DFI: Collaborate

Kia ora Readers, 

Our focus today was on Google Sites along with Multi-modal and visible learning for students, teachers and whanau. 

Not too much new knowledge and skills from today, my kura has been using class sites from the start of Term 2. It's place in my daily program has been cemented, especially after 2 mini lockdowns, and my class use it daily for their work. I have been out of the class a lot this term and my class use it when they work with a reliever. I'm no expert at class sites, but do feel confident creating and editing them. 

What was awesome to see was the Multi-modal database for different themes and texts. Very useful. The way tasks and learning are delivered/presented is different to how I have done it on my own class site. So seeing a different way was good and made me think about how I can change my own site either for this year or going forward. 

Our Create Task for today was to collaborate with other teachers on a theme and texts and design a site around that. My site is here. I enjoyed this task, it was helpful to try and design tasks differently to how I usually do it. 

DFI: Dealing with Data

 

Kia Ora everyone, 

I found today's session helpful. We focused on Google Forms and Sheets which are two apps that I do use but am not very confident on. Before this session I was able to figure out how to use a function feature to add the total amount of a row of data. So I'm hoping this added to that and I only get more confident from here. I know being more familiar with Sheets will help with Data analysis in the long run.

I enjoyed being able to use Forms in conjunction with other apps like the My Maps, which was a new experience for me and will definitely use it with my class when I am more experienced with it. The My Maps app I can see being used for my Migration and Identity unit that I have been doing with my class. 

Being able to pull statistics from Blogs is a wonderful way to connect Maths for my class especially while our focus is on Data for the next week or so. 

One of the Create tasks for today was to create a chart out of a blog looking at the number of posts that are being made on a monthly basis. I chose Natasha from Hornby High School. The level of work and number of posts surprised me. 

The stats of Natasha's Blog Posts. 

            

DFI: Media

 Kia ora everyone, 

Today was focused about on the different tools within Google that I have used quite frequently over my time as a teacher. Despite this, I found today quite useful- the tips and walkthrough for Slides and Draw I believe will let me be more efficient and creative with them, and hopefully be more engaging for my students. I also feel confident that I can guide/model them through being able to use these tools for themselves, rather than just something that is always directed from my end.

                                  

This was my Create task for today. To think of an app that either I or my learners would find useful using Google Slides. I decided to focus mine around the upcoming Ako Hiko Film Festival, and having a resource that can the students can look to throughout the film making process for information.  It is still a work in progress but I am keen to keep working on it. 

DFI: Workflow

 DFI: Workflow

Today we delved deeper into the L.C.S. pedagogy that Manaiakalani encourages. It is one that my Kura have been focusing on this past year, especially during the lockdowns. 

Thinking back on it we use our class sites to achieve this, setting up our tasks in Reading and Inquiry in the L.C.S. format. I believe it is a way that my students enjoy as well- just getting to read or watch/listen about a topic first.

Having Google Keep explained was interesting- a nice little add on, not necessarily one I would use, but it was good to know what it can do. My personal system of keeping track of notes and my to do list is chaotic, but works for me at the moment.

Filtering via labels in Gmail was new learning for me. With all the subscriptions and resources I have its nice to be able to organize my inbox a bit better.

The Create task was to look at a blog from a previous year, look at the teaching design, the learners response, and others reaction to it. I looked at Zara's from Belfast. We recorded ourselves talking about it, and then embedded it into our Blogs- below is the result (hopefully!)

I am not fully comfortable recording myself just yet so this activity was good practice.