DFI Session 7 Reflection

 Time to reflect and share with colleagues.

What did I learn that increased my understanding of Manaiakalani kaupapa and pedagogy?

• Today we unpacked the meaning of “Ubiquitous Learning” where students are able to learn anytime, anywhere and anyplace. Manaiakalani promotes a strong emphasis on students, teachers and parents having all round access to learning because it's about the people and the whole community. This is not just a teach and student interaction but a wider community notion where everyone is in the loop of what is happening in school for our tamariki. I support this type of thinking because whanau engagement is a very important aspect of schooling. I believe that if the aiga is involved and supports the child's educational aspirations they are more likely to achieve greatness. We are not just about results. I mean don't get me wrong yes we have intended outcomes for our students but I value the importance of going through the journey where our people are there every step of the way! If this means getting our whanau up to speed with how our children are learning in the 21st century then so be it. We are all capable of change and amplifying our environment so that everyone has this shared understanding. 

• I totally agree that the devices we use with our students are not just seen as a tool but a tool that can turbo charge and amplify learning experiences for our students. An effective teacher would be able to utilise these tools to help engage our students in the content we tend to give through the same channels but if we are going to be agents of change this year we need to think of more innovative and creative ways to deliver content to our students.

• This leads me to how important it is to capture student learning! Taking every opportunity to video and take photos of learning conversations as well as hands on activities our children engage in. I have been thinking about how my class site looks and to me what's more important is the students' work that will be shared on our site and their blogs. 

• The nature of this whole experience is scary for some however its a way forward where we play a part in being agents of change. There is that stigma where teachers feel that sharing planning for everyone to see is scary because there is always that mindset where we think it aint good enough. I believe in sharing because it just makes our job a lot easier. Lets all see it as helping each other out especially when time is always an issue for us teachers. 

What did I learn that could improve my confidence, capability or workflow as a professional?

• Creating content on Hapara workspace is a very creative way to help students learn. I was thinking about what I create in the workspace so I thought about cyber safety and the importance of having guidelines in place so that students and teachers are actively being cyber smart in class. 

• I create videos and resources my students could go through to help them understand why we need to be cyber smart in this time and age. 

What did I learn that could be used with my learners, how could they use it? 

• I will definitely use the Cyber Smart workspace with my students especially because this is a crucial part of using digital technology. 

• I want my students to be cyber smart by being able to make the right decisions for themselves. We tend to make decisions based on taking a device away from the child however this does not solve the problem! We need to educate our learners about the dangers of posting, uploading, and commenting online this way they understand the dangers of not communicating appropriately online. 

• This is a very important part of using digital devices and believe if this is not implemented in class students shouldn’t be engaging in online learning. 

What did I learn that could improve my confidence, capability or workflow in my personal life?

• Well the hapara tips and tricks have really helped support me with monitoring and making sure my students are doing what they should.

• We looked at ways we could use the ipad as well. Although my class does not have iPads, knowing about the way it can be used is awesome because I have an idea of how our junior students can engage in online learning using an ipad.