Tuesday, April 17, 2018

The Need for Change

Back in 2017, Hon Nikki Kaye, @nikkikaye said "Digital fluency is now an essential life skill for our young people, so we must ensure they have the skills and knowledge they need to engage in an increasingly digital world." Personally, as Assistant Principal, ICT Lead and teacher, I have been excited about the announcement of this whole 'digital shakeup' for our NZ school curriculum. This change was needed for our education system and has made me carefully considering my goals in my respective areas of responsibility. I wrote a blog post after attending one of the Digital Technologies / Hangarau Matihiko (DT&HM) Consultation workshops in 2017 in which I've added some valuable links.

Anand Timothy, eLearning Enthusiast and co-founder and Director: Business Development at eNyota Learning, also wrote: "Technology is making our world more interesting… it is changing our perspectives… it is redefining previous definitions of normal. Technology has become the great disruptor; the magic wand that gives us the power to make or do things that were previously unthinkable."

One thing that makes me cringe lately, is when I read comments from educators who talk about how they hear and read about research that is warning educators about the effects of 'screen time' on our students....
It makes me wonder how many educators are aware that Computer Science can also be taught through engaging games and puzzles that use cards, string, crayons and lots of running around (no 'screen time'!). This can then be integrated into the curriculum through activities and exercises.

I also feel a bit frustrated, when people make comments like "this is a separate digital curriculum" and "we already do this at our school"... hmm, yes, but there is so much more to the [new] DT&HM curriculum...
In my humble opinion, I do not see this as a separate digital curriculum. In fact, the re-organised Technology learning area still has the three strands of Technological Practice, Technological Knowledge, and Nature of Technology. The only difference is that there is now five technological areas instead of three. The new content covers Computational thinking for digital technologies and Designing and developing digital outcomes as Progress Outcomes.

I can fully understand that there are [some] uncertainty, hopes and fears about what this means for schools from 2018 onward. However, there are opportunities to upskill... one such opportunity came through the 'Digital Passport' created by The Mind Lab by Unitec "which empowers teachers in New Zealand to realise the opportunities of the new digital curriculum and bring 21st century skills to today’s students."

I gained some valuable insights after completing two of the Workshops, but do not consider myself an expert now. However, I truly believe that your attitude determines your direction... what you do with this [new] exciting change is up to you, my quest for knowledge will carry on... and I will guide my school colleagues along on their journey to the best of my abilities.




'The Tweet'



References:
NZN. Major education shake-up as schools shift to digital focus, Retrieved from: Newshub 

Timothy, A (2016). How Technology Benefits Learning. Article written for eLearning Industry

The Mind Lab (Monday 19 March). New education platform empowers Kiwi teachers in the 21st century, Retrieved from their Media release



~ "People who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do." - Steve Jobs ~

Monday, April 16, 2018

Seesaw... no turning back!

Although I've always aimed for my students to have a digital portfolio (trialling and using many different platforms in the past), I had not been convinced that Seesaw was the way to go.... BUT oh boy, was I wrong! Seesaw is an excellent platform for housing student work and sharing it with parents. The feedback and communication is instant.

The Ministry of Education have seven key principles (Ako, Focus and coverage, Foundations for learning, Student responsibility, Motivation, Technologies, Checking in with parents) that guide effective reporting and information sharing. After using Seesaw for almost 3 months now, I already recognise the benefits of this student-driven digital portfolio and I believe that if Seesaw is being used effectively it has all the tools to fulfill this MOE 'requirement'. Hence (after having a chat with my favourite online mentor Sonya, @vanschaijik) my decision to apply to become a Seesaw Ambassador to support teachers [further] with integrating technology effectively into their teaching and to serve as an expert resource to other teachers, by sharing how I use Seesaw in my class.

I love that I can create and assign activities for my students when planning 'lessons', but that is not all... students can post to their journal and reflect on their learning instantly! It also gives me insight into their understanding and enable me to track progress over time. Parents can also look back at all the learning that their child added to their journal and see how much has been learned. This 'tracking' can easily be done when using folders when posting.

Some examples of how I have been using Seesaw with 5 year olds:
1. Goal Setting and Reflection...

2. Reading / Phonics / Sightwords...

3. Writing...

4.  Maths...

5. Discovery / STEAM / Key Competencies

6. Some others...

The Values that Seesaw stands for speak for itself... 

Therefore, I consider myself lucky and feel proud to be part of the Seesaw family...

Reference:



~ "It's more important than ever that educators collaborate to continually improve and support the success of each learner." - Dr. Gene Carter, CEO and Executive Director of ASCD ~