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.

Term 4 Review for Inquiry 2018 (language accumulation)

Term 4 Review for Inquiry 2018 (language accumulation) What are my successes? In conclusion to this year’s Inquiry topic on language accumulation I would like to recap on the PL children’s learning in Term 4. One PL has written his first independent story on his own and got acknowledged with a Duffy certificate! At the writing test held in November; 3 out of the 4 children were able to write a few sentences independently which was the overall goal of achievement by the end of Year 2. These children used capital letters and full stops in their writing recount. There was only one child who was got 0 scores on the matrix. The other 3 children got R1 for their effort and ability to write something legible on paper during the test. Looking in the PL children’s writing books I have noticed improvements in 3 out of the 4 children’s work, such as using new vocabulary. What has the data shown me? I feel that all PL children have made improvements in using correct finger spacing, forming letters correctly and they have also started using the writing resources in class such as the yellow and blue butterfly cards. Here are some examples of Weekend News. Two of these children got prescription reading glasses in Term 4 which has made a difference in their reading and writing. They are trying to use cognitive processes to work out how words are spelt, such as sounding out words phonetically. Using the weekly letter brainstorming on the whiteboard was an effective lesson plan as it enabled each child to record the word and then draw a picture to make the association with the meaning of the word on their individual iPads. This accumulation of words added to each students’ overall vocabulary to use in their story writing. This has been a successful and fun way to introduce literacy into their learning whilst enhancing their English language word bank. The Word Tree has been a worthwhile practical hands on experience for the PL’s. Where to next year? Finally, all of the PL children’s English language has improved, and they can use their words to tell a descriptive story, however they still need support to write an independent story. Switch to Reading focus next year in 2019.