5.  How do I use e-learning to advance the learning of my learners through critical inquiry with my professional learning?

I love to think of ways to embed eLearning within the curriculum in a natural and authentic way.  

This year this has been a little more challenging than previous years with the implementation of our MLE. 

However some ways eLearning is happening to advance the learning with my learners is ...

1. Talking Tins used everyday during guided writing to capture oral language.  I am wanting to use a new app I've discovered (Movenote).
2. Students regularly use the iPad camera to capture the numerous language experiences we have in our MLE (making disgusting pizzas, making jelly, doing spaghetti art, making bracelets, making hats, eating ice-cream etc.)
3. 
4. Use of apps such as Pic Collage to demonstrate understanding in maths and to make posters about topical events - however it is sometimes time consuming and difficult to print these. I think WE NEED AN AIRPORT PRINTER if we are going to make using devices seamless and easy.
5. 
6. My story and Book Creator is beginning to be used to create iBooks - currently working on a 'How to Care for Our iPads' iBook.
7. PCs used to reinforce and consolidate literacy with Reading Eggs Programme.
8. Various iPads applications are used everyday to consolidate and reinforce literacy and numeracy.

4.  What changes to my pedagogy have occurred as a result of feedback from a colleague or some professional learning?

• This list could get huge!!!!
• Daily Five - which originally came from a suggestion Sharon made.  Thanks Shaz!!
• The idea of trying to teach learning in a more personalised/individualised way ... more than merely differentiated learning - Probably initiated by Juliet D, but backed up by numerous readings and PD sessions at school, Marian, ULearn etc. (This is were my students have different goals from one another, but can be working on the same task while striving to achieve slightly different goals?
• Changes to my physical classroom layout - thanks to new furniture and the development of a more modern learning approach to how, where and when students learn.  No more traditional tables and chairs for every child.  Students are loving the notion of learning anywhere.  The high table and the low leaner tables are proving very popular, as are the newest additions - the wobble chairs.
• I have removed my published writing wall - in favour of a Writing in Progress wall where students draft writing is displayed.  This idea was mentioned by Juliet D at a staff PD session. It was something I identified as a thing to go in the change model activity we completed.  The next step for this will be to get students giving feedback on other each others writing - maybe using sticky notes, maybe using technology (perhaps Movenote app?).
• My maths wall is currently undergoing an overhaul - we have put students goals up visibly and aim to put student learning up beside each goal - also wanting to work on incorporating real 'problem solving' sessions into my maths programme. 
• I am using Nicki's idea of 'snatch me' groups to pick up those children with a few knowledge ladder gaps.  We have snatch me groups for different knowledge elements (eg. I am learning to say numbers before and after any given number up to 20; I am learning to recognise numerals up to 100, or 100; I am learning to skip count forwards and backwards in 2s etc.)  We snatch kids as and when we can fit them in during the day.
• Incorporation of Learner Qualities in day to day teaching - although these explicitly directed references to the LQs have dropped off a little this term.  I am wanting to remove my Self Manager display in favour of focusing  on unpacking a different LQ every couple of weeks?

3. What professional development have I done that has had an impact on my understanding of teaching and learning?

• Emerging eLeaders 2014 (Core Education - on-line).  This has been a great source of readings and has often linked nicely to the shcool current direction towards personalising learning. 
• Ongoing Readings from on-line community (teachthought, edudemic, Edutopia, Twitter etc) are always insightful and often confirm, reinforce or enlighten my current teaching practice.
• Reading the Daily Five book in 2013 had a profound impact on my literacy programme and led me to COMPLETELY re-think how I had previously taught literacy. 
• Unfortunately I was absent for Lane Clark's Course in Auckland  This was extermemly disappointing as I would love to explore the idea of 'real learning' and 'real thinking' and the idea of 'inquiry learning'.
• I have helped Rochelle lead various PD within school.
• I definitely had more opportunities to attend PLD in 2013 than I have had this year (Core Breakfasts, ULearn, iPad courses etc, Alison Davis (writing) - all of which has resulted in an onging personal inquiry towards constantly looking for ways to improve my teaching and student learning.
• Visited Stonefields School in Auckland at the Beginning of Term 3 to examine their MLE - this was extremely valuable as we had the opportunity to meet with teachers after school to find out how they run their MLE.
• MooLoo cluster meetings at Marian school - these have mainly reinforced and consolidated previously understood ideas.

2. How do I advance the learning of my ākonga through critical inquiry within my professional learning?

This year I have really pursued the idea of Personalising Learning (especially so within writing).  The students that I teach for literacy are now more capable of articulating,  with more understanding, the why, what, and how with regards to their learning.  See pictures below of the students writing in progress and children engaged in Daily Five.  Learner Qualities I see evident in my literacy programme are self-management, collaboration, communication, thinking and even some resilience particularly when stydents work with me in guided sessions as I push them to learn more and take risks.  I always say to my students that I don't mind if they get things wrong, or make mistakes cause that's how we learn .. but they know I do get 'grouchy' if they don't try! 

Students are also more in charge of pacing their own learning (in literacy) and have now often choose when, where and how they learn through the implementation of DAILY FIVE.  Although students have increased choice over their learning there are still clearly set routines, and clearly articulated classroom behaviours and expectations. The children I teach for literacy are learning and engaged in purposeful learning using a range of tools and learning in a range of places within our MLE.

This term Nicki and I have begun to explore and develop a similar styled approach towards our Maths programme. This is still very much a WORK IN PROGRESS, but it is exciting to share this journey with someone else. 

1. Am I demonstrating a commitment to critical enquiry?

I think my TAI this year reflects and supports the commitment I have put towards critically examining my current teaching practice.  I have undertaken extra study this year (Emerging eLeaders), and although this has proved difficult to maintain at times I have enjoyed reading, writing and broadening my understanding of eLearning and all that it encompasses (MLE, Personalising Learning, Student Voice, Student Agency, Digital Citizenship etc).

I am a lurker on the VLN, occasionally contribute to Twitter and regularly read articles on sites such as http://www.teachthought.com/ or  http://www.edudemic.com/ or http://www.edutopia.org/ .

One issue I have encountered is that ALL my initial TAI focus students are now being taught by my fellow MLE members.  Alysha, Bailey and Chase are with Nicki for literacy, and Heleina is with Mandi.  But I feel the principles behind the initial inquiry - being about personalising learning and ensuring students know the why, how, and what about their learning is still at the forefront of my inquiry and the children I do teach (especially in literacy) are aware of their goals and would be able to articulate these to some extent. 

Think about a time that you can remember when your students were engaged in a lesson/unit/activity involving digital technologies that was particularly successful. It can be something that you planned and taught or something that you have observed or participated in. 

Use the following questions to prompt your thoughts about your story, and use a notepad or stickies to record your reponses to each:

• what did the students do?
• Create iBooks - (MyStory app, Book Creator), or Create a short movie/animation - (Puppet Pals, Toontastic
• what did you do?'
• Identified a learning need (story sequencing) - provide access through modelling to a range of applications that could help meet learning need.  Worked with small groups of children with similar learning needs/goals. 
• what was the role of the technology?
• Provided an engaging mode for students to learn how to sequence their stories better
• what made this activity a success?
• Engagement, students could share their creations to a wider audience through online methods. 

Make a note of your responses and be ready to add them to the voice thread activity detailed below.

The list of questions posed in the graphic below are taken from a book by Elliott Washor and Charles Mojkowski titled 'Leaving to Learn'.

Take a moment to reflect on the list of questions in the graphic. Consider what the response to each would be in the context you are teaching? What things could you do to change what the responses might be?

If the students you teach are younger, consider what the sorts of questions they might ask to reflect the expectations they have.

Maybe my younger students could response to these questions ...

Do I have opportunities to explore and make mistakes? (demonstrate resilience)

Do I have 'real' choice about what, where and how I learn? (self manage)

Do my teachers really know about me and my interest and talents?

Do I feel challenged in my learning?

Do I manage and monitor my own learning?

Do I collaboarte with others?

Do I communicate with others about my learning progress and goals?

Student Voice - Room 1

Using the various readings and resources above to reflect on and inform your thinking, we'd like you to take some time this week to engage with some of the learners in your context and discover what their expectations are. We suggest you..

1. 1. prepare a set of questions to guide a conversation, such as...

• What are the things that most excite you about your learning?
• How do you learn best? How is this catered for in your time at school?
• How do you use ICTs to help you in your learning? At school? At home? (examples)
• Are there any ways in which ICTs could be used that aren't currently? (examples)

etc.

1. select a group of students who you think may represent the 'typical' view of learners in your context and invite them to have a conversation with you.
2. If possible, record the feedback you receive in digital form (video, audio, slideshow) and upload this to an appropriate place, then paste the link into the discussion forum for this topic so that we can all share in what you have discovered.

Student Agency - putting Learners in the drivers seat!!

Easier said than done!

Notes from Derek's video

• Initiated by the learner
• no longer one size fits all
• no longer passive recipients
• Agency
• Personal sense of the agency
• changes to their approach to learning
• Not just about handing control over to the learner!!
• Teachers need to create the context
• 3 things - initiative/self regulation of learner, interdependent - mediates and is mediated by the socio cultural context of classroom (not done in isolation), awarenes of responsibility of own actions (social conectedness)
• Encourage students to be AGENT in their learning
• IEP's to personalise learners ownership
• Student Voice - does this affect day to day decisions in the classroom
• Teacher centric vs learner choices about the what, how and why of what is being learned?
• Safeguards in place -

REFLECT: 

To what extent is the use of ICTs by learners in your school determined by what the teacher expects or directs, or by the choices that learners make about when, what and how they are used?

I think up the school (middle/seniors) the direction of use is increasingly initiated by the student.  At the Junior level - I think teachers plan and execute the use of ICTS (teacher directed).  Is this because we need to 'teach', and 'model' how to use safely etc before students gain the agent to act independently?

When making decisions about technology investment and use in your school, are learners consulted? If not, what benefits can you see in doing this? How could you make it happen?

Not that I'm aware of.  I think purchasing is done by ICT leader or leadership team?  Not sure. 

1. What are the characteristics of a digital learner? What are their expectations of learning in a digital world, with, through and about digital technologies?
2. What it means to be a 'digital citizen', and the implications for this in terms of both teachers and students.
3. How should these understandings shape our response as educators in providing effective and meaningful opportunities for learning for our students?

Students are at the heart of everything we do in school.  We must create a Learner Centred classroom!!

Focus on student’s individual learning – teacher facilitate growth by getting to know students interests and needs.

Students develop and use communication, collaboration and problem solving (thinking skills) skills.

 What is personalised learning - reading http://elearning.tki.org.nz/Teaching/Pedagogy/Personalised-learning

Key points from this reading ...

Personalising learning means students:

• understand how they learn
• own and drive their learning
• are co-designers of the curriculum and their learning environment

Student learning needs, interests, and capability determine the pace of learning. In a personalised learning environment the learning objectives, content, method, and pace may all vary (so personalisation encompasses differentiation and individualisation). 

http://barbarabray.net/2012/01/15/personalized-learning-is-not-differentiating-instruction/ - Another reading by Barbara Bray -

Personalizing learning means…

• students know how they learn so they are prepared for today and their future as global citizens.

   

• students are co-learners and co-designers of the curriculum and the learning environment.
• students own and drive their learning.

Teachers need to teach their students how to fish and not fish for them.

Personalizing learning starts with the learner. It is not personalized instruction. The teacher, the school, and textbook companies can individualize instruction for the different types of learners. Personalized learning means the students drive their learning and the teacher IS the guide on the side, the co-designer of their learning, and more of a facilitator to make sure the students are meeting their learning goals.

Learner Agency is the key and the differnce between the two readings above.  Is personlised learning teacher centred and driven or student driven and centred?