DFI - Day 9 - Revision

Exam day

Here we go ready for the 3-hour exam for Google educator level 1.  Fingers crossed.  :-)

Ubiquitous Learning

Ubiquitous learning is all about A3 - Anytime, Anywhere, Any pace (from anyone) - All student-driven and centered.  This is what makes learning now and in the future more engaging, rewindable, and focused shifting students to a higher level of student achievement.  

This year has definitely been the year of ubiquitous learning coming into its own with the need to do distance learning with COVID19. 

High-quality learning is the ultimate goal - where learners are experiencing high-quality learning experiences right now (and all the time) while we are not with them.  This is great for relievers as they are able to just pop in and carry on without us - e.g. the learning is online and accessible and so the learning carries on regardless of the teacher.

School days are no longer 9-3 - Learning carries on outside of these hours.  Rewindable learning is such an important part of this outside of 9-3 hours but it is also a fantastic way to reinforce learning at home and for parents to see what it is we are focusing on.

"Technology enables removal of barriers, previously inconceivable solutions to problems, opportunities for new ways of learning - It's not just a tool" - A quote from the slide deck.

Rewindable learning

Today we were reminded of Rewindable learning.  This is something that has become a guiding principle in what we do in our classroom.  "If it's worth teaching, it's worth capturing" & "if it's worth learning, it's worth capturing" - Rewindable learning makes learning accessible to more learners and not just in class but when-ever, where-ever, and how-ever they learn best.

Completion of DFI

It has been fantastic to learn more about the background of the Manaiakalani pedagogy.  Completing DFI has also given me the time to implement and refine lots of strategies and skills, and actually come up with more inviting and engaging resources for children in my learning space. It also gave me time to streamline other elements e.g. emails.  Many of these things I knew, and have done many of these things YEARS ago but never get around to updating - So DFI has been about reconnecting/reflecting and revising these things. 

DFI - Day 8 - Computational Thinking

 Empowered - Learners and Teachers

“The Manaiakalani kaupapa of empowerment is about the advancing of 

Rangatiratanga; taking back control of their own lives”

Pat Snedden

Choice of words - Manaiakalani point of view

Agency versus Empower

Agency - sounds flasher to an educator but can be confusing and also scare our whanau

Empower is a word that parents/whanau can associate with.

Like always the choice of words we use as educators needs to reflect the audience we have whether it be parents and whanau or students. If we are aiming our talk at teachers then we have a common language but often this shared language base is not the same for whanau and students

Dorothy shared with us a quote about devices

Devices: it's NOT 'just a tool'...

if it's just a tool then it's way too expensive... and we should go back to a cheaper option.

I can wholeheartedly agree with this, as the expense of a device needs to result in a substantial increase in learning opportunities and outcomes that it can deliver (and this is her point)

However ... it is WAY bigger than that.

If we look at devices from the point of view of it being NOT 'just a tool' then the device itself is what is going to improve learning which we all know is not the case.  However, if we look at it from the point of view that 'it is just a tool' then the ownership for transforming educational outcomes is placed on the teacher and indirectly on individual students.  This means that as educators we need to be looking/making opportunities students work on them in ways that do redefine education and learning.  It reminded me of the SAMR model of digital learning.  Devices themselves are useless without a purpose and a direction and although all levels of the SAMR model are important the transformational part of their use happens when students have to grapple with what they are learning, creating, and sharing it in different ways and acting on feedback and feedforward.

So merging Dorothy's quote with my rambling.  The device is what makes a difference, if and when the teacher/educator is looking for ways to transform learning in the classroom. 

AND THIS IS WHAT THE DFI IS ALL ABOUT DOING! - creating, motivating connecting, and reconnecting teachers with the transformative practice that inspires and moves teaching and learning practices in ways that capture, engage and empowers learners to 'be the best that they can be'.   '

The device alone does not do this... It is a big part of the kete that we carry around with us as we work in classrooms.  Just like technology is now integral in our society so too is technology in our educational system.  Without technology assisting learning in the classroom, teachers can not access or make the same shifts as the same opportunities are not available.  The Device and the pedagogy need to go hand in hand TPACK

In addition to this ... 

Devices... "assist the making of connections by enabling students to enter and explore new learning environments, overcoming barriers of distance and time..."

P36 NZ Curriculum (2007)

Devices ..." when it transforms the way we learn, offers us new uncharted experiences and opportunities..."

Dean Shareski (2011)

Empowerment

One of the first things that empower you is having money or access to money, and in reverse, a very powerful disempowerment is not having access to money. This is because many of the choices we have are determined by this. And therefore money gives us the power to choose and not having money locks us into a very narrow set of options (where often there really is no real choice at all).

In addition to this other things either empower or disempower us along the way and for many of our youngsters, their options are limited and or non-existent. Many of our students suffer;

• Disempowerment of community
• Disempowerment through medical
• Disempowerment in Education

We as educators may not have any power over the first 2, and we don't have any power over how students begin in education but we do how the power to make the difference in the third.

Key facts to remember looking forward

• Our kids are arriving so far behind in all areas fine motor, academic ... (close to half a lifetime behind e.g. coming in around 2.5 years to 3 years).
• 32 million words less - in any language - the conversations ... that an adult and a child has.
• Many students we come across are Transient.

Video to watch

The New Technologies curriculum - Computational thinking

Our students need to be active participants in an online world so they can feel apart of a larger community. This is the community that they will need to eventually need to be apart of - e.g. a wider world. They also need to be confident and creative users.

Digitally fluent means that students/teachers decide when and why to use different technologies and tools to complete their work or complete tasks and solve problems. - It means you are able to create their own solutions using digital technologies.

This Create element to learning is becoming more and more important as we think of a thing like a maker movement. This movement looks at the need to develop a mindset of creativity in our students rather than maintaining a consumer's approach.

"Students with this creative capacity and technical literacy will hold the power in the future. They are the next generation of entrepreneurs, and, as some teenagers and younger students have shown us, they are already the entrepreneurs of today".  https://www.wired.com/insights/2014/12/future-made-by-creators-not-consumers/

“The digital curriculum is about teaching children how to design their own digital solutions and become creators of, not just users of, digital technologies, to prepare them for the modern workforce."

Chris Hipkins, 2018

Digitally fluent students is a natural progression if you have digitally fluent teachers - This is where we are at. As educators, we need to adopt an Agile pedagogy - where it can change and adapt quickly for teachers and for students.

It starts at school with students being empowered and learning in a digital environment.

Digital Curriculum

Today we spent some time unpacking the digital curriculum again, its always a great to be reminded of this and to think of the strand and AO's form a student's point of view. This is also something we have been reflecting on and working on as part of our Digital team meetings at Ohaeawai so was a lovely reminder to keep going.

Technology strands include; Technology Practice, Technology knowledge, and the nature of technology

Technological practice

Planning for practice

Brief development

Outcome development and evaluation

Technological knowledge

Technological modeling

Technological products

Technological systems

Nature of Technology

Characteristics of technology

Characteristics of technology outcomes.

Then there are the Thinking about how technology can be used across the different learning areas and across outcomes.

Computational thinking

Programming (input, output, sequence, iteration, selections, variable)

Unplugged activities

Algorithms

Understanding human behavior

Understanding binary

Robotics

Sphero, Arduino lego, makeymakey

Scratch coding

App development: Code.org

Design and development 

woven every part of the technology curriculum into these progress outcomes. 

Create part of the day

Today the group that I was working in decided to work from scratch.  Most used the scratch on the Chromebook/computer.  As I was the only one teaching juniors I decided to do mine on Scratch Jnr - as this is the medium that my students use.  It was both exciting and frustrating.  I decided to try making a game using Scratch Jnr.  Our facilitator thought this was a good idea and we had a quick look at ones online and decided to go for it. 

The game I created was based around the maths context of chickens and rooster.  This project worked well and this was quickly finished.  

A question I had along the way included can you copy an entire page with all the sprites and coding associated with it and then just manipulate the code.  Short answer ... NO.

Another question I had at the end was now can I share it.  This was the part that was VERY frustrating as the only way the facilitator and I found to share it was merely recording the scratch project (which we had already been doing).  This of course defeats the purpose of having it as a game because the only way it can be shared is as a video file.  I really like the project I had created but have now challenged my daughter to recreate it using scratch on a computer so it can be embedded into our learning site. 

Here is the video of the scratch I had created.

DFI - Day 7 - Devices

Being Cyber Smart - Fiona Grant

Being cyber smart is embedded in our Maniakalani (and Kaikohekohe) pedagogy and we need to empower our students and whanau in this.  Being committed to using powerful positive and language in comments is an important part of this.

Why Cyber Smart - If we want our students to be students who are connected and actively involved in their learning then this is essential as we want to encourage students to be "at home in a digital world" - Kua tangata whenua ki te ao matihiko.

Cyber smart is about being empowered, it is about being proactive and positive online. To create this our Cyber smart teaching program needs to be a purposeful and intentional program.

The goal is about; Creating positive and successful citizens.

Security on devices is like an iceberg - so much is under the surface that BOT is responsible for ... e.g. This is the SECURE part - e.g. Hapara, N4L, Google console, fusion, blogger ... but the bit that sits above is the SMART part - which is where classroom teachers have an important role to play.  The devices are way more powerful and the internet is way more accessible but we need to make sure that our learners are accessing a lot more both inside and outside of school as well.

We need to focus on both parts of this iceberg - Being secure is not enough we need them to learn to be smart - That is where students learn to be connected and a positive digital citizen.  Both are important.

This takes practice - it isn't something that just happens we need to be very conscious about what we are supporting students and how we are using language and content with regards to this. - If both aren't working hand in hand then our students don't have the opportunity to put their cyber smart learning into practice.

Cybersmart is a whole school focus - the talk needs to be the same and consistent throughout the school. - it also needs to be a priority.  Cybersmart values are similar across year levels but the approach and content delivered as part of this program would vary depending on year level.

"Being cyber smart empowers learners to connect with their learning is visible and ubiquitous".

Empowering - Kawa of care - needs to be a lived document (how are we connecting learners with this element of care). - highlight these elements.

"Confidence, connected, actively involved lifelong learners" - NZ curriculum ???

Ubiquitous - Looking after device and keeping it safe because this is their device - them taking responsibility for how they are connecting online. 

Connected - empower our young people to engage in online behavior and thinking that ... elevates positive actions. - learning how to create and maintain a positive 

If they don't have an opportunity to connect online they don thave the authentic context to learn this. 

Visible - "Whenever and wherever we hare online... it's personal!"   - By default what we share is personal - we have to teach them to learn about what is something personal that we can share and something that is not. - not only is id linked to our digital footprint but it is also linked to my personal thoughts as well. - When learning is shared it is personal  - Need to teach them about what is public and private.

New part for me...

Smart Parent - a really important part of our Digital cyber smart program. - Common language - Based around Positive, helpful, and thoughtful - similar throughout school and fo parents too.

Empower our students in this common language so they can have these conversations with their peers and with their parents.

Google sites to empower parents - "Cybersmart learning is at its best when embedded into an existing educational programme."

Hapara - Lenva Shearing

Started off as a little NZ company to fill a gap in what was needed. - all new releases are released to Manaialaki schools to test - so they have huge control over what is happening. - This is good for us because our pedagogy aligns.

Click on the blue star to bring it into your 'my class tab' . - So you can control what you see in this area.

Dashboard - (Dashboard, Gmail, and Sharing) - the first 3 tabs is our access into their Gsuite themselves.

Dashboard - only shows current class folders (the ones that were created at the beginning of the year) and where we get students to file their work - An idea for next year is to check that an extra 'personal' folder is added.

Sharing tab - allows us to see all the things that have not been put in the class folders.

(all docs button - shows all files - those in the folders and those that aren't in the right) - where you can search the ENTIRE drive).

Class groups can easily creatable and visible through Hapara - they will stay the same no matter where you are in Hapara.

Access to Blog and Comments  - Under the More option for primary students - hover if you need to.

Smart share - also found on the dashboard page - able to share and file things correctly. This is better than sharing via google drive or emailing - place them directly into the drive, this will ensure that they are in the right folder and that the students copy is created in the right place and then they can access - Simple Simple way to do it.  As long as its a file (PDF, JPEG Doc ...) in your drive you can share it in this way- doesn't have to be google.

Gmail - clicking on the subject line allows you to check it quickly and not have to download - allows you to see all mail received and all mail deleted/draft/received.

Class info - this is where you can find emails, their ID. Also where you can change your password.

Create workspace through Hapara - Might be a good place to look at - (slide deck on this to review) 

Hapara Highlights - All about visibility and knowing if they are actively engaged or not.

This module is controlled by 2 things - School hours e.g between 8 and 4 - Limited visibility, and the second parameter is the location - e.g. IP location. 

Can pause tabs, close tabs, send messages for why a tab is being closed. and send messages to student devices - can remotely open URLs' for students and have it sent out.

You can block specific sites on this part too!  Highlights also allows you to see the different places your students have been in.

Hapara also has lots of PLD and courses.  We can access and self learn or can have PLD webinars - Just contact Lenva - via email.

Manaiakalani 1:1 Journey

Partnership, Participation, and protection.

Partnership in the learning process

• Teachers with teachers
• learners with teachers
• learners with learners
• families with families.

Participation

• All Learners can participate
• All teachers are supported to become digitally fluent when all devices are the same.
• Engagement through device ownership.

Protection

This happens behind the scenes and incorporates things like teacher dashboard and Hapara, N4L ...

Children's default if they don't know what to do or when the learning is to hard is to default to Utube and games.

Digital Fluency starts with the ability to use the device!

We had lots of time today to play around on Chrome books which was actually quite neat as I have never really used one.  Great to learn so many short cuts and many of them are useable on a normal computer too.

We completed a digital dig slide presentation based on this.  This was a series of slides in a slide deck asking you to do a range of things using the Chromebook shortcuts.

Afterward, we also had time to look into Explain everything.  One really cool thing I learned was that there is a computer version and although it is not as functional as the iPad version it is a great resource to create EE's for children to use.

During this time I also spent time with another educator troubleshooting a few issues we had both had with EE.  This was beyond the task that we were asked to complete but for us was far more worthwhile. It also left me feeling very motivated, and also made me realize I know and do more with EE than I sometimes let myself take credit for.

In the afternoon we also were given a task of ether creating a movie or Hapara workspace to support an aspect of SMART learners.  This was a great opportunity to play with Hapara workspace as this was something I had NEVER done before.  I really enjoyed using this and am looking forward to trialing this out next week when I am on Digital Support Release - as we wanted to do a teacher revisit for Smart Learners (based around KAWA of care) - due to a high level of insurance claims post COVID Lockdown.

CONNECTING

During the morning break I connected with another Year 0-1 teacher and we discussed our sites and changes we have been making to them.  This was great to hear how some of what we had on our site was useful to her (as I had been feeling very ho-hum about ours - due to its teacher like focus).  I also shared what I was working on to change this and also she shared a site she was developing for possible COVID-19 Level 3 Lockdown.  This was HIGHLY valuable, affirming, and inspiring. - This connecting is possibly one of my main reasons to be apart of this course.  So thanks, everyone.  This teacher was also able to share a bank of Explain Everything resources she had been given by a Maniakalani facilitator.  This will be very useful in again affirming or inspiring further EE resource creation and link to my site pages that are being updated.

DFI Day 6 - Enabling Access

Hapara - Student dashboard

Great for students above Year 7. - Mobile friendly.

Connected - The default is visible

Visibility is what empowers this connection.  We have the connectivity to make 'visible' work.

The ability to Connect through lockdown has been about both the learning connection as well as the physical connection.   It's not the same as being in the same room but it is VERY powerful!  Talk to students about turning cameras on and practice practice practice having hangouts. ... so they know how and what to do.

Emphasis on Whanaungatanga, Manaakitanga and Rangitamiro.

Network - Connecting us to a powerful network of people. (individual schools coming together to make our students successful - previously students had only come together to compete and now we come together to share and learn and make changes for our tamariki.  The learning we have from each other is enormous and the connections are essential.  What we also have in common is our shared language.

Manaiakalani Pedagogy Programme Design - a term by term program - purposely structured to focus on Learning in term 1, term 2 create, term 3 share, and term 4 to bring it all together. - It is this way so students and staff all feel comfortable with how we can move together.

You can't pull apart connected and share.  - You need both!  You need someone to connect with to make sharing something that is worthwhile.

If you want to grow empowered students then we need to grow our connected learners that share.  They are Connected, Ubiquitous, Visible and empowered.

"The important thing is living together, making friends and exchanging ideas" - "Te mea nui rawa ia ko te noho tahi, ko te whakawhanaunga, ko te whakawhitiwhiti whakaaro".

Why Google Sites?

Google sites make learning accessible all the time - anyone can pick up and see what is being taught in school.  Kids can even learn at home - any reading/resources/videos they are able to take home and continue learning - it's all rewindable.

extend the learning through collaboration - both within the class (student to students) but also between teacher to teacher... - Look at what they are doing and incorporate.  It is also a collaboration with our whanau. - Extends beyond the 4 walls of the classroom.

Google accounts right from Year 1 would mean that learning would move through with students.  All their learning is also shared into their drive and then is also visible on their blogs.  This means that students can log on at home and continue right from year 1.  It is my belief that we are moving in the right direction with our digital portfolio's this year, and feedback feedforward from parents supports this too, but we have a long way to still go.

Sites make learning all collaborative.

Today we also looked at our own sites and got feedback/feedforward on these.  Here are some points we looked into as we were undergoing this process.  At the end of it we came up with goals of what we wanted to achieve/change on our sites.

When thinking of site creation..,,

- THE PURPOSE!

• Who is the learner?
• What is your theme?
• How are they accessing the site?
• Why are they using the site?

- PLANNING YOUR CLASS SITE

• How many pages do you need?
• What will be linked to your home page?
• What is the layout of each page?

- THEME AND DESIGN

• Colour - Pick your main colour and stick with it - No rainbow spew
• Layout - keep it consistent
• Font - keep to a minimum

- 3 CLICK RULE

Keeps kids focused and minimizes how many kids get lost.

-CREATING BUTTONS

use google draw. - But templates are easy

- USING A LAYOUT TO MAKE BUTTONS

- CREATING AN IMAGE CAROUSEL

Ideas for blog

Main goal will be to make it more child friendly

Other ideas:

Question form embedded

FAQ slide deck

Twitter feed

Home button at the bottom of each page?

Picture carousels

Goal : Investigate parent portal???

Limit the links.