Google Site

Google Sites

Today just confirmed how having work visible is important not just to other teachers but also for children, families and really the community. By using the google sites it can really be easy for this to happen. 

We looked at some great examples of Google sites used at all different levels including high schools. I love looking at how other people set up and use their Google site in their everyday learning. I have found in the little I have done with the children using a google site, I have found that they enjoyed using the google site and were more engaged. 

After some feedback and by looking at other sites I am starting to make changes to the hub site. I need to make it more simple and eye catchy for the audience. I look forward to putting more work up on the site and using it more in different areas. I am starting small but will continue working on including more reading groups and use it more in other areas.

Here is the start of some of the changes I have made to the Hub site. 

Collaborate Sites

Google Sites

Sharing- We discussed more about the importance of this and how we have been doing this for years as it does not always have to be digital. However, the ability of what we can do in the digital world really helps us to reach a larger audience. 

Google Sites- We looked at how this can really help to keep your planning and be a place the children can access their learning. After looking at some Google Site examples of these it was really interesting to see the different levels how this is being done. The multi module's are similar to hyperdocs which I have had a go at. I will definitely continue to work on this as I got some great ideas from other peoples mutli moduls. 

Below is an example of what we started to work on. We have looked at different ways to get the children to cover the learn aspect and we were working on the create aspect. This was going to be a Google Drawing in which the children would be rearranging some pictures. 

My next step is to include more work for different levels in my class using the Google Sites. 

Click to Google Site

Dealing with Data

Today was full of information on how to present data in different ways. We started with the importance of creating and how this can be done in a variety of ways. I did like this quote "creative skills helps students become better problem solvers, communicators and collaborators". It mentions how the whole body can be used when thinking about creating, this is definitely something I need to keep in mind when planning.

Google Forms- I have only used this twice I think with the children, however, I have filled out many forms and can see why people use this tool. I see how easy it is to use and I am thinking I can get the children using this. It can be used for a variety of ways and the pick a path story idea intrigues me.
Google Sheets- I admit I really only use this for planning and have not really used it too much for analysing data. I have learned quite a few tricks for this and how you can convert the information into charts. I have also below embedded a google chart in the blog and I got this information from someone's blog. This is just one way it can be used but gathering the information and being able to display this into a chart is cool.
Google Maps- I was really interested in how this can be used as have never tried this. Below is something we worked on using the information used from a google sheet which was pretty amazing. One of the teachers plans to use this to map where certain animals are which is perfect as we are looking at native animals so this got me thinking about including it in my planning.

It was interesting today to see how you can use google sheets,google forms and google maps all in together. 

Workflow

Workflow

Today, when Dorothy was talking about Manaiakalani pedagogy she mentioned about rewind and flip learning which I found was interesting. She associates flip learning with how in America they use this with some high school students by getting them to watch a video of the teacher teaching to watch the day before. If it is rewind then it is there for the children to refer to later or when they are having trouble or can't remember something.

I liked this slide about how technology can be used to accelerate a child's learning.

Google Keep- This is an extension I already had but had not really got into using. It can be helpful to take notes and lists. This can also be linked to your calendar and you can send out notifications. With Google Keep you can take a photo of a text and it will type it and then you can copy and paste this. It could be used for stories you don't have enough copies of etc.

Gmail- I recently learned about snooze and schedule when you send an email which I might use. I don't get a huge amount of emails but for those who do look into the settings and maybe configuring would be a good idea. This means that the emails go into different folders before you even see them.

Calendars- I gained more confidence with using this and how this can link to Google Keep. Also how this can connect with Google Hangout.

Google Hangout- This is something I have been on but not set up myself I have gained more confidence in order to set this up and use as we used a few times today.

Tabs- We were introduced to One Tab as an extension and this lists the tabs all under one. This didn't appeal to me but will for others. Toby Mini is another extension which I think I may use after talking to some others. This is one in which you can group different tabs under one heading. This could be handy when I am in a team meeting and I need to have the same tabs up every time. Or it could be handy when doing an assignment or planning and you have a few different tabs with resources.

Today's learning was about workflow so mainly beneficial for me to help with being more efficient with my time and how I organise my personal life. So today was very useful for me. As far as the learners are concerned the Google Hangout could be used to maybe to connect with others in the community or the world.

Digital Fluency Intensive

Today I learnt some new skills as well as reinforced some of the skills I already had. It was good to gain more confidence in some areas. I particularly liked learning about setting up headings correctly in order to lead me on to other parts of a document. I can see how this can help my colleagues as well as my children. 

The use of the Voice Typing is an interesting one and I plan to look at this more and have a real play with. I like the idea of trying voice typing with some children who are reluctant to write and have all these wonderful ideas. Currently, my colleagues are looking at different ways to teach writing and this might be something that could be tried.

Another useful thing I learnt today was about setting up a Google group as although I belong to some I have never known how to set this up myself. This could be useful in the future for groups which don't just involve people from my school.  

By doing the scavenger hunt this did make me feel confident that I can do a few things to do with  documents. It is interesting what I already know, however there is a great deal to learn still.  I learnt some new tricks which I plan to pass on to others which is always good and hopefully this will help with workflow and reinforcing I can use it too. 

Toolkits

STEM

I attended the STEM workshop at the Te Ara Tuhura Toolkits run by the Manaiakalani cluster. I had not done a lot in this area and so was interested in how STEM is done in a classroom setting. The teachers who took it dedicated a whole morning to this STEM activity. The environment in which they taught this was a bilingual one in which there were children from the age of 5 to 11 years.

The process in which they went through was provocation, planning, creating, sharing and reflecting. They came up with most provocations themselves or gained a few ideas from the internet. I found this interesting as I think for me this would be a challenge to come up with something each week. They said it becomes easier the more you do it and if you just think about the things that are happening then it will help to come up with something. I like the planning process as it was detailed and there was a criteria for them to gain more points. I think I would adjust this slightly as the year went on to challenge them more. I would also be clear about the roles in which they do to help ensure everyone participates.
During the creating process the teachers explained they do not spend a lot on the equipment given. This made me think that it is an accessible activity for all. The sharing part is important and very much fit it in with the Manaiakalani way of thinking with putting an importance on sharing. This was done orally, however this could be done in other ways as well. The reflection process that they have just put in place would be interesting with the young ones, but she said they sometimes just orally say it. The reflection side of things would just finish things off nicely for the whole process.
I can see how this approach can help with our work with the children on improving their collaborative skills. It covers many areas of the curriculum which is great. I would like to try this approach to learning at some stage and would enjoy the challenge of coming up with a good provocation.

I am an Educator , I am an Innovator

The Mantra of An Innovative Educator (Video)

November 21, 2016 by George

I watched the video for this and some things resonated with me. Some of the statements are something that I think about or currently do. At first I had to really think what and how these people are innovators as it is not something I normally would call a teacher or myself.
There have been many changes in education in the time that I have been a teacher and being open to new learning is very important. I believe I do this and and love hearing about what people are up to that is different and think that it is important to not think that everything has to stay the same. I admit there are a few things that in my years of teaching that I have liked and struggled initially to change. But I have pushed myself to get past this and have been rewarded with learning new things and making positive changes to my teaching.

Working in a collaborative environment really helps to establish important relationships with my colleagues. It also helps with challenging my ideas and helps to spark new ideas in my teaching. It is good to get different perspectives on things which you can get from your colleagues when you are working in a group.

After watching the video and having a think about what they are saying I am beginning to understand the statement I am an educator I am an innovative. 

"I listen and learn from different perspectives, because I know we are much better together than we could ever be alone. I can learn from anyone and any situation."