Teaching with Miss Jones

WK 9: Revision Today's Kaupapa word was  - "Ubiquitous". I can confidently say that this morning I wouldn't have been able to tell you what this word means let along how to say it..However writing this blog post now I can tell you that: Ubiquitous Learning = Being able to learn anywhere, anytime, anyplace and any pace. Learning can extend beyond the hours of school if it is rewindable. This means that parents and children can visit the day's learning anytime. Today saw us reach week 9 of the DFI. I went into this experience pretty open minded and excited about the possibilities it may lead to. I was not let down at all by this experience. I am now coming away with a better understanding of the Learn, Create, Share pedagogy and so many ideas and possibilities as to how allowing and supporting children to be Digitally Fluent will in fact better engage and motivate them to learn and succeed.  I enjoyed this intensive a lot more than I thought I wo

WK 8: Devices The Cyber Smart curriculum ties together the kaupapa we have been learning about over the last few weeks. We need to consistently use the language of the Cyber Smart curriculum across all year levels so that it becomes part of their vocabulary. By doing this we are making the learning a lot more powerful. Some global companies such as Google and Apple are using more proactive language rather than reactive when it comes to children and whanau being cyber safe. Their are 10 categories involved in Cyber Smart Teaching. The implementation of this needs to have a whole school focus as so many learners are online at home or if not now they will be soon enough.  The idea of making children's experiences online positive, thoughtful and helpful came through strong in today's session. Children need to be taught how to make smart decisions online and to know what information to share. Gerhard had us on our students devices today and it certain

WK 7: Computational Thinking Empowered - The way the world has rapidly changed due to technology and its use has dis-empowered many teachers. Being Empowered is not just for our young people but also for teachers. Technology is not just a tool, if it was 'just a tool' school's would be using much cheaper tool e.g. text books and pencils. Technology in the hands of our young people, our teachers and our whanau can change lives.  Today we were spoken to by Viv from OMG Tech! She really brought to our attention the very scary reality in which technology is active in our world. Digital creations such as 'Big Dog', Sophia the Robot, Flightless cars and now Self-driving cars make us think about the Ethics and Morals involved in such outcomes.   We had the opportunity to think about the values that we as humans see as important, and then the values that the workplace see as important. Our job as teachers is to encourage children to value their own va

WK 6: Media Today's Manaiakalani  Kaupapa word was Connected. Being connected allows learners to share beyond the classroom walls. It is important for students to have the opportunity to connect with others however it is also important for teachers to be connected. In today's digital world we are so lucky to have access to so many platforms that allow us to connect; Twitter, Facebook, Youtube and many more.  How to live stream: Live streaming opens up how schools can connect with the wider community and whanua across the country and world. Now Great Aunty Jane can watch Little Johnny in his school cross country.  Making a Youtube Playlist: This tool can avoid children from falling down the rabbit hole that is YOUTUBE! Use the small three dots and save to a created playlist. This link can then be embedded and shared. Check out my first Youtube Playlist at my Information Report Site for kids. Google Drawings: Giving Instructions in a text box outside of

WK 5: Enabling Access Today we learnt about one of Manaiakalani's kaupapa words; Visible. The meaning of this word had changed in teaching through time. It no longer means being able to see something that is 'visible' within the classroom walls. It is now a word that has a great deal of meaning in the world of education. 'Visible' is about everyone being able to see and access teaching and learning without any barriers in the way. Teachers now need to think about whether or not the learning they are providing is visible to; the learner, whanau, teacher and colleagues. A lack of visibillity can feel like wondering through a maze for some children. Success comes to those learners who are able to 'read' the teachers mind and know where the teaching and learning is going to take them. It is important for every part of the learning process to be completely visible to the learner. This includes; planning, process, outcomes and assessment. With this in

Wk 4: Collaborating with Sites Digital technology has significantly enabled the way people can now share with others - anywhere, anytime. Words such as Facebook and Twitter are now a part of young people's vocabulary as they grow up in this digital world. What drives people towards these digital programmes is the ability to be able to share your life, learning and movement with friends, family but also globally with anyone at anytime.  With these digital developments teachers are now able to provide children with the skills and tools needed to share with more authentic audiences beyond the classroom walls and across the world. This in return makes the aspect of 'sharing' so much more engaging and motivating for students and their learning. So why Blogger for allowing our young people to share? Today we began learning about Google Sites and making these Multi Modal. By making a site Multi Model it makes the learning on the site more engaging for our learne

Week 3: Dealing with Data Today we looked into the 'Create' part of Manaikalini's pedagogy of 'learn, create, share.' Create - is a doing word, it involves the whole body. The experiences where children get to create are the ones that they remember. The use of devices can enable creativity to take place and in return engage students in the thinking involved in the task. Allowing children to be creative can be empowering when they are given choices, information, skills, and scaffolding. As a part of exploring 'create' this morning the 6 C's were brought to our attention. I really resonate with these. As an educator I feel that these are essential skills for children to develop in order for them to become successful members within our society. As we approach our midyear reporting I plan to look at and comment on these skills and how children are developing/working towards these. Google Forms - I am now inspired to use this as a

Week 2: Workflow Today's session was all about workflow, a topic of great interest to many busy teachers. I know that as a teacher myself I am always on the look out and interested in ways that I can save time and be more efficient with my workload. Today's session covered several tips, tricks and tools to encourage the flow of work more efficiently. First on the agenda was Google Keep - a tool I had never heard of before. For someone who fizzes off organisation I was very excited to see this post-it note like system. In the past I have used 'sticky notes' to write 'to do' lists, however it has annoyed me the way it sits on my desktop for everyone to see what you haven't accomplished for the day and the many things still waiting for your attention. Now with Google Keep I can write as many lists as my heart desires! Not just for school but also a grocery list, a wish list and more! I especially love that you can pin, prioritise, checkbox

Week 1: Core Business It was really eye opening to learn about the beginning of the Manaiakalani project in our first DFI session. It all began with some very bold teaching professionals in the small area of Tamaki that were willing to take risks and spark this initiative. I found it really interesting to learn that the hook pictured in the Manaiakalani logo symbolises the aim to hook in and engage students in their learning. I'm really excited to trial the 'voice-typing' tool in google docs tools with some of my students that struggle with their fine motor control. It is often these children who struggle to get their ideas down onto paper. I believe that this tool will encourage these children to express their ideas regardless of their writing ability, increase their language and vocab, and take away the barriers which see them avoiding certain tasks. Today I have learnt several 'tips and tricks' which will help me in a variety of ways. These