Final Reflection

I will be so pleased when this course is over, I will be pleased to have my work / home life balance back in order as I am sick of reading and research, however what I would like to do, is put what I have learnt over the past 32 weeks into practice. I’m looking forward to spending time with my colleagues, discussing ideas, sharing what I’ve have learnt and the research behind these new pedagogies. As a team I’d like to brainstorm new ideas, new ways to integrate more cross curricular links, I’d like to reduce assessment and spend more time on student centred learning.

There is a lot that could be modified within our school, however, change takes time, and although we have a supportive senior leadership team, the obstacles are many. The only way I can see myself moving forward is to keep pushing for change. And I know it cannot be school wide, so what I can do is work within my department, with the hope that others will come on board eventually.

Having spent the past 32 weeks researching and learning I have discovered that there is a lot of information out there, and my ability to source through social media sites such as Google+, Twitter and Facebook, have become part of my daily routine.

As a Leader within our school I see my role as supporting and encouraging my colleagues. Having spent the past year researching and contributing on social media platforms such as Google+ and Twitter. I have become privy to some of the most up-to-date information across NZ and around the world, following the right associations, curriculum groups and organisations has meant our students have been able to part-take in activities that would have normally been unattainable due to our location and time. OMGTech was an event held a Kamo Intermediate School where we had a group of volunteers (students) assist with the day and Find Your Billion by SinglarityU NZ an Auckland event that we traveled to during the school holidays with 10 senior students.

New initiatives and ideas within our curriculum area are shared with staff through Pinterest, things such as cool project ideas, new technologies, equipment and materials are all shared on a daily basis. Group and shared boards have been established and we can also use Pinterest as a means to share ideas and communicate with our students any time anywhere.

I have also recently introduced a WGHS Staff Collaboration closed group on Facebook, this was intended to be a platform for sharing useful links, news ideas and resources. I have tried to post and share something every day, usually things I have seen on Twitter, as I know that very few of our staff are Twitter users. I also intend to share student work so that staff across the school can see what our students are creating, participating in and producing around the school. A culture of collaboration will not only benefit me and my staff, but it will be beneficial to all staff and our learners. Michael Fullan says “that the research has been clear and consistent for 30 years – collaborative cultures result in better learning for students”.

Although I have found this course somewhat frustrating as I do not believe the course title is a true reflection of the actual content and what I initially thought I was signing up for. I do however, believe I have been exposed to new pedagogies to enhance my teaching and learning in the future. As a creative person, I have struggled with the academic nature of this course, I am not a confident writer and would not have continued with this course without the support of my amazing colleagues Martin White and Ashleigh Rule.

References

Fullan, M. (unpublished May 2011). Learning is the Work. Retrieved from: http://www.michaelfullan.ca/media/13435850710.html

 

Hattie, J. (2009). Visible Learning: A Synthesis of over 800 Meta Analyses Relating to Achievement. London: Routledge.

New Zelaland Education Council. (2016). Practising Teacher Criteria. Retrieved from https://educationcouncil.org.nz/content/practising-teacher-criteria

Interdisciplinary teaching and learning

We as educators have to realise that traditional teaching methods do not meet the needs of our current learners. A one size fits all approach does not engage all learners, it doesn’t accommodate the diversity of our learners and it doesn’t ignite a passion for learning.

Interdisciplinary teaching and learning is not a new concept or approach, however it has the potential to engage and ignite that passion in our learners. Interdisciplinary teaching and learning can be enhanced when professionals from different disciplines work together to serve a common purpose and to help students make the connections between different disciplines or subject areas. Hence a greater or deeper understanding is gained through new knowledge and its applications.

This approach can be related to the constructivist theory, in that it suggests that people create their own understanding and knowledge of the world through experiences and reflection on those experiences. It goes on to suggest that when students encounter something new, they have to integrate it with previous ideas and experiences by connecting the new knowledge to something already known.  Students engaging in interdisciplinary study are therefore creating their own understanding and knowledge of the world through their study choices. (Appleby 2015)

At WGHS in the yr9 option subjects, we have trialled a cross curricular approach within our own departments. The aim was to provide more curriculum links and options with more student centred contexts. This move has been successful as we have recently seen an improvement in student engagement and quality outcomes.

For the whole school however, we currently work in our own isolated silos, the only way we really know what’s happening across the school is through conversations with students in our whanau classes and casual conversations in the staff room. Links are identified, however, they are rarely acted upon due to pressure from NCEA and assessment. At a recent interdisciplinary collaborative meeting, a diverse group of us gathered to brainstorm and discuss, issues relating to our current tameable structure. Discussion arose around equal blocks of time per learning area and how to claw back time lost in order to cover all standards. How frustrating…. why are we over assessing, stressing students out and placing the emphasis on covering content in a one size fits all approach? Our students are prioritising assessments and picking and choosing subjects depending on deadlines. They can see the overlap and possibilities of cross curricular links, however, barriers inhibit progress and any chance of moving in a direction which would benefit our students, such as timetable, old school beliefs and teaching spaces.

One solution to this issue is cross curricular collaboration, this could be a structured approach for all students, which would require a lot of change, including buy in from staff, or we could work within our existing structure by allowing for more flexibility. In order for this to occur, a mindshift from traditional education pedagogies to a more student centred approach would be required.

But how can we move forward as a school if we have laggards that are reluctant to change? One break through was achieved at the meeting, it was decided that a collaborative approach would be trialled at yr9, groups of 5 core subject classes and teachers would come together to team plan, discuss and share ideas and knowledge. Yeah… almost a breakthrough, however success will be dependent on the efforts of the staff.

An example of a cross curricular context.

I believe that from our department (Technology) we could lead the way in a cross curricular approach. The technology curriculum allows for student centred learning with real world topics, issues and contexts. Moving the emphasis away from filling kids’ heads with facts and figures to application of knowledge, creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration, the 21^st century skills that our children are going to require as they venture into the real world. Teaching our learners that it’s ok to fail or get it wrong, building resilience and determination, while also emphasising initiative and creating that love of learning.

Most importantly we need to be empowering our learners to take charge of their learning, to show them how they can control their future. Such a process is a significant shift for educators and our knowledge of the processes of learning rather than our subject knowledge is what matters most. Such a focus requires a new approach to curriculum design, one that identifies cross discipline skills and is inherently flexible. 

Sorry if I have slightly over ranted about this, however it is something I am passionate about!! 

References:

ACRLog. (2015). A Conceptual Model for Interdisciplinary Collaboration. Retrieved from http://acrlog.org/2015/05/14/a-conceptual-model-for-interdisciplinary-collaboration.

Appleby. M., 2015 http://www.open.edu/openlearn/education/what-are-the-benefits-interdisciplinary-study 

Social Media in Education

Social Media in the classroom

Social media is not going away, however we do need to implement some strategies to deal with cyber safety within our school and for our community.

The NZ Teachers Council describes social media as something that embraces web-based and mobile-based technologies to facilitate interactive communication between organisations, communities and individuals. http://teachersandsocialmedia.co.nz/what-social-media

A few years ago I tried to introduce FB as a platform for sharing in my whanau class and YR12DVC class, however, due to my lack of knowledge and understanding it was not a successful exercise with very little buy in from my students. On reflection I can now see why it was not successful, a lack of posts on my part and no discussion or sharing. Maybe it was too soon for my students, they weren’t ready for using social media as a tool in the classroom, or maybe it was the wrong platform.

Edmodo has been implemented this year as part of my LDC2 assignment with some success, although it still needs work. The students engaged with the easy to use platform, they could see the similarities with FB, however they felt it was just another site to visit. We initially set up the site to share exemplars and resources, post updates and due dates, useful links and to encourage participation in online critiques. The students initially struggled with this idea of critiquing each other work, yet a culture of sharing was soon established between classmates.

Edmodo participation has waned in the recent months, due to a lack of posting and no need for collaboration as students are working on individual folios. I do believe however that having used Edmodo my students have realised that sharing ideas and resources is an effective way of working which has enhanced the culture within the classroom. Gone are the days of secrete Pinterest boards with the fear of copying ideas. Students are much more receptive of feedback back form one another and staff.

Social Media in my teaching and professional development

Prior to my Mindlab journey I was a lurker on Twitter, I used Facebook for personal reasons only, and I was an avid participant on Pinterest for both home and school purposes. My understanding of social media has evolved over the past year, as I have witnessed and realised the power and potential of social media as a tool.

I can now see the educational benefit of being an active participant on twitter, the resources, links and up-to-date news on conferences, PD opportunities, subject specific info and current pedagogical practices from international and local individuals, business, groups and corporations.

I am still active on Pinterest, and for subject specific resources and inspiration in the field of design and technology there is nothing better. We no longer purchase books for our department, preferring to spend our money on the latest technologies, materials and equipment. A key benefit of Pinterest is having the ability to collaborate on shared boards, enabling teachers and students to access shared exemplars and resources, anytime, anywhere. Pinning ideas to individual students and the sharing between students is also something to be utilised, celebrated and encouraged. Pinterest has enabled our department to access contemporary practice without leaving the classroom. We now have access to the most current artist models and teachers from around the world, sharing new media and techniques.

In the past few months I have become increasing concerned by the lack of discussion and cross curricular action within our school. Staff are so busy and rarely gather or make time for sharing or discussion. The silos have been built up in our traditional setting, and having been made aware of what we could be doing, and the many barriers put in place, I believe that a social media platform could potentially solve or breakdown these walls. I thought about using one of the above platforms, however, with a number of new initiatives being implemented in the past year, I thought if I introduced another there would be an uproar. I then realised that most of our staff were Facebook users, so why not create a WGHS – Collaboration Page.  The idea behind the group was to create a place were good ideas, up-to-date resources, exemplars, student work and best practice could be shared. Within 5 days, almost half of the staff were on-board, and they had started commenting and sharing best practice.

Edmodo fulfills both the 21st Century skill of collaboration and the Key Competency of Participating and Contributing. Theories such as Constructivism, Connectivism, Connected Learning and Online Communities are all relevant and should be present in good teaching practice. As Peterson states, Communication and shared activities can promote collaboration and thus community and learning both in a traditional face‐to‐face classroom as well as in a computer centered environment. Collaboration and interaction among students and teachers within the classroom creates a face‐to‐face community of learners (Peterson et al., 2009)

In the future I see there is a place for social media within the class and it will be up to me to up skill and become confident implementing it as a tool for learning. Since students are already using social media outside of the classroom, incorporating it into the classroom will help students learn best practices for social media and hopefully offer increased opportunities for discussion and collaboration.

I would like to explore the use of Instagram in the classroom to showcase student work for 2017 and this will be something I will be researching and trialing later this term.

References

Peterson, S. A., Divitini, M., & Chabert, G. (2009). Sense of community among mobile language learners: Can blogs support this? International Journal of Web Based Communities, 5(3),428‐445.

Retrieved from:http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1726&context=doctoral

Melhuish, K.(2013). Online social networking and its impact on New Zealand educators’ professional learning. Master Thesis. The University of Waikato. Retrived on 05 May, 2015 from http://researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz/bitstream/han.

Silius, K., Miilumäki, T.,Huhtamäki, J.,Tebest, T., Meriläinen, J., & Pohjolainen, S.(2010) ‘Students’ motivations for social media enhanced studying and learning.’Knowledge Management & E-Learning: An International Journal, 2, (1). Retrieved on 7th May,2015 from http://www.kmel-journal.org/ojs/index.php/online-p.

Influence of Law and Ethics

Ethical dilemma – Copyright imagery

In my subject area (Art Design) taking and using your own imagery/photographs is hugely important. Borrowing or using other people’s imagery is a breach of copyright.

About 5 years ago I had a student who was struggling to source imagery for her design folio. After the holidays she returned to school and had the most amazing photo on her folio board, I knew instantly that it wasn’t her image, but gave her the opportunity to explain the image. I asked her where the image had come from, and she went into a full blown explanation of how she’d gone on a massive walk, in the far north with a cousin, and had stumbled across the beach with the most beautiful ship wreck. Having lived in the North all of my life I had never known this beach to exist. I went back to my office and googled ‘ship wreck on beach’, sure enough the below picture appeared, the same photo on her folio board, which turned out to be the most famous beach in Greece, Shipwreck beach, Zathinthos. Unfortunately for the student, one of my colleagues at the time was Greek and she confirmed my suspicions.

https://www.tripadvisor.co.nz/Attractions-g189462-Activities-Zakynthos_Ionian_Islands.html

In the above scenario, we resolved the issue amicably with a quick chat in the office and a reminder about the importance of sourcing our own images and the implications for owner of the original image.

This issue usually comes up when a student is not organised in taking their own images, or they choose a topic that is beyond their limits. In recent years we have had to reinforce the importance of sourcing your own images, students have signed an agreement that they will not misappropriate other people’s images.

Students are also taught about the usage rights on images online such as google searches. Reinforcing the law and ethical implications of using other people’s imagery, even though we are only using the imagery for NCEA school work, the work could potentially be used on school and NZQA websites, or as exemplars between schools and curriculum focus groups. As teachers we should be making our students aware of copyright issues so that when they leave school they know the laws of art copyright and their rights with their own imagery.

These laws have been put in place to protect the artist, photographers and designers that have created them, as everybody knows these people take time out of their lives to be creative and create income and jobs for themselves and if someone comes along and takes something without asking it is not right.

What we do encourage is using the internet image search for sourcing ideas as these are not protected by copyright. Our students are encouraged to source ideas via Pinterest and combine or merge multiple ideas to make them their own. This is also completed via the use of artist models a requirement of some NCEA standards, however students are taught to personalise the ideas, focusing on the composition of design elements rather than creating a direct copy of the image or artwork.

http://thevisualcommunicationguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Infographic_CanIUseThatPicture4.jpg

The NZ Teachers Council Code of Ethics states that “Teachers are vested by the public with trust and responsibility, together with an expectation that they will help prepare students for life in society in the broadest sense.” Hence, it is our responsibility to educate and model to our students these positive values which are widely accepted in society and encourage our learners to apply them and critically appreciate their significance.

References

https://www.tki.org.nz/Copyright-in-Schools/Guidelines-for-schools/For-students/What-is-copyright

https://educationcouncil.org.nz/content/code-of-ethics-certificated-teachers-0

http://www.copyright.org.nz/viewOwnerCat.php?category=184

Education Council. (n.d). The Education Council Code of Ethics for Certificated Teachers. Retrieved from https://educationcouncil.org.nz/content/code-of-ethics-certificated-teachers-0

Hall, A. (2001). What ought I to do, all things considered? An approach to the exploration of ethical problems by teachers. Paper presented at the IIPE Conference, Brisbane. Retrieved from http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Culture/Developing-leaders/What-Ought-I-to-Do-All-Things-Considered-An-Approach-to-the-Exploration-of-Ethical-Problems-by-Teachers