Day 7: Devices

Reflective Question

How ready are you for another lockdown? What have you changed since experiencing lockdown?… 

Lockdown definitely encouraged us, as teachers, to think outside the box... to look for new ways that best met the needs of our ākonga (and us).

I'm sure many teachers were prepared in the sense of using online learning platforms within the class. My team (Years 4 to 6) were in the process of being prepared, but we weren't quite there...

The first lockdown drew attention to the fact that changes needed to be made. We were like a herd of deer in the headlights. The entire primary sector resorted to Dojo for making connections to whānau and ākonga. Because the students weren't used to Dojo as a learning platform, and because often parents were working (or for other reasons) access and engagement was not the best.

Following the first lockdown, Years 4 to 6 were set up with Chromebooks (which took a while). Then we were introduced to Hapara... by introduced, I mean, 'hay, here's this new site, explore it, use it, good luck'. Most of us (learners and teachers) took to it like fish to water. Unfortunately, when the next lockdown came along, the whole team were not confident in its use, so that transition from Dojo to Hapara was put on hold. As a team, we planned together and supported each other on a similar learning platform. It further highlighted the need to change, to move forward.

The Google sites platform is another step forward, and one I (and the whole school) will definitely explore and implement in the coming school year. Also Blog (if still available to students 🤞) as a means to sharing learning.

Today's learning

Screencastify has opened a whole new doorway into the opportunities of support. It allows a rewind of critical instructions and information. It allows a visual and audio platform. It can give ākonga a platform not only to share their learning, but also to teach. If there is one thing I've learned through mixed ability learning, is that ākonga are excellent teachers; they engage in sharing their understanding, and they engage in learning from each other.  

Screencastify to support students with Challenge 2: How to use a keyboard

I also added my class site as a gadget (top right). This can be added to as the years go on. 

Below is an image created on Explain Everything. 

I learned a lot today and really enjoyed it! 

Day 6:Enabling Access Sites

Pedagogy: Connected

                                                            Need all these parts to connect. 

RSS - Real Simple Syndication

 Twitter (sharing student blogs),  

 Tuhi Mai Tuhi Atu  (classes connecting w other classes)

Te Reo Māori 101

Blogger

Google Currents communities

Setting up our class Site

Using images that are free to use on Google Images, Pixabay, Unsplash and exploring the colorpick eyedropper extension have been a real highlight. 

I focused on personalising my site - focusing on the buttons. I was aware that I needed to consider school colours, but wanted to make it more engaging, representative of who I am, and student friendly. (Thanks Kerry for the encouragement and technical support!)

The link didn't disappear after changing the photo. The buttons at the bottom are on the to do list. 

Before:

Group Feedback 

After:

Day 5: Collaborative Sites

 

Visibility: pedagogy

Remove the barriers to learners and their whanau. 

We have done this to a small degree at CTS, but nowhere near the degree that Manaiakalani suggests. However, we are on the path to getting there... 

  

Multimodal - Learning in the 21st Century

Google Sites

A picture speaks a thousands words. I am incorporating multimodal forms of communications within my teaching, but look forward to exploring this further. 

My first Google Site (okay, admittedly I have started my class one, but that was all copied and pasted for me. This one shows I'm beginning to explore and understand the development of a site. Only just, but feel more confident to explore and have a play round with it already.)...

(It is incomplete, but it's a start)

Day 4: Dealing with Data

Sharing: pedagogy

The idea of 'what is your audience' is very valid and something I often consider... how can we create an authentic audience? Yes, we read to a buddy; Yes, we read to groups; and (when comfortable to do so) Yes, we share with the class. But how can we reach further? 

At present, we use Class Dojo and Hero to communicate and share to whanau, however I feel it is more from a teacher's perspective than a student's. 

Experts or people in the community related to our inquiry have been an authentic audience, to which we write letters or create books. We have used video, book creator, or similer tools to create and share. During maths, for example, we have used 'show me', book collage, or similar apps to explain and show our understanding (through drawing, modeling using materials and speech - recording or shared alongside). Slides have also been an option, however now I see more possibilities within this tool. 

Following this course, and with our connection to Maniakalani, I see more opporunities to share, reaching a wider audience and with more student agency. Not only to engage students and their audience, but to provide options and variety. To show students that there is always choice. What is the best way to share to reach your audience and achieve the best outcome? What new approach can I try, and what do I need to develop? 

I liked the analogy of the driving instructor driving a plain car (Blogger). You don't need a Ferrari to learn the basic skills and expectations.

I used a similar analogy to show the importance of making mistakes. As my son was on the road to getting his license this year, I asked my students... If I drove for him and didn't allow those mistakes to happen, would he ever learn to drive? I was happy to guide him along the way, but doing it for him wouldn't help him achieve his goal. 

My Sharing

Trudging through the lack of power, wifi and slow data definately produced some new challenges to achieving my goals today, so I'm happy to share my graph showing the yearly number of posts of a Year 7 student:

Other things we explored today...

Google Forms

Totally excited about the opportunities here! I had never realised that videos could be embedded. 

(I used the Google Form to create a quiz about the water cycle, including 8 questions related to a video.)

My Maps

To be updated... (I'll embed once I complete this task)

I did the Google Earth toolkit yesterday and this complemented the oportunities of getting 'outside' the classroom... exploring beyond the walls! 

Spreadsheets

I really enjoyed exploring this tool. I'm definately going to use it to store my student's data. We also use Hero, but I like having it all in one place. At the moment I am using a table in Google Docs, and it doesn't compare! (Check out my graph above👏)

Blog- being cybersmart

Positive - Thoughtful - Helpful 

(punctuation, spelling, makes sense... surface features: Use as a bases of a workshop)

A great day, even with all the powercuts adn wifi challenges.