Network for Learning platform launches into schools

Network for Learning (N4L) has started rolling out its new self-service platform, MyN4L, to schools and kura across Aotearoa New Zealand.

The Crown-owned company developed MyN4L in collaboration with educators to provide greater oversight of schools’ online environments and facilitate easier engagement with N4L products and services.

The initial service release of MyN4L provides visibility and control over six key areas of N4L’s Managed Internet, Wi-Fi, cybersecurity, and cyber safety services: Guest Access, Network Monitoring, Web Filtering, Email Protection, Device Registration, and Online Activity. In future updates, the company says more tools will be added to meet the changing needs of principals, their teachers, and IT providers.

Once schools are active on the platform, they can more easily access information and self-manage network activity. Additionally, further school staff and external IT providers can be granted different levels of access to these tools for the schools they serve, depending on their role and requirements. 

Te Maire St Francis of Assisi Catholic School in Canterbury is one of the first schools to have been onboarded to MyN4L. Principal, Jo Earl says it’s added a handy extra layer of support for network activities at the school. 

“The MyN4L interface is really easy to use; it’s simple,” she says.

“l would definitely encourage other schools to take up MyN4L, as you get more control over what’s happening.”

St Francis has used the Guest Access tool in MyN4L to manage Wi-Fi access for visitors to the school more easily. This means school visitors get a separate Wi-Fi key using MyN4L’s Guest Access as part of N4L’s Secure Access offering rather than having staff, students, and guests log on to the same network.

“MyN4L is making that whole process easier and safer,” says Principal Earl.

“In the past, we’d handed out our Wi-Fi credentials to anyone who needed them, and we had no control. Now, we’re able to create unique Wi-Fi keys for our guests to use the school internet. We can also manage the duration of access and multiple devices for each guest.”

Michael Walding, a System Engineer at Fusion Networks who manages a team that assists 16 schools across Christchurch, including St Francis, says troubleshooting school network issues is easier for him and his team because of MyN4L. 

“It’s really straightforward. For example, if a network or Wi-Fi access point is offline, the school can check those details, call us, and we can see the same information they’re seeing. This saves us time and enables us to take action and quickly fix the problem.” 

Once given authorisation by a principal, IT providers can see multiple schools on the platform at the same time, which Walding notes is a plus.

“You just switch between schools using a dropdown,” said Mr Walding.

“Information about each school appears in the same format every time, so when I’m training new team members, that’s much easier than training people for multiple different sites.”

N4L is managing a staged rollout to provide MyN4L access to as many schools as possible in the coming year. The platform is free to use for all state and state-integrated schools.

“Initial feedback from school principals confirms that MyN4L is saving time and enhancing the management of schools’ online environments. We’re thrilled to have embarked on this journey and are committed to evolving the service with the continued support and collaboration of school principals and teachers,” says N4L CEO, Larrie Moore.