Remote Learning #Covid19

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I haven’t posted recently so this post comes on the back teaching and learning practices that have been refined due to #Covid19.

I am of the belief that as an educator learning in online spaces as well as the classroom should be equitable and easily accessible. Classrooms comprise of diverse learners that include diversity in ethnicities and learning needs.

#Covid19 will highlight these for us as we return to teaching and learning online in term 2. I use a number of 0365 applications and I will highlight what works for me:

Microsoft Teams and 0365 apps

  • a free LMS
  • includes Immersive Reader which is a “free tool, built into Word, OneNote, Outlook, Office Lens, Microsoft Teams, Forms, Flipgrid, Minecraft: Education Edition and the Edge browser, that implement proven techniques to improve reading and writing for people regardless of their age or ability” (Microsoft blog)
  • contains Classnotebook that allows teachers to facilitate effective online spaces.
  • Assignments submissions and grading
  • MS Teams provides an excellent workflow in the cloud. Documents/files can be stored in Onedrive.
  • Powerpoint is a presenter tool on steroids for me. My favorite updates include captions, screen recording, uploading to Stream, and design ideas tab selects cool themes for your presentation
  • Translate functions in most 0365 allows me to communicate with my ESOL students effectively breaking down language barriers.
  • Online meetings in MS Teams are stable, safe and allow for recording that can be shared for later use. I love the blur function that allows for increased privacy.
  • Live Events in MS Teams allows
  • Add-ins tab within Teams allows you to keep your favorite add-ins within one LMS
  • Insights gives you an overview of how your students are interacting with posts
  • Posts tab provides for a news and announcement feed to your audience

If you would like to learn more I would highly recommend the following resources that have been created by Microsoft to support you as an educator:

  1. aka.ms/amasway
  2. https://t.co/PIxL5W93eX?amp=1

Most importantly less is more. Keep your instructions precise and communicate often. All the best with online learning!!

 

Collaboration

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Collaboration is a word quite often loosely used in the education sector. As teachers, we are expected to collaborate often but what does professional collaboration look like in practice.

I have been in my role as Across School Leader for the past 4 months and it has been an incredible learning journey already. This role requires professional collaboration at many levels. Gina Benade (Principal at Sancta Maria Primary  School) describes this concisely in her sabbatical report.

Collaboration is dependent on relational trust. To know that you are within a professionally safe space can be empowering for professionals to engage with the learning and inquiry process. It is further dependent on collective responsibility, clear purpose, time, communication and collective inquiry.

To be an educator in NZ often means that time is not your best friend. Rather than erring on the deficit Sharrat and Planche, 2016 suggest the reconstruction of the time on hand. This would lead to inquiring into school systems and best practice.

Collaboration has become even more important now to ensure that professionals work collectively to raise student achievement which leads to the formulation of a collective goal. The end results would be envisioned as having a bigger impact than what could have been achieved individually (Brown & Stoll, 2014).

An exciting learning journey lies ahead as I work with my team of within-school leaders to impact student holistic achievement within our Kahui Ako.

 

#NZMIEE Hui

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I am incredibly privileged to be and MIEExpert, where the teaching and learning is freely shared amongst, like-minded educators. On July 14th and 15th, MicrosoftNZ together with NZ fellows organised a hui for kiwi MIEEs at the Auckland office.

This featured local NZMIEEs and some of our wonderful Australian experts such as Pip Cleaves, Lynette Barker and Noelene Callaghan. Thank you to Becky Keene from Microsoft US for joining us and sharing her skills and expertise with us.

Gems from some of the sessions I attended were:

  • Keynote:  Computational Thinking with Becky Keen

Twenty-first century skills are an important component of educational delivery today and these include computational thinking, collaboration, communication, critical thinking, creativity.

Why should we teach computational thinking?

There is an increasing need to teach computational thinking as we live in a world of ubiquitous computing. Humans have migrated mundane tasks to computers by putting robots to work. Computers don’t care about making a difference andwill work for decades without thinking. The need to think and extend beyond mundane tasks demands the need for computational thinking as it adds a layer of humanity to tasks which computers are unable to bring. Teaching students empathy is fundamental to computational thinking.

 

Simon Sinek’s TedX on the Golden Circle is worth watching.

Computational thinking is reformulating a seemingly difficult program into one we can better understand.
Universal components of computational thinking:
1. Abstraction- when you identify what defines patterns you see and focus
2. Algorithms- when you develop a step by step plan or the rules to solve a problem
3. Decomposition- the ability to break a larger problem down into smaller parts
4. Pattern recognition- when you observe similarities and patterns within problems

Important take-home note: are we contextualising our teaching that connects with the worlds major global challenges that will create future-ready citizens with our students:

Excellent resource for STEM Education has been developed by Auckland University

Technology will impact the future of jobs and the challenge for all technology teachers is the implementation of the new DT by 2020. The challenge is to incorporate the global challenges into the curriculum where at least 11/17 fit under the umbrella of DT. This is achievable in bite-sized pieces, bigger problems need to be broken into smaller problems. The real focus with this should be the impact on social and end user and gain a better understanding of how digital devices process and store information.

  • STEM share learning design: Pip Cleaves

This session was invaluable as Pip shared how to effectively design a STEM unit. STEM learning needs to be real and relevant to student interest and MUST include a technological component. Interestingly, STEM education is often confused for maker craft which it is not. Planning for STEM lessons needs to arise from student interests and global challenges would be an excellent precursor to get them thinking. Pip’s thinking process was simple and easy to follow which I am hoping to use with my students.

PBL has the teacher at the front as well as the teacher on the side and requires a lot of support and feedback  for the students.

The catch here is that all ideas are valued whether it eventuates into a tangible product or not. It is about leaving a legacy in the community to make a difference.

For example: using picture books to design a story map, using micro bits to sense temperatures and find the best places in the school environment to play at morning tea. This is then given to students as part of the welcome pack.

Some key questions to ask during the planning:

  1. What is the big idea and how can this be broken into bite-sized chunks?
  2. What is the point of the project (human bit)
  3. Where is the empathy and understanding which is the building and knowledge?
  4. What technology do we need for this unit?
  5. What other equipment do we need ready for this unit?
  6. What connections will my students and I be tapping into.

This was a fun interactive session where I learnt to code with microbits. Every aspect of teaching and learning does not require computers and students can engage in thinking activities well ahead of time to plan with microbits. These little wonderful ‘toys’ supports student design thinking strategies, promotes future ready skills, relevant to the  new DT curriculum and is engaging and fun.

We created our codes through https://makecode.com and programmed our microbits with it. My finished microbit was pretty cool.

Sustainable Development Goals: Koen Timmers

It was neat to hear from Koen (MIEExpert Belgium) about the Project Kakuma  where educators from the around the world collaborated to support education for refugees.

Education is about offering empathy and softer skills. Students can learn in different ways and do not necessarily need a teacher to learn. If teaching and learning are designed where students are no longer the object of learning but become the subject of learning, then student needs can be addressed in new and creative ways.

Other Gems worth exploring

  1. Have you tried Flipgrid in your classrooms yet? This is a relatively easy tool to use with students assessment and learning.
  2. Haeta Community School has a PBL approach to teaching and learning where students learn to their passions, skills and interests. This school would be worth visiting.
  3. What does your social media say about you? As educators are we keeping our professional and personal lives separate? Thanks Pip Cleaves for the reminder.
  4. Group challenge was a highlight for me in gaining a better understanding of developing units of work with sustainable goals and computational thinking. I’m keen to try this with my students.
  5. Minecraft for Education is something I have been trialling with my classes. The chemistry world is really awesome for years 7-11. Gamification teaches students important critical thinking skills and to embed it within the teaching culture of the school requires a shift in the school’s strategic direction and consultation with the community. Noelene Callaghan for sharing your journey- some great tips!

It was always neat to hang out with other MIEE’s. There is always much to be learnt and this community has been my source of inspiration at the end of a very busy term 2. Loving the learning and the connections. Till we meet again…much Aroha to you all.

With the amazing Bridget Crooks and Wilj Dekkers

With the incredible Kareena Martis and so thrilled for Steve Woollaston to have joined us!

Thrilled to meet you again Becky Keenes and the amazing Cathy Quigan

 

 

 

Kahui Ako

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Kahui Ako  also known as Communities of Learning was introduced over a couple of years ago with the aim to bring communities together to provide support to students to reach their full potential based on their needs.

As an educator, I am privileged to be part of the South Eastern Kahui Ako which comprises of 6 schools. This has been an 18-month journey in the making with conversations and relationship building between key stakeholders.

We recently had our first Kahui Ako Day which brought together all teaching staff from the different schools, leaders and expert partner, Dr. Brian Annan from Infinity and keynote speaker Dr. Howard Youngs.

Candles representing each school

Kahui Ako candle

 

Key leaders

Schools originally operated in silos and we have seen the shift from individual to collaborative learning with time. Informal connections amongst educators provided a support system but were only as good as the connections made. The future of NZ schooling has an exciting concept emerging from Kahui Ako which has allowed communities to work deliberately together to learn from each other and be a means of support.

Kahui Ako’s now allow for deliberate within school communication and across school communication to improve student outcomes as explained by Brian Annan. Learning will become messier but in an ever-changing educational landscape, the ability to learn, unlearn and learn again will be a key skill required of educators.

 

It was encouraging to hear Dr. Annan mention about the need for letting go of the unnecessary to allow room for the necessary (what will enable us to become better educators for our students and for them to achieve).

The keynote speaker for the day was Dr. Howard Youngs  who touched on the importance of empathy within the school environment. Our Kahui Ako is privileged to have partnered with schools coming from a faith background which makes it distinct in its own way. A commonly shared value provides for a common umbrella of faith to operate under.

In 2016 I had the privilege to attend  Microsoft’s E2 Global Educator Exchange which brought the world’s most innovative and passionate educators together to share, collaborate and create solutions to address real-world classroom problems. The steepest learning for me during this amazing few days of exchange was the situation of collaborating with educators from around the world who came from different cultural backgrounds together with limited ability to speak English. On a daily basis as an educator, I interact with students who will be able to identify with this where language together with cultural differences makes it challenging to not only connect but learn. Recent TEDX by Louka Parry further magnified this for me.

I took away from this keynote session that increasingly it is important to make the heart connection before the head is engaged.  We are educating a global community who leave our schools one day and will need these key soft skills to be able to interact and be thriving members of society.

I am excited for what our Kahui Ako will be able to achieve and with such a neat group of educators I look forward to making a change in my little village

 

Microsoft Teams

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I have been a Onenote fan for years given how well this product has been developed to suit educators and support students in the classroom. Brand new features are the Learning Tools, stickers, forms, inking together with earlier features of video, audio, etc.

To take a tool such as Onenote that serves educators needs meaningfully and combine it with other 0365 apps has resulted in a brand new app called Microsoft Teams. I have been trialing with this and am loving the features available.

Microsoft Teams can be created in 4 different ways (Classes, PLC’s, Staff Members, Anyone)

Teams created for classes have new functions available such as chat, assignment submissions, and its own Onenote.

The downside for assignments at the moment is that students grades will be given as a score rather than the NZ grading system of Not Achieved, Achieved, Merit and Excellence. The addition of this feature will allow for the MS Teams to work as a brilliant LMS for NZ educators.

Chat function will allow for notices and remove the need for emails or set up or private Facebook pages. TeamsApp has a suite of additional apps useful for teaching and learning. 

PLC groups can be set up for the year which I am hoping to use in 2018. This will be particularly useful for our Teaching as Inquiry and PL sessions that I run.

Additional Teams can be created with staff members for short-term and/or long term projects. This function will be useful for departmental collaboration within and invite members from other teams to work on short-term projects such as cross-curricular units of work.

The last group can be created for anyone within the school particularly interest groups such as World Vision, STEAM clubs, etc.

Microsoft Teams is connected with Onedrive and Sharepoint which allows for document use across different apps easier. It can possibly be connected with KAMAR (SMS) and am looking forward to learning more about this.  These are my initial thoughts on Microsoft Teams and I am loving the fluidity of this new app.

BioliveChemEd17

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I had the opportunity to attend BioliveChem17 conference at St. Peter’s College from July 10th -12th. I had not attended one for over 10 years so was looking forward to connecting with like-minded educators.

Having arrived early was a neat opportunity to check out the exhibitor stands. I was hoping for more exhibitors but unfortunately, it was limited probably due to other similar conferences held around the country at the same time.

Day 1

I met up with some amazing educators from East Auckland schools and virtual friends that I met in person for the first time particularly @TonyCairns and @nickmajor81 both of whom are outstanding tweeps worth following on Twitter.

KeyNote: Author @sam_kean

 

He inspired us with the early history of oxygen and air and its discoveries. Teaching chemistry through story telling where learning has been weaved into the stories makes it relevant and fun for students to engage not only with the subject but will hopefully inspire them in their pursuit for answers as science citizens. For.e.g Einstein had a key role in the refrigerator manufacture industry. He wanted to create refrigerators that were safe to use and did not leak pollutants into the atmosphere after reading a newspaper story of a family being poisoned by their own

For.e.g Einstein had a key role in the refrigerator manufacture industry. He wanted to create refrigerators that were safe to use and did not leak pollutants into the atmosphere after reading a newspaper story of a family being poisoned by their own refrigerator. Unfortunately, Freon was discovered by another group which was cheaper and easier to use and as we know today is the largest contributor of CFC’s.

Session 2 The MindLab Mila Inkila

This session was a challenge to educators around how we foster collaboration and communication within our classrooms. It was an interactive group session that got us thinking about what we need to be delivering in our classrooms as science educators.

The key skills required for lifelong learning are:

  1. Literacy
  2. Numeracy
  3. Scientific Literacy
  4. ICT literacy
  5. Financial Literacy
  6. Cultural and civil literacy
  7. Critical thinking/problem solving
  8. Creativity
  9. Communication
  10. Collaboration
  11. Curiosity
  12. Initiative
  13. Persistence/Grit
  14. Adaptability
  15. Leadership
  16. Social and cultural awareness

Our vision is for young people:

  1. who will be creative, energetic and enterprising
  2. who will seize the opportunities offered by new knowledge and technologies to secure a sustainable, social cultural, economic and environmental future for our country… (NZC)

While the key messages were not new to me I was surprised that there are plenty of educators out there who need support in understanding this new paradigm shift. The MindLab provides Postgraduate courses together with scholarships which will be worth checking out.

Session 3 Dr Carrie Swanson (Infection Busters)

Would you have ever thought of bringing drama into your science lessons? Carrie blew my mind away as she articulated so well how we can combine drama into sciences. Drama creates opportunities for students to talk and have conversations around their learning.

Drama in Science

The day wrapped up with dinner and a pub quiz which was heaps of fun.

Day 2

KeyNote Michelle Prinsep A Journey from Land to Sea: Bioactive Natural Products from Macro & Microorganisms

This session was interesting as it connected the Chem 3.2 and organic chemistry to context. The spirals of inquiry were well explained and the ongoing task of discovery, elimination, rediscovery as all being part and parcel of scientists work to make sense of the world around us.

Land to Sea

Session 2 Junior Science Experiments with David Preston

This was a fun hands on session that unpacked NOS. David made simple everyday lessons engaging when approached from a different perspective. For e.g the everyday Hydrogen test could include aspects of volume when collected in differently sized test-tubes.

Interestingly teaching less content at this school proved better outcomes for students as it improved engagement and performance. Use of online tools made students work easier and less tedious. Adding the aspect of science principles at the end of each practical made it relevant.

Session 3 Scholarship chemistry with Ian Torrie

This was an insightful session around scholarships and preparation. Scholarship prep needs to occur earlier rather than later and acceleration of students is not encouraged for chemistry. Interesting to note was that Chem 3.1 can be offered at Level 2 with sufficient background info.

Session 4: Science in flexible learning Spaces Suzanne Trask (University of Waikato)

Suzanne’s work with FLE’s has been insightful. Sciences need flexibility as the subject lends itself to spontaneity and kinesthetic learning. With FLE’s this is lost which is a concern. Repetition is also necessary for science learning and making allowances for this is important in FLE’s.

Science is a conceptual, knowledge-based discipline where learning takes place in a specific sphere. 60% of achievement standards begin with demonstrating and the shift towards booking labs for 20mins at a time can create increased teacher and lab technician workloads. Schools embracing new builds will need to be mindful of staff who will transition to these spaces where ownership has been found to be a significant issue.

Theme-based learning has been found to take a significant amount of curriculum planning, collaboration. There will be a need for assessing progression around the curriculum lines. Planning has shifted from easy planning to lots of deliberate planning in FLE’s.

Day 3: Field trip t Evonik Degussa Hydrogen Peroxide Plant.

This was a highlight for me. Seeing science in action and hearing young employees speak about the various pathways that science lead to was encouraging. In schools, we tend not to speak about the pathways hidden from us particularly the lucrative trades fields that progress to better-paying jobs. To encourage students to remain in the sciences it is important to open options for general science together with core science at all levels. There is also a need for practical students in engineering.

Evonik Hydrogen Peroxide Plant

I returned back home a little more knowledgeable and having connected with some amazing educators from around NZ.

 

Gamification in Education

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Gamification caught my attention a few years ago when a special toddler discovered Minecraft. With no knowledge of reading or writing, amazing worlds were created with intricate detail added each time: Minecraft Creations

Few years later and in 2016 I had the privilege of being exposed to Minecraft through E2 in Budapest. This intrigued me and I was excited at the possibilities upon my return. Convincing adults that this could be of value to students learning was a challenge.

I have finally got together a group of young enthusiasts who consider themselves experts in the field and willing to take up the challenge. My trial group consists of students from year 10-12 who could not hold their excitement when invited to trial Minecraft for Education. The group includes students with learning needs. I am keen to find out if gamification has had an impact on their learning and how this could be utilised better to support them learning in a way best known to them- of course, it is a tall order but am taking small steps for now.

My personal view is that gamification allows students to bring context to their learning which will stimulate their creative thinking. I look forward to embarking on this journey with my students and will keep you posted.

My Onenote favourites

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I discovered Onenote in early 2007 and little was known about Onenote at that stage. It was quite an experience discovering something that automatically saves your Notes without you having to hit the ‘save’ button. Since then I have been on a journey of discovery for the best tools for my class.

Onenote became an easy to use tool as new features and functions were added. In 2013 i took a break from Onenote to learn more about Google Apps for education. There was plenty of learning that occurred no doubt, some features were easy to use and some not so. What I desperately missed was the ability to navigate through pages with less clicks. With GAFE I found I needed to do this a lot more.

Onenote had developed significantly by then and without any doubt I was back on the Onenote train, empowered as an educator and leader to deliver and lead effectively.

My favourite things about Onenote are:

  1. Tags– this allows one to set tasks, reminders and customize work according to needs. This is brilliant as my students have clarity on what is expected of them.It also helps me to keep track of items needing attention.2. Translate and Language functions is proving to be a winner for my this year. I have a number of International students with limited ability to speak English. Rather than using a separate translator, my students are using the translate function to learn what is being taught in class and at the same time using the opportunity to consolidate their learning through repetition.            

3.Learning tools is well used by students in my class with learning difficulties and even by students who would rather have the text read to them. The ability to cater for student needs through different screen colors, dyslexic fonts or even breaking the text into syllables  has made teaching and learning less challenging. The addition of the update function allows users to update as changes occur. Dictate function is less used in my teaching but another superb function for student use.

4. Convert to Excel Spreadsheet– this feature is helpful as it identifies tables within Onenote and allows the user to convert that table into an Excel spreadsheet at the click of a button: a real time saver.

5. Stickers– have recently been added to Onenote online. Wow what a gamechanger this has been. My 17-18 year old students are competing for stickers- they love it!

There is more that needs to be added to this list….a short summary of my top 5 now.

Bett Asia 2016

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I was fortunate to be invited to Bett Asia 2016 held in Kuala Lumpur from November 15th-16th. A whirlwind of  trip with some amazing educators from around the world and learning experiences exceeding expectations. We (Steve, Michael and I) almost didn’t make it to the start of the conference as our flight got delayed and almost stayed overnight in Singapore.

bett-asia

Team NZ

We arrived late into KL with no luggage so day 1 of conference was a little uncomfortable but with a little help from teamNZ we got through it. The theme for Bett Asia this year was educating for Global Citizenship. Pasi Sahlberg’s insight to successful vs unsuccessful education systems was thought provoking.  There is a strong correlation between quality of learning and equity in education systems. The notion of creativity vs standardization has been impressed on me as I reflect on teaching and learning in the coming new year. What will creativity look like  in my  classes?  Will it encompass failure and play?

Anthony Salcito  talked about the purpose of teaching and learning which extends beyond using tools but is inclusive of rich data that feeds into desired outcomes. Creativity, critical thinking, communication, collaboration and cooperation must all come together to provide the learner with holistic educational outcomes. As educators we need to rethink what transformation in education looks like.

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Anthony Salcito VP Microsoft

The School Leader’s Academy was excellent for my understanding as leader. This was lead by @Educhangemakers who unpacked changing educational culture, leading innovation around the school, physical learning environments and ensuring deeper learning occurs in our classrooms.

 

sla

I loved the concept of Frideation which allows for purposeful problem solving in a relaxed atmosphere. It allows for  a healthier staff culture. Highlight for me was the opportunity to share alongside Brunei Teacher Kalpana Kishorekumar on how we lead pedagogical change in our schools. The smiles and nodding heads told a similar story for teachers across the world, the risk takers and the blockers are everywhere. My story connected me with some amazing educators who I would love to continue conversations with.

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Louka Parry

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Aaron Tait

 

 

 

 

 

I would have loved to spend more time at the expo but with limited time, one could only get to so many places. I regretted not having taken my card with me. Interesting conversations around LMS’ with various providers, certiport, language learning help and even an online chemistry game.

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The conference drew to an end by day 2. With a back pack of knowledge and new found enthusiasm team NZ was off again. It was neat meeting some of these amazing people. A huge thanks to Microsoft NZ, Anne Taylor and Murray Burton for the opportunity.

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Personalised Learning in Chemistry

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Student ownership of learning occurs when they feel intrinsically motivated. To allow for this to occur students’ opportunities must be made available which allows for students to develop a sense of ownership to continue learning.

Students’ learning experience can be personalised with the assistance of technology which today allows for much of this to occur. Technology provides students with the opportunity to work at their own pace and being responsive and responsible to their own individual needs (Corbett, Koedinger & Anderson, 1997 in Lindgren, R 7 McDaniel, R. (2012).

To facilitate deeper thinking in students I have used the Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes (SOLO) taxonomy which enables students to develop increasingly complex levels of understanding of the subject matter. I have further aligned this to the New Zealand National Certificate of Achievement (NCEA) objectives provides clarity on learning outcomes. A snip of this unit plan is given below:

Personalised learning

 

The unit of work that I have been working with is for target age group years 16-18. Using SOLO and 0365 tools I have personalised the learning experience for my students to be able to work at their ability level. Learning objectives have clearly been identified for ability levels and students will be able to target their learning based on diagnostic feedback from the teacher. SOLO taxonomy model is useful for students who are trying to make sense of what they are learning, how they need to learn it and next steps to achieve the learning. See http://pamhook.com/solo-taxonomy/ for more information.

0365 tools have allowed for powerful communication between student and teacher in personalising learning experiences. I have used Onenote Class Notebook to share teaching units with my students.

Onenote classnotebook

This tool has enabled me to post useful links, PowerPoints of teaching slides as well as tasks all on the same page. Such clarity has only been achieved through Class Notebook which has made the user experience for students easy.

Class notebook learning tool add-in have allowed further personalisation of students learning through the use of learning tools add-in for students with learning difficulties.

Learning tools

Further to this is the use of ‘translate’ and ‘language’ tools which has been particularly useful for my second language students in understanding a difficult subject such as chemistry. Overseas students have always found it challenging to translate learning in their own language which often may be at an advanced level to English which is the main medium for teaching in New Zealand. These tools have allowed me as a teacher to have powerful conversations with my students around their learning and effectively provide feedback.

Language

I have found my students to engage with the learning tools and SOLO taxonomy which has made teaching and learning engaging for them.

To find out more about this unit of teaching contact me @ChhayaNarayan.

 References

  1. http://pamhook.com/solo-taxonomy/
  2. Lindgren, R 7 McDaniel, R. (2012)