Friday, August 27, 2021

DFI Reflection - Day 5 - Collaborate - Sites

Our second week of lockdown. It has been a very busy week getting my tamariki set up online at home and trying to be an IT help desk. Not my first choice of job, and one I would not like to repeat too often. However, the DFI sessions on a Friday make for a welcome relief, while my reliever takes on my class for the day online.

The focus today was visibility. Of everything, to all stakeholders. Our tamariki, our colleagues, our whānau and to ourselves. Our planning, the process the tamariki will go through to learn, what their outcomes are and their assessments. 


I only came into teaching three and a half years ago. It seemed obvious to me after years in the manufacturing and IT sectors that our teams only got where they needed to be when they knew where they were expected to get to. We had processes and policies to guide the how to get where we were going and everyone was expected to know them. We knew when we had hit or missed our goals. It was surprising to find out that this explicitness was not something used all the time by teachers. One of my cohort with whom I graduated got a job at a school where they were told NEVER to use WALTS, or learning intentions at all. I wonder if that experiment has been successful. My colleague left the school, and nothing is visible now to find out.

I have been guilty of not always being explicit myself and that is something top of my list to ensure I'm not guilty of in the future. If they don't know where they are going, how will they ever know they've made it to the destination?

Part of the way we appear visible, is through the use of Google Sites. Using them to lead the learning and turbocharge their journeys. Everything we need is on the site, it is there in advance and before it is needed. But, they still need to have a HOOK!  We need to get engagement from the tamariki and the novelty of things wears off quickly with them. We need to then cognitively engage them also and use multi-textual design by aggregating various resources at different levels for different audiences.  

Using multi-modal design means presenting differing perspectives that are credible and reliable to make the students think, and using different modes to deliver that learning (written texts, audio files, video files etc). 

My current site is quite perfunctory and I need to ensure I get a bit of WOW onto it. Something I could do over lockdown if I ever get a chance. I'm a multi-modal communicator at the moment with devices pinging and beeping all day between phone calls. The tamariki are engaging this time around (the first lockdown in 2020 was not so successful engagement wise) which is very pleasing. 

We spent time looking at various multi-modal sites and comparing and contrasting them. There were a variety of amazing sites which gave me a lot of ideas about what I liked and didn't like. Unfortunately I was unable to complete the day. With Level 4 meaning my partner was at home not working (he is an owner/driver with Move Logistics) a call came for an urgent job, income we couldn't pass up so I had to dash him into town (2 hour round trip!) as he could be away for days and my car isn't going. It never rains but it pours!  I have spent the late afternoon working through and have started a site based on our Te Whenua inquiry area and pest control.  Click on the image below to check it out. 


Although we have used sites for the past two years, I learned a lot today about how to plan one and some great shortcuts. The planning is key, using T-shaped literacy thinking to underpin the site ensures that it will engage the tamariki and empower them (and myself) in their education. I will need to do a lot of work on my site, and bring the tamariki with me in my learning. Already they know that I am just a learner on sites, and they are thrilled to find out I don't know it all and I'm learning with them too.

I've used Sites for GirlGuiding online as our weekly meetings are off as well. It has meant it is easy to direct the parents and children to the site for a one stop shop for what we are doing each week, what they need to do at home and when our next online meeting is on. It has made things a lot easier for me trying to manage this as well. 

Generally I feel I am becoming a lot more confident with digital technology. In a previous life I worked with programmers all day and office systems, but having to do it myself online has really stretched my knowledge and capabilities. I can't wait to learn more next week!


2 comments:

  1. Kia ora Vicki, thanks for taking the time to put together another awesome reflection. Totally understand the importance of needing to get your partner to work, and glad you were able to have a chance to put together your own site - it's looking brilliant! So glad that you're feeling more confident in this area. Ngā mihi

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kia ora Vicki,
    I love coming here and reading your blog. I feel like I am on the learning journey with you. I didn't know you were so new(ish) to teaching - you are so calm and competent in your classroom. I'm sorry you missed a bit of this weeks mahi, but you will pick up where you left off tomorrow I am sure. And don't forget as facilitators we are only a Google Meet(!) away to help support you if you'd like an 'extra' session. Just call out. Nā, M

    ReplyDelete