Creating an Advert in Room 11

 Today, when working in Room 11, we talked about advertising products and what makes a great ad to entice people to purchase the product.

We learnt (by learnt, the students) on how to use Canva to create a poster/infographic. It is a great way to create your design with many free options. #canva

A poster should have title, picture, ingredients, where to purchase, not many colours and make it enticing for the people to want to purchase my product.

Creating and modelling alongside the students supports their engagement and gives them ideas. A colleague and myself as creating masks to market at our "Craft Market" this term.

Does the advert entice you to come and purchase some masks and join the trend?

Advertising for the Craft Market

 Today I worked with Room 12

We were learning about creating posters for our Breakfast Jars that we are selling at the Craft Market this year.

I learnt how to design an advert in Canva and what is needed on a poster to advertise: title, picture, background, limited fonts.

L particularly enjoyed creating the images in Google Draw to include in my Canva design.  I used "mask the image" option to create some effect on my pictures.

Do you eat Breakfast on the go! Would you buy my Breakfast Jar?

Minecraft is here!

 Wow...a long time in coming.  The access to Minecraft Education Edition on Chromebooks just made school all the more "swag".  I have wanted to start a Minecraft Club, having students bring in their own devices to make this work...hence leaving out others who wanted to be part of the experience.

Now I can have a group, keen to Minecraft and enjoy a collaborative and creative experience!

Thank you Google and Microsoft for making this happen!

PS: I can now game at work!!!

What's next?

I have had an awesome time at DFI, learning, creating and sharing with new colleagues and back at my workplace.  I will miss my online Tuesday class for many reasons (including getting home from work "early"). 

I am displaying my badges proudly on my page, badges showcasing the learning I have undertaken for the last 4 months with The Mind Lab and DFI.

What's next you say.  As you know, the Girlie Swot will want to learn more...and as Google says:

Learning never stops

Dedicated educators are lifelong learners

So here it is...

Watch this space!!!

Moving on up!

It has been a great 9 weeks of learning.  I started this journey in Lockdown with a keenness to learn new and exciting things about Google and Learn Create Share:  A bit like, "you don't know what you don't know" - with the attitude of not professing to know everything, I embarked with an open mind!

Here is a reflection of the past 12+ weeks with Lockdown, PLD and in particular, my DFI Journey.

The experience of learning is never lost on me.  Whether I am a 'girlie swat' or a 'lifelong learner' - we are and should be on the look for opportunities to learn, extend, reinforce and just to know!

Thanks to Manaiakalani Trust for this opportunity and to the support from my facilitator Gerhard.

More Power to ya!

There has been plenty of opportunities to learn over the past eight weeks.  For me, it has been digging deeper into the Learn Create Share kaupapa and checking my understanding whilst exploring some features of Google Suite and other tools/apps that support teaching and learning (and life for that matter).

Our sessions were divided into different types of learning:

• Deep Dive: the possibilities are endless
• Chalk n Talk: gaining knowledge
• Explore: hands-on or play
• Levelling up: extending my knowledge and skills even further

Top right: Deep Dive; Top Left: Chalk n Talk; Bottom Left: Explore; Bottom Right: Levelling Up

Each week we have unpacked each of the following areas:

This week we talked through EMPOWERED.

I think this was relevant to my current reflections around our Outreach Programme - Kootuitui ki Papakura and the use of the devices.  I have been an advocate for partnering with Manaiakalani since its inception in our cluster.  I saw it as an opportunity for our families to have access to technology and a strong pedagogy around the use of devices to engage ALL our learners no matter their academic achievements or background.   

I can see each area is link together - Learn Create Share - students gaining and sharing knowledge. I can also see the links to our Formative Assessment (that's another post another time) within our school.  It's the key aspects on the outside of the visual above - visible for all, connected beyond the classroom, ubiquitous access anywhere and anyplace (next weeks learning) but to come away knowing we are here to empower our learners, teachers... and our families.

Often, at a parent hui who are new to devices, we are often confronted with why their children are being exposed to technology like a Chromebooks so early in their education...they are too young, too much responsibility, how much time will they spend online.  I am now armed with some key quotes, ideas and thinking and as another reflection....no longer will I be saying "It's just a tool!"

We are empowering our next generation.  Technology is changing fast...real fast.  Our students can be more tech-savvy than adults, then the teachers.  This generation seems to be grasping concept more readily and students are hungry to learn more and be gamified, engaged, play, learn, share, be the centre, be better...

I want to reimagine the set of slides we use with the families - I know more, understand more and can talk more about why we learn and focus on this kaupapa...why their children will benefit and what the future will hold for them under this umbrella.

I know we don't profess to have one of these...

but, if what we see around us with technological changes is anything to go by, the skills and knowledge our students need to learn and develop now will hold them in good stead for the future...they will be future-focused.

Creating in a new way!

There are many resources and things you can do using media and editing tools for creating and sharing ideas, thinking and learning. Its a matter of introducing students to a variety of ways they can create.

Two ways to create videos were explored today:  Explain Everything and Screencastify.

Explain Everything App

Explain Everything is an iPad app that has many possibilities for students to create and share their learning.  See here:

Screencastify used to make this video

Screencastify and Cyber Smart

Our next unit of work is called: Moola.  Our students are creating products to sell online and raise money for school camp.  Here are some resources that can support them to be smarter online with buying and selling: Smart Money.  The resources are focused around developing our students as CyberSmart.  Knowing how to interact and be digital citizens.

Masters of Design Navigation

The last two weeks have been an opportunity to explore the concept of design and navigation.  Through Google Sites, we create our own websites for showcasing our knowledge, learning and creativity.

We have spent some time critiquing various Google Sites from the cluster.  I know that this can be personal preference and some people like navigation across the page, down the page, left or right of the page and lots of buttons and visuals.  However, we need to keep our audience in mind when designing an effective website...

This infographic puts together some of the ideas and learning over the past 6 weeks in regard to design, engagement, visibility and connectedness:  (yes I am making another infographic!)

Some things I have learnt about design and set up to use for myself:

• use a mix of visuals and texts - photo, clipart, video, infographics...
• stick to a colour scheme - I have created my own colours
• think about my audience
• pages with too many links deter the audience: '3 clicks' rule
• simple is sometimes better
• a busy background deters the audience
• rule of thumb: sight, sound and motion

Now, to remember them and use them!!

Check out our school website - I have been working on Design Navigation to refine the presentation and made it clear and concise

What is the food of the Leader?

Today brings to mind my role as a leader in a school.  In the session today we learnt about making what we do visible to others and for our teachers, visible for students and their whanau. 

My learning journey through digital technology has been just that.  It seemed easy to share knowledge and ideas with my cohort - my staff - in a Professional Learning Meeting, but to put it out in the open, on blogs and sites was different and difficult - more people could see it.  I spent "Pinterest" time exploring how to make a good blog and blog post...I must admit I wanted to be perfect!

The pedagogy of Learn Create Share is making our learning visible to others.  We are expecting our students to put up work (which doesn't have to be fully edited and perfect), then what am I worried about!

Aside from Blogger, the use of Google Sites allows us to create a website for others.  How special, having my own website - simple and creative - allowing the use of all my new learning to go into one spot to be shared with others: YouTube Channel, Google Drawing, Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides...  What you can create, seems achievable.  Put my creative spin could be great too!

Today's new learning around exploring multi-modal, multi-textual and T Shaped Literacy is going to cumulate into a Google Site with purpose and application.  I am putting my 2020 Inquiry on "Learning Support" into an easy to access a site with links to a variety of texts/resources that will capture teachers, provide learning for them and through critical thinking, have an opportunity to create their own resources to support their learners in the classroom.

So what is my checklist for inclusion in my new Google Site!

Here is the beginning of my new Google Site: Learning Support

Finally, the Whakatauki that began my thinking in this post:

Acquire knowledge and share with the people!

Creating with Learning - Sharing with you!

This lifelong learner is on fire! I have had an awesome weekend creating using my new learning from DFI and also some self-directed learning through tutorials.

Firstly, within Google Draw, I gave feedback (formative assessment) to a student on their Google Draw project. I gave the initial comment and then via a Google Meet we recrafted her writing - removing the countless 'and's' and shaped the sentences to paint a picture in the readers mind!

Then I decided after my Master Class in Master slides with Dorothy - to finish my own slide template using a new colour scheme I had developed - see Connecting Visually Blog post. Then I created my own Learn Creat Share set of slides using this template: LCS master.

To support my distance learning and the ease of access I decided to make a number of slides with a classroom background - saw on Facebook and Pinterest - and I have a new set of slides that I can include links for students/parents to use: library, choice boards, lounge room - all using master edit and png to put in the extra pieces. 

I also continue to streamline my workflow and am finding the use of Toby Mini helpful and using tasks and calendar within the documents. Can't forget Mr Keep - recording my voice, it puts it in text - here come the documents I can do on the go!!

Dancing with Data

What a stack of new learning today and exploring tools in such a different way.

Firstly, SHARE....the focus of today.

Sharing is not just standing up in front of the class and talking about your work, nor about sitting next to an adult to share, putting the child's work in the school newsletter or even putting your work on the classroom wall.

We have the capacity to extend our audience beyond the classroom, beyond the community to the wider 'community', putting it in a global context.  We have access to technology.

Giving our students to engage with the Share aspect of the Learn Create Share Pedagogy.  One thing to remember in this pedagogical practice is that our Learn Create Share is not just linear, that we can share at any stage of the learning process and that is it not just the final product.

On reflection, I feel we don't always give our students or the timing for them to share to their audience.  I wonder how many tasks in your class remain unfinished.  So I ask, what is the purpose of the learn, create, share - are students capturing their audience!?

One thing I have learnt, in particular, challenging my own beliefs, is that the publishing to the blog is not about perfection.  As a classroom teacher, putting work on the wall was about editing and ensuring it was perfect - no mistakes.  Blogging is not about that - it is about sharing your progress.  So I am embracing this...I was always worried about posting a blog, was it correct, was it right...

Putting myself out there!

Finally, developing positive sharing habits with our students whilst using Blogger will support our future to leave positive footprints!

Dancing with Data: Review of a Blog

I have chosen to dance with a class blog from my school.  During the recent Covid-19 Lockdown, we were faced with the challenge of Distance Learning.  This was a first for the country with students, particularly at a Primary Level. 

For our school, it seemed easy as we were connected to Kootuitui ki Papakura, an outreach of Manaiakalani.  Our students in Year 3-6 had devices to use for learning and the Learn Create Share pedagogy to engage this learning.  Our students also had an audience through their own Blogs.

For our Junior School, students relied on their parents to assist with technology and support the sharing aspect of the pedagogy, sharing their learning on a class blog.

The journey begins with our Junior Teachers, planning for Distance Learning and learning LOTS about the concept of Blogger. 

It was an awesome session, watching the growth as the team learnt more about the tools that will be available to them during this time and how they can best use them to support our junior students and more importantly, showcase the learning activities that they completed within their bubble.

This is a great opportunity to look at one of the class blogs and see how the data paints a picture of interest and engagement during this time.

Introducing Room 18:

Click to visit their blog

So what happened behind the scene with the Blog...

Well done Room 18 families!

What next?...

To ensure blog posts are regularly updating and families/whanau are encouraged to view and engaging with comments.  

Although not reflected in this data dance, commenting was not a strong feature of the data!  

Label: Dancing with Data (DwD)

Connecting Visually

 I love the word Create.  

It means to bring something into existence.    There are times in my 'after school time' that you can find me creating through card making, crafting quote books, painting furniture and generally upcycling 'stuff' - usually for others but it is always an element of myself and life!

Creativity inspires me and particularly now I can put this into a digital context.  In the classroom we need to look at the concept of  Create as providing learners with a 'hook', engaging them into creating something that demonstrates their learning and for some students, provides learning for someone else.  Tasks also need to allow students choice and collaboration.

So therefore CREATE is to empower learner through:

• Choice

• Information/knowledge

• Developing skills

• Building capacity

• Scaffolding

                (Dorothy Burt)

 I like this quote from Kohl (2008):

"Creativity focuses on the process of forming original ideas through exploration and discovery.  In children, creativity develops from their experiences with the process, rather than concern for the finished product.  Creativity is not to be confused with talent, skills or intelligence.  Creativity is not about doing something better than others, it is about thinking, exploring, discovering, and imagining."

The Create within the Learn Create Share is about using digital tools to allow learners to create and show their learning in different ways.  It is not about the tool but the thinking, content and processes sitting behind what students develop.

It is about giving our students choice in their presenting...open your senses, engage your mind, connect visually, learn more...there are no limits!


My learning in action...

Organising my Google

During the session today we did lots of looking back to the ways things were and pondering what we know now, where we come from and in most cases, glad of the way technology is supporting our future.  Being appreciative during Covid 19 of how far our students have come in their ability to access learning from home - Ubiquitous

Reflecting back on these words RATE (Recognise, Amplify, Turbo Charge, Effective Practice) I decide to put my new learning into a Doc created infographic (combining two weeks of learning!)

Organising workflow was the underlying theme and I thought I had been 'developing workflow' with my Google Apps but know so much more to the point of being able to now turbocharge the use of the apps and its many functions.

A summary of what I have already changed as a result: 

• Greater use of labels/archive in Gmail
• Use of the task option within Gmail and Calendar
• Some modification within my Gmail settings
• Addition of Grid View and Meet attendance to extensions 
• Use of a few new extensions with Chrome - Toby Mini and One Tab. 
• A wow moment: I plan to make better use of Google Keep beyond just taking notes on the app!

The first thing I am going to share is the use of Tasks within Gmail and Calendar!

Might amplify those sticky notes all over my desk anyway!

Google Tasks within Gmail and Google Calendar

Finally, spending time over the next week to really unpack the extensions - Toby Mini and One Tab as well as streamlining my Gmail might be in order.  Trying to get the right feel for what will work best for me...

Explore it!

Wow!  What a day of exploration...

Arriving at the online DFI session was exciting...apart from a "short drive" via the kettle to the study.  It was fantastic to be able to connect on a virtual level with other educators from around the country.

Many things resonated with me during the day as there was new learning and revisited knowledge.  There was a little bit of Marie Kondo thrown in for good measure - should we say to develop positive habits with the use of Google and what it offers. I was 'buzzing' all day with the new ideas, tricks and tips being collected and tested.

Today was a real sense of collaboration and the model developed for DFI - Deep Dive, Chalk n Talk and Explore - made the experience real.  Being able to learn more about the tools, what they can do and to give this new learning a go!  This fits with my philosophy - see it and do it.  Many times we can show someone, talk to someone but unless they see it in action and are able to immediately try it out, they won't grasp the skills or concepts being shared.

My takeaways from this are summarised on the following infographic (part of the creating in our session) using Google Docs.

Finally, there is the possibility of doing lots more with Google Docs than I actually do.

So what?
Newsletters, infographics, templates, speech to text, well-formatted documents with links to sections of documents.  Look out next document - here I come!