
  • make audio and video recordings
  • create and edit documents, including spreadsheets and presentations.

The best options are a laptop or desktop computer, netbook, or tablet PC (also known as a Smart PC) with a hard disk drive of more than 80GB and memory of more than 4GB, as they offer a greater range of functionality than most standard tablets or iPads.

Te Ara Hou and Primary (Years 1–10)

A suitable device for studying is one that enables you to:

  • access the internet and My Te Kura
  • make audio and video recordings
  • create and edit documents, including spreadsheets and presentations.

The best options are a laptop or desktop computer, netbook, or tablet PC (also known as a Smart PC) with a hard disk drive of more than 80GB and memory of more than 4GB, as these offer a greater range of functionality than most standard tablets or iPads.

The benefit of a portable device is that students and whānau can learn on the go i.e. take photos of students engaging in learning activities, access My Te Kura and use apps that support learning. 

Early Childhood

A suitable device for studying is one that enables you to:

  • access the internet and My Te Kura
  • make audio and video recordings (free software is available online)
  • whānau may also create and edit documents to support students learning.

The best options are a laptop or desktop computer, netbook, or tablet PC (also known as a Smart PC) with a hard disk drive of more than 80GB and memory of more than 4GB, as these offer a greater range of functionality than most standard tablets or iPads.

The benefit of a portable device is that students and whānau can learn on the go i.e. take photos of students engaging in learning activities, access My Te Kura and use apps that support learning. 

Internet connection

You’ll need broadband internet or equivalent for learning online. We recommend a data plan of at least 30GB. Households or learning centres with more than one student learning online may need more data than this, depending on the number and year level of the students. Dial-up internet is not suitable.

Software and Tools

My Te Kura provides a lot of the software and tools you need to learn online, along with instructions on how to use them. Other free software and online tools you’ll need include:

  • an email account – Te Kura offers students a ‘My Te Kura’ email account.
  • Free Microsoft software.
  • internet browser – Google Chrome is the preferred internet browser: Internet Explorer will not work with our My Te Kura
  • word processing software – you can download free Microsoft software using your My Te Kura email account. There are also other software packages, such as Google Drive, which are free to download.
  • PDF-editing software – there are different options available which enable students to write directly into PDF files, save their work and upload it to My Te Kura for assessment.
  • anti-virus software.

Links to these and other websites for downloading recommended software are available in My Te Kura.

Access to a printer and scanner

Access to a printer and scanner is ideal. For instance, in some courses you will be required to write or draw some of your work on printed worksheets. These can be downloaded and printed from My Te Kura.

If you are a full-time student or young adult student enrolled in three or more courses who does not have access to a printer, you can ask to receive these printed pages through the post. 

Checklist

Here’s a checklist of the equipment or software you may need. We also recommend that you get insurance and warranty cover for your device.

Essential

 A suitable device: desktop PC, laptop, netbook or tablet PC
Internet connection and data plan (we recommend 30GB of data per month)
Internet browser such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox or Safari
Webcam (may be built in to the device or separate)
Anti-virus software
Headphones for languages courses
PDF-editing software such as Adobe, PDF Escape
Word-processing software such as Microsoft Office, Open Office, Google Drive or Office Works
An email account such as My Te Kura or Gmail
A Gmail account for access to Google Docs
Microphone (may be built in to the device or separate) for courses such as languages and music which require audio recordings

Desirable

 Printer
Scanner
Digital camera – (either a dedicated camera or built in to a tablet or smartphone)
Headphones are desirable for non-language courses
USB and DVD drive
Surge protector (for devices while they are plugged into the power supply)