tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43352140116149263392024-03-14T16:43:48.385+13:00iLearnThe good, the bad and everything inbetween in my learning journeyamymccauleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03610883602657064987noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335214011614926339.post-51953765394141418742016-01-12T06:47:00.001+13:002016-01-12T07:14:16.066+13:00Hi World...I'm back...sort of<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miss Piper born 11th May, 2015</td></tr>
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2016 and I'm gearing up for the start of another teaching year. This year will be one like no other. Coming back after being on maternity leave for nearly 9 months is challenging. No more lounging around (time to retire the yoga pants I have become so attached to) flitting from baby activity to lunch dates. I have absolutely loved spending the past 8 months getting to know my daughter (Piper) and watching her grow, learn and develop, but the time has come to re-enter the (paying) workforce (thanks to horrendous Auckland house prices) and I come back to the classroom quite a different person than when I left. I come back as a working mum wondering how this juggling act is going to pan out.<br />
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So, 2016 at Hobsonville Point Primary School. This year I am in a different learning common (LC3 years 6-8) with a new team. Thinking about the start of the year, I'm not thinking about what "topics" we will delve into - that can take a seat for now. Relationships are at the forefront of my mind. How can we build, grow and nurture trusting relationships in our learning common to really get the year off to a successful start? Our "planning" will not be made of long-term plans with activities thought of weeks in advance. We need to work on getting to know each other & begin building trust, respect and boundaries. Boundaries around what everyone needs to be successful in a collaborative space. Boundaries around expectations - what do we expect from our learners, what do our learners expect from us (their learning advisors) and what do they expect and need from each other? </div>
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So, we will be starting this year looking at possibilities and success. What is possible to create a successful environment for all people who are in LC3? Watch this space....</div>
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amymccauleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03610883602657064987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335214011614926339.post-17223268760806826482015-02-03T21:55:00.003+13:002015-02-25T19:15:47.063+13:00Designing our learning space...togetherAt the start of the year we consciously setup the bare minimum for our learning common - how could we possibly setup a learning space when we don't know all our learners? Before the term started, we set up a few smaller spaces - a gaming room with various board games stuck to the wall, cards on tables, etc to help students build relationships. Apart from that, our space looked rather...bare.<br />
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Fast forward to today and we have the beginnings of a beautiful mess. So how did we go about guiding our learners through this process? To open their eyes to possibilities? To ensure our learners take ownership of their space? Where to start?</div>
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We began the day by getting our learners to think about how they like to learn. What are the things that make learning easy or more enjoyable for them? Working in a team vs. working alone, having music, having a clear plan, etc. We used some of the ideas from the <a href="http://www.trainerswarehouse.com/Diversity-Game/productinfo/DIVE/" target="_blank">Diversity Game</a> - if you haven't used these before, it is a great resource. The purpose of the game is to examine how we think differently - how diverse we are as humans using a range of statements e.g. CO OPERATIVE: I like to work together with other people to achieve something; MUSICAL: I like music; TECHNICAL: I like to know how machines and gadgets work. Selecting a small range of these cards as prompts for those who needed it, our learners wrote their preferences for learning on post it notes (1 per post it) and stuck them on the window. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How do I like to learn?</td></tr>
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Next our learners were given the task of grouping these ideas together. We gave no other instructions and stood back to see how our learners would deal with a task like this. Some lead, some were happy being lead, some choose to sit on the periphery and read a book. Interesting for us (teachers) to see this unfold and not get involved! Our learners managed to work together to group the ideas into categories. Once this had been done, we had a great discussion around why we have done this and why it was important to know what each other need in our space.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What is possible?</td></tr>
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Now we had somewhere to work from. How would we honour the needs our learners had identified in our learning space? Our learners then chose an area of passion and began to brainstorm possible areas/ rooms/ resources that could be used within the common to cater for these needs. After writing down initial ideas, we read others and gave thoughtful, helpful and specific feedback enabling groups to decide on their top ideas to implement. </div>
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The rest of the day was working towards creating these areas. So what has evolved...</div>
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Those who liked to create are developing an animation studio complete with blacked out windows, lights, props, etc; an art area where learners can go and create with a range of mediums which are visible, a quiet writing room where our learners can create using the written word.</div>
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Those who liked to help people are designing a directory of what our learners strengths are with the idea if you are stuck you can easily find the best-fit person to help.</div>
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Those who love reading have taken the library space and further resourced it with more books and are busy designing a comfy reading space.</div>
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Those who have a passion for technology are organising our devices in a "user-friendly" way along with posters to help students with their learning. </div>
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Tomorrow we continue to develop these spaces - it's great to see our learning common come alive knowing it has been such a collective effort!</div>
amymccauleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03610883602657064987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335214011614926339.post-1951351964015594162015-02-02T20:57:00.001+13:002015-02-25T19:15:53.387+13:00Building Foundations for SuccessIt is the start of a new year, new team and new students, so where to start? As many teachers have their long term plans firmly in place, we (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/HobsonvillePointPrimarySchool" target="_blank">HPPS</a> team) have been busy building relationships and gathering a shared understanding around some of the key ideas behind what and why we do what we do. <br />
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The build-up to today (day 1 term 1), was one that was loosely organised. Having new students and a new teaching side-kick, <a href="https://twitter.com/ReidTeachnz" target="_blank">Reid Walker</a>, it was important to put relationship building at the forefront of our first couple of weeks. <br />
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So with no sign of a holiday recount (see <a href="http://justanotherbrickinthewallnz.blogspot.co.nz/2015/02/ditch-written-recount-on-day-1-of.html" target="_blank">Lisa Squires post</a>) our day was filled with a mix of causal and some semi-structured activities where we both took the lead and stood back. Our focus is on our school dispositions - building foundations by which we can have those "warm yet demanding" (see <a href="http://learningandleadingchange.blogspot.co.nz/2014/06/high-support-and-high-challenge-or-warm.html" target="_blank">Daniel Birch's post re this</a>) conversations needed to get the most out of our learners. <br />
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Reid and I had planned Monday and Tuesday, already we have completely changed tomorrow after knowing our learners for just one day - interesting as I know 70% of the learners already (from last year), but it was clear we needed to be responsive to our learners and their needs. What does tomorrow bring? Starting to unpack what learning could look like, in our space, with our learners. Reid and I are but one small piece in LC4 puzzle. Input from our learners is crucial to the success of our space and I look forward to seeing the seeds we sow in the coming weeks begin to flourish in the coming months.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8NAbRS9goH0/VM8tkRuaYcI/AAAAAAAAPHQ/SGs7De7I9I0/s1600/Koru_Unfurling.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8NAbRS9goH0/VM8tkRuaYcI/AAAAAAAAPHQ/SGs7De7I9I0/s1600/Koru_Unfurling.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koru" target="_blank">Source</a></td></tr>
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Insights from today:<br />
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- ditch the word 'plan' and replace with 'possibilities', especially during these first couple of weeks,</div>
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- don't rush, tomorrow is another day,</div>
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- have those conversations that are needed...tomorrow's conversation may be harder if left,</div>
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- jandals are the best form of footwear in 30 degree heat <complete id="goog_492695113">@geomouldey </complete><br />
<complete>- everyone needs a fabulous side-kick!</complete></div>
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amymccauleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03610883602657064987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335214011614926339.post-68176678105556604472014-12-17T08:37:00.000+13:002015-01-15T08:31:46.995+13:00Design Thinking in Action<div style="text-align: justify;">
After going through a design-type process to redesign what learning looked like across two of our learning commons (see post <a href="http://amymmcc.blogspot.co.nz/2014/10/what-is-possible-what-can-learning-look.html" target="_blank">here</a>) with 3 other teachers, we decided to use this process with some of our students when we came to the project phase of our learning.</div>
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Theme: Effective Communication </div>
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With our theme in mind, we immersed our students in a world they may not have encountered before. For six weeks, we (teachers in learning common 1 & 2) offered a range of workshops with this theme in mind. Workshops had mini themes each week including:</div>
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- working in a team</div>
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- spoken language looking at debating and public speaking skills</div>
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- visual language (how do people communicate through art?)</div>
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- symbols and codes</div>
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- signs and media</div>
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- digital communication (through digital citizenship)</div>
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- animal communication </div>
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Through these themes, we were able to offer a broad range of experiences and different ways people and animals communicate effectively. We also had our students working with a range of people and ages as learning common 1 (year 0 - 2) & 2 (year 2 - 5) worked together. We had some great feedback from students, with many surprised with how well they were able to work with five year old - one of the initial issues learning common 2 thought they might encounter (check out this post <a href="http://hppslc2.blogspot.co.nz/2014/10/term-4-what-start.html" target="_blank">about how our start went</a>). With the teachers involved, we planned each immersion session beforehand, making sure one teacher was roving and collecting evidence for students (taking photos) as we got students to complete a quick reflection (discussing their highlights/ challenges) after each workshop knowing at the end they would chose one area of particular interest and documenting this would help students to remember all of the exposure they had had (not just the last one they remembered). These reflections where put into folders and displayed for parents/ caregivers to share the journey (on the reflection sheet, we highlighted what curriculum areas where being covered).</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GktvRJkJEcQ/VLFm_IT2WYI/AAAAAAAAOtg/YxpBR_dL8Zc/s1600/Immersion%2BReflections.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GktvRJkJEcQ/VLFm_IT2WYI/AAAAAAAAOtg/YxpBR_dL8Zc/s1600/Immersion%2BReflections.png" height="308" width="400" /></a></div>
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After our six weeks of immersion, we broke off into our project phase. In learning common 2, we put students into two groups. One more supported group where given a lot more support in either continuing with some immersion-type activities or following a interested they had developed over the past six weeks. The other group where taken through the design process:</div>
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To start this, I shared the process that we will be going through and the resources adapted from <a href="http://notosh.com/lab/" target="_blank">NoTosh</a> to guide us through the journey. </div>
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<b><span style="color: #274e13;">Immersion</span></b></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PwAP10HRfHk/VLFpNjKGE2I/AAAAAAAAOts/a4zKvMrhXVk/s1600/Design%2BThinking.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PwAP10HRfHk/VLFpNjKGE2I/AAAAAAAAOts/a4zKvMrhXVk/s1600/Design%2BThinking.png" height="282" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /><span style="color: #274e13;">Identify: What is the issue?</span>Our first step was to be "problem finders" (<a href="http://edu.blogs.com/edublogs/2011/11/tedxlondon-the-problem-finders-video.html" target="_blank">McIntosh, 2011: TEDxLondon: The Problem Finders</a>). We identified some of the issues through the themes we had been immersed in. Students looked through their folders and had many discussion with other students to identify these issues. After identifying these issues, students chose one they felt particularly passionate/ interested in. At this point, there were lots of solutions being discussed - it was interesting to hear the groups who were fixed on one solution and thinking they had solved the problem - job done (not quite).</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Finding Problems</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g1EWs5BQh68/VLFqQF3p7XI/AAAAAAAAOuE/_LO6U2tCWvs/s1600/IMG_8043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g1EWs5BQh68/VLFqQF3p7XI/AAAAAAAAOuE/_LO6U2tCWvs/s1600/IMG_8043.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Pairing the problems with the themes we explored during immersion</td></tr>
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From here, students began to group together with others who had chosen similar or the same issue. Some students wanted to work on their own. We shared what issue we wanted to delve into and after many discussions about each issue, moved onto the synthesis part of the process.</div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Synthesis</b></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-STVWZl0a3mY/VLFs0lTfHcI/AAAAAAAAOuU/BJRcfpdWhGQ/s1600/Design%2BThinking%2B(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-STVWZl0a3mY/VLFs0lTfHcI/AAAAAAAAOuU/BJRcfpdWhGQ/s1600/Design%2BThinking%2B(1).jpg" height="281" width="400" /></a></div>
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First we developed a 'How Might We' statement. This would define our problem to be solved. Giving examples, students quickly developed their how might we statement then shared their statement for others to help refine. Groups where introduced to the so what, who cares questioning and the HAKRS critique protocol for this refinement. </div>
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Statements:</div>
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<li>How Might We design a product for people to communicate with a deaf person at HPPS</li>
<li>How Might We design a product for student new to HPPS so they know what happens here</li>
<li>How Might We invent a way that helps people communicate with each other when in a team situation</li>
<li>How Might We design a product in order to help people learn a different language at HPPS </li>
<li>How Might We invent an exciting way to teach Maori to students at HPPS</li>
<li>How Might We help kids at playtime who don’t have anyone at HPPS to play with</li>
<li>How Might We invent an effective way for people be able to communicate with animals</li>
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<tr><td><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6BslYsI2_gs/VLFy7lapnjI/AAAAAAAAOvM/3TK-yPBVhac/s1600/Design%2BThinking%2B(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6BslYsI2_gs/VLFy7lapnjI/AAAAAAAAOvM/3TK-yPBVhac/s1600/Design%2BThinking%2B(2).jpg" height="141" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">How might we framework</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">HAKRS Critique Protocol</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #bf9000;"><b>Ideation</b></span><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #bf9000;">Ideate: Generate as many ideas as you can</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">With our how might we statements refined, we could begin looking at potential ways to solve these problems. We stood up and came up with 100 ideas in 10 minutes. From the way out to the easily 'doable', students spent the first couple of minutes on their own, then bought their ideas together. We then went around read and added to groups ideas. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reading and adding to ideas from other groups.</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We then looked at our ideas and circled the ones we thought would be best to solve our problem.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;"><b>Prototyping</b></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7h6hfNQrRRA/VLFs0xnBEtI/AAAAAAAAOuY/BkdJdCEMelA/s1600/Design%2BThinking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7h6hfNQrRRA/VLFs0xnBEtI/AAAAAAAAOuY/BkdJdCEMelA/s1600/Design%2BThinking.jpg" height="282" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The 'doing' part! Students began to make quick versions of their solutions and gathered feedback from others. Then refined and gathered more feedback.</span></span></div>
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We also had a dedicated wall for displaying our thinking. This has been a great talking point for students, teachers and parents where you can see the progress along the way. When groups have made changes, we made amendments and stuck it over the previous page.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our design process journey</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Launch Pad</b></span><br />
<span style="text-align: justify;">We started this quite late and were unable to complete a lot of the solutions. Most groups have been working over the holidays with the idea that they will launch in February when the new school year starts. Over the holidays several groups have been emailing asking advice and giving me updates on their progress. </span><br />
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<span style="text-align: justify;">So starting the new year, at HPPS we should have up and running a f</span><span style="text-align: justify;">riendship seat; </span><span style="text-align: justify;">language rooms (including Te Reo Maori); </span><span style="text-align: justify;">website for deaf students at HPPS; </span><span style="text-align: justify;">induction website for students new to HPPS; </span><span style="text-align: justify;">regular lunchtime activities for students who may not have anyone to play with </span><span style="text-align: justify;">an much more...</span><br />
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<span style="color: #741b47;"><b>Observations:</b></span></div>
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- Students struggled with the idea of solving 'real world' problems. Although very creative with some of their thinking, some where quite unrealistic. Once groups started seeing that other groups where actually solving their problems, they jumped onboard. </div>
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- Engagement: students where highly engaged with making a real difference in the world. Our theme was around effective communication and being a new school, a lot of the problems groups had identified where to do with new students to Hobsonville Point Primary School. </div>
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amymccauleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03610883602657064987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335214011614926339.post-83602358031446396512014-10-27T06:40:00.000+13:002015-01-15T08:31:47.001+13:00Redesigning Learning<div>
What is possible? What can learning look like? Is this the best for our students? These are some of the questions we (as teachers) are constantly asking ourselves and at the end of last term decided to really make the most of the skill set we had across two commons and combine the way we immerse our kids in a world they are unfamiliar with in preparation for our next block of learning.<br />
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<u>Background:</u></div>
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Our first year we started with 36 students, 6 staff and 2 learning commons (year 0 - 3 and years 4 - 8). We taught in teams of 3 and by the end of our first year, we had grown in size and had staffing changes. Our second (current) year, we saw the need to open up another common. We started with 3 commons (Common 1: year 0 - 2, Common 2: year 2 - 5, Common 3: year 5 - 8). Common 1 & 2 co-taught (with 2 teachers), while Common 3 team taught with up to 5 teachers as one time. Each space has 35 - 40 students, the most we have had in a space. So what is in store for next year? We have new staff on board and even more students. Time to sit down and redesign what learning could look like.</div>
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Our <a href="http://www.hobsonvillepoint.school.nz/site/webpages/primary-school/primary-school-vision" target="_blank">school vision</a> states that we value <span style="color: #274e13;">Collaboration</span>, <span style="color: #073763;">Relationships</span>, <span style="color: #cc0000;">Personalised Learning</span>, <span style="color: #bf9000;">Innovative Practice</span> and <span style="color: #351c75;">Authentic Learning</span>. So how are we living this out? At the end of term 3, the teachers in learning common 1 & 2 sat down for the day and looked at possibilities. We used a <a href="https://dschool.stanford.edu/groups/designresources/wiki/36873/Design_Process_MiniGuide.html" target="_blank">design thinking approach</a> to solve x. <br />
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">Immersion</span></b><br />
<span style="color: red;">Identify: What is the issue?</span><br />
We wanted to honour our school values and ensure we were offering the best opportunities for our learners. <br />
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<span style="color: red;">Observe: Gathering information about the issue from observations and experiences</span><br />
We started the day by immersing ourselves in what was already happening within the school. We gathered information about the current teaching and learning by directly observing each learning common and interviewing students about their experiences. We asked broad question such as:</div>
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- What does school mean to you?</div>
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- What works really well here?</div>
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- What’s one thing you’d change in your learning common?</div>
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Then we dug a little deeper with specific question such as:</div>
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- What was it like the last time you did (e.g. Maths, PE, developed a skill)....?</div>
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- Why would visitors to the school think that teachers planning the day is better?</div>
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- How does HPPS compare with your last school?</div>
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- What would your reply be to someone who asks "why do you plan your own day?"</div>
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- Describe a favourite learning moment...</div>
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<span style="color: red;">Share: Working with others to better understand the issue</span></div>
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The responses were vast, but had common themes. Students valued the ownership they had over their learning, noting that it prepared them for the 'real world' when they have jobs and need to organise themselves. They mentioned teachers were there to support their learning and guide them, not tell them what to do. The mention of trips was loud and clear - they wanted to go out and experience the 'real world'.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Synthesis</span></b><br />
Looking at the <span style="color: #0b5394;">themes</span> from our observations - we were armed with our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uaquGZKx_0" target="_blank">Moonshot</a> idea of <i>how might we transform practice in our school in order to actively live our our school values of collaboration, relationships, personalised learning, innovative practice and authentic learning. </i><br />
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<b><span style="color: #bf9000;">Ideation</span></b><br />
<span style="color: #bf9000;">Ideate: Generate as many ideas as you can</span><br />
We then sat down and wrote down possibilities. With ideas flying, this was beautifully messy. After our ideas were squeezed out, we <span style="color: #bf9000;">filtered</span> out what was not feasible and <span style="color: #bf9000;">developed</span> a shared vision moving forward.<br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Prototyping</b></span><br />
<b style="color: #274e13;">Start</b><br />
This is all about DOING. We quickly came up with ideas of how to immerse our students (5 year olds - 10 year olds) in our theme for the coming term of Effective Communication.<br />
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<b style="color: #274e13;">Critique - Refine</b><br />
We get together most afternoons to discuss highlights and challenges during this process. Already, three weeks in we have made changes to what we are doing to refined and remix to suit our learners. We have had great feedback from our students, with many surprised by how they work with one another regardless of age and ability is not a factor. We have seen our learner dispositions really shine as collaboration and relationships being the driving force behind our immersion. Although it has at times been challenging, messy and tiring, the outcomes we are seeing with our students have been rewarding and reinforce why we are doing what we are doing. </div>
amymccauleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03610883602657064987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335214011614926339.post-71123472178540469312014-07-16T19:16:00.000+12:002015-01-15T08:40:22.929+13:00What is E(ffective) Learning?<u>Framework for Learning</u><br />
The NCREL, <a href="http://pict.sdsu.edu/engauge21st.pdf">enGauge 21st Century Skills</a> is the guiding framework for our phases of learning. Instead of each term having a new topic/ proverb, we have broken up the year into three phases where we will explore a range of "21st Century" skills: Innovative thinking, digital-age literacy and effective communication.<br />
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<u>Block One: Innovative Thinking</u><br />
Provocation: If I could invent one thing to make the world a better place...<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17.25px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lisa Squire discusses how </span><a href="http://justanotherbrickinthewallnz.blogspot.co.nz/2014/06/engaging-learners-through-project-based.html" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17.25px; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">project-based learning</a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17.25px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> can engage learners and honour student voice. In Learning Common 2, we started by immersing our learners in a range of experiences relating to innovative thinking. We documented much of this process through our </span><a href="http://hppslc2.blogspot.co.nz/" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17.25px; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">weekly common blog</a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17.25px; white-space: pre-wrap;">. We wanted the students to experience how people design products and the processes they can use and apply to their own products. First we immersed them through a series of experience including:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17.25px; white-space: pre-wrap;">- Visiting to </span><a href="http://themindlab.com/" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17.25px; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">The Mind Lab</a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17.25px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> where we explored robotics through </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17.25px; white-space: pre-wrap;">making rodent traps and simple how simple circuits work through making music using a <a href="http://makeymakey.com/" target="_blank">MaKey MaKey kit</a> and programming via <a href="http://scratch.mit.edu/" target="_blank">Scratch</a>,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17.25px; white-space: pre-wrap;">- Tim from </span><a href="http://www.mindkits.co.nz/" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17.25px; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">Mindkits</a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17.25px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> came in and showed us how easy it is to programme a robot,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17.25px; white-space: pre-wrap;">- Visiting <a href="http://www.hpss.school.nz/" target="_blank">Hobsonville Point Secondary School</a> where some students had a master class with <a href="http://stevemouldey.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Steve Mouldey</a> (Robotics) and <a href="http://petemcghie.blogspot.co.nz/" target="_blank">Pete McGhie</a> (Cooking),</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17.25px; white-space: pre-wrap;">- Ria from Learning Common 3 took a master-class in programming robots using <a href="http://www.lego.com/en-us/mindstorms/?domainredir=mindstorms.lego.com" target="_blank">lego mindstorm</a>,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17.25px; white-space: pre-wrap;">- students grew and cooked from the school garden,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17.25px; white-space: pre-wrap;">- Sharyn and Daniel lead cooking master-classes.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17.25px; white-space: pre-wrap;">As you can see from the immersion activities, we were going down two roads: robotics and cooking. In the beginning, we didn't plan this path, but through our students showing interests in these areas, we delved deeper and deeper. Students began branching off into these groups and then grouped to investigate our provocation. <a href="https://twitter.com/pinksicle" target="_blank">Erin</a> and I researched around project-based learning and found some key readings to help with the process:</span></span></div>
- <a href="http://bie.org/resources">Buck Institution for Education PBL Resources</a><br />
- <a href="http://www.edutopia.org/project-based-learning">Edutopia: Project Based Learning</a><br />
- <a href="http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/sept10/vol68/num01/Seven_Essentials_for_Project-Based_Learning.aspx">Seven essentials for Project Based Learning</a><br />
- <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMCZvGesRz8">Project Based Learning Explained</a><br />
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Through our research we shared with our learners the <a href="https://sites.google.com/a/hobsonvillepoint.school.nz/lc-2-2014/inventive-thinking-1/inventive-thinking-resources" target="_blank">design process</a> (including a planning sheet and criteria) for their invention. </div>
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The groups where created and the students began planning their projects. Erin and I divvied up the groups and helped them gather resources and further learn what they needed for their inventions. We had regular (daily for some groups) check-ins with the notes from these conferences emailed home to parents. We had a range of projects including walking beds, solar powered go karts and several different themed restaurants, cleaning robots, baby helper robots and a house that had a moving floor. </div>
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Reading, writing, maths and everything in between were centred around their projects - what did they need to be successful? Having our check-ins meant we could be responsive to their needs. </div>
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As part of the process, we knew we were going to share this learning. Early on when the process was shared, we discussed the possibility that some groups may not have a product at the end as they may go back and forth between the first couple of steps (generating ideas, research, testing). We discussed the importance of being able to share this learning. Some groups documented their journey along the way, some groups chose to do this in the final week. All had a presentation to share with their families when it came to our celebration of learning evening. </div>
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Wonderings/ reflections<br />
- Very product driven process; <br />
- 1 - 2 prototypes created - what would have happened if they had created several and had a lot more feedback around this process;<br />
- Saturation: our kids lived and breathed their projects for 4 - 5 weeks - was this too long?<br />
- Kids were definitely interested in their projects, but I am not sure if they were that passionate about them - how can we nurture student passions?<br />
- How much deep thinking was actually involved in these projects?<br />
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<u>Block Two: Digital-Age Literacy</u><br />
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"At Hobsonville Point, I ask staff firstly to design learning, not plan. I ask them to think about the natural links between a big concept, the dispositions we want our students to grow and then create clear connections to the NZC learning areas" Daniel Birch posing the question <a href="http://learningandleadingchange.blogspot.co.nz/2014/06/are-we-being-responsive.html">are we being responsive?</a><br />
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<u><br /></u>With these wonderings/ reflections at the forefront of our mind, Erin and I took a slightly different approach and looked further into Design Thinking (<a href="http://edu.blogs.com/edublogs/2012/08/whats-the-difference-between-pbl-and-design-thinking.html?utm_source=feedburner" target="_blank">what's the difference between PBL and Design Thinking?</a>)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/59598626?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0&color=cc3a35" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> <br />
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<a href="https://twitter.com/ewanmcintosh" target="_blank">Ewan McIntosh</a>'s ICOT'13 keynote shares the notion that we should be creating problem finders, rather than problem solvers and how can we teach just in time rather than just in case? The team at <a href="http://notosh.com/" target="_blank">No Tosh</a> have also been a rich source of information with Ewan McIntosh's <a href="http://edu.blogs.com/edublogs/" target="_blank">Digital Media and Learning Blog</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/tombarrett" target="_blank">Tom Barrett</a>'s <a href="http://edte.ch/blog/" target="_blank">The Curious Creative</a>.<br />
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We have also checked out <a href="http://dschool.stanford.edu/" target="_blank">The D. School out of Stanford</a> the <a href="http://www.ideo.com/about/" target="_blank">IDEO</a> and the <a href="http://designthinking.nuevaschool.org/" target="_blank">Nueva Design Thinking Institue</a> all with a vast collection of resources. <a href="http://www.hpss.school.nz/" target="_blank">Hobsonville Point Secondary School</a> has also been a huge source of inspiration. <a href="https://twitter.com/ClaireAmosNZ" target="_blank">Claire Amos</a> discusses this concept, including an <a href="http://www.teachingandelearning.com/2014/05/hack-your-classroom-week-three_18.html" target="_blank">Introduction to Design Thinking</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/GeoMouldey" target="_blank">Steve Mouldey</a> shares his experience of <a href="http://stevemouldey.wordpress.com/2014/06/18/problem-finding-and-student-ownership/" target="_blank">problem finding and student ownership</a>. <br />
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So with all this in mind, we go forth to co-design a beautifully messy thinking process...watch this space!<br />
Provocation: <i>When I see you through my eyes, I think we are different. When I see you through my heart, I know we are the same.</i><br />
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<a href="http://vimeo.com/59598626"></a></div>
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amymccauleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03610883602657064987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335214011614926339.post-35898657113468944612014-07-10T11:42:00.002+12:002014-10-27T07:08:08.827+13:00Edwins: Relationships & Ownership<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Who doesn't love a few great eduwins! Check out a couple of the latest from LC2:</div>
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<u>Building Relationships:</u></div>
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We have been lucky enough to work with <a href="http://www.thorsborne.com.au/" target="_blank">Margaret Thorsborne</a> discussing restorative practice and exploring ways in which a relational approach can be taken to managing behaviour. This was reaffirming and a timely reminder of some of the strategies that can be used. The way we started the day was sharing how the start of the day was going for us. It was interesting to hear from people in the room how their mornings had been leading up to coming to school. It was a great reminder that we all lead busy lives and events both within our control and beyond our control can shape the day we have. Spurring on the question 'how are our learners coming to school?' We started the next day in LC2 with this question. What we found was 80% of our learners were coming to school tired which lead to a conversation around what this might look like as the day went on e.g at lunchtime. We continued to start our day this way, asking how has your day started? How do you feel? Taking this idea to another level, we married the idea of Twitter with this question. We developed a physical Twitter wall. We have 140 characters to write about how the start of the day is going. It has been great to see the kids coming in, sitting around a table together discussing their mornings with one another.<br />
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<u>Owning your Learning</u><br />
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Being able to articulate what has been going well and what has been challenging is vital in the learning process. This has been one of the focus' in Learning Common 2. How can we ensure students are critically thinking about their learning and see this as a journey rather than a destination?</div>
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Our learners are pretty competent at <a href="http://amymmcc.blogspot.co.nz/2014/03/a-peak-inside-hpps.html" target="_blank">planning their own day</a>, sticking to those plans however is a different matter. With numerous discussions around the importance of prioritising what we need to do and negotiating what we want to do, it was also imperative for our learners to see what their learning behaviours looked like and the effects of the decisions that they make. We have been getting our students to plan in reflecting time three times a week. Here they discuss (in a range of ways including physically or digitally written and shared with adults, including parents) highlights and challenges they have faced and describe why they were a highlight or challenge. This has been a great way for students to be honest about their learning - we encouraged complete honesty. Some wrote about how they had not stuck to their plan which resulted in them missing out on a crucial workshop. Others reflected on distractions around the room and their need to identify them earlier and move themselves. Through these reflections we have interesting conversations around setting realistic goals and prioritising. It has been great seeing students take further ownership over their learning and make positive changes towards reaching their goals *insert goal fish pond*.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Goal Fish Pond</td></tr>
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amymccauleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03610883602657064987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335214011614926339.post-24167175314412742132014-05-17T07:22:00.004+12:002014-07-27T19:08:05.201+12:00Work for me baby!This post has been spurred on by a colleague who was working on my laptop and liked the way I had certain things set up. So here is a list of some things that make my life easier when working on both my laptop and with GAFE:<br />
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<u>Desktop</u><br />
Although having a pretty image on your desktop is great to look at, for me it was't functional so I went an hunted for images that would organised my desktop. I am a visual learner and found it frustrating trying to find files on my desktop. <br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oguj6Lxf8jw/U3Tz2DAa8kI/AAAAAAAABK0/f_g8CltJWNQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-05-16+at+5.05.32+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oguj6Lxf8jw/U3Tz2DAa8kI/AAAAAAAABK0/f_g8CltJWNQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-05-16+at+5.05.32+AM.png" height="268" width="640" /></a></div>
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This is what my desktop looks like now. I have 4 categories (admin, elearning/ IT, Learning Common & in progress - files I am currently using/ needing). Download image <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8kfFlr2XsvreTNUVmJBdjR3OGM/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">here</a> and save as your desktop image. I have also changed the icon's for my folders (search for icon sized images, right-click on folder, get info and drag and drop image where the file icon is). I also have google docs that I use frequently as icons on my desktop (drag the URL onto your desktop and it will create an icon that you can rename).<br />
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Desktop Organiser Wallpaper:<br />
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B8kfFlr2XsvreTNUVmJBdjR3OGM/edit" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-G-nK5yRGEBQ/U4joUN7-r9I/AAAAAAAADHo/ghBlAjkkqLw/s1600/Organiser.jpg" height="112" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B8kfFlr2XsvrXzlEZGM4eDdoVHM/edit" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fwccSOQsv6E/U4jocKgS-VI/AAAAAAAADH8/hBJWaaJA7Kk/s1600/Desktop+Organiser+Stripes.jpg" height="125" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.simplehelp.net/2008/07/22/5-desktop-wallpapers-that-will-increase-your-productivity/" target="_blank">More desktop organisers</a><br />
<a href="http://lifehacker.com/251638/how-to-make-your-google-calendar-your-pcs-desktop-wallpaper" target="_blank">Use your Google Calendar as your desktop wallpaper</a><br />
<a href="http://www.moritzfineblogdesigns.com/2014/01/technology-organization-men-part-2-desktop-organization/" target="_blank">Desktop organisation and how to customise your own</a><br />
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<u>Inbox: Gmail</u><br />
Making my inbox work for me rather than me working when I use my inbox has given me time back.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bpcSsD_L1RU/U3T7IDnUnVI/AAAAAAAABLg/ZusjJQROphU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-05-16+at+5.36.28+AM+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bpcSsD_L1RU/U3T7IDnUnVI/AAAAAAAABLg/ZusjJQROphU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-05-16+at+5.36.28+AM+1.png" height="262" width="640" /></a></div>
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As you can see, I have no emails in my inbox - instead I use <a href="https://support.google.com/mail/answer/118708?hl=en&ref_topic=3394658" target="_blank">labels</a> (which organise messages into categories) and <a href="https://support.google.com/mail/answer/6579?hl=en&ref_topic=3394658" target="_blank">filters</a> (set rules for incoming messages) to sort out my emails. Some emails skip my inbox and go straight to the folder I have filtered them into (folder is shown in bold when a new message is there). Some come to my inbox and then I archive them when I have actioned it. I also only show some of my folders - those I do not use often only show if there is an unread email in it (tick show if unread). Certain folders are colour coded so I can easily see who is involved in the messages. <br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I3gfcNgOnJs/U3T9DLW9GDI/AAAAAAAABLo/RVA2HJvUqSo/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-05-16+at+5.43.41+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I3gfcNgOnJs/U3T9DLW9GDI/AAAAAAAABLo/RVA2HJvUqSo/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-05-16+at+5.43.41+AM.png" height="186" width="200" /></a></div>
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Although this took a while to set-up (I had thousands of emails to label and archive), it was well worth the effort and now runs smoothly. </div>
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<i>Labs, Apps & Extensions</i></div>
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Here are some apps & extensions I can't live without:</div>
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If you haven't explored the labs under the settings in your Gmail, this would be my first stop. Have a read and enable the ones you want.</div>
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Undo Send: get up to 30 seconds to undo a sent email. Once this is enabled, you can go to your general settings and determine the send cancellation period (up to 30 seconds).</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6q3Ioj57p8U/U3UNF8N6PBI/AAAAAAAABL4/uT8k7oSrH0g/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-05-16+at+6.52.45+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6q3Ioj57p8U/U3UNF8N6PBI/AAAAAAAABL4/uT8k7oSrH0g/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-05-16+at+6.52.45+AM.png" height="67" width="400" /></a></div>
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Extensions:</div>
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<a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/streak-for-gmail/pnnfemgpilpdaojpnkjdgfgbnnjojfik" target="_blank">Streak</a>: This is a customer relationship management tool but has a function that allows you to see if people have read your emails and how many times an email has been viewed. You can also schedule when you want emails to go out.</div>
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<u>Chrome Apps & Extensions:</u></div>
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<a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/sexy-undo-close-tab/bcennaiejdjpomgmmohhpgnjlmpcjmbg" target="_blank">Undo Close Tab</a>: accidentally closed a tab? Use this extension to easily access closed tabs.</div>
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<a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/buffer/mjojodpkaeeclkgaidibcbknlhjflhle" target="_blank">Buffer</a>: great way to share content on social media, you can also analyse the content you are posting to see how many people it is reaching. Use the <a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/buffer/noojglkidnpfjbincgijbaiedldjfbhh" target="_blank">Buffer extension</a> straight from your browser to send content to Buffer.</div>
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<a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/pin-it-button/gpdjojdkbbmdfjfahjcgigfpmkopogic" target="_blank">Pin It</a>: pin straight to Pinterest</div>
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<a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/word-cloud-website-previe/lhejmjlfgemcmjkmkicnlgefomepcdeh" target="_blank">Word Cloud</a>: Fan of Wordle? Summarise and share content of any website (either part or whole) in a word cloud.<br />
<a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/quickmark-qr-code-extensi/bhddglpocgogkbpkbkoieiplhgbjmiim" target="_blank">QR Code Extension</a>: using QR codes a bit, it's great having an extension that with a click of a button will generate the code.<br />
<a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/onefeed/cidjbmjjebfhfjodbphfklcmknafddmb" target="_blank">OneFeed</a>: This brings all your social media and news feeds to one place. Customisable news feeds are great for following blogs, etc, but I often forget to go and check them. With this extension, when you open up a new tab, instead of the default page being say google.com, it is now your news feed. Customise it by editing the sources to follow your favourite blogs, blogs from your school or any other news source with either searching their data base or using the RSS feed URL (<a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/rss-subscription-extensio/nlbjncdgjeocebhnmkbbbdekmmmcbfjd" target="_blank">RSS Feed extension</a>). <br />
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<u>Presenting Zoom (Mac Only):</u><br />
I can't live without this feature on my MAC being enabled. It allows me to zoom in on part of my screen. Great for when I am teaching students, especially when they ask questions like "where is that button"or you just want them to focus on part of a webpage. It is also great for giving presentations and you need to zoom in to demonstrate something.<br />
In your settings, head to accessibility <br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ad5cUZK79Bk/U3ZgXc8sQkI/AAAAAAAABMI/Gbs1S8p3vus/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-05-17+at+7.00.31+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ad5cUZK79Bk/U3ZgXc8sQkI/AAAAAAAABMI/Gbs1S8p3vus/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-05-17+at+7.00.31+AM.png" height="61" width="400" /></a></div>
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Then enable these functions:</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xNL1hc1MAT8/U3ZgoxR4Q_I/AAAAAAAABMQ/lyL6HWAHQjw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-05-17+at+7.01.38+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xNL1hc1MAT8/U3ZgoxR4Q_I/AAAAAAAABMQ/lyL6HWAHQjw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-05-17+at+7.01.38+AM.png" height="247" width="400" /></a></div>
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Now when you hold down control and use 2 fingers to scroll, the screen will zoom in and out where the cursor is (you can change the particular settings to suit your usage). This takes a little while to get used to, but well worth using.</div>
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<u>Customise Icon</u></div>
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You can use your own images or images from the internet. Download the image, open it in preview. Then copy (command-c) this image. Right click (or the equivalent) on the folder you would like to change the image of, from the menu that appears, select <i>get info. C</i>lick on the small icon at the top left of the folder's <i>Get Info</i> window, and press command-V to paste in the image that you copied from the preview image. The image should change in both the window and where you folder is.</div>
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amymccauleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03610883602657064987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335214011614926339.post-73505834189912381002014-04-20T08:14:00.000+12:002014-10-27T07:08:46.487+13:00Google GoodnessThis week I was lucky enough to visit Google in Sydney and spend time with other GCT's getting a good Google kick up the behind (aka reboot). It had been about a year since I was last here for the Google Teachers Academy and I was ready for the fast paced learning ejection.<br />
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If you haven't checked out Google's new <a href="http://www.google.com/edu/" target="_blank">Google for Education</a> site is is well worth a visit. From tools to training to success stories, there is so much to explore.<br />
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First up<a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+AdamNaor/posts" target="_blank"> Adam Naor</a> shared insights about Chromebooks. He talked about some of the features coming up and whats next for the future of Chromebooks. He also mentioned Microsoft Office (<a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/word-online/fiombgjlkfpdpkbhfioofeeinbehmajg" target="_blank">word</a>, <a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/excel-online/iljnkagajgfdmfnnidjijobijlfjfgnb" target="_blank">excel</a>, <a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/powerpoint-online/mdafamggmaaaginooondinjgkgcbpnhp" target="_blank">powerpoint</a>, <a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/outlookcom/pfpeapihoiogbcmdmnibeplnikfnhoge" target="_blank">outlook</a>) is now in the <a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.australiancurriculum.edu.au%2FGeneralCapabilities%2FPdf%2FICT&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHIum0l3FpoPmPL2SUQztOUloG_oQ" target="_blank">chromestore</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+BrettMorgan/posts" target="_blank">Brett Morgan</a>, a Google Developer took us through "deep thinking the Google way". <br />
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How do we design: Always come back to the problem</div>
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<li>Identify the Problem</li>
<li>Decide on metrics (define success): figure out something that can be measured</li>
<li>Brainstorm solutions: come up with ideas</li>
<li>Choose a solution</li>
<li>Prototype: test with users - the user is right, not you = adaptability, keep designing until it is right for the <i>user</i>, not the developer!</li>
<li>Iterate: try over and over and over again and learn. Get what they build out in front of people for feedback and redesign. </li>
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Then <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+SallyannWilliams/posts" target="_blank">Sally-Ann Williams</a> who is Google's Engineering Community & Outreach Manager, discussed the importance of computational thinking and computer science in schools. Australia have got a new <a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.australiancurriculum.edu.au%2FGeneralCapabilities%2FPdf%2FICT&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHIum0l3FpoPmPL2SUQztOUloG_oQ" target="_blank">General ICT capabilities curriculum</a> where coding should be introduced in primary school. She talked about the future of our learners and the advantages they will have if they have coding knowledge. Having CS + X, where computer science will be paired with x which is what you are passionate about. Sally-Ann used the example of medicine and computer science, to cure cancer, what an advantage it will be to be able to write the computer programme (instead of waiting for someone else to). Main takeaway - coding matters! Where does Google fit into this? They have a great resource in <a href="https://www.google.com/edu/computational-thinking/" target="_blank">exploring computational thinking</a>, with lesson, resources and how to get started. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/CMUkJ3qLoVw?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Next Ramesh Nagarajan, a product manager on Google Drive was literally in the firing line. He hosted a Q & A on Google Drive. One of the first questions up was when would we be able to merge cells on a document. We were given insights that basically equate to Google Drive becoming a lot more awesome...watch this space!</div>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/Amplifiedit" target="_blank">Tim Lee</a> wowed us with <a href="http://www.google.com/glass/start/" target="_blank">Google Glass</a>. He discussed ways Google Glass could be <a href="http://mashable.com/2013/08/19/google-glass-education/">used in classrooms</a> and how augmented reality tools such as <a href="https://www.layar.com/" target="_blank">Layar</a> are able to interact with Google Glass. <br />
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<a href="https://plus.google.com/+JenniferMagiera/posts" target="_blank">Jenny Magiera</a> hosted a grip jam. Using a pre-organised google doc, we were given around 4 minutes (the length of a song) to fill in the gripe column which could be any gripe we have at our school or with tools. Next, the Goo Idea - we had around 8 minutes (the length of two songs) to fill in possible solutions to people's gripes. +1 Collaborama was around 10 minutes (3 songs) in length and we added our contact details to the last column meaning we could be included in future communication (either to help with solutions or hear possible solutions) around this gripe. This was a great way to collaborate and connect with people in the room and see what was on top for many. Jenny then shared her experience of running a <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/playdatechicago13/" target="_blank">playdate</a>. An interesting way to run a conference where educators gather to share and just play. <b>P</b>eople <b>L</b>earning and<b> A</b>sking <b>Y: D</b>igital <b>A</b>ge <b>T</b>echnology <b>E</b>xplorer. <a href="http://teachinglikeits2999.blogspot.com/2012/11/planeplanning-birth-of-playdate13.html">Read more about the conference concept and its conception.</a></div>
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We then moved on to hear from some people in the room. <a href="https://plus.google.com/+KimberleyHallAUS" target="_blank">Kimberly Hall</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/+ChrisHarte/posts" target="_blank">Chris Hart</a> shared their success with <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/s/google%20educators%20group%20/communities" target="_blank">Google Educator Groups</a> (GEG) specifically in Melbourne. These community groups are independently run by educators for educators and is a great platform for sharing. </div>
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As the day rounded to a close, <a href="https://plus.google.com/+MattRichards/posts">Matt Richards</a> bought out his <a href="http://www.oculusvr.com/">Oculus Rift</a>, showing the next generation in virtual reality technology - truly mind blowing!<br />
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So the day wound up. My brain was full and it was off to laser tag, dinner and karaoke...but that is another post!<br />
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Check out the new Google for Education video: what does it mean for a classroom or school to "go google"?<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/uXFUl0KcIkA" width="560"></iframe>amymccauleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03610883602657064987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335214011614926339.post-91150532168422248462014-03-23T16:11:00.000+13:002014-07-05T07:10:09.220+12:00A peak inside HPPS...<div style="text-align: left;">
So what is life like at Hobsonville Point Primary School (HPPS)? It has been just over a year since I jumped on board to be part of a foundation school. Year one was was a blur...challenge, challenge, challenge is the only way to describe it. Team teaching, open learning spaces, working with multiple year groups, these were all new experiences in my teaching practice.</div>
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So what is year two looking like? With more kids, more staff and a better understanding of what learning looks like at HPPS. This year I am lucky enough to teach with the wonderful and talented <a href="https://twitter.com/pinksicle" target="_blank">Erin Hall</a>, together with thirty year 2 - 5 (6 years - 9 years old) kids what does this look like?</div>
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I think we are already on version 10.3 of what our learning common looks/ feels like. Reflecting and being challenged on the 'why' means we are continually evolving our practice. No time to sit back and be a passenger, it is full steam ahead in Learning Common 2 (LC2).</div>
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<u>Relationships</u><br />
All that we do really comes down to deep relationships. Positive relationships with students, parents, colleagues and the wider community are all vital to the success of our learners. Shared experiences help build these relationships - for Waitangi Day, together with Hobsonville Point Secondary School, celebrated Waitangi Day with a family-friendly BBQ complete with music and entertainment from the kids. Parent evenings are another great way to share the school's vision. We have had general evenings where parents come to have a look around to specific evenings around a certain topic/ concept (e.g. Digital Citizenship). Each learning common also has a learning wall that documents their learning journey. This visible learning enables parents/ caregivers to see what learning looks like and spurs on questions about what they see - further building relationships. We also open up our common online, blogging each week with updates (<a href="http://hppslc2.blogspot.co.nz/" target="_blank">LC2 Blog</a>), planning online, ensuring transparency (<a href="https://sites.google.com/a/hobsonvillepoint.school.nz/lc-2-2014/" target="_blank">LC2 planning site</a>) and providing a supplementary learning site (<a href="https://sites.google.com/a/hobsonvillepoint.school.nz/lc2-2014/home" target="_blank">LC2 Learning Site</a>) with useful learning links.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jncYsYivtuU/Uy5NnD4vNDI/AAAAAAAABG4/IiahbBnW8LY/s1600/Planning+Wall.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jncYsYivtuU/Uy5NnD4vNDI/AAAAAAAABG4/IiahbBnW8LY/s1600/Planning+Wall.png" height="283" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LC2 Learning Journey Wall</td></tr>
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<u>Personalised Learning</u><br />
Through personalising the learning (not individualised learning see <a href="http://www.personalizelearning.com/2013/03/new-personalization-vs-differentiation.html" target="_blank">personalised v differentiated individualised learning chart)</a>, students negotiate and drive what and how they learn. Having such diverse needs within our common gives all of the us the freedoms and also structures we need to ensure we are meeting the needs of <i>all </i>our learners. Our learners take control of their timetables and plan their own day/ week. Learning is negotiated with the learner using a range of information including assessment, observations and learner passions and interests. </div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="299" mozallowfullscreen="true" src="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1AH6EE7ItK0Ri8j4md07sAwsGtnx0gDk_-rLLN2L9Xso/embed?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="480"></iframe>
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So a small snapshot of life in Learning Common 2 :)amymccauleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03610883602657064987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335214011614926339.post-74627576680987558292013-09-16T16:17:00.000+12:002014-03-23T17:30:08.303+13:00Its not the journey...but the destination Innovation and Leadership in eLearning<br />
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My teaching and learning practices have evolved through my teaching career as I find myself continually searching for the best for my learners. <a href="http://amymmcc.blogspot.co.nz/2012/08/a-day-in-life-of-room-14er.html" style="vertical-align: baseline;">Why, is a big question I have always asked</a>. Students being at the centre of their learning and being in the driving seat, is the heart of my pedagogy. I see my role as a facilitator of their learning and creating an environment for this philosophy to flourish is an exciting journey to be on. In a 'traditional' classroom (four walls, one teacher), students developed their own <a href="http://amymmcc.blogspot.co.nz/2012/06/individual-learning-programmes-ilp.html" style="vertical-align: baseline;">individual learning programmes</a> where I let go and the students took back control over their learning. Students decided how and when they were going to learn, as I offered workshops to cater for their needs and wants. This was hugely successful, as my learners became increasingly self-managing. <a href="http://amymmcc.blogspot.co.nz/2013/03/unschool-me.html" style="vertical-align: baseline;">This year, has been a huge change</a>. I have been in the lucky position to help start at new 21st century school. This modern learning environment has allowed us to create a culture where the student has not only taken the driving seat, but also building their own vehicle. As a team, we have challenged not only what learning looks like to our students and community, but what our learning looks like. <br />
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eLearning had been a great carrier for being creative and innovative in my classroom practice. From starting out with basic devices (a couple of computers and iPods), the world really was our oyster. We (my students and me) began to explore a vast amount of tools, uncovering a community of learners from blogging to <a href="http://amymmcc.blogspot.co.nz/2012/06/wikis-in-classroom.html" style="vertical-align: baseline;">Wikispaces</a> to <a href="http://amymmcc.blogspot.co.nz/2012/07/twitter-design-your-own-pd.html" style="vertical-align: baseline;">Twitter</a> and beyond, we had a wider audience that included family and ever growing friends around the world. Our digital toolbox grew to including numerous tools that allow us to create and innovate - <a href="http://amymmcc.blogspot.co.nz/2013/08/its-not-about-toolsbut-here-are-some.html" style="vertical-align: baseline;">aurasma</a> augmented our classroom reality, <a href="http://theglobalschool.net/writersclub/" style="vertical-align: baseline;">the writers club</a> gave us a competitive writing experience, Movie making competitions (e.g. <a href="https://pinehillrm14twentytwelve.wikispaces.com/I+AM+MAKING+MOVIES+3" style="vertical-align: baseline;">I AM MAKING Movies</a>, <a href="https://pinehillrm14twentytwelve.wikispaces.com/One+Day+On+Earth" style="vertical-align: baseline;">One Day on Earth</a>) gave us the scaffolding to explore animation, acting and legomation to name just a few. <br />
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Alongside my journey, it has been great to take along supportive staff who are mostly willing to come along. Finding innovative ways to introduce new devices and tools has been interesting, to say the least. Most students are always excited and motivated to see the latest gadget, adults can take a little while to discover the excitement. From leading the <a href="http://amymmcc.blogspot.co.nz/2012/06/ipad-roll-out.html">introduction of over 100 iPads</a> to putting on my <a href="http://amymmcc.blogspot.co.nz/2013/06/google-teachers-academy.html">Google Certified Teacher hat</a> and looking at GAFE products to showing a cool tool (e.g. an app), I try to be creative, responsive and supportive to staff needs (and wants). Running causal drop-in tekkie sessions to speaking at conferences (and UNconferences), <a href="http://amymmcc.blogspot.co.nz/2012/09/connecting-with-our-communities.html">to parent workshops</a>, to having a complete open door classroom policy (online and physical), paying it forward is my way of repaying the good ideas I have used from many others.amymccauleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03610883602657064987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335214011614926339.post-57972494145599357562013-08-15T06:40:00.000+12:002014-07-05T07:10:43.227+12:00Its not about the tools...but here are some toolsWe have had quite a few visitors coming in and asking a few questions in regards to some of the tools we are using and why...here are a small sample of what and why we are using:<br />
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<a href="http://www.explaineverything.com/" target="_blank">Explain Everything</a> App<br />
Students are using this interactive whiteboard to explain their learning. Within our Maths programme, students go through the process of learn it, practice it, prove it then teach it. This app allows students the ability to prove they know a strategy/ skill and/ or create a lesson for others to learn. This is then uploaded and embed in their <a href="http://www.wikispaces.com/" target="_blank">Wikispace</a> for others (including parents) to view.<br />
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<a href="http://www.aurasma.com/#/get-the-app" target="_blank">Aurasma</a> App<br />
I have always been a huge fan of this augmented reality app, taking an ordinary physical image (e.g. a poster) called a <i>trigger</i> and turning it to an interactive video. Recently, the students made how-to video's (using the trailer option in the iMovie app) of jobs that need to be done in the common. We then created an aura over the image of the job and voila, students can see what is expected of them when it is their turn on that job. Next is to explore <a href="http://fluency21.com/blog/2013/05/07/augmented-reality-art-or-art-gallery/?utm_source=Committed+Sardines&utm_campaign=36656299d1-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f244ccc9d2-36656299d1-189024422" target="_blank">augmented reality art!</a><br />
<a href="http://www.twoguysandsomeipads.com/p/aurasma-tutorials.html" target="_blank">Aurasma how-to video's</a><br />
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<b><span style="background-color: white; color: #274e13;">Coding</span></b><br />
Recently, a small number of students have wanted to learn how to code games, apps and websites.<br />
<a href="http://scratch.mit.edu/" style="background-color: white; color: #002326; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20px;" target="_blank">Scratch</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #002326; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"> is a great site where you can create your own interactive stories, art, simulations and games and is great for all levels. You can also check out <a href="http://scratched.media.mit.edu/" target="_blank">ScratchEd</a> a Scratch community for </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #002326;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">educators</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #002326; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #002326;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.sploder.com/" target="_blank">Sploder</a> is an interactive site where students can make online games using simple drag and drop skills - no coding knowledge is needed and is great for all ages.</span></span><br />
<a href="http://www.codeavengers.com/" target="_blank">Code Avengers</a> is an interactive, web-based, <span style="background-color: white; color: #002326; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">New Zealand-made learn-to-code software programme. Designed with secondary aged students, some of our year 8's have been fine with using it.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #002326; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>amymccauleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03610883602657064987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335214011614926339.post-13225074991267327862013-07-25T14:43:00.002+12:002014-07-05T07:10:58.852+12:00Which Device?The debate over which device schools are choosing is a topic hotly debated. With more and more schools promoting BYOD, this may become obsolete in the not-so-distance future. We still need to provide for equal opportunities and technology is no different, especially for those technical, specific projects (I am thinking high-end video editing, etc).<br />
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Being an avid apple user, I lean towards apple's easy to use operating systems, which to me 'make sense', however in the past couple of months have had a little play with some other devices. It seems to me that each of these devices are quite different and would be used in different ways - what is the right tool for the job?<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.apple.com/nz/ipad/" target="_blank">Apple's iPad</a></b> (around NZD$500)<br />
With the release of the first iPad back in 2010, this multitouch device really changed the way we looked at devices in education. Finally, school's could afford a device which had multi-uses (camera, apps, word processing...), meaning we could buy one device that had multiple uses.<br />
<i>Reflection:</i><br />
- Intuitive use<br />
- Content (e.g. videos, audio recordings) can be easily created and upload/ embed to various sites.<br />
- Thousands of Apps to enhance learning.<br />
- Use with Apple TV to use airplay to share content on iPad with a greater audience.<br />
- Mobile version of websites means limited functionality (e.g. embedding video's on websites can be difficult).<br />
- Updating/ loading apps to multiple iPads can be problematic (speak to anyone who has used Apple Configurator!)<br />
- Best to have laptops/ desktops available for higher end tasks (e.g. video post-production, coding, embedding creations to websites).<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/" target="_blank">Google Chromebook</a> </b>(around NZD$359)<br />
We were lucky enough to trial a Chromebook for a couple of weeks. I like the concept of all your Google Apps making up your desktop (e.g. docs, mail...) and that it is an easy device to share as you log-in to your own environment with your google account. I made it immediately available for our students, placing it with the other MacBook Air's. Students quickly figured out how to make user's and logged in with their GAFE accounts.<br />
<i>Reflections:</i><br />
- Log-in to your own personalised environment.<br />
- Easy to use.<br />
- No maintenance: Updates are automatic and free (no need to sit for hours updating each device).<br />
- Some Google Apps can be made available offline (mail, drive, calendar, etc) - so you don't need an internet connection to work.<br />
- Get Apps via the Chrome store.<br />
- Great for internet-based work.I was a<br />
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<b><a href="http://shopap.lenovo.com/nz/en/tablets/thinkpad/thinkpad-tablet-2/#features" target="_blank">Lenovo ThinkPad</a> </b>(around NZD$1,200)<br />
This product is meant to rival the Microsoft Surface. When I initially pulled it out of the box, I was a little perplexed (to say the least) with the operating system - Microsoft8, but once I figured out a few basics (thanks to Google), I set-up the wireless and was away. I like the concept of having a very mobile device, but with full web capabilities (uses full version of sites, not mobile sites). Having the touch screen, keyboard and stylus means you can flick between interactions depending on the task. I like the concept of the all-in-one, but am still somehow not convinced. Apart from the larger price tag, the ThinkPad feels a bit flimsy to use and not sure how it would go in the hands of younger people.<br />
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It's exciting to see companies pushing the boundaries and trying to give users the best experience possible. For us, I still love the experience Apple products give with our students using a combination of iPads and MacBook Air's/ iMac's to suit their desired outcomes.<br />
<br />amymccauleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03610883602657064987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335214011614926339.post-69662214484173700452013-06-07T19:23:00.000+12:002014-07-05T07:11:13.337+12:00Google Teachers Academy <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Seventh of May, twenty-thirteen saw 52 educators from 13 countries directly influencing 32,727 students, 40,311 teachers, therefore indirectly influencing 410,885 students - sitting in a conference room in the Google Sydney office in Sydney ready to embark on 2 full days of learning.<br />
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The room is full of names I recognise from Twitter - educators I follow and learn from - so I am privileged to be part of this amazing cohort.<br />
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So what did we learn?<br />
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The first day was structured with workshops run by our lead learners, googlers and the GTA planning team. They were based around Maps, automating your world, youtube editor and collaboration tools.<br />
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Here is a snippet from one of the workshops:<br />
<b>Creating your world</b> - lead by Tom Barrett & Jim Sill<br />
<i>What inspires us to create?</i><br />
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Using <a href="http://www.youtube.com/editor" target="_blank">youtube editor </a> we were given an image and on a post-it note, wrote down a phrase/ key words about that image. This was then displayed and we used youtube editor to create a story around this image. Throughout this workshop, we were given key points to consider when:<br />
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<li>The starting point - don't front load too early</li>
<li>Prototyping is the key - fail early</li>
<li>Share early</li>
<li>Critique: fail fast to quickly move on</li>
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We also heard from Googlers about what life is like working for this amazing company. We had the token Google photo of the cohort and rounded up the first day with magic moments, the pinning ceremony and the dinner.</div>
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Day two was the Unconference. With a relaxed feel, we heard from more Googlers and then designed our day of learning from each other. This was a great opportunity to get a real feel for the talent that was in the room. Part of being a Google Certified Teacher is creating an action plan for a project that will be completed in the coming year. </div>
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This was an amazing experience and can highly recommend this face-paced, mind-blowing experience.</div>
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Here is my application video:</div>
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<br />amymccauleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03610883602657064987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335214011614926339.post-21355848059022091142013-03-12T21:06:00.002+13:002013-03-12T21:10:30.028+13:00Walking a fine line...Over the past two days, these questions have been driving our own end of day reflections. A task that I would have guessed to take 2 - 3 hours, has spanned across two full days. As I think about how I would have taught this last year, I realise that although I provided a lot of choice, I was really the driving force - this year, we are aiming for the students to be the driving force of their own learning, deciding (with some gentle nudging) what steps they need to take to achieve the goal they set.<br />
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So back to this week<i> - challenge</i> - that will be my word to sum up it up. I found the balance between students driving their learning and wanting to step in a bit of a juggling act. Where do we (the professionals entrusted with their education) step in and when do we back off? What if certain students do not step up and own their learning, who drives the bus then? As a teacher, how much am I saying/ influencing/ implying throughout a given day - how much is too much, what if it is not enough? What about the things I don't say? </div>
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Yes, things take <i>a lot</i> longer, but hopefully the outcome will be greater ownership from the students of the process and products produced.<br />
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I guess the proof will be in the pudding....</div>
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amymccauleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03610883602657064987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335214011614926339.post-8892686400423958752013-03-03T20:04:00.000+13:002013-03-03T20:16:13.447+13:00UNschool ME<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BZRTtL03uIw/UTLweWtij4I/AAAAAAAAAW0/Rc7inaSCJFU/s1600/Wave.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BZRTtL03uIw/UTLweWtij4I/AAAAAAAAAW0/Rc7inaSCJFU/s1600/Wave.png" height="177" width="320" /></a>Honeymoon over, time for action. It has been just over a month since starting the school year and we have been going slowly, slowly finding our feet, which has been great, but it is time to start challenging our thinking - why were we doing the things we were doing, were we falling back into old, 'safe' habits that we have been used to? It amazes me the default you can easily fall back into if you don't have people challenging what your doing and your thinking behind your plans. Last week, we were challenged - in our thinking - why were we doing what we were doing? Does this fit with our school philosophy? Are we defaulting to the one-fit-for-all model? In some instances, I think we were going down that path. Our goal is to offer a personalised, student-centered learning experience for ALL students - so why were we doing things such as getting all the students sitting in the one configuration for our morning meeting, why did all students sit on the same type of seat for this? Why???<br />
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Great question - so getting ready for Monday morning. For the first time in my teaching career, I have no plans for Monday, or Tuesday or Wednesday for that matter, Thursday is looking pretty much the same - blank! As we (senior learning common team) sat down to plan out our week, last week, we thought back to the discussion we had - why are we doing what we are doing, are the students in control of their own learning? We have decided to plan with the students on Monday. Include them in the decisions we make. Model what collaborative planning looks like, how working relationships...work. We purposely did not plan anything, we haven't even talked about what it will look like as we want this to be as authentic as possible - and it sure will be!</div>
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So I dampen the voice of a the uni lecturer saying "detailed [weekly] planning is the key to successful week" and go into Monday's uncharted waters...what will the week bring? Watch this space to see....</div>
amymccauleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03610883602657064987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335214011614926339.post-30026755905416969412013-02-03T09:21:00.001+13:002013-02-03T09:22:19.675+13:002013...ready?If I thought 2012 was a rich, busy and exciting year - 2013 is going to blow it out of the water!<br />
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I am lucky enough to be involved as a foundation teacher at <a href="http://danielbirch.wix.com/hobsonville-point" target="_blank">Hobsonville Point Schools</a> - Primary section (schools as the primary and secondary schools will be running under one umbrella) - in one of <a href="http://www.hobsonvillepoint.co.nz/" target="_blank">Auckland's newest community</a>.<br />
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The start of any school year is always filled with excitement, anticipation and a little bit of the unknown...starting a new school was just the fresh start I needed in my teaching career.<br />
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So - what has been involved thus far....<br />
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January 14th, 2013 - first day back! Unlike previous teaching years, gone was the endless summer holiday - back to work after 3 weeks holiday. For me, this is great. I am someone who needs to actively relax - I love being busy...so this was a great relief (especially to the credit card which normally takes a hammering when everyone else has gone back to work). So we headed back three weeks prior to the start of the school year...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The infamous <i>brownie</i> incident </td></tr>
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What have we been doing?<br />
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Seven people make up the Hobsonville Point (Primary) team. With such a small group, it is vital that we all get along, so there has been a lot of 'getting to know each other'. We headed away to Waiwera for 3 days, which involved lots of planning, planning and more planning (aka laughter, wine and good food). We got back to school to tackle setting up for the start of the year! <br />
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The junior common (year 0 - 3) got well under-way, putting up beautiful boarders, creating discovery tables and generally creating a visually rich environment. Us in the senior common (year 4-8) took a slightly different approach to our learning common. We really want the older children to take full ownership of their environment, so we have gone for a <i>minimalistic</i> approach with the idea that the people that fill the space will design the surroundings, from the walls to most of the resources (we have got the bare essentials) that fill our space. <br />
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Our weeks have also been filled with open days. We had a public open day (held on a Sunday). This was not hugely advertised and we expected a few people to pop in...fast-forward to the Sunday at 10.05am...the place was filling up and it took my brain a little while to click into gear and answer the deluge of questions.<br />
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We have also had the families in - with our first IEM's (individual education meeting) taking place. This has been a fantastic experience, getting to know the families and the children that we will be working with. Usually I have had three way conferences towards the end of the first term. The idea of having these meetings prior to school was a little foreign, but I could immediately see the benefit. The IEM process is typically designed to be run by the child, discussing their learning path, however this first one was a chance to get to know them. We had a few questions to ask such as:<br />
- if you could design your own school day, what would it look like?<br />
- what do you do outside of school?<br />
- what areas of learning do you find easy/ what makes learning easy for you?<br />
- what areas of learning do you find a challenge/ what can make learning difficult for you?<br />
- does anything worry you about the start of the school year?<br />
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So we know a bit about our learners (tick), we have moved furniture in and out of our learning common (tick)...we then began planning our first couple of days.<br />
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So the journey has well begun. It will be great to finally see this amazing space being used for its intended purpose. Monday we start with a stagering 31 students enrolled - we (Kristyn, Lisa and myself) have 13 in our senior (year 4 - 8) learning common. Activities ready, bouncy castle ordered - we are all good to go!amymccauleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03610883602657064987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335214011614926339.post-67021832232628694792013-01-19T06:56:00.001+13:002013-02-03T09:24:50.028+13:00The year that was...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I asked the class to give a round up of their year - and thought it only fitting that I do the same as this has been such an action-packed year! From helping to deploy over 100 iPads in the school to attending workshops run by my own students, iLearn is an understatement!<br />
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Here are some of the highlights from 2012 and what I have learnt:<br />
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This is no easy feat and here are some tid bits from my year:<br />
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<b><i>Train before implementation </i></b><br />
At the GAFE summit in Auckland, <a href="http://teacherstraining.com.au/about/" target="_blank">Mike Reading</a> suggested train before you implement and make sure your training leaves your staff wanting more. We started our training when the iPads landed. Some staff had their own personal devices (ipods/ ipads/ iphones), but many had only seen pictures of these. Pre-training for these people would have been invaluable and given them some prior-knowledge when we came to starting out.<br />
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<b style="font-style: italic;">Buy-in From Senior Management -</b> Top-down approach rather than pushing up from the bottom<br />
This may sound obvious, but it has been a hurdle this year. This was the direction the school had chosen to take and getting <i>all </i>team and planning leaders onboard would have strengthened the concepts we were trying to implement. When we started the year, a self-selected group was formed to take on the e-learning focus for the year. Each year group was represented, however there was a major oversight in that no senior staff were on this team, so when ideas were shared, they had no idea of the background involved.<br />
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<b><i>Buy-in from Parents</i></b><br />
Getting not only buy-in, but actively involved parents makes your job so much easier! We ran parent workshops on Twitter, Wikispaces and Blogger so our parents could not only see why we were using these tools, but how they could add to their child's learning environment. I had heard too many times parents say <i>"she comes home and says I'm doing my homework online, I have no idea how to help so I leave her to it"</i>. I wanted parents to be able to see what they were doing and to have the tools to be able to help out. This was also a great way to strengthen relationships with parents and the community.<br />
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<b><i>Let Go - you don't need to know everything - teach explorers!</i></b><br />
This probably the hardest concept to get across to adults. Many teachers felt we were adding to their ever increasing workload. They felt they needed to know <i>everything </i>before the students - when training to be a teacher, I remember being told to always be prepared - be over-prepared for anything. I think letting go and exploring with the kids is one of the great benefits of the digital world. Letting kids become the experts and modelling this sharing of knowledge - teaching kids how to impart their knowledge of the world, is a great real-world experience. I am proud that my students are explorers and don't reply on me to be their main source of information. They know where to go and if all else fails - <i>google it! </i><br />
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<i><b>TWITTER - do it!</b></i><br />
Twitter continues to be my single biggest source of professional development. I am constantly amazed by the resources and ideas that come my way. Over the last term, I have also been regularly involved in twitter chats. #<a href="https://sites.google.com/site/edchatnz" target="_blank">edchatnz</a> on Thursday 9 - 10pm. Moderated by @MissDSciTecher, 'PD in your PJ's' is a great source of motivation, inspiration and sharing. From #edchatnz, #<a href="http://kidsedchatnz.weebly.com/" target="_blank">kidsedchatnz</a> has been born. This is a great opportunity for kids to be active, engaged and connected learners. This is a weekly event (during the term), 2pm - 2.30pm with kids moderting (check out the archive of #<a href="http://pinehillrm14twentytwelve.wikispaces.com/kidsedchatnz" target="_blank">kidsedchatnz</a>.<br />
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<b><i>Get Involved</i></b><br />
Attend UNconferences, twitters chats, ignite evenings - it is a great way to meet other educators! This will help cement your PLN.<br />
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<b><i>Do it now - don't wait to be an expert!</i></b>amymccauleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03610883602657064987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335214011614926339.post-60252298923688128702012-11-07T19:07:00.000+13:002014-08-27T18:46:44.758+12:00#KidsEdChatNZ: articulate, engaging...and connected!<span style="background-color: white;">Today marked the first #kidsedchatnz - a concept born from a EdChatNZ conversation on Twitter. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">I personally (or should I say professionally) love being involved in twitter chat sessions and at the last #EdChatNZ @PascalDresse made the comment:</span><br />
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<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="532029479" href="https://twitter.com/PascalDresse" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; text-decoration: none;"><strong class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" style="color: #8dbfe6; text-decoration: underline;">Pascal Dresse</strong> <span class="username js-action-profile-name" style="direction: ltr; font-size: 12px; unicode-bidi: embed;"><s style="color: #bbbbbb; text-decoration: none;">@</s><b style="font-weight: normal;">PascalDresse</b></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Imagine the kids in our classes participating in a weekly <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23edchatnz&src=hash" style="color: #8dbfe6; text-decoration: none;"><s style="color: #bad8f0; text-decoration: none;">#</s><b style="color: inherit; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">edchatnz</b></a> aimed at different topics. Imagine the ideas they would have...</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small; line-height: normal;">and to that, the responses came flooding in...</span></div>
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<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="236946228" href="https://twitter.com/AmyMMcCauley" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; text-decoration: none;"><strong class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" style="color: #333333;">Amy McCauley</strong> <span class="username js-action-profile-name" style="direction: ltr; font-size: 12px; unicode-bidi: embed;"><s style="color: #bbbbbb; text-decoration: none;">@</s><b style="font-weight: normal;">AmyMMcCauley</b></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">What a great idea <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23KidsEdChatNZ&src=hash" style="color: #8dbfe6; text-decoration: none;"><s style="color: #bad8f0; text-decoration: none;">#</s><b style="color: inherit; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">KidsEdChatNZ</b></a></span></div>
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<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="115247471" href="https://twitter.com/phpnz" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; text-decoration: none;"><strong class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" style="color: #333333;">Pascale Hyboud-Peron</strong> <span class="username js-action-profile-name" style="direction: ltr; font-size: 12px; unicode-bidi: embed;"><s style="color: #bbbbbb; text-decoration: none;">@</s><b style="font-weight: normal;">phpnz</b></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Would you start a twitclass?</span></div>
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<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="14656673" href="https://twitter.com/cheesynz" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; text-decoration: none;"><strong class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" style="color: #333333;">cheesynz</strong> <span class="username js-action-profile-name" style="direction: ltr; font-size: 12px; unicode-bidi: embed;"><s style="color: #bbbbbb; text-decoration: none;">@</s><b style="font-weight: normal;">cheesynz</b></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Fantastic idea - could get them doing it during a set time during a school day</span></div>
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<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="580455858" href="https://twitter.com/dukelyer" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; text-decoration: none;"><strong class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" style="color: #333333;">Luke Dyer</strong> <span class="username js-action-profile-name" style="direction: ltr; font-size: 12px; unicode-bidi: embed;"><s style="color: #bbbbbb; text-decoration: none;">@</s><b style="font-weight: normal;">dukelyer</b></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">That type of thinking answers question 1 of <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23edchatNZ&src=hash" style="color: #8dbfe6; text-decoration: none;"><s style="color: #bad8f0; text-decoration: none;">#</s><b style="color: inherit; font-weight: normal;">edchatNZ</b></a> what elearning should look like<a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23innovativeidea&src=hash" style="color: #8dbfe6; text-decoration: none;"><s style="color: #bad8f0; text-decoration: none;">#</s><b style="color: inherit; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">innovativeidea</b></a></span></div>
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<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="532029479" href="https://twitter.com/PascalDresse" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; text-decoration: none;"><strong class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" style="color: #333333;">Pascal Dresse</strong> <span class="username js-action-profile-name" style="direction: ltr; font-size: 12px; unicode-bidi: embed;"><s style="color: #bbbbbb; text-decoration: none;">@</s><b style="font-weight: normal;">PascalDresse</b></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333;">Too often we think learning is pen on paper. imagine a chat between schools/classes that involves parents. </span><a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23powerful&src=hash" style="color: #8dbfe6; text-decoration: none;"><s style="color: #bad8f0; text-decoration: none;">#</s><b style="color: inherit; font-weight: normal;">powerful</b></a><span style="color: #333333;"> </span></span></div>
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<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="411335394" href="https://twitter.com/MissDSciTeacher" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; text-decoration: none;"><strong class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" style="color: #333333;">Danielle Myburgh</strong> <span class="username js-action-profile-name" style="direction: ltr; font-size: 12px; unicode-bidi: embed;"><s style="color: #bbbbbb; text-decoration: none;">@</s><b style="font-weight: normal;">MissDSciTeacher</b></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Number 1 on to do list tomorrow. Get twitter unblocked!! </span></div>
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So #kidsedchatnz was born. We discussed the logistics of involving kids, ironed out some issues we could forsee, discussed some questions and Pascal Dresse created a website for this information to go on...<a href="http://kidsedchatnz.weebly.com/" target="_blank">KidsEdChatNZ</a>.</div>
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The time was set, the topics were put out there - next step: discuss with the class.</div>
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We have been using Twitter in our class for the year. Popping in and out, sometimes we are prolific tweeters, other times it is in the background, so my students already had a handle on the basics of Twitter. I showed them the #edchatnz discussion and shared how it all worked. Then I talked about how the #kidsedchatnz would work during school time. I showed them the website that had been created and we looked at the questions that had already been suggested. </div>
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As with anything, some were excited...some glazed over...one asked how much they will get paid! So I invited those who were interested to participate - half the class were interested. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tweet deck loaded on laptop</td></tr>
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Next we talked about the logistics. Part of being involved in a twitter chat, is being able to quickly respond to questions coming in. My students are so hands on, I knew they would need their own device, or at the very least 1: 2. It was all <i>devices</i> on deck...laptops, iPads, iPods - any device that could accomodate Twitter. It was at this stage I invited another year 5 class (@pinehill10) for those interested to join in - this also meant those students in my class who were not interested could go out for a game with the remaining other students in Rm 10. I loaded up <a href="http://tweetdeck.com/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=August&utm_campaign=tweetdeck" target="_blank">Tweetdeck</a> on both the laptops and iPads, so the students could easily follow the hashtag and we were ready!</div>
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Wednesday 7th November:</div>
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The day arrived, the devices were charges and the students were ready <i>- I was secretly nervous we would be the only ones involved!</i></div>
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1.15pm - I met the students in my class to get ready and make sure everything was connecting.</div>
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1.30pm - Off it went - just like a normal chat, the tweets were coming thick and fast ~ <i>phew!</i></div>
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<i>So what did they talk about? Here is <u>very</u> small snippet of what was discussed...</i></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RqNdIfSoqRs/UJn5E22wvXI/AAAAAAAAATQ/oLOOzYxSzJg/s1600/3twet.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RqNdIfSoqRs/UJn5E22wvXI/AAAAAAAAATQ/oLOOzYxSzJg/s320/3twet.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What to use? Laptop, iPad...iPod???</td></tr>
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<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="334316936" href="https://twitter.com/PinehillRm14" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; text-decoration: none;"><strong class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" style="color: #333333; text-decoration: none;">Room14</strong><span style="color: #999999; text-decoration: none;"> </span><span class="username js-action-profile-name" style="color: #999999; direction: ltr; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none; unicode-bidi: embed;"><s style="color: #bbbbbb; text-decoration: none;">@</s><b style="font-weight: normal;">PinehillRm14</b></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">We think that being connected to the internet means enjoying technoligy but still learning. MM MS</span></div>
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<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="393701152" href="https://twitter.com/MNatusch" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; text-decoration: none;"><strong class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" style="color: #333333;">Marcelle Natusch</strong> <span class="username js-action-profile-name" style="direction: ltr; font-size: 12px; unicode-bidi: embed;"><s style="color: #bbbbbb; text-decoration: none;">@</s><b style="font-weight: normal;">MNatusch</b></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">We think being connected is working together with our class (Aaron) and others around the world (Loren) </span></div>
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<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="920648365" href="https://twitter.com/Rm6HFS" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; text-decoration: none;"><strong class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" style="color: #333333;">Room 6 Hawea Flat</strong> <span class="username js-action-profile-name" style="direction: ltr; font-size: 12px; unicode-bidi: embed;"><s style="color: #bbbbbb; text-decoration: none;">@</s><b style="font-weight: normal;">Rm6HFS</b></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">What makes your school special?</span></div>
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<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="334316936" href="https://twitter.com/PinehillRm14" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; text-decoration: none;"><strong class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" style="color: #333333;">Room14</strong> <span class="username js-action-profile-name" style="direction: ltr; font-size: 12px; unicode-bidi: embed;"><s style="color: #bbbbbb; text-decoration: none;">@</s><b style="font-weight: normal;">PinehillRm14</b></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><a class="twitter-atreply pretty-link" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/Rm6HFS" style="color: #f5082f; text-decoration: none;"><s style="color: #f96a82; text-decoration: none;">@</s><b style="color: inherit; font-weight: normal;">Rm6HFS</b></a> Our Pinehill Way makes our school special. MM</span></div>
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<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="334316936" href="https://twitter.com/PinehillRm14" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; text-decoration: none;"><strong class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" style="color: #333333;">Room14</strong> <span class="username js-action-profile-name" style="direction: ltr; font-size: 12px; unicode-bidi: embed;"><s style="color: #bbbbbb; text-decoration: none;">@</s><b style="font-weight: normal;">PinehillRm14</b></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Q. What's your favorite subject at school AS </span></div>
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<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="334316936" href="https://twitter.com/PinehillRm14" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; text-decoration: none;"><strong class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" style="color: #333333;">Room14</strong> <span class="username js-action-profile-name" style="direction: ltr; font-size: 12px; unicode-bidi: embed;"><s style="color: #bbbbbb; text-decoration: none;">@</s><b style="font-weight: normal;">PinehillRm14</b></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Q. What's the greatest thing you've ever done at school???</span></div>
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<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="929322224" href="https://twitter.com/Rm3TKP" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; text-decoration: none;"><strong class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" style="color: #333333;">Louise Trousdale</strong> <span class="username js-action-profile-name" style="direction: ltr; font-size: 12px; unicode-bidi: embed;"><s style="color: #bbbbbb; text-decoration: none;">@</s><b style="font-weight: normal;">Rm3TKP</b></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><a class="twitter-atreply pretty-link" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/PinehillRm14" style="color: #f5082f; text-decoration: none;"><s style="color: #f96a82; text-decoration: none;">@</s><b style="color: inherit; font-weight: normal;">PinehillRm14</b></a> Being nice to others (Nevaeh, 5 yrs); swimming (Alisha, 5yrs); playing with others (Tipene, 6 yrs); learning (Xander, 5 yrs)</span></div>
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<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="334316936" href="https://twitter.com/PinehillRm14" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; text-decoration: none;"><strong class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" style="color: #333333;">Room14</strong> <span class="username js-action-profile-name" style="direction: ltr; font-size: 12px; unicode-bidi: embed;"><s style="color: #bbbbbb; text-decoration: none;">@</s><b style="font-weight: normal;">PinehillRm14</b></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><a class="twitter-atreply pretty-link" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/Rm3TKP" style="color: #f5082f; text-decoration: none;"><s style="color: #f96a82; text-decoration: none;">@</s><b style="color: inherit; font-weight: normal;">Rm3TKP</b></a> That's nice! I especially like the first one about being nice! MM <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23kidsedchatnz&src=hash" style="color: #f5082f; text-decoration: none;"><s style="color: #f96a82; text-decoration: none;">#</s><b style="color: inherit; font-weight: normal;">kidsedchatnz</b></a></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Room 10 & Rm 14 busy keeping up with #kidsedchatz</td></tr>
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<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="920648365" href="https://twitter.com/Rm6HFS" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; text-decoration: none;"><strong class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" style="color: #333333;">Room 6 Hawea Flat</strong> <span class="username js-action-profile-name" style="direction: ltr; font-size: 12px; unicode-bidi: embed;"><s style="color: #bbbbbb; text-decoration: none;">@</s><b style="font-weight: normal;">Rm6HFS</b></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">I used to have an account with Sumdog and it helped my maths By Reuben </span></div>
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<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="929322224" href="https://twitter.com/Rm3TKP" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; text-decoration: none;"><strong class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; text-decoration: none;">Louise Trousdale</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #999999; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span><span class="username js-action-profile-name" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; direction: ltr; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none; unicode-bidi: embed;"><s style="color: #bbbbbb; text-decoration: none;">@</s><b style="font-weight: normal;">Rm3TKP</b></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Do you use your ipad for maths? (Ashleigh, 6 yrs)</span></div>
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<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="334316936" href="https://twitter.com/PinehillRm14" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; text-decoration: none;"><strong class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; text-decoration: none;">Room14</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #999999; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span><span class="username js-action-profile-name" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; direction: ltr; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none; unicode-bidi: embed;"><s style="color: #bbbbbb; text-decoration: none;">@</s><b style="font-weight: normal;">PinehillRm14</b></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Question:Take a photo of your uniform and show it on tweet deck From Isaac</span></div>
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<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="334316936" href="https://twitter.com/PinehillRm14" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; text-decoration: none;"><strong class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; text-decoration: none;">Room14</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #999999; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span><span class="username js-action-profile-name" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; direction: ltr; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none; unicode-bidi: embed;"><s style="color: #bbbbbb; text-decoration: none;">@</s><b style="font-weight: normal;">PinehillRm14</b></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">The devices we use in the classroom is the iPods, iPads, computers and the (teachers) iPhone. ST </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Engaged, connected learners!</td></tr>
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By the time 2:30pm rolled around, the students involved were absolutely buzzing. They raved about the experience, saying they loved the way people replied to them straight away and they got to learn how kids around NZ are learning.</div>
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<u>Takeaways</u>:</div>
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- Very worthwhile activity reinforcing the digital citizenship values we have been discussing throughout the year - students were asking about talking pictures, this lead to a conversation about digital citizenship #proudteachermoment!</div>
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- Questioning skills - students had to think on their feet.</div>
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- Succinct answers - due to the 140 characters, students had to get to the point, quickly - which proved difficult for some!</div>
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- Connections (being a connected learner) - making these connections with other students. We have already investigated some of the tools other classes discussed.</div>
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- Make sure we have enough devices for the session...we had a lot of devices in the room, but the internet was dropping in and out. I had my phone on 3G, which was quickly picked up on and my phone soon found comfort in the hands of one of my students...lost for the session.</div>
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Check out #edchatnz and #kidsedchatnz as well as the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KidsEdChatnz" target="_blank">facebook page</a> we have set-up for teachers to reflect and discuss up and coming topics/ ideas</div>
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amymccauleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03610883602657064987noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335214011614926339.post-12750851549086610972012-10-14T21:46:00.003+13:002012-10-14T21:54:12.585+13:00Conference Week<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What a huge week of learning and sharing! GAFE summit in NZ and ULearn! <br />
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Here are some of my favourite/ inspirational quotes and advice from the week...</div>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.5000283333938569"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: large; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Suan Yeo - </span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: large; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Heads Google Enterprise Education Asia-Pacific</span></b></div>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.5000283333938569" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Technology is not new if you were born with it </span></b></div>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.5000283333938569" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Learning should be open, free and easily accessible</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- does your classroom encourage learning outside the classroom? </span></b></div>
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<span id="internal-source-marker_0.5000283333938569"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Become a 21st </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Century</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> teacher...teach with technology, not teach technology! </span></span></span></span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.5000283333938569" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Teach how to use not BAN technology </span></b><br />
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<span id="internal-source-marker_0.5000283333938569"><span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: large; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Mike Reading </b></span></span></div>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.5000283333938569" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Offer training that leaves your staff wanting more</span><span style="vertical-align: baseline;">...t</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">rain </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">before</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> you implement!</span></b></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.5000283333938569" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Technology magnifies what is happening in the classroom: think through why technology is being deployed in the classroom.</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Arial; font-size: large; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://glenncapelli.com/" target="_blank">Glenn Capelli</a></span></b></div>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.18806353560648859" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i> </i></span></b><b id="internal-source-marker_0.18806353560648859" style="font-weight: normal;"><img height="357" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/3feQwb6OvIuMie0mjKcdU8-ocEL_zJ3lJTKwa-qtpqiCf55e7WvmF9YeJyKf4EI_05AhceQGEWsGi9BQxZ5x48D6o9e38niOmBd5UC5VGeEI37J9FsA" width="400" /> </b></div>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.18806353560648859" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Natural play is the greatest developer of the brain that we know</i> </span></b></div>
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<span id="internal-source-marker_0.18806353560648859"><i><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kaizen</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> a little bit, a little bit, a little bit of improvement - every day!</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>What was your Kaizen today? Great for reflection at end of learning session</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><u>The Russian Brothers and their Cousins </u></span><br />
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Morov - do a bit <i>more of </i> - Kaizen</div>
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Lessov - back off a bit - a bit less of sometimes</div>
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Ridov - shed/ kull/ get down to it - live simply!</div>
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Cousins: Tossin - What can you bring in?</div>
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This principle can be used for coaching, appraisals, observations, feedback - do a bit Morov this and a bit lessov that...</div>
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<u><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/thinking-caps-by-glenn-capelli/id561874119?mt=8" target="_blank">Thinking Caps </a></u></div>
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<i>e-book that challenges us to ponder some of life's significant issues in a delightful collection of anecdotes, lessons, humor, wit and wisdom - iTunes Store</i></div>
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<b><a href="http://kevinhoneycutt.org/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Kevin Honeycutt</span></a></b></div>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.9240496505517513" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Treat the scariest kid like he’s the only one you trust.</i></span></b></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Recast a student as a leader in the classroom. Give them the tools to investigate (might be a problem, a learning tool...)and then let them teach the rest of the class. As teachers, we have the power to manufacture this success.</span></b></div>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.7552491121459752" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Archive yourself. Take a video of yourself changing a tyre for your daughter/ son, video yourself reading a story for your great great grand daughter...what a great legacy to leave.</span></b></div>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.7552491121459752" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When filming - put a paper face over the camera so you know you are talking to a person.</span></b></div>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.7552491121459752" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Kick my butt with love. Expect something from me</i></span></b></div>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.7552491121459752" style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.google.com/alerts"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.google.com/alerts</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> set up an alert to mointor your name, school, child’s name. Anytime it appears on the web, you get an email.</span></b></div>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.7552491121459752" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We need to teach kids to manage their devices, not let their devices manage them.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.jasonohler.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Jason Ohler </span></a></span></b></div>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.40148986130952835" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We need to be </span><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">a door opener</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">f</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">or our kids, especially when it comes to their curiosity and their creativity.</span><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We need to act to prevent them living in two worlds - one in school, and one out of school. BYOD is a good example of how to create this shift.</span></b></div>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.40148986130952835" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ten digital literacy media guidelines</span></b></div>
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<li style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Good media is based on good writing</span></b></li>
<li style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Value writing more than ever</span></b></li>
<li style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.jasonohler.com/projects/artnextr.cfm"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">adopt art </span></a><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">- art is the next R </span></b></li>
<li style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The DAOW of literacy - digital, oral, art, written </span><a href="http://www.jasonohler.com/storytelling/storyeducation.cfm#DAOW_of_literacy"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Storytelling and new media narrative</span></a><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b></li>
<li style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Attitude is the aptitude - the degree to which you are willing to learning new things will determine your intelligence - now have both personal and social literacy</span></b></li>
<li style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Practice personal and social literacy</span></b></li>
<li style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Develop literacy about impacts of digital tools</span></b></li>
<li style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Develop literacy about information</span></b></li>
<li style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fluency, not just literacy</span></b></li>
<li style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We need to harness both the art of storytelling and story - the new media narrative</span></b></li>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.40148986130952835" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The degree to which you are willing to learn new things, determines how smart you are! This determines your intelligence. Learn, unlearn, relearn. </span></b></b></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.40148986130952835" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Be problem finders as well as problem solvers.</span></b></b></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.40148986130952835" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;">Leave p</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ositive digital footprints. Put information out there you want people to find, you can’t hide anymore so put out what you’d like people to see. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“So what’d you do on facebook today?” - Families need to have these conversations with their kids.</span></b></b></div>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.40148986130952835" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Turn concerns into goals - a concern is just a negatively stated goal. </span></b></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Whats your concern? Great we now have a goal to work towards.</i></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: large; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My PLN</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">One of the main highlights was meeting up with some of those wonderful people who make up my PLN. Networking is an understatement and is almost it's own breakout! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thanks to all those I was able to have an actual conversation with and I love what Kevin Honeycutt said in regards to his PLN...'<i>you don't just get me, you get 2000 others in my back pocket</i>'.</span></span></div>
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amymccauleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03610883602657064987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335214011614926339.post-12055979321945692012-09-23T08:08:00.000+12:002012-09-23T08:39:17.067+12:00Classroom Walls - Who Are They For?The classroom that I share with my students is a continually evolving and changing space. The furniture is set out in a way that can be easily moved to suit the activities that we are doing in the class. Recently I had a conversation about the walls in my classroom and the question was asked as to why I didn't have a lot of student work on display. <i>Why didn't I have a lot of student work on display...</i>this too has been a thought out process - but don't get me wrong, I do have student work on display, but it all has a specific purpose and reason for being on the wall.<br />
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<u>Clutter-free Classroom</u><br />
With a constantly changing room, I like to have a clutter-free space. Often I walk into other classrooms and the environment is very 'print-rich'. Work is hanging on wires diagonally across the room and every space is covered with literacy or artwork. These spaces make me feel quite claustrophobic and I personally find it difficult to concentrate in such an environment. Of course when visitors visit these classrooms they are wowed, but how do students feel day-in and day-out in these environments? Do they really <b>look</b> and engage with the work that is on display? Who is the display for? After speaking with a few colleagues most admitted that the work is put up and forgotten about. Some teachers had work from previous years up - who is this for? <br />
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So what are on my classroom walls?<br />
Every wall in my classroom has a purpose. We have a Twitter wall as we use Twitter in the classroom on a weekly basis. This wall we constructed at the start of the year. We deconstructed a twitter page, so students know what certain Twitter terms mean. They have an example of a tweet (that they have each written) and some rules around using Twitter in the classroom. Students are referred back to this wall if they have simple questions and students who are new to the class, can easily read this and be up with the play! <br />
We have two displays dedicated to our <a href="http://amymmcc.blogspot.co.nz/2012/08/a-day-in-life-of-room-14er.html" target="_blank">iWrite</a> programme - adapted from the Big Writing - a UK based writing programme. We have a VCOP (vocabulary, connectives, opening and punctuation wall, where students have been part of creating pyramids for these key elements. We also have a WOW word (impressive words) wall. Another wall is set-up at the start of the year and shows the country where each student identifies themselves with. I like to keep this display up as it shows the diversity of the class. We also have guidelines for using the iPads. These are put around the room and are written by the students for the students. There is the obligatory 'notices' board, where notices relating to the students are posted (e.g. ESOL timetables, school jobs, fitness timetables, etc). A new addition this term has been a reading response wall, where students have created possible response questions they can answer after a reading (e.g. what emotions do you feel after reading this story? If you could end the story in a different way, what would that ending be?) We also have 'functional' posters on display - a poster which has relavant usernames and passwords for whole class sites (e.g. vimeo, youtube, etc) and booking sheets for devices.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3T1sKrY9lN0/UF4dNB9WbQI/AAAAAAAAARM/Q9YB8ZxDvWE/s1600/Walls.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3T1sKrY9lN0/UF4dNB9WbQI/AAAAAAAAARM/Q9YB8ZxDvWE/s320/Walls.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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The question was also asked of me, if the students are not <i>online</i> how do they share each others work? Students are often working collaboratively on a project and sharing is part of this process. Although the work may not be displayed on the wall, this does not imply that students are not sharing their work. Often the work we do is not intended to be put on a wall. My students are year 5 and their writing can be pages and pages in length - the intention is not to display this on a wall, instead we have folders for this work, which is easily accessible to anyone in the room. <br />
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<i>Food for thought - </i>who is the display for? Who is benefiting from the display? How is it promoting student learning?<br />
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<a href="http://www.themoralliberal.com/2011/08/12/is-the-writing-on-the-wall-for-busy-%E2%80%98print-rich%E2%80%99-classrooms/" target="_blank">Is the writing on the wall for busy 'print-rich' classrooms?</a><br />
<br />amymccauleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03610883602657064987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335214011614926339.post-34539804884045526232012-09-16T09:48:00.000+12:002014-08-27T18:37:39.356+12:00Connecting with our Communities<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 17.9074077606201px;">I think including parents/ caregivers/ whanau in their child's online world is so important. We talk about students having a wider audience and including parents in their audience is such a powerful tool. I use Wikispaces a lot with my year 5 class and I really wanted parents to be involved in their child's space. Parents are often mentioning how little they know about the digital world, so to involve them would also mean educating them. We decided to run parent workshops at night. We have now run two of these sessions. Originally we thought we would run them every 4 - 6 weeks. Our first workshop was on Wikispaces and after feedback realised the parents needed a follow up session the following week. So we ran a second one this week and had some familiar faces (who became the 'experts') and some newbies. On the second workshop we also looked at what made a quality comment.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Seems this has been a great success and it has also opened up the path of conversation around this topic even further. The parents can see the real benefit in using these tools and my students have already commented on their parents feedback. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 17.9074077606201px;">To back this all up, we are also emaling a weekly </span><a href="http://rm14enews.blogspot.co.nz/" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 17.9074077606201px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">eNewsletter</a><span style="line-height: 17.9074077606201px;"> to parents. In this they can see specific events from our classroom as well as students reflecting on the week (interviews, etc). This has allowed me greater connection with the parents on a weekly basis as this is often a conversation started either through emails or face-to-face).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our next session is on Twitter (see </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 17.9074077606201px;"><a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ijhOgXmDLByV1xiV-W1rLatUTaSxOyvQpW3DyLrKrM0/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Parent Presentation</a></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 17.9074077606201px;"> here) </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 17.9074077606201px;">and how parents can get involved as many classes use this microblogging throughout the day. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 17.9074077606201px;">For me it is great to see the parents connecting with their children on another level and my students are even more aware of the content they put up as they know they have people in their immediate circle viewing this. </span></span><br />
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amymccauleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03610883602657064987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335214011614926339.post-47896019111972476722012-09-16T09:33:00.003+12:002012-09-16T11:50:14.021+12:00PadCampAkld Reflection<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Giving up a <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Saturday</span> to embark on professional learning with no real agenda set, may seem a bit daunting, but the <a href="http://educampnz.wikispaces.com/" target="_blank">EduCamp</a> type unconference is a great way to meet and network with teachers who have similar passions and interests. This past Saturday was the iPad version of EduCamp. Having attended the previous EduCamp at Stonefields - I was excited to attend an iPad specific event.<br />
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As with the last EduCamp, the experience has given me even more to think about, from the set-up to the role these tools play in our students learning. Here are the main points of interest:<br />
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Determining the role that iPads have at your school is a crucial first step and one I wish we had thought a lot more about and had a clear definition for staff. I see there being two main purposes for the iPad in the classroom and although each purpose may cross over, clearly defining the devices role will affect the set-up and management of the device in the classroom.<br />
<b>Teacher iPad</b>: some schools issue each teacher with an iPad. Teachers use this to collect assessment data and keep anecdotal notes on students. Staff have their emails set-up and it is predominately used for the teacher, although, like staff laptops, students sometimes use these.<br />
<b>Student iPad:</b> The role of the iPad in the classroom for students is all based around student learning. All apps on the iPad are for student learning and students these apps on the iPad to capture student voice. The set-up of these iPads may have specific settings disabled according to the schools' e-learning philosophy.<br />
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We have not been very clear in our school about the role of the iPads in the classroom. Some people have the iPads set-up solely for student learning, with no teacher-specific apps on them. Others have a hybrid version with staff mail being set-up on the iPads, notes from PD courses, then students using the iPads for learning during the school day. On top of this, we have teachers with apps/ features enabled for their own children (when they take them home), some even have another (personal) iTunes account on the class iPads - is this good practice? So the role of the iPads in our school are not clearly defined and although I don't like a lot of <i>rules</i>, think this is an important step to take.<br />
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Our staff have full access to the App store. Being able to download anything (as long as they have $'s left) they want. We have no criteria set and no evaluative process. On one hand this allows staff to find and install apps when they need then, on the other hand, iPads end up with hundreds of apps that are unused or apps that are similar (e.g. 5 different interactive whiteboards!) <br />
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So with all that said and learnt - what is next?<br />
I think a re-definition of the role the iPads play in our classrooms (specific to our school) would be hugely beneficial. Do we have a nominated teacher iPad, where staff can enable certain features or are they <i>all</i> going to be defined as student learning tools?<br />
We have had a term to 'play' with multiple iPads in the classroom and staff are getting to grips with the management of these. We have discussed moving from <i>playing</i> to deliberate acts of teaching and learning. Some staff are well down the road of using the iPads to collaborate and share student voice, but some are still (unfortunately) using them as a <i>digital worksheet</i>. <br />
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So How?<br />
Having had a term to get used to multiple iPads and apps, I know I have a handful that we (the students in the class) use all the time. Sitting down in planning teams (year group based e.g. year 5's) and deciding (as a team) the apps that clearly capture student voice, that should be on the iPads. We need use evidence based on the pedagogy of learn, create, share to justify an app being on the iPads. This will hopefully get teachers to think critically about apps and ask the question: how does this capture student voice and is so, how can this information be used?<br />
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<br />amymccauleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03610883602657064987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335214011614926339.post-29880682307846900582012-08-25T09:14:00.002+12:002014-03-17T21:26:07.091+13:00iPad Roll Out - Four Months Down The TrackWhat a couple of months we have had. Deploying just over 100 ipads within a school is no easy feat! See initial <a href="http://amymmcc.blogspot.co.nz/2012/06/ipad-roll-out.html" target="_blank">iPad deployment post here.</a><br />
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<u>Mass Deployment</u><br />
After the original distribution of an iPad for each teacher (to get to grips with), it was time for more! Teachers were itching to get more in the classroom, one was not enough! It was decided that each class would have a total of 4 iPads, with the exception of the transition classes (year 0) wanting 3 per class and the year 5 classes who had fundraised (through a student market day) for an extra iPad per year 5 class. So the iPads were ordered and arrived! Now for the work...<br />
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<u>Setting Up Multiple iPads</u><br />
Staff took an active role in setting up their original iPad, and we (eLearning Team) had user guides to help with the process. We made ourselves available for a set-up afternoon, where teachers were able to come and set-up their multiple iPads...others set these up on their own.<br />
Two Ways We Set-up:<br />
<i>Mirroring - </i>I found that you could 'mirror' an iPad by backing up one and setting up a new one by selecting back-up from iCloud. This was great as it literally mirrored an iPad I had selected. Downfall - only 10 devices can be backed up from the same itunes account.<br />
<i>Setting up as new iPad</i> - the rest were set-up as a new iPad. After going through the initial set-up menu's, once the iPad is ready and the itunes account is loaded, you can find the apps that have already been purchased using that account. Downfall - time consuming installing all apps you have previously purchased.<br />
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<u>iCloud</u><br />
We decided to turn off the iCloud on the iPads. We found it was getting full quickly and we didn't need to back up the students work to the iCloud as the content produced could be uploaded to a website e.g. youtube/ vimeo or a website version of the app. The only app we left on the iCloud was <b>Find iPhone</b>. This app allows you to find your iPad - if the need arises.<br />
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<u>Naming iPads</u><br />
Having over 100 iPads in the school (all looking the same), meant we needed to be able to easily identify each classes set. We got each class teacher to name their individual iPad (settings> general> about) correlating it to the serial number we had recorded. This is important when you use Find iPhone, as the name is displayed on the map - if they are all called the same, you cannot distinguish between them!<br />
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We also named the iPad by creating a unique picture and saving it as the lock screen. I took a picture of my room door and numbered my iPads 1 to 5. This way they are easily identified as a Room 14 iPad and the students know what iPad they are working on (e.g. iPad 2).<br />
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<u><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Classroom Management</u></div>
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Having the iPads named is vital for the classroom management side. Students are able to book out a specific iPad and we can quickly number off at the end of a day and if any are missing (which happen on the odd occasion), using Find iPhone, quickly locates the missing iPad. </div>
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Ensuring the iPads have a durable cover, gives extra insurance against drops and bangs. We went with the <a href="http://educase.weebly.com/" target="_blank">Educase</a>, which has provided fantastic protection for the iPad, while not obstructing any of the iPad features (some cases obstructed the camera). So far, the class iPads have been dropped in the mud, fallen off tables...and I am sure a lot more I have not witnessed...but they lived to tell the tale, albeit after a wipe down!</div>
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<u>Staff Development & Support: </u>This is a crucial part of the process!</div>
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<i>Development</i></div>
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The school originally had a document which was meant to be a guide for ICT skills to be taught. This was very out-of-date (it included faxing!) It was also printed which meant it was difficult to up date. A small team (4 of us), got together with our elearning facilitator - <a href="http://dakinane.com/blog/about/" target="_blank">David Kinane</a> and designed a resource which would:</div>
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- reflect the changing nature of elearning</div>
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- enable easy staff collaboration</div>
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- easy to use!</div>
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This resource would be a home for teachers to record apps, websites and software they used in their classroom. We also wanted new teachers to the school to be able to look at this resource and have a starting point and know some of the resources that are used in the school.</div>
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So we decided that a wiki would best suit our needs...and so I bunkered down and created our eLearning wiki...</div>
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We have the four strands of eLearning: Enrichment, Publishing, Collaboration & Problem Solving. Once these are selected, another page opens up for teachers to enter the tool, potential use, curriculum area... </div>
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We launched this wiki during a staff meeting, showing people how to use it and adding content. It is important that the staff take ownership of this resource and feel they contribute, so in planning meeting, teams are encouraged to add/ update/ view this resource. At the staff meeting we also discussed teachers making deliberate plans for their eLearning. We did not want the iPads to become a digital worksheet - busy work, as some people were allowing students free reign and calling this 'elearning'. We wanted teachers to think about two questions:</div>
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1. How can we get student data off?</div>
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2. How can we use it as formative assessment?</div>
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We also wanted them to think about the types of activities they were offering the students. Although enrichment activities have their time and place, if these are the only activities offered, are the students being extended? It was time to move into the next phase and get teachers to think critically about the apps they were installing - how do you know students are benefiting? </div>
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Before our weekly staff meeting, a year group have been assigned to share what is working in their classroom in regards to eLearning. It is great to see people share their knowledge and enthusiasm!</div>
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<i>Support</i></div>
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This is also a major part of the deployment. We (eLearning team) wanted staff to feel supported and their needs met. After attending the EduCamp in Auckland, 3 of us decided to host a similar support system in-house. So, every Thursday staff bring their questions and we sit around for about an hour helping those who need it. From teaching staff how to use new apps, to creating Wiki's, to finding widgets to classroom management of iPads. Whatever people need on the afternoon is where we go. Groups sit around and people bounce from person to person, idea to idea getting what they need. Some stay for the hour, others come and go as they need. It is a great environment to be in and I personally enjoy seeing staff helping each other - some who started knowing very little are now helping others - it's great!</div>
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<b>What would I do differently?</b></div>
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I have been asked the question - what would I do differently? There is not a lot I would have done differently. I would have an action plan, a clear path, aligned with the goals of the school. A plan that was developed and shared with the staff. I would also define the role of the iPads within the school. At our school, the idea is to use the iPads in the classroom for the students. Some teachers have put 'personal' apps on the class iPads (e.g. Facebook) and have the mail function set-up with their school emails. The role of the iPads within the school should have been clearly defined as getting staff to do this retrospectively can be difficult. I see the iPads in my class as a resource for all of us to use, so any apps that are on there are for us (therefore need to be student-friendly) and we do not have emails (students do not have email addresses) or messenger set-up. I have also heard some people refer to one of the iPads as the '<i>teacher</i>' iPad, which means that is one less device the students can use. So to answer the question - what would I do differently? Clearly define the use of the iPads <i>before </i>deployment and have a clear road map aligned to the school's goals.</div>
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<b>So what is next for us?</b></div>
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Continue to focus on staff deliberately planning their eLearning activities. Seeing this in the planning stage of their units, so activities have a purpose. We also need to continue to look at how we capture student voice. How do we know this is helping their learning? Some staff are doing this really well and using this expertise will be an invaluable modelling tool.</div>
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I would also like to investigate <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/apple-configurator/id434433123?mt=12" target="_blank">Apple Configurator</a> to mass configure the iPads as we still haven't found an easy way to install apps on multiple iPads or update apps. But of course this all takes time...time I cannot seem to find!</div>
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And of course....more iPads! Ideally I would like a 1 to 3 ratio...<i>just putting it out there</i>!</div>
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(1 iPad to 3 students...not 3 iPads to 1 students...although...)</div>
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Timeline for iPad Deployment:</div>
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<u>Term 1: </u></div>
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- eLearning group formed consisting of members from across the school covering all year levels</div>
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<u>Term 2: </u></div>
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- 1 iPad distributed to teaching staff</div>
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- Teaching staff given PD around setting up and using these devices</div>
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- Staff encouraged to use with class when they felt comfortable</div>
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<u>Term 3: </u></div>
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- Each class receives at least 3 - 4 iPads (incl. <a href="http://educase.weebly.com/" target="_blank">covers</a>)</div>
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- Tech sessions set up weekly to offer support for teachers</div>
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- Sharing during weekly staff meeting from one year group per week</div>
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- eLearning Wiki developed and introduced to staff to document apps, websites and software that teachers use in their classroom</div>
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- Most classes get an apple TV to plug into either their IWB or TV to encourage greater sharing of iPad content</div>
amymccauleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03610883602657064987noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335214011614926339.post-49484982038429052512012-08-21T21:34:00.000+12:002012-08-21T21:43:00.106+12:00All Aboard...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The other day I read an interesting tweet (which I can no longer find!), that asked the question:<i> how do you connect to parents? Blog, newsletter, emails, anyway as I am a connected educator....</i><br />
This got me thinking about my own connections...how do I connect to my parents?<br />
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Recently, I had a discussion with a parent who was struggling to find how technology was helping with their child's education. After several twists and turns, I discussed the wider audience that their child is now exposed to...I am no longer one of the only people reading the students work, there is a wider audience. I also discussed how great it would be to get them onboard with their child's learning and encouraged them to join their child's Wikispace so they can comment and be part of their child's audience. This parent agreed and could finally see the relavant of this "computer work".<br />
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After this conversation, it got me thinking...why haven't I got more parents involved and part of their child's <i>audience?</i> Don't get me wrong, I do have parents who read their child's online work and comment every now and then, but I would like to push the involvement further and get them <u>actively</u> involved. <br />
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I had a conversation about this with the class...some of them cringed, some of them cheered, some of them wished me good luck! <i>Why shouldn't the most important people in their lives, be part of their audience? </i><br />
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My Goal: To get most parents <u>actively</u> involved in their child's online work. I want them to be part of this audience.<br />
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How I will try and do this...<br />
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<u><a href="http://rm14enews.blogspot.co.nz/" target="_blank">eNewsletter</a>: </u><br />
I have set-up a blog with the intention that it will come out weekly (Friday'). The post will be made up of student input - interviews, reports of events, round-up of what they have learnt. I have assigned a few volunteers to be the 'reporters' for the week. They may interview someone about events in the week - e.g. our swimming program is coming to an end and one of our reporters wants to interview the coach and another Rm 14 student about the past 6 weeks. Students also have as an option in their <a href="http://amymmcc.blogspot.co.nz/2012/06/individual-learning-programmes-ilp.html" target="_blank">ILP</a> to create a blog post entry...this could be a written report, imovie, audioboo, educreation...the list goes on. I will have 1 part of the post to write up - Wiki page of the Week....inspired by the Wikispaces blog that includes Featured Wiki. After speaking to the students, they said they want it to come from me rather than another student, so I will feature one of the students pages each week. <br />
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<u>Parent Emails:</u><br />
I keep up with some parents in my class on a regular basis, but some I only see a couple of times in the year. I'm going to send home a letter about the eNewsletter (hmmmm that doesn't sound quite right) and give them the option for a weekly email with the blog post in it.<br />
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<u>Parent Involvement:</u><br />
The main part I would like to get parents involved with are the students Wikispaces. The students work really hard to put up all sorts of interesting content from stories they have created to reflections of workshops they have attended. I would love for parents to join and use the comment section of the wiki's to add feedback for their child. I would also like to get parents more involved with the class twitter feeds we have going on a regular basis.<br />
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This sounds great but...<br />
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I know this 'connected' world is quite foreign to many of the parents in our community. As a staff we have offered tech sessions for those staff who want help ~ I was thinking...why can't we offer this to our parents? Maybe not on a weekly basis, but once a month/ six weeks offer an hour tech session for our parents. <br />
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Topics to cover asap:<br />
- Wiki's: the basics<br />
- Twitter: more than just a status update<br />
- Blogs: the basics, making valuable comments<br />
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How great it would be for the parents and students to be able to collaborate together!!!!!!!!<br />
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So, I ask the question...how do you connect with your parents?<br />
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<br />amymccauleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03610883602657064987noreply@blogger.com1