Time to earn my EdTechTeam Presenters Badge

Session 2 - Mine

Presenting for the first time at a EdTech summit or any summit for that matter.  The workshop I ran was not large. I had a total of 5 attendees’ each attendee was diverse and unique from the rest.  One was a principal from a large high school with 150 staff who was very interested in blogging from a professional portfolio point of view.  Another was a lady that works as an Educational Liaison person within an Inner Sydney Hospital, where she works with children who have long stays in hospital due to the nature of their treatment.  Another was a teaching principal from a rural area outside of Sydney who had 12 students within her school.

Although there was not a large number of attendees having the opportunity to share the stories of Ohaeawai Schools students and parents within blogging was inspiring.  As the number was so small instead of presenting as I had first anticipated/planned it became more of a discussion around the slides that I was presenting. It allowed for us to cater and tell the story but also link into how blogging could work specifically for the participants of this workshop.

The workshop ended up focusing on the fundamentals of why we blog and having examples of professional, parental, and student voice was fantastic in helping those who attended, to connect with the ideas we were talking about.  Although the plan was to begin with discussions into why we blog and then to use additional resources within my presentation to help create a blog or a blog post these were things we didn’t actually get there due to the in-depth discussions that were having.

Key points to take away from this experience

• Connection in education is 1 of the keys to unlocking the potential of everything in education - I always knew this was the case with students and with mentor teachers, but hadn’t forced myself to do this kind of connection with educators I had never met  before.
• Sharing not only makes us stronger as educators, but it also helps promote growth an educational community both for ourselves and for other educators.
• The thought of sharing is actually harder than the reality of sharing.
• People attending EdTech Summits like being able to take resources away that they create.
• Although I view my own teaching practice as normal and nothing great, the practices that I use on an everyday basis is still unimaginable to may educators - Although I can see many areas I want to improve on (typical of all teachers I know)  I need to be more prepared to share my story - in education, with education and for education. Also even though I have area’s I know I want to improve on and inquire into, many of the things I already do are inspiring to others and for this reason I need to be more prepared to put my hand up and share my ideas.

A HUGE THANKYOU goes to the MIT team, especially KPMG, Pat Snedden, Jenny Oxley who are the people who worked behind the scenes to make this happen. Pat I would love to meet you in person and be able to express my gratitude for helping me grow professionally within this inquiry, and Jenny, it is always a pleasure to catch up with you when we all meet together at KPMG.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

Also a bit thank you to the MIT team. It is great working with such a dedicated and inspiring group of people who are also kind and friendly and make all feel welcome. Dorothy and Anne it is always a pleasure to be challenged by you both.

Session 1 - Google Sheets Ninja Training

Session 1 - Google sheets Ninja training

This was a great workshops to find out a few tips and trick for sheet.  Can’t wait to use some of this

on some documents I already have in place especially assessment data document that we use for

our team.  The pivot tables might come in handy to with taking on the role of Maths Lead teacher

within our school for this next term, as well as analysing data from surveys conducted with parents

relating to my MIT inquiry.

Sir links-a-lot a good app to use

TIPS AND TRICKS

• Drag the top left box down 1 and it will lock that top line into place - so it will always be at the top - will be great on assessment data files.
• Double click on the edge of the rows will make it the size of cell the right size.
• Use control keys to jump up and down… quickly
• Control A - select all. - if you do it once it will select data filled in… and if you press it again it selects the entire sheet.
• SHIFT, CTRL T - reopens a tab that has just been shut down. - GREAT FOR SNEAKY CHILDREN!!!
• Under paint bucket you can hit the ‘alternating colour’ which will colour every other row and make it easier to read. - again great for assessment data sheets - will save me having to do this manually and when adding a cell (when we get a new child) having to re-do it.
• Pivot tables are great too!

Sydney Opening Keynote Speaker

Capes not required

The kids in our classrooms are superheros in disguise.

Flight or invisibility - which one would you choose?

Our role is to bring out the superhero in our students. 

What are the characteristics?

Really they come down to 8 of the 16 habits of mind. However all are relevant.

The Hero’s journey

Many of us would say we are the mentor that brings out the hero, but in reality often the school is actually the test.

Letting our students know what they are capable is essential and a good way to do this is through their stories.

Things we need to do to do this (3 things - bold)

Encourage passion

Jordans lunch box

Technology isn’t the key, it was those people that sat with her and helped her to go over her ideas and posts and supported her to make that connection.

As teachers we need to Develop the passion and guide.- This could happen for all our students if they have the right connections with us. As teachers we need to help our students be connected to their passion and we ourselves need to also be connected to their passions.

If a student feels that school offers our them nothing that’s a big problem

Ideas like 20% time projects - Genius hour - helps to develop students passion - where they can work on something that is completely different to their main focus. And is a huge concept that companies like GOOGLE use to encourage innovation and excellence.

We want what is best for our students but to make this happen we need to make sure we include them in this process - e.g. let the children lead.

Students need to feel like it is THEIR school - that they can take ownership of it.

With great power come great responsibility

Let students guide - Best of westchester winner 2017

When we give the power back to the students they are in control and they take responsibility.

To do this we need to provide support and let them know that they can do it.  - have the mentality... 

(As Lesley puts it in later workshops - having a growth mindset)

SO... Take off the restrictions, we will support you.

Celebrate their scars - blind man riding his bike (Daniels Kish story) - using sound to help him see. - Eco locate

WE put restrictions on children because of their issues/faults … and we need to do the opposite - remove the restrictions. - how do we break that pattern - lift the them up and celebrate the challenges that they have and the scars.

There can be joy in failure - when you think of the things that you are most proud of … its not the things we can do quickly but those that we have to keep persevering with.

Negative experiences need to become positive - The fact we are moving through the negative is the positive - (getting the scars).

Honour individuality

All our students have challenges - Superhero prosthesis - Project unicorn!

Orange street news - Hildie writing about a local murder - both parents are Journalists and this was her normal.

Our job is to get to know ALL of our students. - get to the heart of knowing what makes them tick.

WE are ultimately the mentors - to guide and help them navigate the challenges along the way.

- couldn’t disagree more.

With great power comes great possibility.
How will I unleash my students inner superhero.

Parent Views on Blogging

As part of my MIT inquiry I began questioning parents on their thoughts for blogging.  This is a collection of responses they gave us with regards to blogs.  I have decided to share this here (and also include these as part of my Presentation for Ed Tech Sydney) as it really establishes the importance of having blogging as a part of our learning/teaching process.  

These responses were great to hear/see as this has been a big focus for me with my MIT inquiry but also for Team Maunga as a whole this year.

Interesting to note that the main thing that parents said we could improve on was having more posts.  This sentiment truly says something for the value they are now putting on our blog.  We had a lot of giggles together (parents and teachers) when they relayed the lengths their kids go to, to get their parents to comment on our blog.  

This year I have to say blogging has been HUGELY successful in how often our blog is getting outside comments and the value these are adding to the children and their learning.  They love to see their work being valued from others and to also have feedback and questions asked of them that makes them think about their learning in different ways.

Blogging has also been a great motivator for all children!

Design thinking Cont

Design Thinking 101

Leslie McBeth explains design thinking in 5 steps as well but uses different terminology.

Discovery

Becoming human centred.  Learning as much as possible about the problem as well as the context (or from the perspective of the 'user'.

Interpretation

Collaborating with others (including experts from different disciplines to come up with a "how might we?"  question.  (the word Might is used instead of can, should and could we as it infers that there is more than one answer, and that no answer is right or wrong in this stage.

Ideation

At this stage it is important to keep an open mind as the main focus at this stage is to come up with multiple solutions (where there is no right or wrong answer).  It is also important to keep the user in mind as well as focusing on their needs.  Crazy, out there ideas are also encouraged at this stage, as this might encourage other ideas.

Experimentation

This is were you experiment with some of the many solutions you came up with in Ideation.  Mkae prototypes or models and use them to gather feedback from their users.  Focus is not on creating the perfect finalized version but as a spring board to gather more and then build on ideas 

Evolution

This stage blends with the Experimentation phase as through the experimentation process solutions evolve and become more refined products.

This is a repeatable process as it is Cyclical and continuous.  

Design Thinking in 5 Steps

Step 1:  Empathize

Interviews so you can find out what do people really care about.

Redo this with many people so you can really understand the problem.

Step 2:  Define the Problem

Look at interviews, underline verbs can help.  

Formulate a problem statement.

Step 3 :  Ideate

Problem on problem statement.  Come up with ideas that solve problem.  Come up with LOTS of ideas, Sketch up best ideas and show to people you are trying to help.

Step 4:  Prototype

How does your prototype fit into peoples real life, it might be a combinations of what is alreay used and things you have come up with.

Step 5:  Test

Test with actual users - don't defend your idea/prototype, learn what works and what doesn't.

Then go back to Steps 3-5 until you 

Now you are ready to change the world!

Short video that explains each step in a little more detail.

Focusing on the WHY! - DESIGN THINKING

Here is a quick video I have found that very quickly explains Design Thinking in Education.  It briefly explains inquiry through 'Design Thinking' and one of the points that Tom Barrett makes is the importance of keeping the inquiry process in the questioning stage.  This links to the WHY of this posts Title, as this process makes you question the problem more, which in turn helps you to develop a better understanding of the problem and the implications that both the problem and solution has.

This year as part of the MIT process we have been working on the 5 Why's.  Here is a link to a reading we have done on the origins of this process.

Below is a brief video that explains the 5 why's if you are short of time.  Although this is a business focused example it does illustrate the process and benefits of using this process.

One thing I can quite honestly tell you is that although it is very challenging answering some of the Why questions that get thrown as you in this process it definitely challenges your thinking and makes you look into the problem deeply and helps you to narrow down what the problem actually is, and who it affects.  

Another thing I can quite honestly tell you is asking these 5 Why's can also be just as challenging.

Whangarei EDTech 2018 Summit

As a School group we attended this event last week.  I have to say one thing about these events is that you ALWAYS come away feeling inspired.  Inspired not only by what is said but by the sharing of resources and ideas from others as well as through the connections that you make with each other.

So as a result there are some things I have taken away to hold onto (you can't do everything!!!).  So this years take away ideas are... (and why)



Idea to hold onto No1:  GROWTH MINDSET.

While in our class we have already been focusing on changing mindsets from "I can't do something" to ... "I can try".

Change to implement (or add).  :  Instead of  "I can't do ...", to "I can't do ...YET".



Idea to hold onto No2:  BREAKOUT edu

In our class/school/cluster we already know and use Breakout EDU's and we have already been experimenting with ideas on how to make these more digital.

Change to impelement  :  Use Sites/Google Forms to help make Digital elements to BREAKOUT EDU's. - So watch this space.



Idea to hold onto No3:  Sharing

This is probably the biggest and hardest one for me.  Often we do things in our class, school and even cluster that are worthy of sharing. - and within this context I do share.  Often I am presenting at toolkits, PLG's ... but I am always reluctant to share outside of this circle.  SO ...

Change to implement : Make sure I am keeping this blog up to date, Share at Edtech Sydney, Submit at least 1 Breakout I create with the Breakout EDU site before the end of the year, and share 1 thing to Twitter at least every month.



Idea to hold onto No4: - DESIGN THINKING

I kept the best for last!  Michael Davidson ran us through a Design thinking presentation.  This was like CONNECTING THE DOTs for me.  This is the approach we are using with MIT this year, but at a classroom, student level.  It will build on what we have already been implementing but it should take our kids to the next level.

LOVING OUR LEARNING CONTEXT THIS YEAR! 

LEARN FROM YESTERDAY, CHANGE TOMORROW.

Ki akoranga i mua, kia whakahuri apopo

Student Voice

Recently I have been questioning children around their use of digital technology to support their learning.  Obtaining student voice and perspective is hugely important in this inquiry as they are the intended audience of this inquiry.  If they are not engaged and buying into this approach to raising achievement then its not the right direction to take.

• It’s very useful.
• It helps us remember.
• Because its fun.
• Because I get better at learning, and it helps be get better at remembering.
• I go on the blog and share what we are up to.
• Sharing our learning with them (mum and dad) by showing them things we have made at school.
• I can use it in the holidays and when I am sick to keep learning
• Everything on there is about our learning.
• The best thing is when Mrs G puts my work on the blog.
• I share my work by someone putting my work on the blog so the whole world can see it, then other people can see my work and what it is about.
• When people ask questions on our blog it helps my learning.

Students perception on what would make it better is to have more blog posts.

Already this year we have been trialing lots of things with improving this last perception and this is paying off from the comments we received above.

One strategy for increasing blog posts is to make it easier for students (and teachers) to access devices.  As we are not a 1:1 device classroom this presents us with many challenges as we complete our work digitally.

Additional challenges relating to access

1. Remembering which device they were using.
2. Charging of device
3. When work is in progress quick saving is a better option as you don't end up with multiple copies of the same Explain Everything but at different finishing points in G-Drive.
4. Not enough for 1 device per child

Our action to minimise as many of these issues as possible.

Knowing that something needed to change to reduce these issues and make it easier for children to access their learning on the devices I labeled iPads with students names.  These students were the ones in my morning 'Accelerated Writing Group', and also our top reading groups as they are capable of completing work more independently on them and can then support others to complete their tasks.  

This was a huge step for me as I was really worried that this would make these students who had name labels on iPads become very possessive of  'their iPad', and those students who didn't switch off from using iPads as they might feel that they weren't able to use named devices.

I guess as this was a massive concern for me I made sure that this was not the perception that either group of students took on.  As a result of introducing it to students in the way we have, the students whose name is on the iPad almost is the person that others go to for support when they are working on it.  This adds Mana (Value) in the work that they all complete together.  This is also helping the students in the accelerated writing group feel more of a leader and adding more Mana again to the work they complete within our morning group time.

Also students that use them remember which iPad they are using better than the number system we used last year (this is still on each iPad - but they DO NOT use it), weather it be a device with their name on or another students name.  It is also much easier for Teachers to support children with getting their posted onto the blog as the labels make it easier to find devices that work is on.

This has been a good change!  

Better late than Never - Catching up in AKL.

 Despite having a LOVELY cold and feeling really yuck.  I arrived at the airport in time to check in and board my flight scheduled to leave at 6am.   6am came and went (but the fog did not) - First Delay notice beeped on my phone, followed by an announcement over the loud speaker.  6:30 came and went, another announcement ... followed my another and other.  I logged onto my computer and started revisiting my moonshot and by 9am I was still stuck in Kerikeri Airport.  After messaging Dorothy, and Anne I decided to follow the document by tethering to my phone.  This was definitely not the same as being there in person.  10am came and went, along with a bus load of people sceduled to board the 7 am and 8 am flights.  I was beginning to think I was completely bonkers for even being at the airport, but instead of going home I popped another pill (or 2), and waited for yet another delay.  Finally rang Dorothy again (only to be put on loud speaker for everyone in Auckland to hear) and it was decided that I would still catch the plane, then a taxi to KPMG headquarters to touch base for a few hours.  So off I go, across the tarmac and onto the plane.

Flight down was BEAUTIFUL, with very little cloud and lots of viability.  My tissue box and Vics  vapour drops were my friend, the entire flight.  LOL.

Arriving at the airport, I excited the Domestic terminal and hailed my very first taxi (I had only ever been on one before and that had been about a month ago with Heather from MIT- when we were heading off to the Coromandal Hui).  Again Tissue box was my friend.

On arriving at KPMG we all briefly caught up before continuing on with the days program (of which I was feeling substantially behind in).  The next thing on the agenda was to discuss the EdTech Summit in Sydney (in July this year).  We all started working on a shared document to outline what our proposals were so we could support each other in this process.  Love how people from different teaching positions, levels, experiences and parts of NZ can work so collaboratively.  Then it was Lunch time.

 Following lunch we had a guided tour of the ______ building including its creative spaces and nooks and crannies ... Very exciting BUT OOOOOOOOHHHHHH so quiet!

 After the guided tour it was back at it and as I had missed the mornings session Ann whisked me away for some 1:1 catch up!   Although I still had a foggy head as I was unwell, and my ears made me feel like I was in a underwater bubble, this was totally worth my time, and I came away with ideas swirling around.

More delays when heading home (due to the earlier delays in the day).  So I had time to catch up and do some more editing of my prototype offline.  lucky it wasn't delayed as long this time!

Note for next time: Don't joke on Friday afternoon that it your flight will get delayed (or stay the night before hand).