A reflection on my thoughts around staff development and training comes along nicely on the coattails of a piece of research I conducted last year into the role technology professionals have in the school environment today, and where I see that role going in the future (see my post, Teacher Geeks ). My research unequivocally states that “it is essential that educators remain current in content, pedagogy and technology practices and theory”, as we move towards empowering ALL teachers to be skilled in the effective use of technology in their classrooms, and away from discrete roles for tech coaches. For an inclusive community model cultivating “teaching geeks” (Guerin, 2016) to be a reality, constant training in relevant content, pedagogy and technology is essential, and schools (and educators) must be committed to providing time and space for effective professional learning opportunities. Too often, I have learned what not to do when it comes to effective professional learning (PL) and...
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This week in my MEd, we are exploring the heady world of infographics with the objective of learning how visual representations of data can enhance and distort data. The aim is for us to think carefully about the use of graphics in our teaching in order that we use visuals to effectively deliver information rather than distort it and confuse our learners. After reading three articles by Edward Tufte, I summarised some basic principles to form the basis of my explorations and use them to evaluate the infographics I found. According to Tufte (1983), graphical excellence happens when graphics: show data make viewers think about content not presentation/design avoid the distortion of data present many numbers in a small space make large data sets coherent encourage the eye to compare different pieces of data reveal data on different levels - from broad to fine have a clear purpose: descriptive/ explorative /decorative/ tabulative be closely correlated with s...
As a fairly experienced educator, I was VERY shocked at the opening statement of Wayman & Stringfield’s (2006) article that student data is an “untapped resource in helping educators diagnose student learning needs.” I find it hard to believe that teachers do not use data to plan out teaching and learning, as “data use is central to the school improvement process” (Chrispeels 1992; Earl and Katz 2002 in Wayman & Stringfield, (2006)). Thinking more closely however , I thought of a few fundamental reasons why data may not be used or may not be used effectively; namely lack of access, lack of time, and lack of training. One of the major components to why data is not used or is used but perhaps inefficiently, is due to the way it is stored and accessed. Historically, data has been collected , but storage systems effectively rendered that data “inaccessible to most practitioners” (Wayman & Stringfield, 2006) which can only “frustrate flexible analyses” (Stringfield et al. 20...
I am an advocate of reading. I am an avid reader. Many posts and Tweets contest to such. Always wanting to improve my practice and approach to delivering reading to my learners, I recently picked up a copy of @Donalynbooks The Book Whisperer . It confirmed much of what I do in regards reading, as sound and effective methodology, such as free-reading, and reading time every day, as well as modelling being an actual reader. The book also gave me some areas to think about and re-work, such as the ubiquitous class novel. Red Dot Book Awards We are already reading every lesson, and learners have accepted my Reading Challenge 2014 . In addition, as part of my Future of Fiction unit which explores where storytelling might be going, and how technology might help us to tell stories, I am including some reading circles, using books from the Red Dot Book Awards in Singapore. The Red Dot Book Awards is a student choice book awards organised by the Intern...
My recent explorations led me to complete two courses on Sophia.org. Whilst doing so, I discovered 'Playlists'. Sophia.org Playlists Playlists are a collection of tutorials chosen to allow learners to pick and chose a learning path that best suits their particular needs. For example, if I wanted to teach Story Writing, I could create a playlist with tutorials covering story -mapping techniques, the stages of story-telling , effective openers, and satisfactory endings. These may constititute the basics that all learners would need to know. However, as is evident in any classroom today, the needs of the population are diverse. I know I would need to include some tutorials on basic writing techniques too - such as using correct sentence punctuation, maintaining tense and narrative perspective, how to accurately use speech marks, and using strong verbs. Story Writing Playlist Sophia.org I would also want some tutorials to push some of my more accomplished...
Sophia.org I have recently blogged about completing the Chrome Classroom certification offered through Sophia.org in conjunction with Capella University. This course covers the use of Google Apps for Education and how to create a collaborative cloud-based learning environment. Earlier this year, I also wrote about the Flipped Classroom certification course also offered for free on Sophia.org . This covers how to flip your classroom, a pedagogical approach benefitting many children as the usual learning that takes place in the classroom, happens before class, at home. The teacher is then freed up to support the class as they put into practise that learning. This is the part that traditionally happens as homework, without help or support. Flipping changes the dynamics of teaching and learning. I have also just completed the iPad Prepared certification course, which covers using Apps to enhance and transform the learning experience. Check out Sophia.org and get upskille...
As a school who launched the 1:1 programme this year, we feel it important to incorporate the teaching of digital citizenship into our work with all our learners. Common Sense Educator Badge With all the benefits the 1:1 programme brings, there comes also the need to address responsibility in the digital realm. Literacy today is more than reading and writing; as educators we need to teach netiquette, cybersafety and digital citizenship. Common Sense Media is an organisation who makes this easy. I have been using their lesson ideas for over a year, and our school is now using their work for our Personal, Social, and Health Education (PSHE) lessons. As an English teacher, I set up Blogs with my learners to showcase their writing and provide authentic audiences. My emphasis is on the need to create a positive online persona, and the Unit leading up to the creation of our blogs, asks learners to think about how they want to pres...
There is much evidence to acknowledge that literacy today is not the same as literacy yesterday. Emerging literacies and new ways of reading, along with our interpretation of what actually makes a text, means that educators need to address new ways of engaging learners when it comes to reading. Kress (2003) suggests that transformations in digital technologies have forced teachers to rethink what literacy means (Bormann & Lowe, 2010), and Patrick Carman, author of the popular "Skeleton Creek" and "Trackers" series (Scholastic) suggests that technology can “enrich fictional narrative and engage young readers” (School Library Journal, 2011). When it comes to encouraging children to read, Carman says that, "we need to get smart about tech" (School Library Journal, 2011) and e-readers could be just the solution to re-engage digital learners. What are e-readers? E-readers are electronic devices upon which books can be downloaded and read. They are light...
For my MEd this week, we are looking at Personal Learning Networks - of which I am a huge advocate. I chose to review http://edupln.ning.com/ as I am already a member and dedicated user of both Edmodo and Twitter – both of which are excellent for creating PLN. Edmodo is great to use in the classroom as an organisational tool and learning portal; I use it for all my classes. I have posted about Twitter previsously and strongly advocate all educators create an account. As suggested in the video Being Connected , (U.S. Department of Education, Sept. 2013); your PLN will grow organically as you become familiar with the way that things work. What I liked about edupln.ning.com, is that when you sign up, you can add in your Blog, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ details etc., which shows me this place is one that recognises the power of connection. Having accounts linked together is really helpful when managing a PLN – because, as suggested in Trust’s article , managing a PLN (particularly a...