DFI Session 4 (Group 2)

DFI - Session 4 of the second group of teachers from the Tairawhiti Cluster.

Some reflections to share:

Teachers in this group showing they are "brave knights and are heroically courageous" in the digital world:

Gisborne Boys High x's 3

St Mary's Catholic School's x's 4 (including the Principal)

Cobham School

Awapuni School x's 2

Riverdale School x's 1

Tutors: Maria Krause & Cheryl Torrie

Great group of educators with capable tutors makes the day most worthwhile.

• What did I learn that increased my understanding of Manaiakalani kaupapa and pedagogy? Even though I participated in the first round of DFI I have picked up many more trick and been even more informed about the Manaiakalani programme. We covered Cybersmart, Chromebooks and Ipad, revisited Hangouts and Screencastify. All very good stuff. Felt more confident this time. Cybersmart resources were awesome. Would love to be a classroom teacher again.
• What did I learn that could improve my confidence, capability or workflow as a professional? I still need to fully utilise the opportunities screencastify affords. Will reflect on this. For example I could use it to good effect on my professional new sites.
• What did I learn that could be used with my learners?  If my learners are the Principals then I could improve my Google Site to be a source of information and a place for interaction.
• What did I learn that could improve my confidence, capability or workflow in my personal life? Since being forced onto a vegan diet to reverse the onset of heart disease I would like to create a site with appropriate recipes and a run down on the effectiveness of diet on heart health and sharing of cardiac research.

If you're smart you will work out a way to look good when you are really on show . . . these guys worked it out . . .

Connected Learning means "Sharing"

• Sharing is a human instinct since the beginning of time 
• Sharing positively makes a positive difference to our lives - academically and to our wellbeing
• Current medium for technology includes digital
• Digital has REACH and SPEED advantage

otherwise my friends . . .

“My Dear Wormwood, be sure that the patient remains completely fixated on politics.

Arguments, political gossip, and obsessing on the faults of people they have never met serves as an excellent distraction from advancing in personal virtue, character, and the things the patient can control.

Make sure to keep the patient in a constant state of angst, frustration, and general disdain towards the rest of the human race in order to avoid any kind of charity or inner peace from further developing.

Ensure that the patient continues to believe that the problem is "out there" in the "broken system" rather than recognising there is a problem with himself.”

Keep up the good work people,

From C.S. Lewis

More on Manaiakalani Community, Pedagogy and leadership (these are fundamental)

FOR . . . 

Woolf-Fisher Research Centre Reasearch

Important research around the Manaiakalani Pedagogy.

https://wfrc-manaiakalani-research.blogs.auckland.ac.nz/

This is work in progress but at this stage it looks like emerging evidence that there is an acceleration of writing progress and big gains with a Summer Learning Journey programme. 

and . . .

DFI Session 8

DFI Session 8 - EMPOWERMENT 10 May 2019

A Manaiakalani expression for "Student Agency"

Why use digital technologies in the school?

Not merely a "tool."  Otherwise much cheaper to use a pencil and exercise book.  Digital devices open up a world that can significantly make a difference to people with low incomes who battle against all the problems of making ends meet from an educational, health, diet, educational challenges of being successful in society.

Today's Reflections:

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

Dorothy's presentation was awesome. Clearly outlines the Why Manaiakalani? "Empowering" learners from low socio-economic backgrounds through the connectedness, visibility and ubiquity of the digital world. Manaiakalani supports whanau getting through the barriers through cost restraints.

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

Need to spend about 20 minutes per day practicing the new learning. Take the plunge with doing Google Level 1.

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

As I am not in a classroom teaching role I am more able to articulate the key principles around Manaiakalani with local school leaders and teachers.

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

With a Down Syndrome grandson I would like to utilise Co-Spaces to create social stories for him to learn how to cope with challenges he faces. For example what to do when he finds himself getting anxious during a school assembly with lots of noise and people going here and there in order to avoid him lashing out at others around him.

OVERALL today at MindLab was excellent. Loved learning how to use coding with Co-Spaces.

Also great introduction to the Technology Curriculum.

  

DFI Digital Fluency Intensive 7

Digital Fluency Intensive Session 7

What have I learnt today?

NUMBER ONE:  
Excellent Hangout with Dorothy around "connected."  Excellent set of slides.  Particularly like the last slide with the x's 4 puzzle pieces linking

                         

 "Connected," "Visible," "Ubiquitous," "empowered."

NUMBER TWO: Google Sites

Explored a number of Google Sites from around the wider Manaiakalani Clusters and had face-to- face chats with the group to evaluate them.  We then evaluated our own.  Most of us are beginners but the classroom teachers seemed well down the track. Learnt how to insert various useful items such as the calendar. Great help from the leaders.

The evaluation questions were based on :

Day two of Manaiakalani Facilitators' Hui 

12 April 2019

DIGITAL DEVICE MANAGEMENT:

Learning about the complexities of Manaiakalani device management across all the clusters.  Huge area of work if not done well will bring about  much frustration for teachers / facilitators.

My Comment:  I am unsure whether or not school leaders appreciate the complexity.  I can see the reason for a single tech provider across a cluster.  The intertwining of tech support with every aspect of the programme means that having to deal with many tech providers would be unworkable.

ADVICE: After a year of experience working as a cluster in Tairawhiti with 14 schools, and having many hurdles to scramble over, I think our ability to "COLLABORATE" is being challenged.   We need to settle with ALL SCHOOLS having one provider and at least move toward this as an important goal over the coming term. 

Can our schools make progress here . . . ?????

“Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” ...

Quote from Alice in Wonderland
"Alice laughed: "There's no use trying," she said; "one can't believe impossible things." 
"I daresay you haven't had much practice," said the Queen. "When I was younger, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."