Tuesday, 29 June 2021

DFI 29/6/21 LAST SESSION

 DFI 29/6/21 LAST SESSION


Today was our last session- It was great to come along today and even though I didn't sit the exam ( which is a decision I am completely happy with). I spent the time working on my PLG and I watched Doctor Rebecca Jesson's T-Shaped Literacy for Year 1-3. It was so good to use the time to watch, reflect and make some actions for Term 3.   I was pleased that I have used my DFI knowledge and have created Multimodal texts as this fits perfectly with my PLG Oral Language Focus and links T Shaped Literacy to my PLG focus. So my knowledge and new learning that I have gained from DFI is helping constantly through my practice.

Olympics Multimodal Slideshow

T Shaped Literacy for Year 1-3



I can't say how much the DFI has been so very helpful- even down to simple things; for example making sure that I open a new doc into the Google folder that I want it to be in, to making my pretty to do list book redundant as I am now using Google Keep, to sending google forms to families instead of collecting slips, I love heading in Googles in Google Docs- its fabulous.... I loved the session on My Maps- it was fantastic!!! Ohhh and realising I had a You Tube channel and I have had a good sort of play lists. My OCD needs were met when we got to reorganise our Google Drive. The list is very long.



I have really appreciated listening to Dorothy Burt each week. It has been great to get a deeper understanding of Learn, Create and Share. I think in my mind I have over complicated things. I think now having a deeper understanding of visible, connected, ubiquitous, empowered.


I am looking forward to jooshing the site I have created for Junior Explorers and continuing to make slide decks (I didn't know what that even meant a few weeks ago) for multimodal texts. I want to explore Explain Everything. In the long term I think it would be fabulous if we all plan to use sites to plan with- so there is consistency across the team and then eventually across the school.

Tuesday, 22 June 2021

22/6/2021 Computational Thinking

  22/6/2021 Computational Thinking

It's been fantastic to bring things together over the last week. I have set up a system to make a multimodal slide deck for a couple of our themes and I have a template that I can use and also my team can use. It was a really cool buzz to have the share slides added to the Olympics slideshow with children from across the syndicate using it on their I Pads today.  The children from my class are using them so its great that my 5 year olds can access these resources too. 

The Olympics


Empowerment- Dorothy Burt

Empowerment means choice. Low incomes can have such a impact for whanau. Limited incomes, limited housing and basic low quality housing, families who use loan with high interest rates, health issues- families do not access family GPs, children arriving at school mean of a year old, the need to have heard 32, 000, 000 words prior to starting to school, children who are transient. Manaiakalani empowers communities and individuals. The ability for children and whanau to have choices


We can do things to change the challenges that we face in our classrooms. 
Training children to have 5+ a day for oral language conversations for every child in the class. Also thinking about 5+ a day for reading books at home.

It is also empowering as children have they access to resources- through using chromebooks and it empowers children, whanau and the whole community.


We did a really cool unplugged activity in computational thinking with sorting numbers. It was a really fun activity and simple to show simple algorithms.

The future of Technology
We had an extremely interesting discussion about ethics and the Moral Machine Activity - a platform for gathering human perspective on moral decisions made by machines It was actually quite mind blogging and the thoughts around what the future potentially could hold particularly the decisions that we make for our children with references to artificial intelligence and facial recognition technology.

 The Digital Technologies Curriculum

Consumers being user- we want our students to be creators- they want students to be creating content, to be empowered to be creative in the space. 

Systems are created by humans for humans, although technology is not infallible. 

Coding- OMG Tech
Coding- providing instructions and options/choices- computational thinking with variables. Variables are structure that holds data.

We were given the example of using coding in Writing- Storytelling, narrative, procedure texts

We can make stories through  https://twinery.org. We can try using Mermaid to teach coding language and flowcharts. 


It has been such a great day and it has also been such an amazing time doing the DFI. I really
have loved everything that I have learnt and the adaptions that I have made to my practice and
to my class programme. I was so very nervous prior to starting and it has been such a great
learning curve. Every session I have come away with something new to do or a new trick up my
sleeve. It has been so good to investigate the google suit and I feel like I have put a huge google
jigsaw piece puzzle together. I have also enjoyed the comradery of the group. Sharon, Emily and
Vicki are amazing facilitators- I particularly appreciated their patience and their positive
feedback. I also really appreciated seeing Dorothy Burt each week- it was fabulous that she has
shared the pedagogy behind Manaiakalani- again this has helped strengthen my understanding
and I am making connections to how we can live and breathe Learn, Create, Share and the
Manaiakalani framework in my class, Syndicate and our whole school.

Tuesday, 15 June 2021

15/6/21 Devices

 

15/6/21 Devices

Ubiquitous Learning

I have always struggled with this concept- its a very a big word- but I think having the phrase anytime, anywhere, any pace from anyone- the concept of being able to share in this way is so extremely powerful and it has been a simple explanation. I like the concept of thinking about pace- and use the concept of rewindable learning. I think being able to access concept at our own pace is just so powerful.  The power of connecting with learning in anytime frame.



The students can do the learning at anytime. At home, at school, whenever suits them. Learning is rewindable and can be reviewed again at a later date. Learning can happen outside the school day of 9:00-3:00. It also includes school holidays. Generally children would drop in their writing and reading after the summer holidays. By being ubiquitous and using the 'Summer Learning Journey' children do not drop off in learning, they continue to progress as they are continuing to learning even when that are not at school.

My practice with digital learning and teaching is always changing- I found it really easy and motivating to change my practice when I had the year teaching Year 3 and 4. I am really motivated to see how I else I can change my practice being in a New Entrant class. I would love to visit and meet with other Junior teachers to see how their class programmes have evolved over time. I am motivated to see how I can make adaptions to my Literacy programme- potentially using a site for planning and organisation.  I want to link ways I make videos for children- rewindable learning- reading books being online, links to multimodal activities and using the theme bank. 

Cybersmart Curriculum

Cybersmart Curriculum

My thinking is drawn to how we can at Belfast draw the cybersmart message to our whanau. I really see the value in this as my own children are have been involved with Manaiakalani and they have become cybersmart. I am always talking to them about their digital footprint- this is something that concerns me about a parent.


Cybersmart Overview- it would be great to develop a Belfast Overview for our school to follow.

Manaiakalani 1:1 Journey

Manaiakalani 1:1 Journey


Chromebooks- 
It was awesome having a play with the chrome book shortcuts- really good to have the activity and links to the short cuts link so I can go back to it.

Chromebook apps

https://www.screencastify.com/

https://www.wevideo.com/ Stock Media and templates have been added recently that expand possibilities. Record function now has 3 choices: 

https://spark.adobe.com/make/video-maker/

Free online video maker with music and pictures

Create compelling video content with ease! Piece together your footage with photos, music, voiceovers, and beautiful transitions from one scene to the next.

iPad Apps

iMovie - 

Clips - make a movie with Clips

Quicktime - make a movie on Mac


Apps to explore:  Mobile phones / iPads


Screen castify
It was great to have another look at screen castify and see the tools. Again it's making me think of ways that I will use it in the class. I will at using it in Literacy

I Pads in the classroom
Its great to hear that the children are using a stylus so they can focus on having the correct pencil grip and to promote fine motor skills.


Beginning of the Year - Before school starts:
  • All iPads set up the same - icons in the same folders, lock screen

  • All iPads signed into individual learners’ Google Accounts (Google Drive, Chrome & Explain Everything)

  • iPads labelled on the outside with learners’ name

  • Stylus labelled with learners name

Beginning of the Year - With the learners

  • Start with ‘kawa of care’ routines including how to carry, where to store, where to be.

  • Use ‘safety video’ BEFORE learners’ use them - play repeatedly over first few weeks - unpack as a class

  • Loss of device for breaking ‘kawa of care’

  • Whole class lessons over a few weeks (about 4 weeks)


It would be great to see the Junior Team using the Junior Explorer site to upload Explain Everything activities. We will look at creating a folder for our Explain Everything activities on our Shared Drive. 

Today I made an Explain Everything activity for Year 1 children to choose what is are safe and unsafe examples of looking after an i Pad.  I did find it challenging manipulating the pictures, but I am sure this will become easier with a bit of practise. I can see this as powerful tool that our Junior children can use. 



Today was a fantastic session having a go at new digital tools and it throughout the session I find myself thinking of ways I can apply it into my class and ways things can be developed across the Junior Team.  I think my main goal is to really think about ways that I can create more meaningful, rewindable learning opportunities for the Junior learners.






Tuesday, 8 June 2021

8/6/21 Enabling Access- Sites

Tuesday 8th June Enabling Access- Sites

Being connected doesn't work unless we embrace visibility. Creating a network for learners. Continue to share with others in the connections we make.
Continue to promote "positive, helpful, thoughtful" having opportunities to practise connecting with others in a positive way.

Leading Learning using Google Sites

Purpose of learning site:

  • rewindable learning, 
  • accessible for all, anytime, anywhere,
  • personalised learning,
  • visible planning and teaching
  • hub information, re events, grouping and progressions for both learners and parents.
  • weekly overviews and timetables.
  • multiple opportunities to access content and the learning process.

Using sites enables accelerated progress through turbo charging the learning through digital learning.
SAMR- substitution, augmentation, modification, redefinition.

Having rewindable, multiple opportunities to make learning visible, whanau can have access to learning

Having visual appeal- main colours- simple layout, use simple fonts, multimodal, ensure visibility.
The key to the Junior Explorer site will be to keep it simple, use mobi as well as written instructions- keep in mind my audience- the ease for the children to use and for their whanau.

It was really useful looking at the other sites- particularly the Junior sites. 

It was fantastic having the time to play and look and see what others are doing. It was a daunting experience to have others look at the site- 

The long term goal to create class sites across the Junior team. I guess the more access children have to the I Pads then we will make greater use of having class sites and for whanau having visibility.

Today I have worked on the Three Little Pigs slideshow.  it was also fabulous having the advice to take do set a goal and it achievable. I also really appreciated the feedback I gained feedback on colour shemes- layout and having a couple of sets of eyes to look at the Three Little Pigs slideshow to make it easy to use and visually appealing.  I will put this on the site- which I need to work on the visuals- buttons for subject area and a small amount of things to see on each screen. 



Its been really good to think about the layout and then linking my evolving site-


I will really try and complete my site this week so we can start it will be ready to go as it will be built as it goes.



Tuesday, 1 June 2021

1/6/21 Collaborate - Sites Agenda

 1/6/21 Collaborate - Sites Agenda

I set a goal last week to use google forms and My Maps and my class have made a map around where the children are from. It will be great to share with the children and whanau.


Pedagogy and Kaupapa: Visible Learning


Multi Model Approach
The key message is to know your learners and to think about the balance between behavioural and cognitive.





I enjoyed and was challenged by going back and making a Google Site as I haven't done this since 2019.  I have been challenged by the concept of using the multi-model approach with Learn, Create, Share and using a range of having the main text then having a selection of texts that are Complimentary (self explanatory of what is needed to learn around the topic), Scaffolding (easy to understand at an easier level than the text) and Challenging text (next level to extend thinking).

I will keep the concept of using the framework of Learn, Create, Share with themes and my goal is to have a Junior Syndicate site that has google slides or pages on a site that is a resource bank for the Team to use to access resources and for the children to have access on their I Pads. 


We used the theme of Seasons as an example to use for multi-modal texts around the book Grumpy Bear. I like the structure of the site to use in the future for other Google Sites.  I am really excited by the challenge of jooshing sites and also using multi-modal texts in my class programme. This would be great to link with my PLG focus. I will do this for a series of Shared Texts and quality picture books such as Elmer, Giraffes Can't Dance, Little Kiwi's Matariki and Rainbow Fish.