Technology a tool and not an end

I have recently found an interesting graphic under the title" 7 C's for Effective Teaching ".

One of the things I have notice in this graphic is the absence of a digital component.  This reinforce my idea that a great learning experience does not have to involve my NE/Yr 1 students glued to a Notebook/iPod/iPad.  These are awesome tools, but just tolls none-the-less.  Students only use them when needed and when they have a purpose to do so and not just for the sake of using technology.

Please don't get me wrong, I strongly encourage and embrace technology as an important part of a future-focused education, as well as how I can prepare students for living in the 21st century.  I also have to mention here that technology tools are a seamless part of my classroom.  I endorse that computer technology has become more important in the classroom than ever before to cater for the demands of good teaching and learning.

It is just my perception that the 7 C's mentioned here, could provide me with a starting point in embracing student voice.

And in case you wonder...  technology can be used to gather information on this.

e-Member of the week

In March 2013, I've decided to sign up for the (VLN) Virtual Learning Network. I became a member of a number of groups which is of interest to me, with my main focus to share and learn from other amazing people.

By being part of the VLN, I have access to free PD over many weeks/months on topics that is of interest to me and of which are being catered for my needs.  Best of all, they are not bound to place or time!

I really enjoy being part of this collaborative virtual professional learning and development, which takes place outside of school and in my own time and most importantly, I have the ability to bring what I am learning back into my school, to the  benefit of students and colleagues.

Therefore, when reading the e-Learning Round-Up | 31 July 2013 http://www.vln.school.nz/blog/view/823120/e-learning-round-up-31-july-2013, I felt very honoured and privileged to be named as e-member of the week.

Thank you to all the wonderful people on the VLN who have made this possible for me!

Teaching and Learning above and beyond

Today's students are moving beyond the basics and embrace the 4C's which are some "super skills" for the 21st Century. These skills will enable students to solve problems in our fast-changing world and will last them for a lifetime.  Learning goals in reading, writing and maths are still important and won't be replaced by the 4C's.  The goal is to integrate 21st Century skills into all learning areas to enable students to master the 4C's.

The 4C's include the following:
Critical Thinking: Look at problems in a new way, linking learning across learning areas
Creativity: Trying new approaches to get things done
Communication: Sharing questions, thoughts, ideas and solutions
Collaboration: Working together to reach a goal

I love this video which highlights the importance of collaboration, communication, critical thinking and creativity.


Now the challenge is to build this 4Cs into my classroom and to help my students embrace this.

Teaching: One of the most demanding and dynamic of professions

I had the privilege of attending the It's a Learners' World: Mapping a New Landscape Conference organised by Learning Network NZ on the 25th and 26th July and what a fantastic experience this was.

Keynote speakers included: Lee Crockett, Perry Rush and Joan Dalton.

What I've learned from Lee Crockett:

• Change is a difficult thing - Reality check ahead
• TTWWADI (That's The Way We've Always Done It), without giving a thought why we do it - this have serious impacts on years to come
• Things change quickly in education - we need to examine our TTWWADI
• No correlation between homework and achievement in younger ages
• It's a scary thought - our classroom structures have not change much in a hundred years
• We are providing our kids with an education for work that can be done by automation - How will we change this?
• Make students the spotlight of their learning - teach them how to learn
• In the next few year, people who need managing will no longer be employable
• Our kids will look at the iPad as archaic technology - How are we preparing them for the world that is their future?
• If we do not change the way we teach, then we prepare our kids not for their future but for our past
• When the rate of change outside an organisation is greater than the change inside the end is near
• What will you change in your classroom or school to prepare your learners for the scope and pace of change? How will you keep up?
• Eyes process visuals faster than text - 80% information comes through our eyes. We can communicate so much more with visuals - we're designed to be visual learners
• Stretch your thinking - take baby steps - choose 1 action you're going to take, starting right now!

What I've learned from Perry Rush:

• The learning Purpose in the 21st Century - enable the individual to be fulfilled to their satisfaction
• Build capability to be successful in the 21st knowledge economy
• Children can spot the teachers who are prepared to journey with them
• Be quiet and listen to kids to re-craft teaching to the next appropriate place
• We need to take our students to places they don't know they don't know about
• Knowledge is a process not a 'thing' - it happens in teams not in individuals
• You need to be able to do things with what you know - Learning and knowledge are a verb, it's what our kids DO with this knowledge
• Teach understanding of knowledge, not just knowing. Foster understanding, growing meaning about the world
• Minds are resources that can be connected to other resources in order to generate knowledge
• Remember the Revised Curriculum: http://notes.learningnetwork.ac.nz/Cache/Pictures/2125547/Perry's_Keynote.pdf
• Teaching in the 21st C http://notes.learningnetwork.ac.nz/Cache/Pictures/2125554/Perry_Rush.pdf

What I've learned from Joan Dalton:

• The language we use, have an impact on students brain
• Learning today is about making connections
• Wisdom begins with wonder
• Thinking language, thinking learner, thinking world http://notes.learningnetwork.ac.nz/Cache/Pictures/2125587/Learners'_World_keynote_2013_final.pdf
• Conflict and Controversy http://notes.learningnetwork.ac.nz/Cache/Pictures/2125991/Conflict_&_Controversy.pdf

It's not what you know, but what you do with what you know that makes a difference.


Other sessions attended and learning included:

• Learning as Inquiry - Mary-Anne Murphy http://notes.learningnetwork.ac.nz/Cache/Pictures/2124858/Learning_as_Inquiry_notes.pdf
• e-Portfolios for High Achievement - Mark Osborne
• Putting the 'e' in Assessment - Mary-Anne Murphy

Blended e Assessment from Mary-Anne Murphy

• Student Voice - Daniel Birch http://notes.learningnetwork.ac.nz/Cache/Pictures/2121669/Student_Voice_-_Daniel_Birch.pdf
• Creating Supportive Learning Environments - Lisa Squire & Sharyn Afu http://www.slideshare.net/lsquire/support-lrn-environs?utm_content=buffera4c60&utm_source=buffer&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Buffer
• Personalised Learning - Kristyn Rack  http://www.slideshare.net/krisalicia/personalised-learning-fcopy

                                                        Photo by Michael Fawcett


What change will I make? What is my 'baby step'?

• I will start by moving towards creating a Modern Learning Environment and focus on personalised learning as the Key Competencies will be visible in this

Future-focused learning and teaching

We are currently in the process of having forum meetings with our parents regarding the 'Basics' at our school.  This whole process of hearing what parents' views are about current education practices, is very informative and worthwhile.
This had me again looking into Effective Pedagogy and my action promoting student learning.  While in the process of doing this, I came across this excellent, meaningful information on teaching for 21st century learners.

Questions to be asked:
What does future-focused learning and teaching look like? What ideas and principles underpin it? What makes it different from other teaching and learning practices? How do we change our practice to become inclusive and build an environment where akonga/learners, teachers, and whānau work together?

Future-focused education - what does it mean?

• How can education prepare students for living in the 21st century?
• How can schooling change to meet the opportunities and challenges of the 21st century?
• How can we prepare students to address "future-focused" issues such as sustainability, globalisation, citizenship, and enterprise?

Bolstad, R. (2011)

Literature suggests we need to be future-oriented and adaptable, adopting a more complex view of knowledge, that incorporates knowing, doing, and being. Alongside this we need to rethink our ideas about how our learning systems are organised, resourced, and supported. Educators need to consider:

• Personalising learning – how can you use technologies to build the school curriculum around the learner and more flexibly to meet learners’ needs?
• Building an inclusive learning environment - how you use technologies to:
  • engage learners, family/whānau, and communities in co-shaping education to address students’ needs, strengths, interests and aspirations?
  • provide access to anywhere, anytime learning?
  • support assessment and evaluation processes so that these are dynamic and responsive to information about students?
• Developing a school curriculum that uses knowledge to develop learning capacity – how can you use technologies to enable students to create and use new knowledge to solve problems and find solutions to challenges as they arise on a “just-in-time” basis?
• Rethinking learners’ and teachers’ roles – how can you use technologies to create a “knowledge-building” learning environment where learners and teachers work together?
• Building a culture of continuous learning for teachers and school leaders – what opportunities to participate in and build professional learning are afforded by technologies?
• New kinds of partnerships and relationships - how can technologies be used to facilitate this?

Bolstad, R & Gilbert J, et al. (2012)

  

^{Providing higher order, authentic learning experiences allowing students to use technologies to explore content. The principle of ako affirms the value of the pair and group learning approaches in which students interact with their peers, teacher, tasks, and resources. These are very effective approaches for teaching and learning.}

Ka Hikitia - Managing for success: The Māori Education Strategy 2008–2012

Teaching for 21st century learners
Dr David Parsons, Associate Professor, Massey University explains the need to teach higher level thinking skills and develop key competencies using technology to prepare students for the 21st century

Note: (Questions and information was quoted from TKI - enabling e-learning | teaching)

Effective Pedagogy Reflection (Term 2)

My principal and I had a discussion today about our disbelieve that the holiday is already upon us, although I did remark that I was 'ready' for a holiday two weeks ago!

I am in the process of reflecting on a term gone by as "Effective pedagogy requires that teachers inquire into the impact of their teaching on their students" (NZC, page 35)

This will have me looking closely at student achievement data as well as using OTJ's. I will be posing questions about outcomes, successes and where my students are at. I am currently analyzing and interpreting information, from a range of assessment approaches (short term and long term), to consider next steps for learning.

How will I use this new information to decide what to do next to ensure continued improvement in student achievement and in my practice?
By reflecting on progress, observations, current vs initial data to see how it went and what strategies have made a difference to my students' learning. I will also consider what new teaching strategies & tools I will use.

I am excited to know what my focusing inquiry will be -what my students need to learn next, as well as deciding on the teaching inquiry that I am going to try in Term 3.

Blogging and Commenting

Connecting with other classes in New Zealand through QuadBloggingAotearoa has been extremely beneficial for students this term and it was another great opportunity to teach my students on how to leave good comments.

This is a lengthy process with my pre-readers and writers and we always commented together as a group as I saw this process a necessity for my students.

We brainstorm some 'rules' to follow when leaving comments. They are:
1. Greet the other person/class
2. Say something nice about the post (what did we like?)
3. Make a connection (think of something it reminds us of). This is a skill we are just beginning to learn.
4. Ask a question (what else were we wondering about that the writer has not put in their post)
5. Re-read our comment (check for spelling mistakes or if we need to change something)

This pattern will be followed for months to come and students will learn the necessary skills to comment on their own. I will then officially ask all of the students to try to make a comment on a blog of their choice closer to the end of the school year. I will however stay close by to assist students whose spelling skills are still developing and make a note in brackets to show that this was done with teacher help.

It will be a long journey to get them to follow the pattern that we have practiced together. Just as learning to read and write takes some time, learning to comment when you are an emerging writer does take some time as well.

Why would I go through this lengthy process with my 5 year old students?
The satisfaction of seeing a student who is beginning to understand how to interact and having a conversation with others in a social media situation, is worth this long journey.

As part of our reflection on our experience with QuadBloggingAotearoa, we discussed some benefits of blogging and although there are many more, here is what we thought to be important at this stage.