DFI - Day 8

Kia Ora,

Today was Day 8 of DFI 2022. Our focus for today was on Creating with Code and Computational Thinking. 

Akohia/Learn:

For the reflection I shared that my professional workflow for students has continued to improve, and there has been visible and measurable learning in literacy and numeracy for most of my ākonga. 

Next, we heard about the importance of our ākonga being empowered. The fourth 'pou of the whare', its value is of equal importance to the Manaiakalani pedagogy. Most importantly, the idea was shared that students must be empowered through the education they receive at school, and by using digital platforms this aspiration is well supported. Attending DFI has enabled me to attempt to satisfactorily meet my students' learning needs through providing effective digital techniques and tools to them. The effect of this has been that my students are able to pursue learning that is of interest to them which is empowering. 

Then, we learned how to make code in Micro:bit. Below is my example:

After that, we received an introduction into coding and computational thinking. For me these tools and programs are alternate ways to have learning experiences that provide empowerment for students. I know that for several of my students, applications such as Minecraft and Scratch will be highly engaging as learning experiences and tools.

Then, we had surprise presentation by a group of Year 6 Point England students. They introduced themselves and spoke about their empowered learning through the 'Learn, Create, Share' model. This was useful in showing me the great potential outcomes I can achieve with my younger students in Year 3. The students' presentation clearly reflected the 'pou' of empowerment in the Manaiakalani pedagogy.

Hanga/Create:

Later, we made meaning of the coding content covered earlier. This opportunity allowed us to create with code. I chose to join the Scratch group, as Scratch was covered in the content, and having knowledge of my students' interests, knowledge and skills, I knew they will likely heavily engage with Scratch-led learning. 

On reflection, I wasn't good at using Scratch at all, so I will most likely ask my student to be the experts at teaching this in class.

Here is a screenshot of my example:

Tohatoha/Share:

Lastly, we 'Shared' our learning. We focussed on embedding and rewinding the content we had created through our blogs.

And, by reflecting upon this blog, I have answered a couple of questions.

What have I learned that has helped increase my understanding of the Manaiakalani kaupapa and pedagogy?

I have learned that using digital devices and support tools are important for empowering student learning as we saw with the Point England student presentation.

What have I learned that can be used with my learners?

I have tried to learn the functions of the Scratch application and to provide this as an authentic learning experience for my students. 

Mā te wā

 

Teacher Inquiry Question 2022 Blog Post 2

Teacher Inquiry 2022

Aims and Approach:

The motivations for adopting and utilising the digital affordances of information technologies are clear cut. Primarily, I want to employ a range of deliberate acts of teaching using digital tools that directly improves student engagement. This is about meeting the needs of all my ākonga. 

Teacher Modelling - the 'monkey see, monkey do' approach, but using the Teacher iPad!

Ako Ano - recording DATs that capture real-time learning in order to embed visible rewindable learning for scaffolding.

Hyperlinking learning tasks and resources - bypassing the teacher photocopier in the office, creating resource and workflow efficiencies 

Question 2022: How can the affordances of digital technology be used and/or combined with oral language to gain an accelerated shift in reading?

Type of Research Design:

Qualitative - 

Population and Sample:

My Class of 26 students is the population. My sample is 5 students who are tracking 'Well Below' for their year level in reading.

Descriptive Statistics - Summary of the data.

The students I will aim to measure this accelerated shift in learning will be the Weka group. The group is made up of five students, who are reading 'Well Below' for their cohort. Student 1 is a seven year. old Tongan Pasifika boy who has autism and ADHD. Student 2 is a seven year old Māori girl. Student 3 is another seven year old Māori girl, Student 4 is a Fijian Pasifika Girl and Student 5 is a seven year old Fijian Pasifika Boy. These students will form my Target Group for the purposes of this Inquiry.

DFI - Day 7

Kia Ora,

Today was Day 7 of DFI. Our focus was on Devices and the idea of 'Ubiquitous' learning.

Akohia/Learn:

First, we learned about the idea of ubiquitous learning, which is learning that can take place anytime, anywhere. This means that the barrier of time spent trying to learn is removed through using devices. Children are empowered to spend time learning around their lives and particular priorities be it, sport, family, or work. 

Next we looked at the Manaiakalani 1:1 Journey which focussed on devices. The motto for this was 'Partnership, Participation, Protection'.

Then, did a DigitalDig. We used a Chromebook to explore the functionality of the devices to give us an authentic experience. I learned how to take a screenshot, use the Find Bar, navigate tabs, among several other neat features and functions. Most importantly, this provided myself and others the opportunity to develop useful insights into learning as students. 

Hanga/Create:

In the afternoon we unpacked 'Creating for Learner Devices'. I decided to create using Explain Everything. I made a Poster that provided instructions for adding a picture into an EE project. 

Tohatoha/Share:

Lastly, we 'Shared' our learning. We focussed on embedding and rewinding the content we had created through our blogs.

And, by reflecting upon this blog, I have answered a couple of questions.

What have I learned that has helped increase my understanding of the Manaiakalani kaupapa and pedagogy?

I have learned how devices help students remove barriers to their learning so that they can learn anytime, anywhere. This is one critical way that can help every student to reach their potential.

What have I learned that can be used with my learners?

I have learned how to better use the Chromebook features and tools. Now that I have used a student's Chromebook I have a better understanding of their experience on the device. 

Mā te wā.

2022 Manaiakalani Staff Meeting: Creativity Empowers Learners.

On Monday 13th June I attended the Manaiakalani 'Create' Staff Meeting. The purpose of the meeting was for staff to share and engage with a range of creative ideas that make links between effective teaching in literacy and numeracy and The Arts side of the New Zealand Curriculum.

I attended two workshops: Literacy Mind Maps and 'Create' with Photography.

The learning I took from these workshops mainly revolved around helping students take risks with their learning in non-bookish and non-traditional ways. These learning experiences helped me see the value in casting the 'authentic learning experience net' out wider and further for our ākonga, in order to capture and engage more of the minds that I currently teach. I intend to put some of what I observed into practise through taking lessons that use the photographic functions of the iPad and get students using the dusty newsprint laying on the art shelf!

I am excited to see what potential outcomes I can achieve with my class, particularly through the lens of photography with iPads.

DFI - Day 6

Kia Ora,

Akohia/Learn:

Today was Day 6 of DFI for me since I missed Day 5 due to being ill. Our focus was about being 'Connected' and collaborating on developing our teaching site.

For our reflection I shared that the digital workflow I have created for my students is working; students are able to fetch their work from the site, complete it and blog it independently. 

First, we learned about the importance of the idea of Rangitāmiro, or of being 'Connected'. I took from this the point that being connected in a powerful network helps amplify effective teaching which leads to accelerated shift in student learning. To support this, it is important to provide opportunities to connect into a network in order to access shared resources, knowledge and skills.

Then, we looked at Leading Learning using Google Sites. This was all about maximising the potential of visible teaching and learning. I have continually adapted my site to provide students with easy access to their learning. Everything is three clicks away from the Home Page.

After, we looked at a selection of Class Sites and provided general feedback.

I shared my site with a few of my colleagues. Here is what it looks like.

Hanga/Create:

This part of the day was dedicated to updating my class site. I decided to create a Google Slide deck that supported my students' learning for their weekly library book. I embedded the slide deck into my reading page and reformatted the page to accomodate adding it in. I will now take a lesson modelling this task, before my students take on the task independently during literacy.

 

Tohatoha/Share:

Lastly, we 'Shared' our learning. We focussed on embedding and rewinding the content we had created through our blogs.

And, by reflecting upon this blog, I have answered a couple of questions.

What have I learned that has helped increase my understanding of the Manaiakalani kaupapa and pedagogy?

I have learned how it is important to be connected as part of a network. Our students are highly connected in person and in digital worlds, too. 

What have I learned that can be used with my learners?

I have kept updating my class site to further improve the user experience and usability of the site. Ultimately, they benefit greatly when I use the latest updates and functions when formatting my site.

Mā te wā.

DFI Day 5

Kia ora,

This is my blog post reflection for DFI Day 5 2022 that was held on Friday 3rd June.

Akohia/Learn:

Visible Kaupapa is the idea of making teaching and learning easily seen by all. It is largely driven by the processes of planning and assessment which continually spur each other on in a cycle. This kaupapa intends to make learning available and accessible. In the digital world that our ākonga live in, digital is their default, so we as teachers should see no reason not to provide learning that can be accessed on an iPad or Chromebook. 

The second idea for me to consider and engage with is 'Multi-Modal' learning. Multimodal learning suggests that when a number of our senses – visual, auditory, kinaesthetic – are being engaged during learning, we understand and remember more. This is helpful in that our learners can be more engaged, there may be the opportunity to provide them with a personalised learning experience, and that this may in turn, result in accelerated shift. In my class, I can provide multiple learning texts and experiences that focus on a single narrow subject such as whales and if this encourages behavioural engagement from students, it may lead to more cognitive engagement. In other words, more visible learning. 

Here is an example if what the difference between traditional and Multi-Modal learning looks likes:

For a specific example, I looked at T shaped literacy was combined with Multi-Modal learning at Paihia School, in the Far North. The gist of their project was to have a narrow focus to dig deeper into the question of how writers use language techniques to create powerful imagery in the mind of their readers. Following the principles of T-shaped literacy, students read multiple physical and digital texts, responded to multiple texts through reading comprehension, creating pieces of writing and short animated films. Assessment was taken before and after for results to be analysed for any accelerated shift. It appears to me that because students had a range of multi-modal texts and learning experiences to draw upon, they were perhaps more engaged, and this may be a factor in the learning responses they produced and any accelerated shift seen from their assessment data.

Hanga/Create:

I have seen my colleagues blogs about Multi Modal learning as well as the examples in the agenda and now have several interesting ideas for how I might approach 'Design for Learning' in the future.

Tohatoha/Share:

Lastly, this is now an opportunity to reflect upon this blog, and I have answered a couple of questions.

What have I learned that has helped increase my understanding of the Manaiakalani kaupapa and pedagogy?

I have learned that Multi Modal learning is a great way to fully engage the human senses that promotes further behavioural and cognitive learning. Multi Modal learning approaches such as using text, video, and audio sources of learning provides more scope and range for a wider range of students to allow for a chance to have a personalised learning experience.

What have I learned that can be used with my learners?

I have learned that I can use more than the traditional pencil and paper approach to teaching and learning, and that I need to look for my student's strengths and interests when designing lessons and learning experiences for them so that they are as engaged as possible.

Mā te wā

DFI - Day 4

 Kia Ora,

This was Day 4 of DFI Cohort 1 2022. We focussed on the pedagogy of 'Share' and Dealing with Data.

Akohia/Learn:

I shared that I have embraced the idea of 'Create' to promote student agency in learning. This week, I taught multiplication and my students used Explain Everything to create a response to the math task. They also blogged their work. Here is an example:

First, we learned about the third pillar of the model, 'Share'. The main point I took from this was that sharing is about working with learners to establish an authentic audience for their learning outcomes, sharing is about connecting and sharing needs to have a purpose. 

Then, we completed a Google Form and created a Form independently. I made a 'Class Survey' for Room 4.

Later, we created a MyMap. I made a map of several Auckland Beaches I have visited and added photos, as well.

Afterwards, we dived into Google Sheets and levelled up our knowledge and skills. This was particularly useful for me, as previously, I had not had substantive experience with the application. 

Hanga/Create:

During this time I was able to make meaning of the content by creating with Sheets. I decided to analyse the data of a student from Panmure Bridge School. The data concerned the frequency of blog posts over a 5 year period from 2017 to 2021.

                   

Here are the results!

Tohatoha/Share:

Lastly, we 'Shared' our learning. We focussed on embedding and rewinding the content we had created through our blogs.

And, by reflecting upon this blog, I have answered a couple of questions.

What have I learned that has helped increase my understanding of the Manaiakalani kaupapa and pedagogy?

I have learned how the 'Share' part of the model is essential to building relationships and connecting with other people, sharing is not just a Manaiakalani thing - it's a human thing- and that we have always done this since time began. 

What have I learned that can be used with my learners?

I have learned how to utilise Google Sheets and create a spreadsheet using an authentic data set. I could teach my students how to make their own Google spreadsheets using a data set (e.g;. the number of times they have finished and blogged on edublog)

Mā te wā.

DFI - Day 3

Kia Ora,

This was the third day of DFI for Term 2. Today we focussed on Media and the pedagogy of 'Create'.

For the morning reflection I shared that I have benefited from using Google Docs to improve my Workflow. I have been able to achieve increased efficiencies in my professional workflow using Docs and Explain Everything so that my students complete learning tasks on their devices, and doubly by using their creative skills.

Akohia/Learn:

Next, we had a Meet that focussed on 'Create'. Dorothy shared several important ideas for us to think about for amplifying the creativity of our teacher practices.

There were several ideas to consider, but the one I thought aligned well with 'Create' was that 'creativity focusses on the process of forming original ideas through exploration and discovery'. I like the idea in this quote, as I think that student creativity and the formation of their own ideas is highly important, and should be well valued. For me, achieving this using iPad devices is something I am seeing the value of more and more this year, as my students are able to confidently 'Create' and demonstrate what they know about particular topics, such when they learn about 'The Water Cycle' in Inquiry.

We were also challenged to think how we 'Create' in our own lives. For me, I have been creating and maintaining a garden at home, which has a planting of native shrubs, ferns, and trees, and a kitchen garden. Previously, I had never grown or harvested a single vegetable or fruit. Having valued my own creativity and ideas, this personal development has been highly useful for understanding the benefit it has for my students in the classroom. 

Afterwards, we deep dived into Media. There are many ways I can embrace media and technology such as through Live Streaming, the Film Festival, or Podcasts, and all accessed or created on our cellphones, or iPads. I'm looking forward to using technology more effectively this year for my entry for the film festival.

Lastly, we looked at Google Slides. There are some cool new ways we can use these tools to make student learning more fun and engaging. In Room 4, I have been constantly creating, reviewing, and adapting my math and reading slides to make them more usable and understandable for my learners in ways that show visible learning and progress through the curriculum.

Hanga/Create:

For 'Create' we had time to use our creativity using Slides. I decided to join Vicki's group to create a 'game-show-style review' game. I used Slides to create a game in the style and format of 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?'

Lastly, we 'Shared' our learning. We focussed on embedding and rewinding the content we had created through our blogs, which can be seen above for my future reference, if needed.

Lastly, in reflecting upon this blog, I have answered a couple of questions.

What have I learned that has helped increase my understanding of the Manaiakalani kaupapa and pedagogy?

I have learned how the 'Create' part of the model is at the 'heART' of the matter, that creativity really does empower learners, and that we as teachers should also take our creativity seriously in order to amplify student progress and achievement.

What have I learned that can be used with my learners?

I have learned how to better utilise the functions of Google Slides, have found efficiencies in my professional workflow, and have further embraced the connection between creativity and digital devices and tools. 

Mā te wā.

DFI - Day 2

Kia Ora,

Today was Day 2 of DFI. We focussed on Workflow and Google Meet.

Akohia/Learn:

We began with a shared reflection. I shared that I have improved the look and usability of my ability group reading and math slides, as a result of using the 'remove.bg' extension application.

I have found 'remove.bg' to be a useful application because I have been able to improve the look and usability of the slides for my pupils and the professional appearance of the slides as well. 

Next, we had online Google Meet with Dorothy. Dorothy spoke about how the Learn, Create, Share model should be understood as an inclusive and simple idea that provides for a 'seamless learning experience in the digital age' for all students, and helps teachers create an effective teaching practice in their classrooms. Her talk focussed on the 'Learn' part of the model, which is designed to both amplify teacher practice and turbocharge student learning.

For me, the great thing about this model is that it can be adapted for individual schools and teachers, and I have begun to put into practice what this 'seamless learning experience' looks like in my classroom, Room 4.

For example, my students have engaged in 'Learn' through Ako Ano. Ako Ano is any important deliberate act of teaching that is made into visual and rewindable learning for students. In Room 4, my students have visual and rewindable learning in maths and reading that they can look back at for support.

We also 'Explored' by participating in another Meet and we took turns sharing a meaningful place and song with our group members.

Finally, we explored Google Keep and Gmail as an application. For me, I'm comfortable using the note function on my MacBook Air school laptop instead, and I've used Gmail confidently over the last few years.

Hanga/Create:

This part of the day was for us to 'Create' and make meaning of the day's content with Google Meet. Our task was to use Meet to connect with a DFI colleague. The colleague that I connected with was Anita from Waikowhai Primary School in Roskill South.

We discussed a blog posted by a student called Duncan who had constructed a table to store his motocross gear, which he completed during the March 2020 lockdown.

It was fun to create and host a Meet, and I enjoyed embracing the experience.

Tohatoha/Share:

Lastly, we 'Shared' our learning. We focussed on embedding and rewinding the content we had created through our blogs, which can be seen above for my future reference, if needed.

Finally, in reflecting upon this blog, I have answered a couple of questions.

What have I learned that has helped increase my understanding of the Manaiakalani kaupapa and pedagogy?

I have learned how to create and host a Google Meet, and have the confidence to use this in my professional life and in my classroom.

What have I learned that can be used with my learners?

I definitely think with effective teaching I can instruct and facilitate my students to create their own Meets. For this to be successful in Room 4, I need to consider that my students are Year 3 juniors who only use iPads, while the Meet function is best utilised using Chromebooks.

Mā te wā.

DFI - Day 1

Kia Ora,

Today was the first day of our Digital Fluency Intensive (DFI) course 2022. The day was structured according to the Manaiakalani Pedagogy: Learn, Create, Share, and the arrangement of my weekly posts will follow the same format.

Akohia/Learn:

First, it was important to me to gain an understanding of 'Why?'. This course is designed for teachers to prime ourselves with new digital skills in order to have the capabilities to connect our learners digitally to their learning. 

What stood out for me in the 'Learn' period was the story told by the Manaiakalani leader, Dorothy Burt. Dorothy spoke incisively about the genesis of the Manaiakalani story and the ongoing development of the Learn, Create, Share pedagogy, and its positive and empowering impact on low socio-economic communities.

This allowed me to see the importance of connecting my students to the digital world, seeing devices as a learning tool that amplifies effective teacher practice and student learning, and how teaching digitally helps alleviate any disparities of equity within our current education system.

Something that I found useful for my own teaching was being introduced to the 'Explore' function in Google Docs. I have learned how to add a drop down function that I can use for student learning activities. This has stood out for me as transferable learning into the classroom.

Hanga/Create: 

This part of the day was structured for us to 'Create' a document with Google Docs. I decided to make a poster of instructions for using a dictionary to find words.

Alternatively, my students can use the 'Explore' function in Google Docs or use Kiddle to look up and find the meanings of words. 

Tohatoha/Share: 

The final section of the day was for sharing our work via Blogging. This provided me with the opportunity to embed and rewind my learning, as well as a chance to reflect with my colleagues. 

So upon reflection for this blog, I have pondered two questions:

What have I learned that has helped increase my understanding of the Manaiakalani kaupapa and pedagogy?

I have understood how Manaiakalani aims to help its teachers be more at home in a digital world that is increasingly at the forefront of our ākonga/learners' needs and experiences.

What have I learned that can be used with my learners?

I have learned more about the features, functions, and capabilities of Google Docs which I had not previously realised the potential of, and that are directly transferable into my classroom. 

Some of the features, such as the 'Explore' and 'Building Blocks' buttons can be used in student learning to complete their Learn, and Create tasks in reading, writing, and maths.

Mā te wā.

Teacher Inquiry 2022 - Blog Post 1

Kia Ora,

The 2022 teaching year has begun, and alas, the education climate has again been influenced by the disruptions of covid. Low student numbers, isolating pupils, and an undeniable need to put student wellbeing at the heart of learning, have presented myself and my colleagues with challenges towards getting our classroom learning going successfully in full-flight.

Nethertheless, as a team, we have responded well to support each other, and have maintained a strong focus on building positive relationships with our students, and completing our literary and numeracy testing to the fullest extent possible.

On the first count, I have made having positive, supportive relationships with all my pupils the single most important goal for myself in Term 1. I know that this has been a success. So far, so good. 

On the last, I have luckily secured myself a full complement of student data.

With the data close at hand, I have now commenced my formal learning programmes. So, what has this looked like, given the challenges we are facing as teachers? 

Not surprisingly, the reality has been less than linear.

Despite the readiness of myself and pupils, there has been a hugely evident need to ensure that my students’ wellbeing has been well-prepared alongside proper classroom teaching.

So, to explore this, I have asked myself some questions to reflect and act on.

The first is question is: ‘what do I do, as a matter of habit, organisation, or structure in the classroom, for students to be well-prepared emotionally in order to learn?

Firstly, and primarily, I have been maintaining a structured daily and weekly routine. Our morning routine of preparing the classroom, calling the roll and date, reviewing the daily schedule, and sticking to the routine, has helped my class be “ready for learning”. I have taught my students what being ready for learning looks like and sounds like in Room 4. This has all culminated in students being really happy to learn.

The second question I have pondered is: 'What have I done to prepare the well-being of my students in our key learning areas?

And to answer - I have maintained a structured programme of learning in the core areas.

My writing program, so far, has been quite successful, as it takes place first in the mornings. I have structured it in this particular way: as a class we have mat time for teaching, writing time, and finally, student sharing and listening to writing time. I have a system whereby students know and expect that their name will be called at random at the end of writing time for sharing. This, I think, has added to the easy and happy attitude to writing I have seen in each of my pupils. Students are highly motivated to share the writing they have produced and are confident sharing their ideas with others.

My reading program is going well, too. I have organised activities and ability reading groups underway, complemented by a phonics routine, Big-Book routine, and reading for enjoyment after lunchtimes on the mat. Students have visual aides to help them know where to return their daily instructional reading book, have zones for bookbags, and named labels where they can locate their reading group.

For Term 2, my focus will be on building a routine and structure around my math program, which took a little longer to establish in Term 1, and which is a bit worse for wear. However, one thing I have done well is to have a fun focus in mathematics. We routinely play warm-up games, have a teacher-led warm up routine, and use ‘hands-on’ learning aides and digital devices to support learning. This week, I have made table rotation cards, and this has immediately changed the feel of the class during math, as pupils sit in groups at organised tables, while I teach small groups. I have also noticed that bringing math forward earlier in the day has increased student engagement, and this is to be not unexpected given how students attention spans and energy levels tend to wane as the day passes. 

Now looking forward to Term 2, I will be asking myself the question: ‘how will, and what will I do, to ensure that student well-being is a priority in order to maintain pupil confidence and an ease of attitude towards learning over the long-term?’