Seesaw Ambassador

After using Seesaw for a year and loving the features, I'm delighted to now be a Seesaw Ambassador.

Students in my classroom have loved being able to share their learning throughout the year with their parents and whanau, who in turn have provided valuable and authentic feedback to their children.  

Some of the great benefits I've enjoyed using Seesaw this year include:

• Students being able to share and showcase a variety of learning activities - videos, images, text
• Students seeing (and hearing) the feedback that parents are providing
• Creating activities for the class or small groups to complete
• Students being able to use their voice to record explanations about the artefacts they are uploading
• Reviewing a students journal and quickly seeing their progress over the year

I'm looking forward to continuing using Seesaw next year, and exploring the activities feature in more detail.

The Process of Mentoring - Feedback

As my Google Certified Innovator continues, so does the unpacking of our text, The Mentee's Guide by Lois J Zachary.  Over the past weeks I've been seeking and receiving feedback on my developing #SYD17 project, so its only fitting that I dig deeper and unpack the chapter around feedback.  I feel I'm always quite reflective in my pedagogy, but its always good to think about how you both seek, respond to and act on feedback.

I found revisiting these five action points quite helpful, along with some of the suggested conversation starters, which include:

• Here's the kind of feedback I'm looking for ...
• What would you have said if that had happened to you ...
• Do you mean ....
• Can I ask you a question about this feedback?
• To be honest with you, I need to think about that a little more.

I feel, in order for feedback to be most effective, you need to be honest in what you are asking for, and receptive and really listen to the ideas and suggestions that you receive.  After all ....

Power and Process of Mentoring TWO

Further to my first post, earlier this week I started to delve into the second chapter of the Mentee's Guide "Preparing Yourself to Make the Most of Mentoring."

Preparation is the key to any successful venture, and it seems that being a mentee is no different - it is just as important to prepare for this as for any venture!  This chapter of the book provided opportunities for reflection and review as well as forward thinking to the future.  While I completed all the exercises, I'm sharing just some snapshots of the process as this will enable me to reflect, to look forwards now, and provide a baseline to review in the future.

2.1 Personal Reflection Exercise
The task:  Create a timeline of your career journey, including highlights, milestones, marker events, challenges and disappointments.  Use this timeline to complete the accompanying questions.

Identify your top three professional successes - I've had an amazing start to my teaching career and I feel the opportunities I've been lucky enough to have all build on my start in the Manaiakalani Digital Teaching Academy (MDTA).  My passion for technology started before the MDTA, which is perhaps why I made the most of the opportunity and am so passionate about using the affordances of technology to personalise learning today.  Being accepted as a Google Certified Innovator ranks as another of my top three professional successes - this opportunity has been a challenge, at times hard work but I've enjoyed (and will continue to enjoy) every moment of this journey.  Lastly, but definitely not least, I have had the privilege to work in two amazing schools with terrific colleagues who inspire me daily to continue striving to be the best teacher I can be.

2.2 Creating a Personal Vision

My #SYD17 innovation came about because I believe personalised learning has helped accelerate learners in my classroom and I'd like to inspire other teachers along the same personalised learning pathway.  My journey using personalised learning has taken many hours of my own time to get to where it is now - and time is one commodity that teachers have so little of.  My vision is therefore:

To inspire other teachers to use the affordances of technology to personalise learning through the creation of a community which encourages sharing of resources, ideas and pedagogy to save time and benefit all learners.

2.3 Mentee Skill Inventory

Evaluate your proficiency on the mentee skill inventory - you may wish to share this with your mentor as you look for ways to develop your skills.

2.4 Know your Learning Style

The book refers to David Kolb's Learning Style model, and I know I am a blend of the four types of learners mentioned.  In order to check my own understanding I completed this questionnaire.  I'm not surprised to see a strong leaning towards a reflector style of learning, with less emphasis on the pragmatist and a medium leaning towards activist and theorist styles.  Reading over how the selected learning styles are described, these are where I feel I fit:

Once again, using The Mentees Guide has enabled me to be more formal in my thinking and reflective through this blog post.  I look forward to continuing with my mentee journey as my #SYD17 project continues to blossom.

Digital Citizenship and Safety

As a teacher in a digital classroom I totally understand the importance of digital citizenship, but it's always good to brush up on your understanding, even if its just a reminder of what you already know.   Earlier this week I completed the Google for Education Digital Citizenship and Safety Course. 

The course includes five units, followed by a short quiz to test your understanding (all completely free): 

• Teaching students about internet safety and privacy:  including what makes a strong password, two factor authentication, and privacy settings
• Online safety: securing your mobile device, public and private Wi-Fi, avoiding harmful downloads on your smartphone
• Savvy searching: helping evaluate the credibility of online information sources to distinguish between legitimate and dubious sources 
• Staying safe from phishing scams: how to recognise potential scams, how to check if a web page is encrypted, and what to do if you encounter online scams
• Manage your online reputation: why does privacy matter and how to identify and report inappropriate behaviour

After taking the course and completing each quiz, you receive a recognition badge as well as a link to download Lesson Plans to use in your own classroom.  I'd really recommend spending the time to review your understanding of digital citizenship, as well as using the resources to remind your students.  Teaching safe use of the internet is a necessity in today's classroom, and its never too often to reinforce this with your learners.

Take the Google for Education Digital Citizenship and Safety Course here!

Collecting Teachers Voice on my #SYD17 Innovation

In order to progress my #SYD17 project, I'm seeking teachers voice and opinions about what would be most beneficial to help them personalise learning using technology in the classroom.  This will enable me to adapt my innovation to what would be most useful for teachers.

Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey which will inform my Google Certified Innovator #SYD17 project.  I'm passionate about using technology to enhance personalised learning in the classroom, but appreciate that for today's teachers, the one commodity we have in limited supply is time.  My dream is to provide a place for teachers to share resources, upskill and support each other to benefit all learners.

Empowering Personalisation Survey

The Power & Process of Mentoring

My #SYD17 journey continued this week with the announcements of our mentors, and the above book arriving by courier from the USA.  As I started to read, I hadn't even completed the first page when I was inspired to take notes - what better way than through a blog post!

A mentor is defined in this text as "a guide who helps us define and understand our own goals and pursue them successfully."  I'm excited that I've been matched with a mentor I had the pleasure of working with in the past, and I can't wait to continue on this journey with her.

I've never been a mentor before, however I believe that collaboration and communication would be essential to a mentor/mentee relationship.  Further reading unpacks the following elements as crucial:

Many of the elements of success occur frequently in my day to day teaching and school relationships.  Rather than unpacking each in more detail in this blog post, this is what I'm most wondering or feel is important when working with my mentor:
Partnership - valuing the uniqueness of each of us in the partnership and drawing on the experiences, and individuality of my mentor while sharing my own experiences with her.
Relationship - I'm lucky in that I already have an existing relationship with my mentor so I feel trust will develop more easily because of this.  I look forward to, and welcome honest, reflective and authentic conversations with Fiona.
Learning - I have a belief that I will never stop learning and I certain hope to grow through this experience.  As always, I will be critically reflective, unafraid to try things and learn from any mistakes I make along the journey.
Collaboration - One of the things I'm looking forward to most is the experiences we are both bringing to the discussions that will take place - I feel comfortable sharing with Fiona with an openness that will lead to greater collaboration as well as willing to give and take as required to enable the best possible outcomes.
Reciprocity - Both of use bring different perspectives to this relationship and I look forward to exploring these over our mentoring time.  I'm excited and inspired to have Fiona as a mentor and I hope she enjoys the process as much as I hope to.
Development - This is perhaps my biggest wondering - what will I be able to achieve as a result of our partnership and what knowledge, skills and abilities will I develop over the next 11 months?  While its definitely a wondering, I'm excited about the possibilities and cannot wait to continue the journey.

The Mentee's Guide by Lois J. Zachary with Lory A. Fischler

#SYD17 Day 1

Earlier this year I applied to the Google Certified Teacher academy and was lucky enough to be accepted.  Part of the program entails an intensive at the Sydney Google offices and that started today.

The day started with an (optional) Amazing Race around Sydney.  In groups of three or four we had a huge number of tasks (worth varying points) to complete in three hours.  While public transport was an option, our team had fun collecting clues as we walked around the inner city. 

While the winner is still unknown (and I'm fairly sure it wasn't us) we had an amazing time and definitely explored some of Sydney that I would never have investigated.

Onwards to Google for the start of our Academy.  It's an amazing group of educators from around the world - supported by great coaches.   We kicked the afternoon off with some Moonwalking and found some new friends - our High Five buddy, our Secret Handshake buddy and our Booty Bump - three new friends!

Then it was time to break out Google style - with an Escape Room challenge, my very first (but certainly won't be the last) time of doing one of these.  Our group would have successfully broken out had the locks not been accidentally switched :) It sure was fun and cracking those codes are hard work  -  thank goodness for phones .... and Google!

We then met our team and coach, who we will be working with closely over the coming days!  Our coach is Justine Driver from Auckland, NZ!  Despite going to school together (many moons ago), I've never worked with Justine before so super great to have a fellow NZer as our coach.  We began with initial introductions and shared a five minute story about what has inspired us - later, over dinner, our team name and chant evolved - looking forward to that tomorrow morning!

Lastly, we had a session about the Design Process where we were encouraged to fall in love with our problems.  We had to design a new chair and then face off with other groups to ultimately find the best "new chair" - a huge shout out to the imaginations of the crew that designed the "Volcano Chair" which ultimately won the prize!

Unpacking the new technology curriculum ... #CS4PD

After a great first day yesterday, I'm energised and ready to unpack and talk about the new curriculum in greater detail!


Just do stuff!!! Don't spend a long time talking about it - that's not as engaging.  Unpack after you do it and you will engage and motivate your audience.  Give them a toolkit that they find useful and can utilise in their classroom.

Everything we do is about seeing the ingredients and putting them altogether.  Keep track of the big picture but make it real and bite size portions.  

Unpacking the New Curriculum

There is an importance in everyone understanding 'where we are going' - what is the shared vision?  It is a progression with important building blocks to support and enable students to meet the outcomes.

Computational Thinking

The main focus in this area is on:

• Algorithms
• Data Representation
• Programming

Designing and Developing Digital Outcomes

You can be the creator and use these applications in exciting ways.  We can create something new with our knowledge.  Focusing on:

• Producing quality, fit-for-purpose, digital outcomes
• Locate, analyse, evaluate and present
• Knowledge of operating systems, file management and application software

Where to start ... when to start

Next month is Moonhack Day  (August 15th) a worldwide event to encourage programming with projects available in ScratchJr, Scratch and Python.  A great way to launch into coding and starting to unpack computational thinking.  Teachers are able to register their class and the projects provide stepped instructions.  

A career in technology?

Technology companies have an imbalance in male/female candidates in New Zealand because female candidates are not coming through education at the same rates as males.  Interestingly, developers often join as a 'junior' and earn more than the median New Zealand wage.  Why are the girls not looking at computer science/digital/IT as a career?  How can we address this imbalance?  Why did you get into technology - the two most common answers are creativity and problem solving.  

Computer Science inspirations & ideas @ #CS4PS

After a day of travelling (thanks to the Christchurch fog) I finally made it to the #CS4PS workshops in Christchurch.  I'm excited for a full days of networking and learning.

Computer Science in all curriculum areas .... 

Computer science can be used to reinforce learning in all curriculum areas - it doesn't have to be an extra!

Debugging 

What is debugging?  Locating a problem and fixing it

• What language are you going to give your students when they have a coding problem? 
•  Often there are different ways to achieve the same thing - not a bad thing, just an opportunity for learning.

Three questions to ask your learners:
What did you expect to have happen?
What is actually happening?
What does your code say?

Encourage students to critically think and debug together.

Using Raspberry Pi, circuitry, robots

Littlebits - really good for inputs and outputs
Arduino - using the specific arduino language but through purchasing a book called Sik Guide you are able to get many codes online.  Uses a breadboard to house wires (prevents soldering). Teach learners the first 12 projects and then ask them what they'd like to make?
Raspberry Pi - recommended for older students - takes about a week to set up but needs a time commitment
Spheros - use an iPad app to move a robot around the classroom
Edison robots

For teachers with iPad classes (which can't used Scratch) these options will both work on iPads and are very similar to Scratch

Picaxecloud.com
snap.berkeley.edu

Kidbots and Fitness UnPlugged

Have learners draw one exercise on a card.  Laminate and keep the cards so learners can program their fitness each week.  Use whiteboards to put each card on so you can write the number of times for each card.  Select a child to be a programmer - use a lanyard.  Reinforce that there is no wrong answer - programming language can be different.

Ideas and ways to use programming in the classroom

Use Scratch to program and say your Mihi
What is a noun/adjective etc - join them together to create a sentence
Site to explore:  Madlibs
Use Scratch to explore your school values - clickable and interactive for the learners to communicate. Learners create the project - when you half make the project, learners will be more creative.
Codeclub.nz - projects learners can work through easily with check boxes so they are extremely learner friendly

Statistics unit - Searching algorithms

Organise your data in a way that it can be easily searched and you can find what you need easily.

Sequential search

An efficient way to search?  Use paper shot glass cups with a number inside each.  Teacher becomes the computer and children guess a number - how many guesses could it take?  What is the largest amount of guesses?  What is the least number of guesses we need? Sometimes it is good to have things out of order.   Use a range of numbers which are mixed up so learners can't just "count" the number of containers.

Binary search

Halve the search criteria by using a binary search.  Use "I'm thinking of a number" to demonstrate a binary search using only 7 guesses if they are in order.   Could use Scratch to make a teaching algorithm using the "higher/lower" game.

Game - find a treasure chest.  Start with a randomized sheet.  Graph the results.  Second time, use binary guessing system and sheets that are in order - most should guess within 5 guesses using this system.  Talk about the differences in the graphs.  Could lead to discussions on probability and validity of the data.

Computational Thinking

Computational Thinking is the thought processes involved in formulating problems and their solutions so that the solutions are represented in a form that can be effectively carried out by an information-processing agent.  -  Cuny, Snyder, Wing 2010

Thinking computationally is about solving problems, by creating solutions that teaches students how to:

• describe a problem
• identify the important details to solve the problem
• break the problem down into smaller, logical steps
• use these steps to create a process (algorithm) that solves the problem
• and then evaluate the process

All of the skills are strongly linked.  There is often an overlap in descriptions and in examples.

Algorithmic thinking

• is the process of creating algorithms
• is a step by step process that solves a problem or completes a task
• when we create an algorithm to solve a problem we call this an algorithmic solution

Abstraction

• is about simplfying things to help us manage complexity
• it requires identifying what the most important aspects of a problem are and hiding the details/information we don't need to focus on

Decomposition

• breaking things down into the smaller and simpler parts
• it helps to make large problems less intimidating!
• we can break problems down into smaller subproblems and then break these down further and further
• the solutions to each are smaller and simpler and built up to a solution

Generalising and Patterns

Logic

Evaluation

The Barcode challenge is a great way to challenge your learners using computational thinking.  In the classroom you could amaze your students the first time and then teach them how to do it.  The same concept (check sum) can be used with books.

Internet of Things

Relevant learning through problem solving local issues using the internet of things.  How can you extend past Scratch - coding something for a purpose or to make it 'real' for the learners.  One group of Dunedin schools is working on an issue and using this as the motivation for learning - Picaxe.co.nz.  The project aims to create a website were all the setup and resources are available for teachers to use in their classroom.

#SYD17 ... let the journey begin!

Totally excited to have been accepted into the Google Certified Innovator program in Sydney next month.

My project focuses on my passion of Personalised Learning.  In order to apply, you need to create a Project Slide deck and one minute video.  It only seems fitting at the start of my journey to begin with these:

Explain Everything Classic - navigating the major changes

With the recent Explain Everything update, some of my learners are not sure where to locate features that they use frequently.  I've made some easy help cards for them which I have displayed around the room as a visual reference.  They were all created using Google Draw and they may help other teachers who also use Explain Everything in the classroom.  I've shared some of them below, and they are available to be used by other teachers from this Google Drive folder.

The ones I have so far created are:

• adding new slides, deleting, moving between slides
• exporting a project to Google Drive (or similar)
• opening a project from Google Drive (or similar)
• saving and exiting from a project
• deleting audio/video recordings
• changing colours

Exciting changes in Explain Everything 4

I've been a huge fan of using Explain Everything since I started teaching and have definitely enjoyed the new features after installing the update late last week!  If, like me, you love using Explain Everything but are used to the old version, these great videos are worth three minutes of your time as they are a great overview of the new features.

 Having only created a few projects this weekend already here are some of my favourite new additions:

• The draw/fill option
• Adding a sound bite from within Explain Everything
• The ruler feature - my lines have always been just that little bit crooked ;)
• The eraser - so many times my learners have wanted to remove a part of the drawing they had added earlier and haven't been able to - until now! 

I'm really looking forward to using the new version over the coming weeks!

Interface XPO 2017 - Afternoon Sessions

Creating with iPads - hosted by Cyclone Computers

Moving from consumption to creation!

The SAMR model helps us determine what level of creativity with technology you are achieving. Most learning takes place above the line (transformation) - modification and redefinition!

While there are MANY apps, using a few apps extremely well is better than just touching on many.  Its not about the app - its the task!

PicKids - the same as PicCollage but more child friendly (not internet based).  

Some ideas for using this:

Letter/Number Scavenger Hunt

Story Sequencing

Homophones

Parts of Speech

Book Covers

Writing Displays for publishing

Timeline of events

Character Map

Book Creator

Some ways to use Book Creator:

Collaborative books

Books can include text/sounds/images

Sentence starters

Explain Everything
Some ways to use Explain Everything:
Explain learning by annotating and talking about instructions
Take a photo of a piece of writing to model editing and recrafting
Capture the voice of the learner

Afternoon Keynote
Coding using Gamefroot
A game creation tool for school children and educators to create games.  This web based creation tool uses scripts (similar to Scratch) to enable children to make and share their own games. Learners can draw their own backgrounds and images or choose from a full library.  You are able to have as many levels as you would like in a Gamefroot game.

Afternoon Session
Keeping Students safe using Google Suite for Education (GfE)

This recent report highlights the importance of digital technologies in education.  Various risks for children using the internet.

"More time teaching, less time teching" - Google.

G Suite - different settings for different users within in a domain.  Many of the features for G Suite are underused in GAFE domains and experts such as Cyclone can assist to ensure these are set up correctly.

Google Safety Center - free information for parents/teachers/educators


I've enjoyed my first Interface XPO.  It was also great to network with other teachers and IT techies throughout the day.

Interface 2017 XPO - Morning Sessions

My first visit to the Interface Xpo and I'm looking forward to being inspired with some great ideas.

Opening Session

A fast game of XPO Feud (based on Family Feud) to kick off the day - download the template and many others from Youth Downloads.  The game was followed by a few Keynote presentations:

Creativity in the Classroom with Adobe

65% of learners will end up in jobs that have yet to be created.

Adobe Creative Animator - great for learners who are shy and don't like appearing on camera

Adobe Spark Video - a free creativity tool that allows you to create videos or tell stories - personalise the voice, music, text and pictures to make a short movie.  App for iPad available or can be done online at spark.adobe.com.  Copyright free music is provided.

Adobe Spark Page - a free creativity tool to create a webpage.  Easy to use with free images, texts and layouts which you can include.

Breakout Session One

3P Learning - Mathletics and Reading Eggs

Mathletics and Reading Eggs are more than just lessons for students.  Check out the printable resources and group teaching resources (available through eBooks link).  Teaching resources are interactive.

Mathletics:

When completing activities:  "i" button or "?" button shows specific steps on how to get it right.

New questions are generated even if they get it completely right - giving depth of learning.

Demonstrations allows you to teach using the student view.

Reading Eggs:

While there is a focus on reading, it is a broader literacy resource.   Reading Express (focus 7 - 13 years old).  

Middle Keynote

GEO A.R. Games - Magical Park

Digital mobile outdoor games using augmented reality.

Different aspects to augmented reality - image recognition; tracking; geospatial (using GPS co-ordinates); 

Examples of augmented reality:

AR Book - Quiver Education

Skills Training - Zapbox

Benefits of Augmented Reality:

• More student engagement and higher motivation
• Learning at the student pace
• Higher creativity
• Solution focused thinking and problem-solving
• Leadership and collaboration