DFI Ninth Blog Post


Kia ora koutou,

Today's learning was all about revision.
We began the day with going to our bubbles and discussed what did and didn't work well from last week's learning. I reflected on how I'm feeling more confident with coding and how I think my students will engage and benefit from coding-based activities.

Next we looked at the kaupapa of ubiquitous learning, that of: 'life-long learning anywhere, anytime, at any pace, from anyone'. This is made even more possible with the option of 'rewindable learning'. It is important to remember that technology is not just a tool, it 'enables removal of barriers and previously inconceivable solutions to problems'.

We then had filled out a form in order to give feedback to the Manaiakalani Education Trust as the MET has enabled this DFI experience for us and they are very interested in hearing our reflections.

Next we had a break where we could get support for the Google Certified Educator Level 1 exam. I sat the exam on Sunday (and passed) so I used this time to reflect on the DFI course and what aspects of the course I'm most keen on introducing to my classroom.

We were then given three hours to complete the Google Certified Educator Level 1 exam. As previously mentioned, I sat the exam on Sunday and passed so used this time to write this blog as well as to start my lesson planning for next term-bearing in mind the multitude of valuable things I've learnt during this course. 

After a lunch break it was time to bling our blogs! I added the newly-earned badge and certificate to my blog (see above and below):

Next we spent time think about how we will use Blog moving forward including setting it up to reflect our personal ‘style’. We then checked our labels and STPs.

We finished the day with a half hour 'DFI Slam'-with some extra tips, tools and tricks to take away with us. There's some wonderful links there and I'm especially excited about 'Body Synth', 'Brush Ninja', 'Conducting an AI Orchestra', 'Turning Art into Music', 'Google Arts and Culture' and 'Kupu', to name but a few. 

This course has certainly been a challenge as there was so much to learn! However, thanks to the great tutors during the course, as well as the ongoing support I receive at Ōtaki College thanks to the fabulous Manaiakalani facilitators Vicky and Makaore, not to mention the fact we have access to the DFI course's valuable resources in the form of rewindable learning, I feel much more confident about further implementing Manaiakalani's kaupapa of learn/create/share and Google's apps and extensions into my pedagogy.

Another notable idea I will take away from this course is how important it is to remember that our tamariki learn in different ways and that the Manaiakalani kaupapa of learn/create/share, combined with the effective use of Google apps and extensions is a perfect platform/environment for differentiated teaching and learning. 

Ka kite āno,

Sean.