Contemporary issues or trends in New Zealand or internationally #6

Contemporary issues or trends in New Zealand or internationally

Where do you start?  It was quite overwhelming to learn there were so many contemporary issues that needed addressing that I personally can relate to.   Many of these issues can be seen in other countries all over the world. To narrow it down to just two issues seemed like an impossible task so I chose to focus on digital trends as this is currently where my mind frame is at.

After reading the material, viewing videos and searching the internet, I found a post by Aaron Skonnard, (2015) on the 5 top trends in education technology…

1. Online corporate learning: Online learning that is unlike classroom-based training.  Learners can learn at their own pace 24/7, on any device and move at their own pace, as they learn what they need to know and explore their interests.  Some schools and teachers are doing this already to a certain degree while others a yet to understand where to begin.

2. Skills measurement: Businesses like educators want better ways to assess skills and measure individual progress. One way this is being done is through answering as few as ten questions in under two minutes based on an adaptive algorithm.  This gives an SAT-like score for any skill, which could provide the foundation for an industry or education standard around skills measurement.

3. Alternative learning styles: New learning styles continue to grow and text-based or video-based tutorials are becoming less desirable however they still are effective. This style of alternative learning is believed to be more fun, engaging and effective than textbooks or plain videos because as the learner progresses through the challenges of the learning they can earn points and badges that also fits with game-based learning.

4. Online competency-based learning: Is fusing competency-based training with online learning removing constraints of traditional institutions and methods.  Universities like Western Governors and Southern New Hampshire are helping students through targeted learning outcomes and customized support.

5. Flipped-learning tech: It is a form of blended learning where the class is flipped and students view lessons outside of class to learn content online, then do their home-learning (homework) in class with the support of the teacher. This approach promotes learning outside of the classroom as well as in it.

Of interest was, CORE Education’s published results of the ten trends that are expected to make a growing impact upon education in New Zealand in the coming year 2015.  At the center of the diagram are the trends around five key areas of change; culture, technology, structure, economic and process.  These provide a context for understanding how the trends may develop, and where we’re likely to see the impact of what is happening as identified in the outer circle.

Global Connectedness

Technology is continually changing while teachers explore ways to connect outside of the classroom with simplicity and rich educational returns.  If it wasn’t for my principals drive to apply for grants and speak with the B.O.T my school wouldn’t have the digital resources it has today i.e. iPads, Chromebooks and PCs in every classroom to make it possible to connect outside of the classroom nationwide to globally.  Having the support of my principal to try different approaches to learning and teaching using research and what others are saying has been the drive to connect.  

Last year on the 3 September my class Skype with an NASA aero-engineer Mana Vautier who works at the Johnson Space Centre in Houston. The New Zealander is developing guidance systems, flight simulations and navigation controls to train NASA flight controllers.  This was our school's first video conference that got my students thinking and wondering about Space and how to achieve what Mana had achieved!  This year my colleague and I started a closed Facebook page for our class Kereru.  The purpose of this closed page was to connect student’s learning and what’s happening in school with parents, whanau, extended family, family friends and staff at my school.  This has been great for my students who have family friends and family members living outside of New Zealand.  One student is continuing to share his learning with his mum who now lives in Australia e.g. posting a video of his dance performance at our school production.  

Digital devices have been the key to connecting outside of the classroom and beyond our school community.  Global connectedness is advantageous as it empowers students to learn and grow as global citizens.  Connecting my community i.e students with outside experts and surfing the web of knowledge has been intrinsically motivating as they search for answers to authentic questions they want to know more about.  For some students, this has motivated them to look beyond our four walls and into the wider global community.

The biggest challenges for me hasn’t been about sourcing resources it has been problem-solving when devices are not connecting to the worldwide web or students can’t log in and time to upload and share via Facebook!  How have you overcome these challenges or are they still challenges you are wondering.  The outcome of problem-solving is students are becoming better problem-solvers and being more resilient as they try different solutions or simply re-enter their password or username because it was entered incorrectly.  

Time is always a challenge no matter what it is you are doing! In Term 4 my goal is to give more ownership to students to help be responsible for our closed class Facebook page.  For this to happen I need to trust the students will not abuse the power and post inappropriate material or read private messages sent by parents.  How I might deal with this challenge is to choose one person who will be responsible for the first two weeks.  Then have that student train the next chosen person who will be responsible for the next two weeks and so forth while I monitor from a distance.  As for reading personal messages intended for the teacher it comes back to trust!

An important challenge that arises from this trend of Global Connectedness is ensuring your students understand what it means to be Cyber Smart!  It is more than being Cybersafe!  With increased accessibility to connect with people globally it also increases accessibility to possible global dangers and students need to be prepared for this.  Here at Fruitvale Road Primary we teach our students and parents to be Cyber Smart through being aware of what personal information is okay to share with other users and thinking about what you put on social media (once it's there it's there for life) and making smart choices when inappropriate material pops-up on the screen or you click on an inappropriate web page when looking for information.  I often remind my students when unsure, think what would my parents say and would they approve.   

To continue growing as the global citizens of tomorrow, I am going to create a class blog and give my students the choice to create their own blog. I will also create links on our class Facebook to connect communities of learners.  The outcome of this will allow opportunities for students to create and share their learning with a wider global audience that will motivate students to be more engaged and complete tasks so that they have something they are proud of and can share with many others.  This will also open the  door for positive feedback but also negative feedback.  Negative feedback does not always have to be bad. I believe what you do with feedback is important whether it is positive or negative and teaching students to use feedback effectively is a skill on its own.

Maker Culture

After watching another one of EDtalks videos this time on developing a Maker Culture, it got me thinking about my own pedagogy and practice.  I’m currently in a position to continue to develop a Maker Culture in a Modern Learning Environment and the timing couldn’t be any better with our school focus on Technology!  I currently have access to a 3D printer, two Brainboard Tank Robots, and a Lego Mindstorm Robot Kit.  This has been a big year for me being part of a new journey collaborating with my colleague and deputy principal in this newly established MLE and can’t wait to excite and motivate students to create and problem-solve authentic issues using the resources we currently have access to as well as the possibility of purchasing more.

A Maker Culture is shifting the locus of control from the teacher to the student and learning from doing not being a passive receiver.  I experienced this shift of locus of control last year in a digital classroom I had piloted in 2013 and once again in my new surroundings with a much larger group of students.  Sixty-two to be precise!  Being part of an MLE is a lot more restricting when collaborating with other teachers who have yet to experience this.  However, this term our school tried a different approach to an inquiry after our trip to Melbourne in term two to look at the setup of other MLE schools.  So in term 3 the teachers got to do an inquiry that interested them. This was to spark motivation for students to research and present their own interests.  This truly was putting the students at the centre of the learning!

To say that there would be no challenges is an understatement.  A Maker Culture is learning from challenges that arise from investigating things they are passionate about or problem-solving an identified need.  There are going to be educators that think they need to  be the fountain of all knowledge. Well, you don’t!  What you need to do is Let Go! Stop thinking you need to be in control all the time.  Put the technology in front of the students and let them explore individually or in small groups and have them tell you what it is, how it works, what you could do with it, how could you improve the model or how can it help others.  The possibilities are unlimited that can extend into other areas of learning.

References:

Core-ed.org,. (2015). CORE Education's Ten Trends 2015 | CORE Education. Retrieved 29 September 2015, from http://www.core-ed.org/thought-leadership/ten-trends

Inc.com,. (2015). 5 Top Trends in Education Technology 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2015, from http://www.inc.com/aaron-skonnard/5-top-trends-in-education-technology-2015.html

Stuff,. (2015). School skypes space HQ. Retrieved 29 September 2015, from http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/western-leader/9115847/The-skys-the-limit

Professional Connection Map #5

Making Connections

Updated using Prezi

My professional connections map of my community revealed multiple layers and various types of connections linking to other connections. My real world connections are strong and I engage with frequently through face-to-face interactions, discussions, collaboration, emails, and meetings.  While digital connections are developing and growing within the classroom, it is also connecting outside of the classroom with my real world and professional connections.  I want to continue to engage and strengthen the relationship with whanau, parents and students at my school through the use of digital communication i.e share their children’s learning with them.  I believe that if parents are not going to attend student conferences or special events at school, whatever the reason/s then I needed to provide alternative means so that students are more likely to continue to want to learn.  With the use of digital connections such as skype, twitter, facebook and blogging I can extend these professional connections on a global scale, not only to benefit my own teaching pedagogy, but also maximise the learning opportunities for my students.  This could help strengthen ties for students with their ‘home country’, which may support relationship with family.

What are or what would be the benefits and challenges of working in a more interdisciplinary environment?

Interdisciplinary can be defined as “bringing together two or more things under one roof… in a conscious manner” (Mathison & Freeman, 1997, p.11). In a primary setting, this could mean integrating two classrooms in an open planned classroom with two teachers responsible for the learning or two subjects together, regardless of the methods, processes, points of view or skills taught. Mathison & Freeman (1997) summarise the interdisciplinary approach as “always consciously integrating two or more disciples and keeps them distinct and in focus.” The approach is largely teacher directed, with clear objectives and a focus on inquiry skills.

The benefits of working in a more interdisciplinary environment would be that I could utilise human resources that are not necessarily teacher related. For example, using digital experts like students or teachers to show their peers or other teachers new learning. This type of relationship would not only allow new experiences for my students, but would also other students outside of my classroom and allow others i.e. teachers to step out of their comfort zone by upskilling and making professional and real world connections.

Social media has played a large part in helping to establish and maintain professional connections. It is the easiest way with individuals being so busy. Online discussions have allowed me to hear ideas of others, and the collaborative approach benefits everyone.

The major challenge is time. In a profession where the job never ends, there is never enough time to develop connections, particularly face-to-face connections. Technology has proved advantageous as things can be organised via email, facebook or msn which can be responded to when parties are not busy.

Another challenge is remembering to utilise the current resources available, whether that be a staff member or someone in the local community. More often than not, there is someone willing to help, and that information usually arises from informal conversations, hence the need for face-to-face discussions. Tapping into other outside agencies and business that can come into the school e.g. Travelwise who was the drive behind establishing ‘The Walking School Bus’ and your local council is another excellent resource. Again, the time is the major barrier when setting up these relationships.

I believe, that as we move away from the traditional forms of teaching, an interdisciplinary approach is needed in order to foster citizens who are ready to participate in a global environment.

Reference

Mathison, S. & Freeman, M. (1997). The Logic of Interdisciplinary Studies. National Research Center on English Learning & Achievement.

My Professional Community #4

Who are the Stakeholders of your professional community? In what ways do they influence your practice?

The students in my class are who I’m primarily responsible for and who play a vital role in influencing my teaching pedagogy.  Society is changing rapidly and Robinson, (2011) suggests that we may face challenges that we have not experienced before such as students with 21st-century technology.  Therefore, I need to continue to evolve as a practitioner and make necessary changes that best enables my students to learn. I know technology such as iPads, Chromebooks, PC’s, Samsung have the potential to engage and promote learning.  



Last year I taught in a digital classroom learning with robotics and this year has seen me try many digital and collaborative innovative learning to bring about change both for students, my colleague and myself.  I have a student who is a great writer however he does not have very good pencil grip and this at times can be an issue for him.  It restricts how much writing he gets done in a time-frame and this can be detrimental to his learning as he becomes withdrawn.  Using digital tools like iPads, Chromebooks and PC’s with apps such as Google Classroom with their Google Docs this student is no longer held back as he finds it much easier to type than write.  I have also used other apps like Blendspace and Google Classroom to assess students learning and give teacher and student effective feedback.

My colleagues are also stakeholders of my community as I’m part of a Modern Learning Environment.  Some students at my school have more knowledge about digital devices and apps than the teachers themselves including my colleagues.  As the teacher with the most knowledge when it comes to ICT it is not only the students that seek my support but also the teachers and my work colleagues.  I’m often supporting teachers to implement new learning or to solve their technical issues.  Some teachers are keen to learn while others struggle with the idea and often need more support.

What is the purpose and function of your practice?  In what ways do you cater for the community of your practice?

As an educator, I am responsible for the students in my community of learning.  The purpose and function of my practice are to give students choice of how they learn best.  This means I need to have the knowledge to empower not only my students but also my colleague as she plays a vital role in making this possible.  Just as important as having the knowledge is letting go of the locus of control.  Students should be utilised as ako’s (leaders) to help others grow including teachers as sometimes hearing it from a peer is more powerful than the teacher explaining to the student.  Effective feedback has been one of the biggest purposes and function of my practice and Hattie and Timperley (2007) states, “Feedback is one of the most powerful influences on learning and achievement, but this impact can be either positive or negative”.  At first I purely focused on teacher feedback using Google Classroom until I realised I needed to shift the focus to include peer feedback.  Hattie, 2012 says, “Teachers who do not acknowledge the importance of peer feedback can be most handicapped in their effects on students.  To ensure I was catering for my community I discussed with my colleague how best we could achieve this as it was important to us both.  I began creating lessons using existing alternatives such as peer review, traffic lights, and a rubric that most students were familiar with.  This was the beginning of a great outcome for the students I trailed it with at the beginning of Term 3 and have extended to others.

What are the challenges you face in your practice?

We are faced with many different challenges, but the real test is how we cope and adapt to those challenges.  Being part of a Modern Learning Environment has come with its own challenges.  The first challenge was being part of a much larger learning environment and working closely with another teacher in the same space with the same students.  It has taken a bit to get used to and I would be lying if I said it was a box of roses.  The most important thing to come out of all of this is our relationship as colleagues. We have a better understanding of each others strengths and weaknesses.  One of the things that we established early in the year was to communicate openly and collaboratively  This has been important to ensure we were both on the same page and the students were not getting mixed signals.  Before coming into this environment, I was aware how loud my colleague can be and this was a challenge for me because I didn’t want to have to raise my voice to be heard over hers.  To overcome this challenge I continued to use a quiet voice and I also expected the students to do the same.  What I have noticed is her voice is much lower most of the time.  Other challenges have been upskilling my colleague.  The students have been great ako (leader) for my colleague in supporting and answering questions to develop my colleagues knowledge of using various devices and apps.  Just as important as having the knowledge is the devices to support the knowledge.  This has sometimes been a challenge as the school provides a limited number of devices with some students bringing their own.  It makes it really challenging when have a great lesson planned but insufficient devices to match the number of students.  We know technology has the power to engage and motivate learners (Lebler, 2012) and so it is important I continue to persist with the challenges for the good of the learner.

References

Hattie, J. (2012). Visible learning for teachers: Maximizing impact on learning. London; New York: Routledge.

Lebler, D. (2012). Technology and Students’. Theory Into  Teachers and students getting left behind by technology. Practice, 204-211.

Robinson, K. (2011). Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative. West Sussex, United Kingdom: Capstone Publishing Ltd.

Response to Finlay’s (2008)’s article #3

 “Reflecting on reflective practice” by Lynda Finlay (2008)

This article got me thinking about when and how I reflect on my teaching pedagogy but more importantly what I am not doing when I’m reflecting.  There are many different definitions of reflection and Finlay concludes reflection is a process that caters for us all to improve from previous experiences (Boyd & Fales, 1983).

What I found interesting in this article…

Effective Improvements: The idea of reflection for effective improvement sounds great!  However what happens when one over reflects?  I’ve noticed some people including students tend to over reflect asking questions such as, what if I did this, should I have done this and why didn’t I do that? This has led to being over anxious and stressed and therefore for these people this can present problems not effective improvements.  I know for some students reflecting collaboratively in small groups is more beneficial to their learning.

Lack of time: Finlay mentions the lack of time professionals have due to constantly being busy and finding the reflection process too difficult and time-consuming.  Reflecting on our practice is important and defiantly possess advantages for the learner and it needs to be critiqued to manage issues like this.  I know I find it challenging to find the time to sit down and truly reflect on the day’s learning.  Some days this is possible and others I’m having to make time at home for this to happen.  It shouldn’t be this hard!  I have learnt to reflect-in-action (thinking while doing) like most teachers to change the direction or continue with the learning because of student interest, observations, feedback, the learning outcome and this too is important, but time needs to be made for more focused deeper reflecting not over reflecting.

One Size fits all: There are many different reflective practice models that exist in today’s society and therefore there is no, “One size fits all” and “Let us not forget that the model is a tool, not a mirror.” (Gordon, 1984, p.243).  After reading and learning about the different models used to reflect on practices or processes, I found Gibbs’ Model for Reflection, (1988) allows a simplified method for critically reflecting on practices.

Gibbs’ Model for Reflection, (1988) is a six step concept that each answer leads onto the next step. This model allows you to think systematically about your experiences and the simplistic nature of the questions allows for clear and precise understanding and you have a clear map of their experience(s). Gibbs model of reflection will be an effective tool to reflect on situations and environments to help me improve my teaching pedagogy.

Reference:

Boyd E & Fales A (1983): Reflective Learning: the key to learning from experience. Journal of Humanistic Psychology 23 (2) pp99-117.

Gibbs, G (1988) Learning by doing: a guide to teaching and learning methods. Oxford: Further  Education Unit, Oxford Polytechnic.

Finlay, L. (2009) Reflecting on reflective practice. PBPL. Retrieved from http://www.open.ac.uk/opencetl/files/opencetl/file/ecms/web-content/Finlay-%282008%29-Reflecting-on-reflective-practice-PBPL-paper-52.pdf

Knowingnursing.files.wordpress.com,. (2015). Retrieved 28 September 2015, from https://knowingnursing.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/gibbs.png

My Journey #2

My Journey!

Digital and Collaborative Innovated Learning

It started with a bang in 2015 when our school decided to open two Modern Learning Environments. A new entrant and Senior class and as, a result the principal suggested I apply for the March 2015 intake for the postgraduate program, ‘Digital and Collaborative Learning’ at The Mind Lab by Unitec. After visiting The Mind Lab website, reading their pamphlet and a discussion with my principal, colleague and talking with a representative from The Mind Lab about what the course entailed, I decided to apply.  Since beginning and attending the workshops held at ‘The Mind Lab’, I have reflected on my current practice, tried new classroom practices and explored engaging ways to deliver the curriculum in a modern learning environment. 

I have learned many things about myself as a learner and made many changes to my practice...

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” ~Nelson Mandela~

Undertaking the Mind Lab Postgrad Cert. In Applied Practice, Digital and Collaborative Learning ignited my desire to make changes for best practice!

I have tried different instructional approaches to collaborative learning using digital tools e.g. GarageBand with small groups of Year 5 and 6 students.  Here students are creating a rap about respect. I learned I want students to be more in control of their learning and being the ako for their peers. Students became the ako for the new groups of students learning how to create a rap using GagrageBand.

Students had to program a Lego Mindstorm robot to move through a maze without banging into anything using an interactive board to collaborate. After many attempts, the students successfully entered the coordinates to manoeuvre the robot around the track they designed and set-up. For this to be successful required the students to be resilient and problem-solvers with minimal input from myself.

Here students have uploaded and shared evidence of their inquiry statement of what they wanted to find out and why, a roadmap (timeline) showing roles and responsibilities to achieve their goal, what they discovered and their reflections using Blendspace. This gives collaborators access to the group's inquiry in and outside of school to their learning and teachers data to target-teach specific skills needed and track students learning. This was a massive task as the two teachers I work with had no experience with Blendspace or the 6 D's Process from the 21st Century Skills I wanted the students to use to guide their inquiry learning. I learned with such a large group, next time it would be best to teach the skills within a mini inquiry on that particular skill. Using Blendspace for the students was simple for the students to learn quickly and also teach the teachers.

I have learned so much and I realise the importance to take the time to reflect on the learning to consolidate this new learning. If we wait too long who misses out?

If you wait for the right kids and the right teachers we are going to wait forever. You’ve got to work with what you’ve got!

(Alma Harris, 2012).


References

AITSL. (2012, Nov 13).  Schools performing beyond expectations -- Dr Alma Harris in conversation with Anthony Mackay [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKZV