Animating In Google Presentation

Follow these instructions to make your own animation using google presentation:


1. Draw a sequence of images on google presentation.

2. File > Publish to the web > Change size to 'small 480x299' > Tick the first check box 'Start slideshow as soon as the player loads'> Copy your embed code and paste in HTML on a new blog post. 

3. Now it is time to change the embed code or HTML code. Find the words 'delayms=3000'. Then change the number 3000 into a number between 200-800. I chose 400 :)

5. Publish and enjoy!

Using Bloom's and SOLO Taxonomy Reading

Last Friday, I used one of my MIT release days to collaborate with a fellow MIT teacher, Kent Somerville (check out his inquiry blog here). We decided to create a high order thinking reading unit around our inquiry focus - The Titanic.


A few days before I had received some feedback from Dorothy the head of the program, about my inquiry and my journey so far. Some of the main points were taken from Rebecca Jesson's research feedback and recommendations for our schools in the Manaikalani cluster:


- Provide student the opportunity to extend school journal text read, with online readings and further text.
- Give students rich 'creating' opportunities in order to strengthen learning.
- Stay away from low level 'digital worksheets' and give opportunities to learn from text and across texts to explain/reflect/show learning through creation.

This feedback provoked a lot of thinking and caused a total mind shift in my pedagogy. I had a eureka moment! I have been taught this way myself at school and had been taught how to teach this way… Good old photo copied worksheets from black lined masters and in worst cases digital worksheets.


I am also feeling quiet embarrassed that I didn't make this change in pedagogy sooner, I know that Blooms and SOLO have been around for yonks! It is now time to wake up and smell the roses and realise, that I  am getting closer to shifting my class, to one of high order thinking.


We chose to focus on 'evaluation' from Blooms levels of thinking. In the first session we got the students evaluate and assess the value and importance of 'thung chai' (basket boats) to the people of Vietnam. In the second session, students had to assess the value and importance of the Titanic to the people of the UK. Then finally in the last session, students had to assess why boats were important to different communities.


So there you have it, I am finally feeling like I am getting somewhere! Now to bring it into the classroom!

The SAMR Ladder - Are you teaching above the line?

Top Tweets and Tips GAFE Summit NZ 2014

I had a blast on Tuesday and Wednesday at the Google Apps For Education Summit, Auckland, 2014.

This was the second summit held here in AK. The first one was in 2012, when I was a baby teacher (I think I still am) and I presented for the first time!

#tbt #gafesummit2012 

Anyway, I thought I would put together the top tweets and tips from the GAFE summit to inspire you, and partially for me to remember!

Enjoy :)

FAIL - First attempt in learning @k_shelton wise words #gafesummit
— Leanne (@fivefoot3) April 30, 2014

Be more Dog https://t.co/VH2zJiqKLc #grabthefrisbee #gafesummit
— Matt Goodwin (@goodwingold) April 30, 2014

#gafesummit 4 tenets of reflective learning: thinking backward, thinking forward, thinking inward, thinking outward @k_shelton
— Amanda O'Connell (@eFacilitator) April 30, 2014

Google Sites and the Digital Learning Environment @FionaGrant "Learning is not a secret" #gafesummit
— Juliet Revell (@Juliet_Revell) April 30, 2014

Choose large player instead of fullscreen (to maintain access to controls) on YouTube cc @mistersill at #gafesummit
— Claire Amos (@ClaireAmosNZ) April 28, 2014

Google for Education privacy policy: http://t.co/t0CYSwZeUf #gafesummit Don't believe the FUD that's out there!
— Suan (@suaneu) April 30, 2014

use the insert image, search option to automatically add images that you can legally reuse in a document #gafesummit pic.twitter.com/9CeRd9dfV1
— Karen Ferguson (@karen0968) April 29, 2014

Demo slam links to resources for NZ North #gafesummit http://t.co/nl6Dm9bJ8W Live now!
— Julie Lindsay (@julielindsay) April 29, 2014

@markwagner opening #gafesummit Auckland at Albany Senior High School pic.twitter.com/8AGqLoXMnX
— Suan (@suaneu) April 28, 2014

Get the new Google Docs iPhone app- https://t.co/WB4kOuyrdQ You can SEE people editing yr collaborative Google Docs. #gafesummit Happy dance
— Allanah King  ADE (@Allanahk) May 1, 2014

The 3 little pigs and the big bad wolf story.: http://t.co/fmUM59JXdy via @YouTube #gafesummit
— Cameron Lockie (@camlockie) April 30, 2014

Reflecting - Thinking back, thinking forward, thinking inward and thinking outward @k_shelton #gafesummit
— Sara Melville (@SaraMelville1) April 30, 2014

"I haven't changed, but I'm not the same" #gafesummit @k_shelton pic.twitter.com/zbZYhApkFp
— Kimberley Ouano (@kouano89) April 30, 2014

Our consumption is learning: comforting, nourishing, enriching #gafesummit
— chasingalyx (@chasingalyx) April 30, 2014

Be an active tweeter not a retweeter all the time #gafesummit
— Sara Melville (@SaraMelville1) April 30, 2014

Want to see more tweets from GAFE? Click here to see them all!

One of those cool teaching moments!!

Amazing conclusion, to our KC reflections this week! The grammar hadn't been checked yet, but that's not the point.  I am so impressed with this girl, the last sentence did it for me :)

Building Question Askers Not Question Answerers - Trevor Bond

Building question askers not question answerers from EDtalks on Vimeo.

CORE Education's Trevor Bond helps us understand how to build active learners who ask questions.

Student Questioning Skills  - Notes  

Research shows that we are growing question answerers:
- 50% of questions are generated at home
- 10% at pre-school
- 0.08% at high school
- focus on answering teachers questions

Difference between a question answerer and questions asker:
Q Answerer: All they can do is share knowledge in their head.
Q Asker: Somebody who can think, find information, get the things that they need to solve problems, to think deeper and wider, to see new perspectives.

"If we go on doing what we have always done, we will go on getting what we have always got". 

Neil Postman - Teaching as a subversive activity - Questioning being our most important intellectual tool.

Cleaver teachers may provide experiences/learning that create stimuli for child's thinking
-  When that stimuli kicks in, there will then be that moment of cognitive dissonance.
- The stimuli has kicked in, then the questions will follow.

"Thinking is the process of asking and answering questions in your head". 

Moment three - negotiates questions - where student thinks whether or not they have the right to ask.
- Time constraints,  teacher planning, and teacher attitude can hold back those critical question moments.
- Fighting against it.

What does this mean in reality in the classroom?

- Have to change the environment - have to change messages/body language.
- Start out as three year old - full of questions - effective learners.
- Stop the negative signals - encourage it.
- Any time a kid has asked a question, celebrate they have! - even if irrelevant.
- Rather than answering it straight away, help the student to clarify exactly what it is they are asking.
- Wonderwall
- Framework - questioning waka

http://question-skills.wikispaces.com/Waka+graphic

Integrating Key Competencies In Reading

I am in the process of integrating the NZC key competencies in my classroom. As a class we have all discussed, understood, and have been using the key competencies through behavioral and social situations. For example prompting the kids to think about what KC's they need or needed to use in certain situations.

A simple google search of 'how to use key competencies in the classroom' led me to this amazing research project which involved a few schools working on integrating key competencies in reading.

Excerpts from the executive summary:

Lifelong Literacy Twist, J. and McDowall, S. (2010). Lifelong Literacy: The Integration of Key Competencies and Reading.

The study was featured in the NZC update newsletter issue five. An easy to read version of the report, which really highlight the benefits of integrating the key competencies and reading. 

NZC Update 5 - Integrating key competencies and reading

I am motivated to use the Lifelong Literacy research in my own teaching practice. Below are notes I took from the research: 

Lifelong Literacy 2010

- Using the KC’s in reading opens up the opportunity for student thinking and students experiences to be brought forward.

How the KC's were integrated:

Participating & Contributing
- Teacher models themselves as readers, share their own passion, show that they are literary critics.

- Look at the text as a whole and make connections, as opposed to look at the main idea of the text.

- Giving the opportunity for to kids to explore the author's meaning/message. Preparing them to be 'literary critics' actively participating in a community of practice.

Thinking

- Teachers wanting to move kids away from literal to critical thinking.
- Looking at news articles could provoke discussion - viewpoints on a subject - working only on two opposing views - recognising views and questioning them.
- Critical thinking - can apply really well to articles and current events - Must apply in writing.


Relating to others
- Exploring how characters feel. 

- Getting kids to feel empathy towards characters and relate it to their own world. 

- Support students to match emotions to those actions. 

- Support students to relate the character’s predicament to their own lives.- Kids responding to characters in the text - talking about the character

Link to reading lesson plan developed by the researchers and teachers. 



Reflection

In what ways might I change my teaching practice to fully integrate the key competencies into my classroom programme?

Participating and contributing:
- Model myself as a reader and a literary critic.
- Discuss texts, think about the authors message.
- Share  responses and contribute to the discussion as a reader of the text.
- Maintain the balance between responding as a reader and providing guidance as a teacher.
- Listen to students in an open way.
- Slow the lesson down, allowing time for conversations.

Relating to others:
- Model how to be empathetic to characters in the story.
- Match character actions to emotions.
- Gift in language that describes the emotions.

- Support students to relate the character’s predicament to their own lives.

Thinking:
- Respond to an article that kids can relate to, such as something that is happening in our community.
- Get students to respond and share points of views.
- Choose topics on which students see the need to generate knowledge.
- Choose texts that provide something to think deeply about.

- Ensure students are encouraged to express their views and are able to do so safely.

Now my next steps are integrating fully in my literacy programme.