Day 6. Dealing with data

The Manaiakalani Pedagogy: Learn Create Share

Today we focused on 'Visible' teaching and learning and reflecting on its importance.

Tasks for the weekend:

Reading: Steve Hargadon

“The students who aren't succeeding usually don't have any idea that school is a game. Since we tell them it's about learning, when they fail they then internalize the belief that they themselves are actual failures--that they are not good learners…”

Exploring the professional blogs of Manaiakalani educators who use class sites to make learning and teaching visible to support students’ agency and make connections with the wider communities.

GOOGLE FORMS

Google Forms is a free online tool from Google* which allows users to create forms, surveys, and quizzes as well as to collaboratively edit and share the forms with other people. 

This allowed me to learn how to create my own Google form that I might use at the beginning of the new school year to get to know my team.

Your Personal Preferences Google Forms

Google My Maps

Analysing the completed Google Forms about our group's holiday destinations, we discovered another useful app: My Google Maps that can be used to teaching and inspire my students and extend their learning experiences.

We also had a chance to create our own Google Maps and explore its features.

GOOGLE SHEETS

Google sheets include almost all of the same spreadsheet functions as excel—if you know how to use Excel, you'll feel at home in Google Sheets. I've used both programmes in the past but today's learning was very useful as I had a chance to refresh my knowledge and also learn a few new functions. You can also download add-ons, create your own, and write custom code.

It's online, so you can gather data with your spreadsheet automatically and do almost anything you want, even when your spreadsheet isn't open.

Google Sheets is a great tool for collaboration and it's available from any device.

Analysing Data

Then we looked at some student blogs' data and analysed it. Next, we were offered to analyse a blog of your choice using our new Google sheets knowledge and skills. I chose to look at my class blog. Here is one of my Tabs showing the data I analysed and presented in Google Sheets:

Day 5: Enabling Access - Sites

Connecting with Manaiakalani - Pedagogy and Kaupapa 

As educators, we can teach our students how to utilize online connectivity in ways that support individual interests and passions, and help students meet their own academic and personal goals.

As professionals, we have to stay connected to upgrade our skills, collaborate, learn from each other and contribute to the educational community.

Let’s reflect on why connectivity matters. I believe that:

• Connectivity supports students’ passions.
• Connectivity means your work is accessible and mobile.
• Connectivity supports learning about your interests (or studying for the SAT).
• Connectivity allows for collaboration and contribution to creating meaningful work.
• Most importantly, teachers and students can learn, create, express themselves, be themselves sharing their new learnings, experiences and ideas.

Tuhi Mai, Tuhi Atu is definitely to join in next year with my class.

Manaiakalani Toolkits to be explored over the weekend.


Google Sites

Being new to the Google Sites, it was a great experience for me to explore the existing Google Sites and reflect on their design and how do they meet their purpose.

Exploring some Examples of Class Sites - it will be my homework to evaluate these examples and learn from their creators. Another great resource is our collaborative evaluation because this will help me to filter the advantages and disadvantages of these class sites through the lens of my experienced colleagues.

My very first Class Site

Finally, I got an opportunity to start creating my own Class Site (still in progress).  Currently, I'm using a Seesaw blog with my class but feel a strong need to extend my students' learning experiences.
The Class sites that I looked at today had some great examples of visible teaching, rewindable learning, multimodal and multi-text content, etc. My next step for the next year:-)

DFI Day 4 - Collaborate - Sites

Multi Modal Learning and Universal Design

Last year I found a good article about three types of engagement and their interconnections: behavioural engagement, cognitive engagement, relational engagement. Today we discussed behavioural and cognitive engagements and how it's important to think about all of these aspects to actually 'hook' our students into learning.

Multimodel lessons will provide multiple opportunities for increased student engagement. We looked at the different examples of multimodal lesson designs and some of them immediately made me, an adult, want to participate in these lessons. Imagine an impact on young learners! Universal design for learning is a powerful tool to engage students and cause authentic learning.

I'll definitely spend more time exploring examples of multi-modal lessons and use them to design my own tasks creating learning opportunities with lots of options.

I need to present a variety of texts, images, videos and audios, opportunities to provide learning opportunities for all students and their diverse needs because learners are going to perceive information in a different way. The same with how people express what they know, what works for one student isn't going to work for another. Navigation is also crucial for learners to be able to access the content.


Creating a new Google Site

It was my first experience of creating a Google Site. Elena's Sandpit site is here

1. Plan/ design/ map your new site's look using pen and paper (3 clicks navigation is the Golden Rule)
2. Give it a name
3. Greate your subpages (pages tab on your right)
4. Subpages (create a new page, drag and drop it into the page to create a subpage)
5. Create Dropdown subpages - select and hide from Navigation (3 dots to show more options)
6. Insert Tab - pictures et. Double clicks on the page to bring up the 'Insert' button on the page

Multi Text

T shaped Literacy Skills also known as 'Wide and deep with a narrow focus'

The learner is presented with a variety of texts to read (watch, view) including one each of: 

Complementary, 

• Scaffolding, 
• Challenging, 
• Learner 
• Selected 

MultiText Database designed for the teachers to learn from and contribute. 

My First Multi Text Site - Our Solar System 
(still to include the templates and links for the follow-up tasks)

Great learning today! Lots of relevant and practical material and ideas that I am very keen to use with my class. 
I believe that implementing Google Sites, Multi model pedagogy and use of the Multi Text literacy approach will increase my students' motivation and bring their learning and engagement to the next level up.

Day 3 - Media

What did I learn that increased my understanding of Manaiakalani kaupapa and pedagogy?

Today, we talked about creativity being an element of the Manaiakalani pedagogy and a core of the learning cycle.  The "Learn" part of the LCS model can be a comfortable starting place for new learning. However, I consider LCS more a spiral model where the starting point can be any part of the LCS process. Teachers cause learning - I, as a teacher, have to encourage my students to explore and trust their creativity and curiosity to make them learn based on their existing experiences and by creating new opportunities for them to extend their learning.

What did I learn that could improve my confidence, capability or workflow as a professional?

Absolutely amazing Goggle Media Tools like Google Slides, Drawings, Google Earth will be definitely implemented into my programme to keep my students cognitively and intellectually engaged and connect them to the wider world.
For me as a professional, it is very important to stay up-to-date with the current NZC and modern technologies.

What did I learn that could be used with my learners?  

My Year 2 and 3 students learnt how to create stop-motion animation using the toys. They will be thrilled to extend their existing knowledge to the next level and use Google Slides to create a digital movie using the same stop motion principles.


What did I learn that could improve my confidence, capability or workflow in my personal life?

It's very hard to separate my personal and professional life. Everything that I've learnt during this DFI course finds its place in both areas. Becoming familiar with Goggle tools creates multiple opportunities for me to improve my teaching practice.

DFI Day 2

Today, I loved to explore and practise using new apps and consolidate my knowledge and existing skills around Gmail, Calendar, etc.

Reflecting on my practice using the RATE framework. It was interesting to reflect on what I personally do in my teaching and how can I improve it as well as how to share the good parts with others.

What did I learn that could be used with my learners?  

Google Keep. I'm thrilled to use this app with my class. I already have in mind some activities that I can use Keep for.

My first attempt to use Google Hangouts was a failure due to many reasons. However, it could be a good tool to use with my learners after I spend more time making myself familiar with this app.

Potentially, Hangouts/Meet can be used for distant collaborative team planning during the school holidays.

What did I learn that could improve my confidence, capability or workflow in my personal life?

Google Keep will definitely become one of my favourite apps. Learning about better ways of organising my emails (some Gmail functions). Setting up events in the Google Calendar and sharing them with my family members, colleagues or friends.

DFI Manaiakalani - Day 1

My First Day at DFI Manaiakalani

What did I learn that increased my understanding of Manaiakalani kaupapa and pedagogy?

It was interesting to learn about the history of Manaiakalani and refresh my understanding of their pedagogy. Absolutely love that Manaiakalani doesn't erase the "old school" values and uses good old practices in Digital Learning.

What did I learn that could improve my confidence, capability or workflow as a professional?

Deeper knowledge and understanding of digital tools, Google Drive and Google Docs and their practical applications for teaching and learning.

What did I learn that could be used with my learners?

I learnt a few small tricks that can enhance my Reading and Writing programme including groups and independent activities. I have learnt about Voice typing and how it can be used to raise confidence and engagement amongst my learners who have some learning difficulties.