DFI - Devices!

 The Ubiquitous Nature of Learning - Rangiwhāwhā

The focus of our first session was the concept of “ubiquity” and ubiquitous access as a powerful affordance of digital learning environments. The notion of A4 captures the four dimensions of ubiquitous learning as Anytime, Anywhere, Any Pace with Anyone. 

Dorothy emphasised that ubiquitous doesn't mean advocating “death by screen time”!

What the ubiquitous affordances of digital learning should aim to afford is improved choice (when, where, how) and equity (access for all), especially for low-socioeconomic families not served well by education. Data from the Summer Learning Journey shows improved learning for matched students (by achievement level) when engaged in SLJ during holiday breaks (outside of school). Longitudinal data also shows students who remain in Manaiakalani schools demonstrate accelerated progress in the classroom, particularly in writing. 

Deep Dive into Cybersmart

Vicki emphasised in this session the importance of the positive language in the CyberSMART versus cyberSAFE messaging. I really like the use of the term “smart” to underscore the empowering of students to be resourceful and mindful digital citizens. Two key aspects of supporting students to become cybersmart is: a) Manaiakalani Cybersmart Curriculum ('iceberg above the water'), and b) Secure systemic structures ('iceberg below the water'). These dimensions were usefully captured through this iceberg graphic: 

In Manaiakalani there is a collective, across cluster focus in Term 1-3 on Smart Learners, Smart Footprint and Smart Relationships which is planned and shared through the Cybersmart Annual Review. In the same way as Learn | Create | Share, I like that cybersmart has a focus per term which builds coherence of practice and languaging across the network of schools. Should we have this for reading, given reading is a high target achievement focus for many schools?

Today’s Create

It was super inspiring to watch screencast videos of Year 1 students confidently explaining how they access and save projects in Explain Everything! Although I really appreciate the utility of EE, I’ve had little practice with designing learning projects, so it was useful to explore the whiteboard tools through Gerhard’s activity:

Conversely, I have used but not embedded Hapara Workspace in my classroom, so it was helpful to have Kerry and Vicki demonstrate some of the affordances, particularly for the secondary sector: tracking student completion, assigning grades (achievement levels) and the multiple copy feature for resubmissions (NCEA; formative assessment). I am keen to extend student agency this week by getting them to upload their Wordwall quizzes for other students through Workspace. I will let you know how it goes! For today’s mahi we curated some Cybersmart resources and I was able to setup cards and publish:

Other Very Helpful Tips for Today 💡

#Tip1 - Engage students in the Beinternetawesome site.

#Tip2 - It’s the little things … when searching for a file in Google Drive, first click on the file found, and the folder path is displayed at the bottom of the screen. How did I miss this before??

#Tip 3 - Use QuickTime to create a screencast on MacBook.