DFI Third Blog Post 2020

Digital Fluency Intensive Day 3: 'Media'.


Kia ora koutou,

Kia ora koutou,

Today's session was all about media.

We began by going into our Digital Bubbles and discussed what did and didn't work well from what we had learnt in last week's session. No-one had any problems and it was great to hear what everyone's favourite new 'digital things' were.

Next we focused on the 'Create' aspect of the Manaiakalani Pedagogy, which is of course at the heart of this pedagogy.This was fascinating to me as it we were exploring the concept of creating and creativity which are at the core of my teaching philosophy. I believe somewhere along the way, here in Aotearoa/NZ, we have drifted away from what used to be at the centre of our education system-the idea that children's creativity should be both valued and encouraged and that they learn best when creating.

We were given a link to a very interesting site: The Lifelong Kindergarten Group, whose ultimate goal is: '...a world full of playfully creative  people, who are constantly inventing new possibilities for themselves and their communities'. This site has a wealth of resources and information relating to creativity.

We then looked at the Principal of Hornby High School, Robin Sutton's oft updated blog which focuses on creativity. This Blog is comprehensive and well worth accessing (on a regular basis).

Next we explored YouTube. We looked at how to set up a YouTube Channel, how to create a playlist and the procedures and protocols we should be aware of. We also explored live-streaming on YouTube, a tool with obvious great possibilities but also one to be extremely careful when using. After this we went back to our 'bubbles' and had a play on our YouTube channels.

Our next session focused on Google Draw-a wonderful tool for both teachers and students which has endless creative possibilities. We then returned to our 'bubbles' to play with adding Google Drawing, gadgets and links to our blogs. 

I created this simple display on Google Draw and it is an example of how easy and effective it is for students to use this extension to present their work:

Next we focused on Google Slides. We went through the fundamentals of creating effective slides as well as how to use them foe a presentation. I love this extension and recently have been doing my weekly planning on it both for students in class and at home. I simply put the slideshow onto my Google Class Site and we're all set up for the week. 

We then went back to our 'bubbles' to further explore Google Slides. We looked at several examples from teachers and students and they effectively showed the variety of uses that Slides has. I am particularly keen on the animation option for students who struggle with writing as it gives them a wonderful opportunity to express themselves creatively. I still have much to learn about how to use Slides and am looking forward to increasing my knowledge in this area. 

Next we had a focus session on use of drones. They are an amazing piece of technology which my College, Ōtaki College, uses effectively on a regular basis. 

We then returned to the main group where we got to choose a topic which wanted to learn more about. I chose slides and joined that tutor group. I learnt more about animation as well as how to choose a slide template and how to use a transparent background for images.

We were then given another choice about an activity we wanted to learn more about and I chose the 'Digital Pepeha' option. I had fun creating mine (which is at the bottom of this page) and it is an exercise I am keen to use with my students at the start of each year as it is an excellent way of everyone connecting with each other. 

We ended the day learning about some of the finer details of creating a Blog. This included how to change the language and time settings as well as three ways to check the comments that have been made on students' blogs. 

It has been another enjoyable, inspirational and informative day here on the DFI course and once again I'm looking forward to learning more next week.

Ka kite ano,

Sean.