Monday, December 7, 2015

The Mind Lab by Unitec Blog: Teachers learning how to make the best use of tech...

So much Social Media to choose from... :)

The Mind Lab by Unitec Blog: Teachers learning how to make the best use of tech...: Tablets, smart phones, applications, animation and building games like Minecraft are ubiquitous in households..... but how do teachers get t...

Thursday, December 3, 2015

Activity 10: Summarising your Postgraduate Learning Journey and your planning for the future


I wrote and published an extensive answer to these criteria. For some strange reason the Blogger software timed out and my post was only saved in its draft form. I only realised this after I had made a PDF of the blog and uploaded it to the portal for marking.
Once the other work is uploaded I will rewrite this post from memory. Perhaps the learning experience is that I should write offline and copy & paste into the blog software.

The 12 Teacher's Criteria are listed here:

and are as follows:

Practising Teacher Criteria

Professional relationships and professional values
  • Criteria 1: Establish and maintain effective professional relationships focused on the learning and well-being of all ākonga.
  • Criteria 2: Demonstrate commitment to promoting the well-being of ākonga.
  • Criteria 3: Demonstrate commitment to bicultural partnership in Aotearoa / New Zealand.
  • Criteria 4: Demonstrate commitment to ongoing professional learning and development of professional personal practice.
  • Criteria 5: Show leadership that contributes to effective teaching and learning.
Professional knowledge in practice
  • Criteria 6: Conceptualise, plan, and implement an appropriate learning programme.
  • Criteria 7: Promote a collaborative, inclusive, and supportive learning environment.
  • Criteria 8: Demonstrate in practice their knowledge and understanding of how ākonga learn.
  • Criteria 9: Respond effectively to the diverse and cultural experiences and the varied strengths, interests, and needs of individuals and groups of ākonga.
  • Criteria 10: Work effectively within the bicultural context of Aotearoa NZ.
  • Criteria 11: Analyse and appropriately use assessment and information, which has been gathered formally and informally.
  • Criteria 12: Use critical inquiry and problem-solving effectively in their professional practice.

Ākonga is inclusive of all learners in the full range of settings.

Question:
Activity 10: Summarising your Postgraduate Learning Journey and your
planning for the future
Create a blog post where you reflect on your personal 32 week learning
journey through the whole postgraduate programme with regard to the 12
Practising Teacher Criteria (RTC) in e-learning . Think about which of the
criteria you have met and briefly give examples from your practice. You
can also refer to previous (DCL, LDC, R&C or APC) assessments that you
now have as evidence. Plan and justify two main goals for your future
development.

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Activity 9: Evaluations of cultural responsiveness in practice


A koru banner I designed for SBC to reflect their commitment to multi-cultural akonga in Te Awa Kairangi,

St Bernard's College has been proactive with staff PD. This excerpt from the Strategic Plan covers diversity and inclusivity:

"Cultural Diversity St Bernard’s College is a multicultural city college comprising 15.7% Māori, 18.7% Pasifika, 14% Asian 4.1% other, 47.4% European.... 
Our Catholic character is reflected in the commitment to fostering positive cultural relationships...

The College values cultural diversity and treats all students equally and equitably. The Management Procedure on Equity Regarding Learning Programmes ensures this for students of all cultures.
The college has well established and effective whanau/parent consultation groups for Māori, Pasifika and Filipino. Tikanga Māori & Te Reo Māori The school works to support instruction in tikanga Māori and te reo Māori for full time students whose parents ask for it....
The college management procedure on Treaty Goals and Objectives ensures that the intent of the Treaty of Waitangi is fulfilled and that knowledge of and respect for Māori values are fostered."
(St Bernard's College, 2015) 

My own input:

Maori ICT poster
One of seven Bi-lingual Te Reo Maori & English ICT Vocabulary posters which I made and shared to schools across NZ via NZACDITT
I attempt to pronounce all Maori words and names correctly. I have tried to incorporate Maori and Pasifika topics into my lessons naturally. For example, when doing a project of PC systems vocabulary I research the bi-lingual equivalent and made posters of Te Reo Maori ICT vocabulary posters which I shared to all schools in New Zealand via the NZACDITT listserve email.

I helped SBC to rebrand as multicultural and inclusive with a koru pattern (see above) which symbolises our place in the Lower Hutt valley near to the rive Te Awa Kairangi and updated the website and yearbook with the koru banner and tagline Te Kura Tuarua o Hato Perenara. In the SBC school yearbook I made sure the typography would correctly include macrons in Maori words.

Gordon Walters' art lesson
using Adobe Illustrator
In terms of learning activities I attempted to promote positive cultural identity by paying homage to the artwork of kiwi artist Gordon Walters, whose work combines European modern abstract art illustration and Maori koru designs, in an Gordon Walters Adobe illustrator exercise worksheet. 

For a desktop publishing activity, I also encouraged them to make bi-lingual websites and posters with Maori proverbs (whakatauki) with English translations. The best of these posters would be printed and displayed throughout the school.

Maori pedagogy - I try to foster collaboration, team work, modelling a shared learning space where the ako can teach / learn with the teacher with respect and co-operation. I encouraged student peer review and encouraged the akonga to do project based learning for a client from their whanau or communtiy so their work will be authentic, and valued

Indigenous Knowledge - a balanced perspective?

My wife is currently studying a Postgraduate Diploma in Sustainability and Permaculture from Otago University. As a result of this she has become involved in The Epuni Food Forest project which is part of the Common Unity Project Aotearoa (CUPA). I have bceome aware of what they are doing by helping her with their social media marketing and graphic design.

The CUPA charity organises community gardens and up-cycling of resources. They also aim to improve diet and nutrition of the socio-economically deprived communities which have suffered from obesity and diabetes. This has involved teaching tamariki (children) and ako (students) from the local iwi (groups of peopleabout sustainable hortculture (or permaculture) to reconnect the school children with their parents' and grandparents' knowledge of living off the land, cooking and preparing their own food. The abundance of kai (food) created is shared through the koha (donation) kitchen. Local food businesses are encouraged to donate their short dated food which would otherwise be thtrown away. This is similar to the Garden to Table project in its aims to get students to taken an active role in the growing, preparation, cookin and most importantly eating of healthy seasonal food.

These projects are growing in popularity, however, due to economic and time pressures of the working whanau, they are not actively supported by the local parents of the Epuni school children, who are busy keeping down multiple low paid jobs. The volunteers who participate are often from outside of the community and are commonly pakeha. The aim is that the local community can get involved and gradually take control and stewardship. One of the activities is for elders in the Maori and Pasika community to teach traditional making, cooking and medicine skills. A key message of this is the herblore of indigenous plants for food and medicine. 

Whilst Western reductionist science perspective tends to ignore that which it has not studied. It may be tempting to dismiss herb lore as 'old wives' tales', however, the observed efficacy of certain plants leads them into being used in medicine. That being said, not all herbal remedies are real and efficacious.

I am skeptical of most things, including the claims of 'big Pharma' which has been shown to have a positive publication bias towards only publishing favourable peer reviews of drugs trials which skew the apparent efficacy of new medicines. This has been adroitly explained by Ben Goldacre in his book "Bad Science", (Goldacre, 2008) which on balance also warns the reader of being wary of bold (and unsubstantiated) claims from alternative medicine and homeopathy. Goldacre makes a clear case that Western science is not a complete body of knowledge but a process of checking and testing for repeatable evidence that can be tested and verified. He explains how robust experimental methods can test for significant effects to compare results against chance or the placebo effect. We should be wary of claims which are supported by the reputation of person wearing the white coat and should instead review the evidence.


It's all good...?

Richard Dawkins argues in The God Delusion that humans are 'pattern seeking' and by our very nature we try to make sense of the world. Part of this process of understanding is to create narratives and to infer cause and effect. The consequence of this is humans are (like many other creatures) susceptible to superstition, such as the post war John Frum movement 'Cargo Cults'. (Colishaw, 2015) Even pigeons have been shown to be superstitious. (Dawkins, 2006) So, we need to be aware of our our biases and temptations to make mental shortcuts or lazy thinking.

For example, I am aware of the popular dichotomy of Western World view vs Indigenous World view. It is clear that the free market capitalist system is a major contributing factor in climate change and environmental damage. However, we should be wary of painting a black and white image of one good / one bad. It is a popular idea to recognise Maori guardianship and conservation of the land (tangata) with a concept called Kaitiakitanga.

It is also a popular trope to think of the sins of the modern world as being new. It would be a mistake think that the grass was always greener in 'The Good Old days'. We should be wary of viewing (reconstructed) history with rose tinted spectacles. For example, whilst we can recognise the abhorent treatment of African slaves in the industrial revolution, and recognise the many abuses of colonialism, we should not consider slavery to be unique to Western 'civilisation'. Nor should we imagine that just because knowledge was indigenous that it was all better and all 'in balance' with nature. For example, it has been claimed that in Aotearoa, the indigenous moa were hunted to extinction by the Maori tribes 600 years ago. (Morell, 2014). It would also be a mistake to imagine that before colonialism all indigenous peoples lived in peace. This would be to ignore evidence inter tribal warfare. (Te Ara, 2015)

However, please do not take the observations above as a sign that I am disrespectful of Maori custom and tradition. I am aware of my responsibilities to the Treaty of Waitangi and the bi-cultural nature of New Zealand Aotearoa. I am aware of Kaupapa Maori and Te Noho Kotahitanga 

"The elements of Te Noho Kotahitanga are:


Rangatiratanga : Authority and Responsibility



Wakaritenga : Legitimacy



Kaitiakitanga : Guardianship



Mahi Kotahitanga : Co-operation



Ngākau Māhaki : Respect"

(Keelan J, 2015)



References:
Colishaw, S. April 19 2015. Vanuatu Cargo Cults see cyclone aid as a sign. Retrieved from http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/south-pacific/67729752/Vanuatu-cargo-cults-see-cyclone-aid-as-a-sign Common Unity Project Aotearoa, November 2015. Retreived from http://www.commonunityproject.org.nz/
Dawkins, R. (2006). The God delusion. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co..Epuni Food Forest, retreived from https://www.facebook.com/epunifoodforest/  
Goldacre, B. 2008. Bad Science. Published by Fourth Estate, UK. Retreived from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Science_(book)
Kaupapa Maori, 2015. Retrieved from http://www.kaupapamaori.com/theory/5/
Keelan, J. Teaching and Te Noho Kotahitanga. Unitec wiki.spaces Retrieved from 
Morell, V. March 17, 2014. Why did New Zealand's moas go extinct? Retieved from http://news.sciencemag.org/biology/2014/03/why-did-new-zealands-moas-go-extinct
St Bernard's College. 2015. Strategic Plan. Retrieved from http://www.sbc.school.nz/2015-Mailout/strategic-plan-2015-preparation-comm-cons-vers.pdf
Te Ara, The Online Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Kaitiakitanga. Retrieved from http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/kaitiakitanga-guardianship-and-conservation 
Te Ara, The Online Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Pre-European Society. Retrieved http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/maori/page-2

Activity 9: Evaluations of cultural responsiveness in practice

Create a blog post where you share your own views on your indigenous
knowledge and culturally responsive pedagogy and then evaluate how you
or your school addresses cultural responsiveness in practice in two of the
following areas:
● vision, mission, and core values
● policies,
● goals,
● communication methods,
● decision-making,
● planning and assessment,
● learning activities,
● school-wide activities,
● resources

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Activity 8:Legal contexts and digital identities




Dilemma image, Creative Commons Image courtesy of https://farm7.staticflickr.com/6045/6322051654_d88cdf7c31_o_d.jpg


Dilemma: How to deal with the following incident...?


Student's perspective
A normally good student posts a satirical self-made video which parodies a teacher's (over)reaction to other students with exaggerated and hyperbolic claims. The student intended the video as a cathartic and humorous response to what they perceive (in their immature perspective) to be a overly strict or draconian teacher's consequence to a classroom incident. The satirical and hyperbolic dramatisation surreal departure from the facts of the incident, which the student observed, and could potentially defame the teacher who was identified or (if taken literally) make false allegations to the teacher's behaviour.

Teacher's Perspective
A student posts a video online which makes defamatory remarks about a teacher's actions in class and appears to make claims and false allegations about the teacher's behaviour. This is done a form of cyberbullying against the staff member. The teacher is concerned than their reputation has been brought into disrepute with false allegations, which could affect their teacher's registration and employment. 

The teacher contacts the school, Netsafe and PPTA for legal advise. The teacher wants to be exonerated, the video destroyed, the child to be expelled as a punishment and deterent (to send out a strong message) but does not want to draw any more attention to it as they fear it could go viral.

The School's Response
The school becomes aware of the social media video through student chatter. The teacher targeted is understandably distressed. This constitutes 'harm' caused to the staff member through 'serious emotional distress' and they take the incident seriously. Netsafe have recently published a guide to Cyberbullying and Online Harrassment  (Netsafe, September 22, 2015) which recognises 'harm' as include 'serious emotional distress'.

The school immediately contacts the parents of the child who posted the video. In the interim, the child is removed from class and separated from peers. That evening the parents are invited into school for a conference with SLT to discuss the serious nature of the incident. The parents were not aware the video had been made. 

The parents discuss the incident with the child. The video is removed from social networks and deleted from home PCs. The teacher is concerned that once it is 'out there' it cannot be properly deleted as it is easily copies or shared. The school, the teacher and the parents contact Netsafe. Netsafe had not received a complaint like this before and there was no clear precedent. Netsafe now have a page which addresses defamation https://www.netsafe.org.nz/defamation-and-false-allegations/ 

Netsafe now state: "Taking a defamation case is a big undertaking, and you will need to engage a lawyer. Defamation is the publication of a statement about someone that lowers him or her in the estimation of right-thinking members of society, where no legal defence is available. Defamation Law applies to publications on the internet."

The teacher seeks advise from a lawyer. This is outside the lawyer's normal practice. The child is too young to prosecute. The parents were legally responsible but were unaware of the incident until it was reported. Whilst supportive of their child, the parents are able to see  the school's dilemma.

The school does not wish to take legal proceedings, which would demand evidence to be presented which would only further highlight the allegedly defamatory online video publication.

The student is stood down internally in school as a consequence. This limits the attention drawn. The parents meet with a representative of the Board and SLT. The parents and staff talk to the student to explain how serious it is and that the child could be expelled BUT... (in a restorative justice approach to teach empathy) they explain how the consequences of publishing online are far more serious than if an offensive poster had been put up in the corridor or than if a student had stood up in class in front of peers to offend the teacher. 

The school keeps the teacher and child apart for the duration of the week. The child writes, under guidance from their parents, a letter of apology to the teacher. The child is instructed to not discuss this further with their peers. 

At the time of the incident the school had not anticipated this sort of incident, which occurred outside of school time using the student's own equipment. 

As a result, the school's internet use policy is reviewed and rewritten to include the prohibition of recording staff or students without their permission, cyberbullying or the negative use of social media / online publishing to bring the school, staff or other students into disrepute.

For consideration of all of the parties concerned this incident will remain anonymous and I cannot identify the school. 

In reference to the Teacher's Code of Ethics, 'the shoe was on the other foot' in the case study above it was the student's behaviour towards the teacher and the schools actions to safe gaurd the staff member that were called into the spotlight. It was because the school sought to make this student's mistake / poor choice a learning opportunity, mindful of the individuals age and ability that they can be seen to exemplify the opening aims of the Code of Ethics:

"Teachers registered to practice in New Zealand are committed to the attainment of the highest standards of professional service in the promotion of learning by those they teach, mindful of the learner's ability, cultural background, gender, age or stage of development.

This complex professional task is undertaken in collaboration with colleagues, learners, parents/guardians and family/whānau, as well as with members of the wider community.
The professional interactions of teachers are governed by four fundamental principles:
Autonomy to treat people with rights that are to be honoured and defended,
  • Justice to share power and prevent the abuse of power,
  • Responsible care to do good and minimise harm to others,
  • Truth to be honest with others and self.
"


References:
Code of Ethics, 2004. Retrieved from http://www.educationcouncil.org.nz/required/ethics/codeofethics.stm
Netsafe, September 22, 2015. Cyberbullying and Online Harrassment. Retrieved from https://www.netsafe.org.nz/cyberbullying-and-online-harassment/

Netsafe, September 22, 2015. Harmful Communications - Defamation and false allegations
Retrieved from https://www.netsafe.org.nz/defamation-and-false-allegations/ 

Question:

Activity 8:Legal contexts and digital identities

Create a blog post where you identify an ethical dilemma in your own
practice linked to digital or online access or activity. Explain the dilemma
and discuss either:
● how you would address the potential issue if it occurred in your
own practice
or (if relevant):
● an actual situation that you have knowledge of, and how it was
resolved.
The discussion should be in relation to either the guidelines of your
organisation on online practice or the code of ethics for registered
teachers.

Activity 7: Social media in learning and teaching and professional development.



How do/would I use social media to enhance my professional
development?

The choice of social media, e.g. Wordpress, Twitter and Facebook can lead some to information overload. 

NZACDITT logo

NZACDITT site & Google group
I have been involved with the Computing listserve since 2009, which is now a Google group which I have to subscribe to annually: NZACDITT.org.nz

I find the discussion interesting and valuable, however, I initially found the emails I received over whelming so I discontinued receiving email alerts in favour of a daily summary. I like how you can read back over the threads, which are also searchable. It has vibrant discussion between digital technology teachers across New Zealand who happily share, contribute, ask for help and support each other. Other subject area teachers do not seem to have this collaborative collegiality.

CSTA Blog
CSTA logo
I have been a member of CSTA for four years. This organisation puts out an email newsletter of latest industry and education news. Whilst it is focussed on the US, most of the issues raised are relevant. The discussion boards allow teachers and administrators to pose questions and discuss the relative benefits of a range of new courses and resources. It was here that I first discovered the Hour of Code resources from Code.org which I have used for my own professional development as well as introducing them to my students in introductory classes.



Twitter:

I have subscribed to Twitter. My handle is @mharrisonict
I have used Tweetdeck.com on my laptop to help organise my posts and threads.

I have found that I have been able to share good resources easily with a range of people on computer science, tutorials, 3D printing and animation technology. 

I have mixed feeling about Twitter, partially because there is a lot of people using it for spam. However, interesting and eclectic tweets have led me to diversify my reading of latest cutting edge content in 3D printing and coding.

I have used Twitter to pass on links to resources such as mobile app development and web coding to a chap in Africa who wants to use the technology to learn new skills and transform his circumstances. This is an admirable use of Twitter, I think.

I dislike the asinine use of self aggrandizing posts and I also dislike the inane retweets. There seem to be a lot of BOT accounts that are paid to boost profiles.


What are some key features of social media that you have identified as beneficial for teaching and learning? 

Some of the obvious benefits of social media used appropriately for teaching and learning are:

  • it is immediate, mobile, asynchronous and available 24/7, so students / whanau can access content at a time and place which suits them
  • wide ranging - experts from across the net can contribute to a discussion via specialist forums
  • able to involve the whanau and wider community in authentic learning contexts.
  • Multimedia Content can be reviewed multiple times

What are potential challenges that teachers need to be aware ofwhen integrating social networking platforms into teachingactivities?

Facebook vs Moodle:

I use FB to follow interesting groups as I do on Twitter, but following Netsafe advice and school policy I keep all of my personal social media persona separate from my work persona. I prefer to use FB to connect with whanau and friends, where as professional colleagues, maker pace tinkers etc use Twitter. I think it is a potential issue if teachers blur the lines between their work and family spaces becuase information taken out of context or an inside joke spread widely could be misconstrued. They say I didn't like the tone of your email, however, this is egregiously incorrect as text does not have an implied tone. The tone is always inferred by the reader's subjective point of view.

This is an important thing for teachers to consider in light of "safeguarding" issues. Students also need to be aware of appropriate behaviour and the risks of privacy / over sharing  / cyberbullying and grooming. Whilst it seems quite common for NZ schools to publish students' successes with photos, all too often it is possible to identify the students. This creates data protection and safeguarding issues. In the UK, where I was trained, schools had the policy of never publishing a photo of a child which identified them in case of inappropriate attention from paedophiles. Another consideration is the uploading of photos from smartphone. Many people are unaware than unless the settings have explicitly stopped GPS tagging then photos from staff/students may inadvertently reveal personal location information or metadata. Taken collectively this could be used to predict where someone lives, works or their typical route.

I teach students netiquette and digital citizenship and cybersafety. In addition to setting secure passwords, their Facebook privacy settings are also  oft overlooked or not understood. There is low levels of cyberbullying that I am aware of, which we deal with inside of school through restorative practice. As a school, we have an Acceptable Use Policy which outlines school wide expectations of the use of BYOD and school equipment. Currently FB is blocked by our filters because it is potentially highly distracting for staff and students and a compelling case for its inclusive has not yet been made.

In terms of comments and posts, a risk that needs to be managed is exposure to the net as a whole risks trolls and flaming. The closed garden of a closed FB group could be beneficial as most student have access to FB.  However, whilst there is some advantage to the school managing / maintaining their own closed group via Moodle  (e.g. seperation of work/personal spaces) that is also a drawback too. In my experience students access FB more frequently than they access the school LMS or Moodle. At the end of the year I audited the amount of time the students had collectively spent on my Moodle class page and it was less than the time I had spent afterschool in the evening setting up the pages, resources and self-marking activities.

LinkedIn
I have mixed feelings about LinkedIn. It really seems to be the Facebook for business people networking. Whilst it is probably very useful for recruiters to see the wider business communities opinion of you via endorsements. These endorsements are similiar to ebay / Trademe seller feedback. I expect that for many it improves their self-image and mana, and it can feel nice to receive such endorsements. However, I have a cultural reserve, being British, that means one does not like to brag and I expect kiwis do not appreciate 'tall poppies' who are 'up themselves'. So I do not feel comfortable putting too much information out there. Also I object to their business model of having to upgrade to a premium account to see who has looked at your profile. It seems seedy like some online dating site.

Wordpress vs Blogger
I am impressed with the ease of setup and customisation of Wordpress (the famous 5 minute installation). On the other hand I have opted to use Blogger because of the powerful  data analytics which Blogger offers. I was impressed with my daughter's intermediate school's use of students' writing portfolios. The students appreciated the public publishing platform which exposed their work to a global audience which included whanau from all arounf the world, such as a Grandmother in Spain, who were able to read and respond by leaving comments. This provided a massive motivational boost for students to improve their literacy and writing. However, I interviewed the teacher who said in hindsight they wished to move away from doing online writing portfolios because they felt they had spent too long on them and wanted the students to have a broader ICT experience than spend all their ipad time typing and editing.

What social media platform do you feel best supports engagement
with your professional development? Why?

Google+
Whilst Google+ has struggled to compete with FB I use them to seperate my work and personal social media. I think that social media aspects of Google+ & Google Classroom integrate well with Youtube and have clear pedagogical uses. I think that if used well the Google Apps for Education combos will best serve the teaching staff as a whole. This is because of the ease of setup, the interoperability and the current wealth of resources. This overcomes the setup overhead found which bespoke platforms and LMSs such as Moodle.

POND
I applaud the efforts of the POND however may of the 'resources' which are relevant to me are effectively reposts of other online material. I have been considerably underwhelmed by the POND and struggle to see why it won an award. Perhaps with time it will gain traction, but currently it is not worth my effort. If other staff feel this way then they may need to rethink their content creation model as they have teachers reuploading their resources which exist elsewhere in other formats.


Overall Evaluation

I do not think there is a 'best' platform, I think it depends on who is in your professional network and the current trends of who is using what. For that regard, I currently find Twitter very useful but there is a high signal to noise ratio, e.g. there is a lot of non-relevant stuff I have to scroll past because I have followed too many popular tags. I expect that if a school is using GAfE then their ease of use would mean that Google Classroom and Google+ would be best. However, Google+ cannot be used in a school with students under 13 years of age so that creates a technical / administrative task to setup different groups. Speaking personally, I found the Google Apps Admin was clunky because, whilst it allowed group uploads for account creation, it did not easily allow the use of CSVs for managing / deleting multiple users.  

References:
CSTA, 2015, csta.org
Netsafe (September 23, 2015) Digital Citizenship in schools. Retrieved from https://www.netsafe.org.nz/digital-citizenship-in-schools/ 
NZACDITT, 2015 nzacditt.org.nz
St Bernard's College, 2014. BYOD and Acceptable use policy, Retreived from http://www.sbc.school.nz/2014_Mailout/SBC-BYOD-Acceptable-Use.pdf

This post was in response to the Question: Create a blog post where you discuss your views on social media use in
learning and teaching and in professional development. The following
provocations can be used for your thoughts:

Provocations
● How do/would you use social media to enhance your professional
development?
● What are some key features of social media that you have
identified as beneficial for teaching and learning?
● What are potential challenges that teachers need to be aware of
when integrating social networking platforms into teaching
activities?
● What social media platform do you feel best supports engagement
with your professional development? Why?

Monday, November 30, 2015

Activity 6: Contemporary issues or trends in New Zealand or internationally

I was asked to create a blog where I identify and evaluate two contemporary issues or trends that are influencing or shaping NZ or international education which I find most relevant to my practice. 
I will elaborate in my own words how I would address those issues or trends in my context within my learning community or professional context.

Issue 1: The need for a new and robust Computer Science Curriculum - 

CS + X?

The main problem of CS is one of image. For many staff and parents who may be ignorant of recent ICT developments, they may perceive CS as gloried typing and use of office apps. Or they may think it is about geeky boys playing games in their bedrooms. But CS is far more pervasive and far more important to the NZ economy.

In this blog: http://google-au.blogspot.co.nz/2014/06/cs-x-whats-your-x.html
Alan Noble, Engineering Director of Google Australia, basically states the obvious that CS is in everything - so the potential map of interdisciplinary professional connections is almost infinite. The link below in the image caption takes one to an interactive map.
Science is a complex business, as this map of journal cross-citations (click link for interactive map) shows. Each node represents a subdiscipline and the lines represent the strength of similarity between the nodes. 
Image: Rafols, I et al., Science overlay maps (taken from: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20928002-100-open-your-mind-to-interdisciplinary-research/ )

A recent article in New Scientist did a better job than I could to map the multitude of interdisciplinary nodes with an interactive map: (see https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20928002-100-open-your-mind-to-interdisciplinary-research/ )
How I would hope to support the adoption of CS if to work with other departments in school to create project based learning in a multi-disciplinary way in schools. Some ideas off the top of my head - these could be a combination of :
  • Music, Science & CS to understand sound, create digital instruments and to perform. Or to data log and represent the biometric physiological responses to music.
  • Or English, Drama and Digital Media  to create virtual sets and to record a dramatic short film using media studies and computing. 
  • Or Art and Programming.to explore the creation of generative art using programatic structures, e.g. art from code. 
  • Or Languages / Social Sciences and coding to create learning apps to revise vocab or do formative testing of knowledge.
  • Or PE with GPS gaming with orienteering

Obviously if I can get SLT support and buy-in from other staff then they could probably create a whole raft of ideas. The process then would be for us to use design thinking and involve the students in the process to co-construct the projects. It is important that the subjects are "integrated where they are relevant and useful" (Ryan K, 2015)

The issue needs to include teachers from other subjects and painlessly introduce them to Computational Thinking in ways which they can see the benefit to them and their students. The CAS (Computing at school) have published a guide to Computational Thinking and Google has made an online short course


The position of the Digital Technology as a seperate subject is well discussed in the online podcast with Prof Tim Bell and Radio New Zealand: http://www.curiousminds.nz/discover/article/6/4/review-of-digital-technologies which states
 "The education system has failed to recognise its importance and value to the NZ Economy. Currently there is no requirement to teach it. They say the place of digital technology in schools is adhoc and reliant on interested teachers who get little or no professional support."

Issue 2: The lack of students from minorities taking STEM
Promoting STEM via my work at The Mind Lab by Unitec. I actively promote STEM and coding to all of the students (especially girls) so that they can see it is a fun and interesting career. I use resources such as Code.org Hour of Code videos and activities. At SBC I have been keen to point out the similarities from US studies which note the lack of Hispanic and African American students studying STEM & CS at University level to the NZ lack of Maori and Pacifika students studying STEM, CS and Engineering.
I supported students engaging with the Awhina programme from VUW  (http://www.victoria.ac.nz/science/Awhina/) which models Science and technology courses as viable career pathways, helping and mentoring students from Maori and Pacifika backgrounds.  I have also encouraged a group of high school students to attend the Weltec Vex robotics clubs and competitions.


Issue 3: The no. of qualified digital technology teachers in NZ - Supply / Demand
Hopefully the universities (with Ministry support) will create teacher training programmes which address the skills and knowledge required to deliver the new digital technology curriculum, as is being done in the UK - where it is positioned as a compulsory core subject for schools.

Teaching salaries are far less than those that can be gained by those with a Computer Science degree via industry. In the UK they have created bursaries of $40,000 for CS graduates however they have far too few, meeting less than 70% of their target. (Jones, M. 2014).

I cannot effect much change here. Through my work at The Mind Lab by Unitec I have supported postgraduate teachers in their learning how to use new digital and collaborative tools. It is a shame that this is merely approximately one hour per week. Whilst teachers may cascade this learning back to their own schools it will not address the current need to develop staff at a senior level. 

I have been a vocal advocate for change in SBC and have promoted the Postgraduate Certificate in Applied Practice (Digital and Collaborative Learning). Unfortunately many of the staff who are keen to develop themselves are already committed to either Catholic or Maori studies.

References:

Ryan, K, (April 17, 2005) Review of teaching of digital tech in schools, Radio Zealand podcast. Retrieved from http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/20174948/review-of-teaching-of-digital-tech-in-schools

Activity 5 - Professional Connections Map

Question: Activity 5: Professional connection map
Draw a map which demonstrates your current and potential professional connections. Based on the map, make goal(s) for extending your professional connections. 
  1. What other professional communities intersect with or lie at the borders of your own profession? What impact do these communities have on your practice and professional community?
  2. What are or what would be the benefits and challenges of working in a more interdisciplinary environment?
You need to explain the map of professional connections and evaluate one or two connections you have. This can be done in written form or using embedded media (presentation, video, etc,..)
My own Professional Network

My PREBBLE Map

  1. What other professional communities intersect with or lie at the borders of your own profession? What impact do these communities have on your practice and professional community?
    1. The Royal Society NZ runs the CREST Challenge in conjunction with the IITP TechHub in Schools (formally ICT-Connect). The CREST challenge allowed Y10 students to work in groups to design an app whilst being mentored by industry experts, which they then presented in a 'Dragon's Den' style to a panel of expert judges.
    2.  The IITP TechHub in School also brought industry experts into schools to talk to the students and tell them about the benefits and challenges of careers in the wide ranging IT fields. The impact of inviting these speakers in to my classes was to give the students a deeper and broader appreciation for how the subject may be relevant to their future aspirations. This in turn boosted morale and student engagement and so reduced behavioral issue as students enjoyed the course more. More students chose the subject for their options. This increase in numbers permitted me to sway the senior leadership to allow more classes and, most significantly, to split 4 multilevel classes (Y11-13) into 5 separate year level classes ( 3 x Y11, 2 x Y12 and 1 x Y13). The impact of this was to improve teacher/student contact time and in doing so improve grades. This virtuous cycle
    3. Computer Science for High Schools by Google @ Victoria University Wellington and @Unitec
      These CS4HS conferences are some of the most valuable Professional Development (PD) throughout the year. They connect high school teachers and encourage the sharing of experience. The CS university professors from Cantrebury, VUW and Unitec give invluable insight and advice and help to upskill teachers through theory and hands-on workshops. The impact of these CS4HS have been I have redeveloped the curriculum in school and supported other staff to deliver the new achievement standards to Levels 1-3 (Y11-13). I have also scaffolded this by rewriting the courses for junior digital technology students to introduce basic CS and coding to Years 7-10.
      1. Individual sessions / workshops have included:
        1. codeavengers.com with Mike Walmsley
        2. Gather Workshops by Tanya Gray
        3. Arduino robotics with Elf Eldridge @ VUW ECS
        4. Mobile app development by Mahsa Mohahhegh @ Unitec
  2. What are or what would be the benefits and challenges of working in a more interdisciplinary environment?
Benefits:
    1. removes siloed approach an allows cross-curricula project based learning that can foster students' and teachers' interests. Students can combine interests in other subjects an take a more Renaissance approach, e.g. combining Arts and Science or STEM, or music and digital technology. 
    2. encourage student collaboration through modelling best practice of staff collaboration
    3. staff will gain a better overview of the students' experiences in other subjects and how they relate to them
    4. students will have opportunity to experience more realistic multi-disciplinary teamworking as this is the 'norm' in industry.
    5. staff will benefit from up-skilling in tangential subjects
    6. students can explore their interests and passions and make real world links with their community through project based learning.
Challenges: 
    1. time allowance for planning, moderation, 
    2. time pressures from timetables currently split into sigle lessons
    3. resistance from existing siloed stakeholders, parents, students
    4. to balance the project so that the other disciplines are not used tokenistically, as is sometimes the case when other subjects use ICT non critically, e.g. "make a poster" or use wikipedia for research.

References

Mathison,S.. & Freeman, M.(1997). The logic of interdisciplinary studies. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, 1997. Retrieved from http://www.albany.edu/cela/reports/mathisonlogic12004.pdf

Noble, A (2014, June 13).  Retreived from http://google-au.blogspot.co.nz/2014/06/cs-x-whats-your-x.html 

TEDx Talks (2001, April 6). TEDxBYU - David Wiley - An Interdisciplinary Path to Innovation. [video file].Retrieved fromhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ytjMDongp4