Wednesday 30 April 2014

Hīkaia te ahi!

Rāapa 30 o Paengawhāwhā, 2014.
Me pēhea te tīmata i tēnei rā nei. He maha ngā momo whakaaro, ngā momo akoranga, ngā momo wheako i kitea, i rangona, i pāngia e mātou e te rā nei. He mutunga kore ngā mihi ki tēnā, ki tēnā, nā rātou tātou i arahi, i tiaki i te rā nei, kāore e kore, he urupounamu i puta, he rangiruatanga i puta, he whakaaro i puta. He kohinga whakaaro i raro nei e pā ana ki ngā akoranga o te rā nei.  E mihi ana tātou ki ō tātou whanaunga i kitea atu e mātou te rā nei, ā, he hongi, he awhi, he hononga whakapapa te herenga o te aho māori i tēnei rā, ā, tamariki mai, taiohi mai, pakeke mai, ko te rōpū katoa e mihi ana ki ngā kāwai whakapapa i whārikihia te rā nei.
"Hīkaia te ahi..."
Kura 1 - Warringa Park & Kura 2 - Manor Lakes College
He kohinga whakaaro nā Cribby
For me, today we were lucky enough to spend some time @ Warringa Park School. It was a kura where i had tingles up my spine, quivers through my neck and the feeling of ‘magic’ happening in all corners of the kura. We were lucky enough to see the ‘Accessibility’ functions on an iPad being maximised to it’s potential in all areas.
This is a dual mode school which caters for all children with an intellectual disability. Me kī pēnei, ‘he kura te mokopuna’, ahakoa te aha. A clear vision that was eminent within this kura was ensuring that the students are the centre of all learning, similar to Te Marautanga o Aotearoa, ‘Ko te ākonga te pūtake’. This kura has a 1:1 iPad program which enables students to have greater independence in their learning. From this kura some of the key learnings for me through a māori lense were;
  • irrelevant of the Application on an iPad, it’s about the pedagogy, the purpose, the expected outcome and the audience. IT’S NOT ABOUT THE APP!
  • technology has the ability to open up new ways to learn and engage with learning.
  • irrelevant of context or ability technology is a vehicle for all tamariki to learn and progress through any curriculum.
  • Learning through activity, play and passions ensure our tamariki are able to succeed and achieve within different curriculum areas.
  • Passionate, authentic, caring, driven, responsive leadership are some of the non-negotiables to ensure a successful foundation for e-learning in any setting.
  • A robust infrastructure is the backbone to a successful e-learning platform.
  • Learning within classrooms must relate to a purpose, expected outcome and align with a specific audience.
  • Ownership and personalisation within different settings allow tamariki to learn life skills
  • One of the CORE apps that is modifying and redefining learning for some of the tamariki is Proloquo2Go
Some key questions that have arisen for us and the contexts that we work in;
  • What are we doing as Māori Medium Settings to prepare our tamariki for their tomorrow’s?
  • Can we afford NOT to CONSIDER e-learning as an opportunity for our tamariki?
  • What are we doing to ‘push the boundaries of educational possibility’ for our tamariki?
We could write a book or create a movie based on the kura from today’s visits however, by using ‘The Myth of Average, TED talk by Todd Rose’, this will summarises all what today was about. Let’s not design for the average rather design to the edges, our tamariki deserve the best, they deserve the edges! If you haven’t already seen this video then i recommend that you watch it.
He kohinga whakaaro nā Regz
Today was an experience that i will cherish forever, Warringa park school has shown me that regardless of what challenges the mokopuna may face there is always a solution to suit their needs. The mokopuna in this kura had me emotionally, physically & spiritually captivated in the learning that was taking place.

He kohinga whakaaro nā Eleanor

Both Kura we visited today showed manaakitanga, whanaungatanga and tuhonotanga. Emotions ran high as we found our connections and joined in with their learning. Warringa was overwhelming, the resources they had were sensory based, incredibly effective and would suit our Kura in a heartbeat. Technology is allowing these students to achieve at levels that were never thought possible and again the vision and leadership of the tumuaki was felt throughout the whole school.  
Manor Lakes was Prep to Y12. Another forward thinking school using iPads to promote learning, collaboration and communication - again in our context this style of learning/teaching would benefit all our akonga. My thought for today ... No more excuses…
"Dare to dream, Dare to believe, Dare to inspire" ... "Imagine the possibilities"
He kohinga whakaaro nā Herena
School perspective
Integrate devices (IPADS) in class/kura ….to improve learning outcomes for our mokopuna to replace pen/paper
Pathway
  • Integrate 1 Application in the classroom for pāngarau and 1 Application for tuhituhi (WK 1)

  • think differently on how to connect and engage our mokopuna….the change starts with me….show the way
  • Build pedagogy
  • Weave korowai of Applications into classroom to personalise ako

Tuesday 29 April 2014

Rātū 29 o Paengawhāwhā, 2014

Rātū 29 o Paengawhāwhā, 2014
Kua tō anō he rā ki tenei whenua taketake o te iwi moemoeā, kua kitea, kua rangona i ngā reo mihi o tenā kura, o tenā kura, nō mātou te whiwhi i noho-tahi, kai-tahi, korero-tahi ki ēnei ahuatanga o te ako-e. Nei ra matou e mihi ana ki a koutou e whai kaha nei ki te tutuki i tāu e wawata ana.
For today’s downloading of whakaaro we will outline some key themes of the day along with some other learning from the two kura visits.
Themes of the day
Leadership
Throughout today we were lucky to again see some very strong characteristics of leadership within both these kura. Some of the key words that come to mind are;
  • Passionate
  • Innovative
  • Influential
  • Role-Modelling
  • Cutting Edge
  • Empowering
  • Authentic
  • Devoted
  • Determined
  • Driven
Not only were the principals and curriculum leaders all of the above but the emphasis also on building leaders within the students. Challenge Based Learning (CBL) ensured leadership and key skills were developed and nurtured at all levels within the kura. Both kura explored CBL in their own unique ways.
Collaboration
At both Kura the culture of working in a collaborative way was highly visible, from year two students holding meetings online to year 9 students planning for their personal reading assignment.
  • Students using iPads to collaborate with their peers on the "big idea"
  • Student - teacher conferencing
  • Teachers collaborating to engage students
  • Teachers team building and supporting each other
Most engaging was noting that teachers had to learn about the apps they expected their students to use. In order to do this they had their own challenges to complete as teams using those very apps.

Professional Learning & Development
Within both kura today, PLD was a large part of what made e-learning and the integration of technology successful. Schools were responsive to the needs and also the strengths of the kaiako which ensured the e-capabilities were met for all kaiako, across all curriculum areas. Some of the avenues the kura explored for PLD were;
  • School retreats
  • Accepting different teaching comfort zones and technical capabilities
  • Techy breakies
  • Students as teachers/coaches for technology
  • Devoted time for kaiako around iPads and Applications
  • Participation in different conferences
  • SAMR Model as a ‘where to next’ and identification model.
On entry to the kura as a new kaiako staff were asked ‘what risk were you willing to make within technology’? e-Learning was included as a key component within the performance appraisal system.
Mobile Device Management, Techy Stuff and Applications
  • Mixed models of VPP purchasing and allocation.
  • The Volume Purchasing Program (VPP) is used through MERAKI as a Mobile Device Management Programme and Compass as a SMS system.
  • Search for app bargains, such as free app promotions and filters specific purchases for the kura
  • Google Docs and Google Apps are used widely by students and staff.
  • appshopper.com site for app reviews.
  • The CISCO MERAKI software is used as the software to manage wireless devices.
  • DELL servers are preferred due to superior support and value. IBM are also rated highly. HP servers do not rate highly in the opinion of the RSC technical management
  • The Apple range of computers and ipads are preferred in order to standardize systems throughout the school. This simplifies support, purchasing, and the roll-out of software packages.
Applications being used by tamariki were varied and followed on from iTunes U, iBooks Author and iBooks. the following table shows which apps were used at each level.
Prep
Grade 1
Grade 2
Grade 3
Grade 4
Grade 5/6
Doodle Buddy
Doodle Buddy
Pages
Keynote
Keynote
Keynote/Pages
Maths Ninja
Keynote
Keynote
Doodle Buddy
Power Comics
Edmodo
ABC Phonics
Mathletics
Mathletics
Reel Director
Mathletics
Mathletics
RF Alphabet
Maths Bingo
Popplet
Maths Chalkboard/Pop Maths
Maths Chalkboard
Explain Everything
ABC Trace
Pop Maths
Pop Maths
Scribble Press
Strip Design
iMovie/Garageband



Show Me
Draw Free/Doodle Buddy
Popplet

CHALLENGE BASED LEARNING - CBL
We were very fortunate to have student led presentations today based on their CBL projects they have recently completed. Challengers are based on real life experiences within the Local community.
The process: PURPOSE - AUDIENCE - END PRODUCT
  • Over a 2 yr cycle  8 challengers - 1 challenge set per term - (can be localised per iwi/whānau /kura)
  • pitch movie - still images that capture the kaupapa (pre-knowing) as an avenue of modelling to the tamariki.
Guiding questions:
  • Collaborate with tamariki & staff creating patai about the challenge
Guiding activities:
  • Presenting back what kids are going to research
Proposing solutions:
  • Kids articulate how they are going to complete challenge
Working on solutions:
  • Creating time, kids working on the presentations, products
  • Kids leading learning, create, organise, 
Implementation:
  • Presentations
  • Real life experiences
  • Visits by locals
  • Documentaries
  • Cooking show
  • Power in kids drawing their own conclusions
Evaluation:
  • Personal reflections
  • Kids taking leadership roles
  • Group work
Documentation:
  • planning templates 
  • thinking tools
  • timelines
Reflection:
  • kids sharing their experiences (using PMI thinking tool)
  • kids speak about how things went on video
Quotes from the day to ponder and finish off with
For today we were inspired by many quotes and slides that portrayed different aspects of the kura, kaiako or aspects within the learning centres. Some quality thoughts to ponder and make us think about what we do? why we do what we do? and how we do what we do?
'If you want to make a mark you have to take a risk'
'If we teach today as we taught yesterday we rob children of tomorrow'
'Tool set, skill set, mind set'
'iLearn-iCreate-iShare'
'You miss 100% of the shots you never take'
“Apps are the tools the overarching outcome is the purpose. The apps need to fit the curriculum.”
Nōreira e hoa mā, kua tō anō he rā, ka ara anō he rā āpōpō. Me tau ka tika ngā whatu ki tēnei mea te moe, kia ora anō a hirikapo mō ngā akoranga āpōpō.
Kia tau te mauri!
Nā Cribby, Daz, Hone, Eleanor, me Reggae.

Monday 28 April 2014

Kua kī te hirikapo!

Rāhina 28 o Paengawhāwhā, 2014

Kua kī kē a hirikapo me ngā mihi matihere ki ngā tumuaki, ki ngā kaiako me ngā tamariki, nā rātou tātou i manaaki i te rā nei. Ahakoa ko tātou ngā tauhou e torotoro ana i ngā āhuatanga o tēnei mea te ako-e ko te hononga o te tangata te mea i āta kite atu i te rā nei.

He tuhinga tēnei nā mātou ko ngā māngai o Kia Ata Mai, ā, ko Eleanor, ko Cribby, ko Reggae, ko Daz me Hone ngā kaituhi o te rangitaiki nei. He kohinga whakaaro ēnei e pā ana ki ngā kura e rua o te rā nei.

Kura 1 - Debney Meadows Primary School

He kohinga whakaaro e pā ana ki te kura nei;
  • New principal appointed to start in the near future
  • 85% Somalian tamariki attendance
  • Most of the whānau are from the Horn of Africa
  • Very close to Government housing, mainly home to refugee whānau
  • P-3 are 1:1 iPads
  • Staff have attended a range of courses, visited other schools and in school professional development over time.
  • Four languages operating within the kura, Arabic, Italian, Vietnamese and English.
  • Partnerships within the kura are a key part in the success and cultural responsiveness to the needs of individuals;
    • International Awareness
    • Centre for Cultural Partnerships
    • Play Pod
    • Network Student Engagement project
    • Huddle & 
    • School Volunteers
Hangarau me te Tūāpapa/Technology & Infrastructure
  • $150 bond per iPad
  • 1:1 iPad for Prep-3 (from 2011)
  • Specialist iPad technician at various times throughout the week/month
  • Security procedures in place
  • 10 x Macbook Pro's
  • The kura has an active web page that the whānau are able to engage with.
Just some other whakaaro from our visit to Debney;
  • The wireless infrastructure had not been developed more over the past 4 years. 
  • Big push on inquiry learning as a staff
  • New Leadership will mean for interesting change and direction for this kura
  • Staff are working hard to ensure they are culturally responsive towards all ethnic cultures within this kura.

E mihi ana ki a koe Kieran, nāu tātou i akiaki, i arahi i te rā nei. E kore e mutu te mihi ki a koe. Nā mātou o te rōpū nei.

Kura 2 -  Silverton Primary School

E mihi ana ki a Tony, nāu te rā i whakarite, ā, nāu ngā whakaritenga o te rā, nāu hoki ngā hua o te kura i whakaatu mai. E mihi ana ki a koe, ki a koutou ko ngā kaiako me ngā tamariki.

Some whakaaro from Silverton School
  • 1994, Principal Tony started to open up the classrooms as open learning spaces, although some staff had initially put up resistance to Tony’s radical new ideas.
  • 480 students
  • Half of the students are from out of the region
  • 67% non English background tamariki
  • 4 learning centres within this kura

Te Taiao Ako/Beyond the Classroom
  • Children had examples of e-portfolios
  • ACER tablets bought outright or on a payment-plan digital accessibility at home and at school
  • Video conferencing/media capabilities/student edited and self-managed tv channel/radio station 'run by the students for the students' within a 2km radius from the school
  • Content of work is accessible on youtube
  • One Note' online data system and school wide online resource, school roll, online booklet in immersion sessions - 'investigation time'
  • A couple of xbox consoles and wide screen tv's mounted to the wall for students to play on during 'recess'

Kanohi Mataara/Leadership
Tony had a dream, he had a vision. From pulling down walls and establishing school radio stations, a TV studio, and venturing into new technologies such as robotics and 3D printing.

Leadership is a strong part of Silverton School and is driven by a passionate and innovative principal, associate principals and team leaders.
.
Not a follower of any particular teaching model, but pioneering new methods.

7 principles of the Kura
  1. Children are active members of a variety of communities - including family, friends, ethnic cultures, sporting teams etc
  2. Learning is Lifelong. Children born with potential to be curious, powerful learn ears with desire to make meaning of all experiences.
  3. People have particular predispositions to learning styles, ways of learning and intelligences.
  4. Education must value and support democracy. The rights of children require the child to have a "voice."
  5. The knowledge and technological age has transformed the concept of being educated
  6. People bring to any situation, pre-existing understandings and theories which fare always partial. Learning is not linear.
  7. Learning occurs in a variety of learning environments and experiences.

Ako/Teaching & Learning
  • Ako / Whakaako:
  • Academic coaching:
  • Sharing time - pre knowing
  • tune in time - explicit teaching
  • Exploring time - personalised learning student choice
  • Evaluation - reflection & enquiry into learning
  • Open learning spaces - No teacher only space, shared learning spaces
    • Open planning school
    • MLE - modern learning environments
  • Personalised learning
  • A national cirriculum in austrailia for all states
    • Victoria has a cirriculum
  • Group work are based on mixed abilities
    • Tuakana - teina
  • Workshops are based on explicit teaching
  • Where the instructional levels of tamariki are the same
  • Evaluative capabilities
  • Visual representation of progress and achievement of mokopuna identifying those who require awhina, those working towards expectations, meeting expectations and exceeding expectations. Targetted learners monitored regularly. Moderation occurs across all teachers in learning centres

Hangarau me te Tūāpapa/Technology & Infrastructure
  • The kura allocates budget that supports the need and demands of a kura with 700+ devices
  • A mixture of platforms are being used
    • iPods, iPads, Acer Netbooks, Tablets, Camera’s and Flip Cams
  • Wireless is very strong and robust within this kura
  • Screens are in each class
  • Lego robotics
  • The vision and expectations of the school are set out from the start

Kātahi te rangi ko tēnei, ā, ko tēnei te rā tuatahi noaiho. Hei āpōpō, he rangi anō, he kura anō, he tumuaki anō, he tamariki anō. Tāria te wā e hoa mā kia tuku anō i ngā kōrero.

Peace out! Photos to come!