DFI - Dealing with Data

Reflection:

From last week, I have used Google Slides and Google Draw everyday in my class. I gave my learners the option to choose their way of presenting their work. There was a huge range in presentations from Google Draws to interactive slides. It was amazing to see how versatile Google was to use for their task.

I have found that the only thing I have been struggling with is forgetting what I have learnt as there's so much to take in. I have blogged all of my DFI notes but remembering off the top of my head has definitely been difficult.

Manaiakalani Pedagogy:

Today we focused on share. Sharing is a huge part of human nature. Sharing stories, food, success, failure, tears, etc. is in everyday life. Sharing on apps is a great way to interact with the rest fo the world. This all started in 2005. These apps include YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Bebo, etc. Manaiakalani used this concept of sharing to encourage and engage students to "be the star in their own movie". One of Manaiakalani's goals was "to work with learners to establish an authentic audience for their learning outcomes".

When it comes to sharing we need to be very specific on the purpose. The power comes from an authentic audience. An authentic audience are those who choose to engage with your work.

From 2006-2021 Manaiakalani used Blogger to share their work. This has since progressed into Edublog.

Below are the reasons why blogging was chosen as the form of sharing.

Google Forms:

Google forms is a great way to collect data. There is a range of question types you can use, such as multiple choice, date/time, short/long answer, checkboxes, drop down, etc. You can add pictures, use questions from previous forms, audio and more. Forms can be used to create quizzes which allows them to see their results at the end or even mark the test later. 

By enabling "auto save" this allows people to go back to the form and continue filling it out. This is a great tool fo certain tasks. You can send Forms in three ways, embedding, email or linking. At the end once data has been collected, it is possible to see the data displayed in a range of ways (graphs, percentages)

My Maps:

Maps is a great way to add the locations of areas. You are able to add lines to see the distance between areas and for shapes (such as school field). This is also an option when using the ruler tool. However the measurements will go away in comparison to the line tool.

Importing data is easy. A simple click of the "import" tab will allow you to use data from other files (sheets) to put markers on the map. By clicking on the markers, you are able to change and edit the colour and icon to make it easier to find markers.

This is the map I made.

Google Sheets:

It is possible to freeze the cells. By clicking "view" and selecting "freeze". From here you can choose which row/column you want to freeze. This means they are always at the top.

By choosing the "function" button it allows a range of formulas to be used such as sum, averages, count, maximum and minimum. This makes it so easy to do data analysis for the entire class as dragging the box down, uses the formula you have chosen for all the columns below.

Filtering:

By clicking the filter symbol, it is easy to filter through the data by selecting the data you would like to see.

Sparkline:

Sparkline creates a mini graph. Type =sparkline into a column. Click enter and select the columns you'd like to use.

Macro:

Macro is found under extensions. This allows you to do repetitive tasks that are done on the sheet. By recording a macro, it saves to you sheets and allows you to use it for other sheets. This can be used to sort data better as it is just a task that can be set for the computer to complete.

Notification tools:

These are used to send email reminders when someone edits a sheet or submits a form into the sheet. These can be found under "tools".

Data Validation:

Selecting the cells is the first step to adding drop down boxes. Two finger click and go to "view more cell options". Click on data validation and create a list of options. Once this is saved, the cells are locked to restrict the answers for these.

Protecting Columns:

By selecting the colums you want to lock, two finger click and choose "view more column actions". Then click on 

Viewing edit history:

Two finger click on the cell you want to look at. Find "view edit history". This will show you who and when it was edited and what it was changed to.

Randomise names:

By selecting the column and clicking "data", then finding randomise. This muddles up the names and allows there to be a list of who goes first with presentations and the likes.

Setting rules:

Select the columns first and go to the "fill" button. Click on "conditional formatting" and "add a rule". This means you can set rules for cells that contain certain words, have above/below results, etc. These can also be filter using the filter button and selecting "filter by colour". 

Create task:

For the Create task this week. We had to choose a child's blog to analyse the amount of blog posts and the reasons why they were low/high in those months. Below are the graphs I have made.

Analysis:

In total, the learner wrote and published a total of 183 blog posts in 2020. May and June had the highest number of blog posts which equated to 29.5% of all blog posts in 2020. This could be due to having no school holidays or interruptions within these two months. This is interesting as New Zealand went into a nation wide lockdown from March 25 - 13 May. From the time period of March - June there was an increase in blogs due to online learning and this is the time period when we first got back to school. 2020 was an uncertain time for everyone and it is interesting to see her blog post numbers didn't drop during our first lockdown. 

There was a drop in blog posts in August, this was due to Auckland being put in Level 3 which meant we schools had to shut. After this the overall blog post numbers drop drastically. This could be due to erratic attendance due to covid as many families were in fear of catching it at school.

PE PLD Ki-o-rahi

Kelly Sports comes in a few times a term to teach new skills and games to our classes. During this time we are given the lesson plan in order to up-skill our abilities teaching PE. This has been very useful as I haven't got much experience when it comes to teaching PE.

Chelsea was the coach we have been assigned for Ki-o-rahi. She started off the session talking about Ki-O-Rahi and asks some questions. These were based around their prior knowledge with the game.

They were then set a video to watch which gave the background history of Ki-O-Rahi. This was very interesting as many of the learners hadn't heard of the history behind the game. This also helped them when remember the names of the areas as there was background information to why they were called that.

After this the learners were put on to a Ki-O-Rahi playing field and asked to run to the correct areas. This was very interesting as many of the learners, even those with experience, didn't know the traditional names of the areas.

Lesson Plan

Extended Discussion Observation

As a part of my Beginning Teacher programme I asked to observe Robyn in extended discussion. This was to further my understanding with extended discussion as I will be implementing this in my own class with my reading groups.

Watching this in an action allowed me to better understand what was needed to bring it into my own groups. As a way of differentiation between my class and Robyn's I will be developing extended discussion job cards which will include prompts to help guide and scaffold my learners better.

Here are the notes from my observation on Robyn.

Meeting Minutes

I have decided to create a post that has the links to my meeting minutes with my Mentor Teacher (Greg Wong). These meetings take place every Wednesday morning and afternoon. 

2021-2022

Syndicate meetings take place once a week on a Tuesday. These meetings are clearly recorded and follow the same structure as my meeting minutes with my MT. The important links are placed at the top and there is a table of contents that makes it simple to find the week and topics.

Having the actions placed to the side makes it easy to follow and see what needs to be acted upon. Having notes in the middle that are clearly separated allows for simple clear understanding and ensures everyone is on the same page.

DFI - Media

Reflection:

From last week, I have used "grouping tabs" the most. This has kept me organised and I have been able to do multiple tasks at once without confusing myself with the amount of tabs I have. I have also introduced speak typing. This has been great for those students that struggle to put their ideas down and who need extra support with spelling. I believe that every session there are multiple aspects that I can take into the classroom.

Manaiakalani:

Why is "create" at the heart of the Manaiakalani programme? 

Learn, Create and Share are the main aspects of the Manaiakalani programme. Research has shown that "creative skills help students become better problem solvers, communicators and collaborators," Apple, 2018. By giving children creative experiences, we give them a rich and memorable childhood. Creativity engages learners by giving them choice.

Google Draw:

Chalk and talk

Google Draw is very versatile. It is possible to add instructions to the side of the Draw which is great for independent tasks. Adding word art to the top of your draw allows learners to add a title that can be changed to fit what they want (side, colour, font, etc). Adding photos/images is quick and easy. Ensuring they have sharing rights is important. An easy way to go about this is to use the "explore" tool on the side. These photos are all able to be used for creative tasks. They can be cropped to fit into a shape which adds another creative aspect to Google Draw. 

Media Deep Dive:

Video and film making is a creative tool that can be used with the learners. It doesn't require specific gear as they are often at our fingertips already. Chromebooks and laptops have built in cameras and it makes it easy for everyone to be able to do it.

There is a range of apps that are available to use in order to make films. Films can be made with chromebooks, iPads, phones and cameras. Green screens can also be used as apps. Simply use Remove.BG, Photo-booth and Keynote. 

Live Streaming is a great way to allow people to view events when they are not able to be there. Live streaming can be used on every device.

The Manaiakalani Film Festival is a greta way to get everyone involved. Manaiakalani have hosted this even for many years. This is put on at the cinema and the learners are able to watch their own class made movies. This is such a cool event that all the learners look forward to.

Movie Making Site

YouTube:

The students do not have YouTube channels, they use their blogs to show their videos. K-12 is a great tool on YouTube that allows more control over their account. When using K-12 they cannot make their own channel, watch livestreams, write/view comments, etc. 

As teachers, we can use YouTube for a range of reasons. There are three settings that allow your videos to be public, link only or only you can view.

Saving videos to your playlist - By creating playlists, it allows you to save videos to watch later. These playlists can be made public, private or link only. You can share URLs to others so they are able to access your playlist. It is possible to add other's playlists to your own YouTube.

Creating Animations:

Using Google Slides, you can make animations. By duplicating the previous slide and moving small parts of the picture you've made, it creates a quick and easy animation. Here is an example. These can be used with the learners to allow them to be creative and give them a different way of presenting their work. It is quick and simple.

Another way to use Google Slides, is creating pick-a-path stories or games. This allows learners to become more creative and to explore a range if ways to use slides.

When holding down "option" on the keyboard, then dragging the box. This creates an identical duplicated box. 

To keep the picture in shape, hold down shift and grab the corner of the picture to stop it being distorted.

Story Telling with Animations:

Creating animations can be used for a wide range of year levels. It is easy to create and can be used in so many ways. This creates great engagement and creativity for learning tasks. Visual prompts help learners to get ideas for their stories. Using animations gives the learner the creative choice and use of their imagination to come up with an individual story. 

Giving the learners a few photos for characters and backgrounds will aid those who need it.

Using scaffolds to help push the learners in the right direction is a great way to get them thinking. Starting with planning, creating the animation and ending by writing the story links multiple components togethers. 

Rewindable slides for animation story creations

Here is what I made:

DFI - Workflow

Today we learned more about the Manaiakalani pedagogy, skills in Google Meet, Google Keep and Google Calendar. I believe that I have gained more confidence around these apps and can integrate them into my daily work life. Google Keep will be great for organisation and general notes within the day. Google Calendar has some great tools and skills that will help in everyday life around organisation. And lastly Google Meet is a great tool especially given the unpredictable time with Covid. As it is updated frequently it has been helpful to learn about the new features added since I last used it. 

Google Meet can especially be used with the learners as they need to understand how to use Google Meet and be comfortable with it as a whole. Google Keep will be great for the learners to take notes when researching and doing day-to-day tasks.

After learning about Google Keep, Google Calendar and Google Meet, I feel as if I have more confidence when it comes to using these tools. I think it will be great to integrate these into my teaching more and as time goes on I will become more technically literate.

Here are my notes from today:

Learn, Create, Share is the pedagogy behind the Manaiakalani programme. It is broken down into three aspects that they deem important in order to be effective learning and teaching.

Today we focused on the Learn (Ako) aspect. Effective practice can be remembered using the acronym RAT (Recognise, Amplify and Turbocharge). Effective practice helps to engage and connect our learners to their learning. Digital technology helps do exactly this. It gives our learners the opportunity to amplify their learning using iPads and Chromebooks.

Google Meet

Google Meet is a great tool that allows people to have face-to-face meetings when in different places. This has been particularly important during Covid Lockdowns as it allowed us to connect with students while unable to be at school.

Creating a button for learners to click in order to join Google Meets makes it much easier to join. Ensuring all students have their microphones muted and cameras on. Anyone on the Meet is able to present their screen which is a fantastic tool for both teaching and learning for students and teachers. 

There are a range of activities that can be used in Google Meet. This includes activities such as break out rooms, recording meets, white-boarding, polls and Q&A.

Companion mode allows you to use two or more screens without the echo of sound.

Google Keep

Google Keep allows you to save websites, notes, slides, etc. It is a great way to put notes in a safe place that is easily accessible. You are able to make it into checkboxes or lists as well. Notes can be customised to include pictures and colours. They are also shareable meaning they can be shared with multiple people. By clicking on the alarm button, it is possible remind you based on a time or location. Adding a drawing/photo to Keep Notes helps with certain tasks. Taking a text from photos is easy using Keep Note. This can be used in all languages and makes it easy to transfer an image into text quickly. Voice memos can be used to type down what you have said. It also keeps the voice recording to ensure you know what you have said.

Google Calendar

When using Google Calendar it is possible to add multiple calendars into one. This means you can add your own personal calendar and work one so all events are in one place. By making a theme for each it makes it much easier to see which calendar you are viewing.

Create

For the Create aspect of today we had to record a Google Meet with a partner. We practiced our skills such as recording, presenting and creating a Google Meet. 

Core Business - DFI

Reflection:

During the first DFI session I have learned a lot of new skills that I will be able to take into the classroom. This includes navigating through Google Docs and using headings, explore, emojis, drafting emails, voice typing, table of contents and pasting without formatting. I learned a lot about Google Docs that I never knew and it was great to finally have a decent look through all of the features available. I believe it is important that us, as teachers, are able to use the tools given to us in order to better support our tamariki. 

After just one session at DFI, I feel a lot more confident when it comes to using Google Docs with my students. I think it will highly benefit my class when taking these skills back into the classroom. Using the "table of contents" will be a great addition to a range of subjects and this is what I am most looking forward to introducing into my programme.

After learning all of the skills in Google Docs we were given the chance to create a poster using what we had learned. I chose to make a poster about nouns and adjectives as this has been a big push in my writing lessons this week.

Notes taken from today's session:

Digital Fluency Intensive (DFI) is a Manaiakalani run digital technology course. It runs over 9 weeks of this term, one day a week.

The four goals of DFI:

1. Our teachers are supported to acquire fluency using the basic tools our young people use for learning.

2. Our teachers are supported to acquire fluency using the basic tools required to for effective teaching, planning, assessment and professional learning.

3. Our teachers are supported to understand how digital technologies used effectively can have significant impact on accelerating achievement outcomes.

4. Our teachers are supported to understand how the Manaiakalani pedagogy and kaupapa has been co-constructed over more than a decade to maximise the impact of effective teaching and learning in a digital learning environment. 

Setting up Google:

- When setting up Google it is important to keep both personal and professional accounts easily distinguishable. This stops confusion when it comes to separating documents and general work.

- Use the top account button to switch between different accounts as oppose to the button below. 

- The bookmarks bar is a great way to create shortcuts to different websites. It allows you to click on the chosen website when on another website.

Google Drive:

- When using Google Drive you are able to organise it in a way that makes it easier to access for you.

- Sharing folders with other users or allowing it accessible for anyone with the link is 

- Ensure every document/slide is "shared with anyone with the link". This keeps work accessible to not only the students but their whanau as well.

- Using the search tab in Google Drive makes it much easier to find documents within the drive. 

- Adding shortcuts to documents means you can place the document in a place where it is easily accessible without removing it directly from the shared folder.

- Don't let students make their own folders. They need to be placed in exisiting folders in order for teachers to view them on Hapara. Hapara Teacher Dashboard was designed to help make learning visible to teachers. This means we are able to access their Google account and view their current screens.

Google Docs:

- When copying and pasting text over. It is important to paste without formatting.

- When using headings, it is possible to change the headings all at once. Make sure to use the same heading and then update the heading.

- Adding the table of contents allows you to have a shortcut to each heading. This makes it so easy to find specific information.

- Voice typing is located under "Tools" on the bar of a document. This will type what you say and is a great tool for students to use. Ensure to use the punctuation.

- Use the "explore" tool at the bottom righthand corner to add information and pictures. This will include the citation from where it has come from. Using these also means they have the right usage rights. By clicking the 3 dots on the side of the information, you are able to use APA references. To add the reference click on the quote mark next to the information. This will place the referencing at the bottom of the page.

- When adding links to the document. You can click the heading and use that specific URL. This allows others to click the link and it takes them straight to heading on the document. This is especially handy when it comes to longer documents.

- Comments has the ability to add emojis now. 

- Google has now made it possible to draft an email in Docs. Here is an example and instructions on how to do this.

Document example