Computational Thinking (Day #8 of DFI)

We looked at the third Manaiakalani kaupapa of Empowerment this week. Some concepts about this principle include: 

• empowering learners and teachers is about the advancing of rangatiratanga - the idea of people taking back control of their own lives 
• learners have 'voice, ownership and choice' in their learning
• devices have become more than simply tools - they can give us access to new learning environments 

We also had a look at computational thinking tasks by visiting different sites and having a play. It is interesting to see that there are many basic block coding sites that follow similar steps (which makes it easier for students to use). Some of these included:

• Lightbot
• Minecraft
• Scratch Jnr
• Kodable
• Code.org

These sites are probably more suited to the students in my class. I like how they generally start out quite basic, allowing you to succeed and work out what to do before becoming progressively more challenging and, in doing so, give you the opportunity to make mistakes and have to debug. 

There were also coding sites that were text based. These are a bit more advanced and included:

• Compute It (where you are given the code and have to follow it)
• Code Combat
• Trinket

I feel that these would probably be too challenging for the majority of my students (but I may have to investigate some of these a bit more myself!)

During a breakout, I had a chance to explore Scratch a little more. Unfortunately there seemed to be a few problems along the way with work not saving and having to start over. I ran into difficulty when I tried to share it and lost what I had done a second time. The upside of all of this is that, the more I revisited it, the more familiar I became with using the tools. This is something I would be interested in exploring with my students, though I think I would like to have more time to play around with the site first.

Below is my third attempt with using Scratch to move a sprite and make it talk. Some instructions to help:

• Use the arrow keys to move the sprite across, up and down
• Use the flag to get back to the starting position
• Use the space key to make the sprite talk

Different Digital Devices (Day #7 of DFI)

Smart Learner (Learn) - Smart Footprint (Create) - Smart Relationships (Share)

We had a look at the Cybersmart curriculum this week. This is designed to empower learners as connected and confident decision makers with the understanding that learning is visible and ubiquitous (available at any time, anywhere by anyone). Over the years, devices, connection and access to the web has grown significantly. With this in mind, the Cybersmart curriculum aims to foster confident, connected, actively involved, lifelong learners in this arena.

Tip: Modelling positive Cybersmart language is a key element of this curriculum. Focusing on positive, thoughtful and helpful comments enables students to recognise when something is not right (we should focus on the do's rather than the don'ts).

Later in the day we had the opportunity to use Chromebooks and iPads to complete tasks so we could get a feel for what these devices are like to use for students. The idea was that classes are using one device per student (regardless of which one) so each student would have a personal account. Introducing the Kawa of Care at the beginning of the year is beneficial so students know how to look after these devices from day one. 

Chromebooks: We looked at the Digital Dig which enables students to find shortcuts when using apps. I have used this before with my class but it was good to revisit as a refresher (and learn a few more shortcuts that will be useful). 

Here is my (almost) finished Digital Dig:

 

iPads: We had a play with the Explain Everything app and used drawing tools, photos, shapes and recordings to produce a piece of work. It's good to see what younger students at school are using and how this app uses the same language for functions (copy, paste etc) that they have when using chromebooks.

Here is my poster:

We had a task where we used a recording app to discuss an area of Cybersmart. I chose screencastify as this is something both my students and I are familiar with. The area I chose was about using key words from questions when searching for information on the web. I chose this because I thought it could be a useful lesson with my class.
 

 We reflected on:

• What are the key messages/learning intentions in this lesson?

• How could you personalise this lesson for your learners?

• What would it look like on your learning site?

• Are there opportunities within one of your current lessons to integrate these cybersmart concepts?

It was more challenging that I though it was going to be as I am more used to explaining a task or strategy rather than commenting on something created by someone else. 

Here's what I came up with:

Being Connected (Day #6 of DFI)

Another kaupapa of Manaiakalani is the concept of being connected. Technological advances have given us the ability to be able to connect, not only with our schools or our communities, but nationally and even globally. This means we can draw from an increasing accessibility to information from more and more sources, as well as to share our understanding and learning to a wider audience. During lockdown it has been beneficial having the connectivity we do have to continue learning while being confined to our homes.

A couple of things to consider when connecting with students via a class site:

• Visual appeal (theme, layout, font)
• Functionality and access to learning tasks (limit the clicks)

We spent some time looking at class sites from a variety of levels at different schools throughout the country. It's always refreshing to see what else is out there (much like visiting and observing in other classrooms). We looked at the visual appeal and functionality of some of these sites and noted what worked and what didn't (influenced by our own preferences and biases of course). It was good to then reflect on my own site and consider these aspects also.

In scrutinising my class site (along with feedback from my group) I set some goals for improvements. Something I added to learning tasks in maths during the first lockdown was using screencastify clips to demonstrate the strategies being used so students have something to help them as needed. I usually add a button with a link to the video clip for them to use if they get stuck or if they want to see how to do something in particular. The buttons look like this:

...so students know where to go for help.

I continued to do this once we returned to school. Now I see the benefits of doing this in maths, I see that I could do something similar for reading and writing. This can be especially helpful when students have been absent or out of class for any reason.

I spent some times adding clips to some current (and also some generic) activities for both of these curriculum areas. I think it's important to keep the button consistent so students are familiar with its purpose.

Below is a linked image of my class site. Feel free to have a browse...

And here is a linked image of one of the examples of a learning task with the screencastify clip...

TIP/Reminder: The process for making buttons for a site - design it on a Google Drawing; change the canvas to fit the size of the button; download as a png; upload it to your site. Dabuttonfactory(clickminded) is also an option for creating buttons.

Setting Our Sites On Visible Learning (Day #5 of DFI)

We started our session looking at one of the aspects of the Manaiakalani kaupapa - the idea that teaching and learning is visible. When we look in our classrooms there are some questions we might like to ask ourselves:

• Can we see what is being taught? 
• Can we see what is being learnt? 
• Is teaching and learning visible to teachers, learners and whanau? 

We need to be intentional in making the teaching and learning visible (what we find on whiteboards and in modelling books can also be present in the digital world):

• Learners can view their learning via their class site 
• Teachers can view learning via the teacher dashboard (Hapara)
• Whanau can view learning via the class site as well as the class blog and individual student blogs

We spent a good part of the day creating and developing a site (my group's was based on the theme of superheroes). It was good to have a bit of a refresher on how to create a new site as it has been a while since I have done this. To make a site more child-friendly there are some things to consider:

• Use graphics and colours more than chunks of text
• The fewer the clicks the greater the chance of students finding the correct task
• Using voice/video recordings can assist students with understanding what the task requires

Note: when linking pages to the Home Page it is important to remember to open the preview of the page you are linking or you might give editing access to your audience (likewise when you are sharing the link to your site - first open the preview and copy the URL)

Below is an image of my site (the link is attached so, go ahead...click on it). It might be a little on the unfinished side but it's a work in progress (I need a super power where I can stop time in order to get everything done that I need to!)

Learning During Lockdown (Day #4 for the DFI)

The fourth session of our DFI happened at the beginning of the second round of lockdown (Level 3 for Auckland). We started the day with sharing how things are going then focused on the third element of the Manaiakalani pedagogy: Share/Tohatoha.

Sharing is nothing new - people have been doing it forever (things like stories, food, laughter, possessions, ideas etc). The digital age has given us an unlimited format for sharing with social media platforms and the ability to share things worldwide instantly. One thing we need to be mindful of when sharing is: who is our audience? Sharing also leads us back to learning, completing the cycle of Learn/Create/Share.

Throughout the rest of the day we looked at Google Forms, Google Maps and Google Sheets. Some notes about how these could be used with my students: 

• Forms - useful for questionnaires and quizzes. You can look at results on graphs once these are completed and see individual responses. As a teacher I could use Forms to gather information or responses from my class and test their knowledge. My students could also use Forms to create quizzes on particular topics or areas of learning to test their peers (which could also help to consolidate their own learning)

• Maps - can be used to locate different places (locally, nationally and globally), to measure distances, to plot a journey (historical, imagined etc). These could be used in different subject areas linked to their learning. In the image below I have created a map to show locations I have stayed outside of New Zealand...

• Sheets - this is probably suited more for me as a teacher rather than for something for my students. These are helpful for inputting, organising and analysing data. One area that students might be able to use Sheets is statistics. They could collate information/results and create graphs to share or compare data. In the image below I have used Sheets to show the number of posts on my class blog since the beginning of 2018...

(Hmmm...not as many so far this year...I wonder why that could be...)

My learning curve has definitely been heading upward with the things I have been using from Google Docs. I think that, after having some time to have more of a play around with some of these apps, I'll be feeling more confident and capable.

A Little Bit Further...(Day #3 of the DFI)

Here is a slideshow animation I created during this session of the DFI...

We unpacked the second component of the Manaiakalani pedagogy: Create.

It makes sense that providing opportunities for students to use what they have learned to create something meaningful serves to increase their understanding. Doing so in fun, creative ways makes learning more enjoyable and engaging.

There were many skills I picked up from the session today including the following:

• Creating my own YouTube Channel. Adding videos to playlists: find the clip you want; click on the icon below (three lines and a +), file it and change it to unlisted (so anyone with the link can view). Helpful tip: when you have searched for a clip you can click on the three dots to the right and save it to your playlists. Creating a collaborative channel can be useful also: open the playlist, click on the three dots, collaborate - copy and share the link with the people you want to join (they will need to subscribe to it)
• Using Google Draw to create an 'About Me' sidebar for my blog
• Using a slideshow to create an animation (see clip above)

There were some useful tips from today's sessions using different media. Some helpful tips I could share with students include:

• Google Draw - use Word Art to create titles as this allows for more creativity (changing colours/gradients and borders etc); put images into shapes (and change shapes using the cropping tool)
• Google Slides - ditch the format and start with a blank slide; be consistent with colours and fonts; use short texts to make it easier/friendlier to read; keep group slides consistent and use pictures and titles to let students know it's their group/task
• Creating animation on Google Slides: choose a theme; find a back ground (use explore); find a character (make it a png so there is no background); place character on the slide; duplicate the slide; select the character and use the arrow keys to move a little at a time (or enlarge slightly for each slide)

Having a chance to use and explore these Google apps, with support for any needs, helps to improve my confidence and skillset so I can pass this on to my students. I'm looking forward to creating some animations in class!

The Journey Continues (Day #2 of the DFI)

The day started with refections from our last session then we had a look at the first component of the Manaiakalani pedagogy: Learn/Ako. It was interesting to note the relationship between the analogue world and the digital world - what we do as teachers to support students using digital technologies runs alongside the support we would give students without these technologies. When I think about all the skills I have developed over the years as a teacher to encourage students and scaffold their learning, I see how theses same skills can apply when students are learning to use and navigate on digital devices.

Much of the learning today was more focused on managing my domains effectively (gmail, calendar, tabs). It was good see some of the things I can do to pimp these, and how I would go about doing this. I'm inspired to use my calendar more for my class reminders (generally I only refer to it for schoolwide happenings) and get back into using Toby to manage my tabs. Using Google Keep to create checklists, reminders, notes etc

During this session I was able to add to my understanding and capabilities of Google Meet. As a school, we used Google Meet during the lockdown to connect with our students but I had basically only met with students. It was nice to upskill and learn how to create a meeting on my calendar (rather than linking it on my class site) invite others, and present my screen so the viewers can see a particular tab I want to share.  

Looking at a student's blog and reflecting upon it was a good activity. It has given me some clarity into what kinds of posts my students could be sharing - what information is good to include and what can be left out.

One helpful tip before using a video clip: share it and open it in a new window (both done by clicking on the three dots at the top right).

The Journey Begins (Day #1 of the DFI)

Today was the first session for the Digital Learning Intensive (DFI) Term 3, 2020. Leading up to the DFI I have been feeling excited (and a little anxious). Excited because I have been hoping to learn more about how I can use digital technologies to help support the learning in my class of Year 3-4 learners, and anxious because, let's face it, technology can seem daunting at times.

We began our day with a brief history of Manaiakalarni - how it came to be, how it has developed over time and how instrumental it has been in enhancing learning for so many. The Learn-Create-Share pedagogy highlighted the importance that each of these components contribute to learning (and interestingly how this was done with minimal digital technologies back when it was first introduced).

Throughout the rest of the day we went back to basics and looked at setting up our chrome account and sorting our drive to easily find things. Some of these things I feel I already have a grasp on so this helped to give me the confidence I was doing well and acted as a scaffold for extra learning. There were also number of new things I learned from today's session...things that added to my existing knowledge...things I could use to work smarter, not harder.

These included:

• creating a contents at the top of a Google Doc to help when accessing specific information
• using the voice typing tool
• creating titles and headings using the correct tools and being able to apply the same size/colour/font etc to the headings
• how we do not underline anything (unless it's a link)
• using shortcuts
• removing a background from a picture

There were some great ideas I could take straight to my class to teach. Some of the new things I mentioned above would be useful for my learners and other things I could consider include:

• using tables to set up the layout of a Google Doc (usually I would use Google Draw for things like this) as this also allows the voice typing tool to be used - helpful for some students
• using the Explore tool to find word information and images

I really liked how we had time set aside to explore these tools and had a facilitator 'present' to help us out if we needed it.

Anyway, here is the poster I designed in Google Docs for my class...