DFI - Day 3

Today was a really interesting session focusing on the 'Create' of Manaiakalani's Learn, Create, Share pedagogy. I particularly enjoyed looking at media with video, and live-streaming by Google Meet and Podcasting. I also enjoyed looking at the features and uses of Google Drawings.

Create

The Power of creativity is evidence based. Most of us need to get hands on before the learning gets embedded in the brain. When I did the MindLab Course last year I really felt this drove home the power of doing. When we create things, we are doing. Technology is a tool that enhances our creativity and creativity enhances our learning. With the intentional use of modern technologies we can be more creative and learn more. 

So how do we get children to create in ways that will enhance their learning? We need to ensure they have choice, information and knowledge, develop skills, build capacity and scaffold to pitch the learning right at their level. This is what I am particularly interested in and am aiming to do in our Antarctica project based learning this term. Next week I will be focusing on collecting student voice and choice and finding out how much knowledge the children have and finding out the direction the teaching will need to go in. I am looking forward to the challenge of teaching flexibly and engaging the children.

Media

I found Sisomo really interesting. The technique and belief that the way to reach people in the future is the most powerful when you combine sight, sound and motion. I look forward to practising this in class. 

It is always useful to remember that simple tips and tricks with video can make all the difference. A steady hand or place to balance the camera. For Junior students it comes down to holding it in portrait or landscape mode and not flipping it between both! 

This week my team and I had a Jane Considine podcast binge. This was a great podcast experience and although we didn't watch it live it was really interesting to see the benefits of interactions in what would have been 'real-time' when it went live. It instantly allowed for clarification and tightening up of loose ends.

Google Drawings

It was fun to have a play with Google Drawings this week. I learned that I could do the same things on Google Slides so I can crossover skills this way. I can duplicate shapes with Control D and that I can make flowcharts by connecting, duplicating and arranging in a group so I that all the shapes are able to move around together. I also learned how to mask images. I liked the way I could create a cartoon style self portrait by using drawing tools on top of a photo. My son particularly liked having a go at this.