Final Inquiry summary for 2019

T4 Inquiry Reflection

Term 3 Inquiry continued

Inquiry update T3

July school holiday fun!

Inquiry T2 (part 2)

Inquiry focus - T2

DFI: Week 9 Reflection

Computational Thinking introduced by OMGTech! Founder was Pam Fergusson paraplegic; a solo Mum of four boys who bought them a computer. From this a family tradition evolved of being a tech entrepreneur and then being able to bring it into the community. One son developed a charitable trust teaching children to innovate using technology (playing with robots, meeting other children, scaffolding and using new tools). Trailblazers: Match students a mentor from the technical industry such as e-Pou, IGD, Mana Tangata, Institute of Awesome, Voluntari.ly Tech and Environment can be fused together in the outdoors/nature. Identifying schools who can use the volunteers to come and implement these mini workshops with hands on practical learning.

10 years ago smartphones/technology was developed and is now used for "everything" in the 21st century. This generation of children (2019) who enter the workforce with digital technology totally embedded into what they do. Ref: 10 Breakthrough Technologies of 2019 (Bill Gates). New terms: Error detection (identifies the problem). De-bug (fixes the problem) Robot dexterity, New - wave nuclear power, Predicting premies, Gut probe in a pill, Custom cancer vaccines, The cow-free burger, Carbon dioxide catcher, An ECG on your wrist, Sanitation without sewers ,Smooth - talking AI assistants. Google assist - removing technology (always listening; best software voice recognition)which can be used in a home environment for temperature control, music/sound systems, electricity and more. When you use free apps you lose your privacy. Literacy awareness (use voice to text). Not marking on handwriting, but on language e.g. (story writing). Big dog robot teaching itself to walk on ice. Black Mirror - tv series. The world’s most realistic Sophia the robot (female human). Became the first robotic citizen (has rights, not able to be killed) in Saudi Arabia (The Jimmy Fallon show). She also watches YouTube video clips to learn facial reactions and body language. The ethics of our society are built in at source, this happens through technology SkinVision (1 in 5 people get skin cancer) it can now be detected from an App. Data researched by Melanoma results; low, medium or high risk. Keep training algorithms to continue. Autonomous flying cars - currently being tested in NZ. What you value about yourself and others? Compassion, Loyalty, Patient,Commitment etc...what do other humans look/pay for? Conformity, knowledge, expertise, time management. What does the future of work look like when we’re in a new paradigm? If money got taken out of the equation, what would you do with your time? We don’t have to have stuff made overseas, we can do it in NZ for example Hapara Teacher Dashboard. America (private insurance land). For example a driverless car in the city sponsored by Spark.

We were the first in the world to get Eftpos, (airspace - tested). Launch space rockets in NZ. RocketLab owned by America (satellites sent to outer space)? Finally, I have learnt to use Coding for programmes like Minecraft and Scratch Junior to use with young learners in my class to teach them Computational Thinking and also introduce them to new language. Now I can relate this directly to my planning and implementation into the NZ Curriculum.

DFI: Week 8 Reflection

Today we learnt about: Focus on Learner and Teachers (enable them to me more empowered). For example in regards to the PUM; striking against the government for better pay and conditions. Try to avoid the word “Agency” within the Tamaki community as it has different connotations for those involved with schools and agencies helping them. The reality of the situation is that some of our families only earn $19,000 p.a. The Tamaki housing development has existed for 15 - 20 years (state houses which are owned by NZ government)and now those properties are being demolished and new "warmer houses" are being developed. Whole communities have been dispersed and there has been some decline in local school rolls as a result. Manaiakalani is an educational organisation. Technology; adding to your workload and change your life to make things easier. Children arrive at school as five year olds with a mean age of 3 with limited language and low cognitive skills compared to their peers. High decile children have 32 million words (amounts to conversations with family and people who talk to them). Interact with meaningful language that holds learning opportunities for children to gain vocabulary. Teachers need to set up 5+ (blogging posts) including words commenting with each interaction. Oral and written combined. Young people to be empowered, visibility needs to be at the forefront. Empowered whole whanau (access to Wifi, learners taking home devices). Teaching whanau how to go online and use tools that can be accessed from home such as banking, school apps, local council; changing people lives within a community. Groups.google.com (Create group) red button. Invite not add people. Manage group (members). I had an opportunity to sit the Google Level 1 exam today and did not pass. Even though I passed the multiple choice section I was hindered on the theory based working out problems where I missed 3 questions at the end and ran out of time. Even though I feel disappointed I will attempt to sit the exam within a set timeframe as recommended by our course co-ordinators.

Manaiakalani Cluster: Create session

DFI: Week 7 Reflection

Today I really enjoyed using "Google Hangouts" at the beginning of our session as we teamed up with another Manaiakalani cluster from Gisborne. I met a lovely teacher called Sheryl and we had a professional and personal discussion about our teaching and learning experiences over the past week. We also found out that we have a family/friend/colleague contact who we both know well. This just proves that it is such a small world and you can bump into people you know online from all around this beautiful country! The Manaiakalani pedagogy continues with a focus on teaching students to be Cybersmart and use the technology to be "at home in a digital world". Digital devices have been used since 2011 within Manaiakalani. 1:1 learning with iPads for Years 1-3 and then Chromebooks for Years 4-8 in a primary school. This means that by the time a student starts college they have had 8 years of being digital natives using technology in all areas of their learning. Values based learning continues in the digital world. A students' digital citizenship skills begin with learning "Kawa of Care" with their device in regards to Smart Footprints, Relationships, Accessing Class sites. All these skills and more are learnt through the implementation of a robust program which is lead by the classroom teacher. Within a school year the following areas are covered; Term 1 (Learn), Term 2 (Create), Term 3 (Share) and in Term 4 a culmination of a student's learning is brought together. By the end of the year teachers are able to identify progress achieved in student confidence levels and their ability to use the tools effectively. Children also learn that learning is global and by no means limited to the classroom. Whanau involvement is also an integral part of their child's education and it is important to help family feel empowered about their child's learning. Giving and receiving positive feedback from a range of family members encourages student's learning through participation and also motivates them. So keeping this in mind I aim to focus on the "Create" part of this kaupapa during this term and encourage my Year 2 students to be able to complete Explain Everything activities on their iPads. Then after they have put them into the correct folders into their Drive, they can upload their mahi (work) onto their blogs. Teachers can then access this on Hapara Teacher Dashboard which shows their whole classes learning within curriculum areas; Reading, Writing, Maths and Inquiry.

DFI: Week 6 Reflection

• There is a strong focus on being Connected through the Manaiakalani pedagogy.
• History of being visible (founders included a few primary schools in Tamaki, Auckland) who formed a connected network. Geographically close location and diverse groups of learning. For e.g. special school, Kura, colleges, intermediate combined with primary. Teachers are able to connect with colleagues in regards to doing, teaching and thinking.

Outreach clusters began in 2015 within Manaiakalani network (there are now 11).

Bi-lingual communities with Te Reo immersion have an advantage of Tikanga practice in their
own environment - for example Otaki 50% of townspeople speak Te Reo Maori.

Implementation of Manaiakalani pedagogy throughout the school year. Term 1: Learn, Term 2: Create, Term 3: Share,
Term 4: Bring all of them together (Innovate & Accelerate).

Students able to use the technology and relate to each other using blog posts/comments.

Some teachers create a Twitter feed for adults to access their child’s learning.
Harness the power of this technology to make connections about student learning.

Tuhi Mai Tuhi Atu - communicate with other primary schools connect via class/individual blogs using safe
connections.

The four elements of the kaupapa/pedagogy have to be used together in order for them to be effective: connected,
ubiquitous,
empowered, visible. This is part of the evolving cycle that exists within the Manaiakalani philopsophy.

• Exploring examples of class sites:

Usable sites: 3 clicks or less. How are students going to get there and use it efficiently?

Think about the visual appeal, what is working or not working? Refer to teacher
feedback/critique on Google sites used for student learning in schools. Finally I also participated
in a Google survey on analysing Class sites and giving feedback to my cohort colleagues.

My feed forward is that I will be more mindful in the future about linking my class sites to make
them clearly visible and user friendly for my students. This is usually done during the school holidays in preparation for the following school term.

DFI: Week 5 Reflection

Today's session was all about the Manaiakalani Kaupapa of making learning Visible within your environment. It is really important for this whanau community to be involved in their children's learning journey at school from Primary, through to Intermediate and Secondary.
The default is: Planning, Process, Outcomes, Assessment keeping in mind that it is available to anyone with the link on the world wide web.
Hapara Teacher Dashboard is an excellent tool for teachers to use to monitor and review students participation, engagement and achievement in learning in all areas of the curriculum.
Whanau are able to view their own child online. You are also able to track other expert teachers Class OnAir experiences and leave feedback for them to reflect on their practice. This is something which I plan to do during the school holidays when I have time to leave positive, thoughtful comments.
Multi Modal is the ways that we communicate with others...to share with other learners.
When students are excited about what they're doing they are more likely to be learning cognitively.
Children are exposed to so much visibility in their environment it's up to teachers to continue 'hooking them in' so that they are engaged and ready for learning!
So it's up to teachers to motivate students to engage with the curriculum. This is in alignment with the NZ Curriculum that advocates for students to be "lifelong learners".
The Woolf Fisher research that is being carried out in Manaiakalani schools which reviews how expert teachers engage learners in a variety of ways such as multi media and communication.
Chrissie Butler from Core Education identifies that learners will perceive information in different ways. We need to recognise that what may engage one learner may not interest another?
Finally we looked at creating Multi Modal platforms using Google Sites and accessing the internet to add further information and making it accessible and visually appealing to learners.
When I began this process it reminded me of how much starting a plan is imperative to the process and that using a collaborative approach is a worthwhile exercise to do with a small group of colleagues. Having like minded teachers teaching at a similar level encourages a plethora of ideas that can be included in the planning process of mind maps and using digital media supports the final steps of putting it altogether.

DFI: My Map

This map shows a family road trip we took in 2006 from Auckland to Wellington.

Inquiry focus (Part 2) T1

DFI: Week 4 Reflection

Today's session was focused on the "Share" part of the Manaiakalani pedagogy.
Share (Tohatoha) - focus on sharing content via a digital media in a safe environment.
Remember to share for a purpose and be mindful of your audience. Teachers/Students can share with one another, other classes, schools and be on the world wide web. A reminder not to share your personal details online such as phone number and home address. Use Blogger as a way to monitor personal blogs and professional blogs.
Ref: Prof. John Hattie (meta-cognition/ feedback/ reciprocal teaching/teaching problem solving). "Visible Teaching and Learning occurs when teachers see learning through the eyes of students and help them become their own teachers".

I learnt how to use Google Forms for my class to ascertain their learning outcomes in core curriculum areas such as; Reading, Writing and Maths. I plan to create a Number knowledge survey for my students to use on their Maths site.

I also learnt how to use Google - My Maps to search for a location and find out how to get there whether it be in Auckland, New Zealand or overseas?

When Google sheets were introduced I was able to further my knowledge of creating these independently using the tools provided to efficiently create a spreadsheet with so much more information and formatting abilities than I already knew. I will use these in future long term plans for Reading, Writing and Maths.

Finally, I reviewed a student's blog and created a data analysis/collection of her blogposts.

If I aim to apply these new skills learnt, this will overall become a timesaver and help me to be able to spend more time on the weekends with my family. I also feel that is will make planning easier and more effective in the future.

DFI: Week 4

DFI: Week 3

Today we focused on the "Create" part of the Manaiakalani pedagogy. It begins with the hook that lures students in and supports the way that Maori and Pasifika children learn creatively and expressively as their ancestors began to use pencil and paper much later than other nationalities. This is based on American philosopher John Dewey (1859- 1952) who advocated 'learning by doing' approach to education."To find out what one is fitted to do, and to secure an opportunity to do it, is the key to happiness”. I learnt that he founded a school in Hawaii which is based on the Learn, Create, Share philosophy which I would like to explore further. In addition, Sir Ken Robinson in England gives keynote presentations around promoting Creativity in schools which I will also investigate. We unpacked the duty of care around YouTube and its protocols. I learnt how to create my own moving animation of a truck crashing into a tree using Google slides. I aim to teach my class how to do this using their iPads as part of my CyberSmart lesson next week. Then I will encourage them to share onto their blogs. Finally I brushed up on my Te Reo skills and planned a digital Pepeha which I am going to get ready to present to my fellow colleagues on the DFI next week.

SJC animation

DFI: Week 2 Reflection

Today has been a continuation of the Manaiakalani pedagogy with a focus on the "Learn / Ako" aspect which recognises that the digital learning that takes place within a community of learners is based on a combination of teacher effectiveness and student participation which have been proven to accelerate learning outcomes over a period of time. I learnt how to use the Google Keep application on my work laptop and personal mobile phone to help organise my professional and personal life. Using this tool will aide with my time management and utilising this technology will benefit my weekly schedule. I also learned of the Turbocharge technique also referred to as (SAMR) - Substitute, Augmentation, Modification, Redefinition. Tech enables the direct tool substitute to highlight the learn, create, share model when working with students in a digital learning environment. I learnt more about Google Hangouts by working alongside two colleagues who shared their ideas about different students Summer Learning Blog posts and commented during a live filming using Quick Time player. This was a very new and unfamiliar experience for me, as I was the recorder (with no headphones which made it difficult for me to listen to what was being recorded). I had to stand outside with my laptop and use body/sign language to communicate to the other teachers. So, after recording a total of 15 minutes, I did not have time to edit the final version, which I have downloaded and you can view it here.


So, in hindsight we need to carefully proofread the brief first and then allocate different responsibilities. However, as this was a first attempt I felt like a small accomplishment had been made and I feel less nervous to use this tool in future. Rm 13 and I plan to have a mini Google Hangout session next week, to introduce our classes to each other and get to know one other which also sits well with our school values of Kia pai to kotahi. I am looking forward to using this in other areas of my teaching profession. Finally I enjoyed learning about the One Tab app which condenses multiple tags into one format and it is easy to locate.

Week 1: DFI reflection

Digital Fluency Intensive workshop feedback.

Manaiakalani pedagogy: This began in 2006 when the cluster of seven schools in the Tamaki region of Auckland began a digital technology journey that would involve students learning using digital devices with support from their teachers.
Out of this came the Learn, Create, Share kaupapa which enabled students to publicly share their work with teachers, whanau (family)/ friends and the world at large…
In 2010 Point England school joined this network giving internet access to both children and their families at home and giving them an opportunity to continue their learning at home on a Chromebook.
Professional Development:I have gained confidence in using Google Docs to create posters, blog posts and notes from large documents to make my work more efficient which will save time.
Support for my Learners: I learnt how to use the Voice typing tool effectively which I will take back to my classroom and encourage my Year 2 students to use on their iPads when reading their own stories they have written. This will also support my own Inquiry focus of increasing Writing achievement.
Personal life: Finally, I learnt how to create group emails and be able to include a number of people who need the information at the same time. This will help me to be more organised in future communications with work colleagues or friends.

I created this poster, have a look.

My Inquiry for 2019.

Here is my Inquiry presentation for the year.