Time To Breathe - as Mindlab ends

Dear readers,
Today I submitted my final assignments for my Mindlab course after 1 year part time study (and full time work/life). This will earn me a postgraduate certificate in Applied Practice (Digital & Collaborative Learning).
http://themindlab.com/postgrad-studies/programme-overview/

A bit of a mouth full.
I explained a little more about it in this post here http://timeawillemse.blogspot.co.nz/2017/11/post-graduate-study-with-mind-lab-1.html

The last 8 posts have all been part of assignment 4. Applied Practice in Context – 15 credits. It was a requirement of the course to post these on a blog and share with a community of your choosing. This could be to only your course moderators, or the student G+ community or if you are an existing blogger like me, with the wider teaching community. Hence the more formal structure.
Thank you for bearing with me through it all.

This course has given me the tools to transition my programme to TAB principles (Teaching artists - not Art) which has been so rewarding.
I have had a lot of Aha! moments as I made changes in my teaching programme over the year and look forward to sharing these with you all.

But first, a little time to rest and incubate  (Design Thinking Process), over the Easter break.

Vincent van Gogh [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Ki Te Aroha (with love)

Timea

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This is me! - Key change in my professional practice. Mindlab Activity 8

What: The key changes in my professional practise link to the Teaching Standard (Standards for the Teaching Profession, p20, 2017.)

Figure 1. Teaching standards (Standards for the Teaching Profession, p20, 2017.)

The Mindlab course was the perfect vehicle to launch my explorations into methods of teaching Visual Art that aligned with current pedagogical understandings. Investigations into the use of digital technologies to support differentiation for learners, and guiding development in leadership skills, helping me to implement innovations around student agency. Affiliating with like-minded learners inquiring into future trends in education gave me confidence to scale innovations school-wide and run staff PLs.

Now what?
Using the Reflective Practice Experiential Learning Cycle (Osterman and Kottkamp (2015, p.70)

Stage 1: Problem Identification.
School art shows revealed teacher-directed learning to be the norm throughout our junior school. As I was developing student agency in my specialist subject area, a dissonance with the way art is being taught in classrooms, appeared. When students are being affected by contradicting expectations, it is time to drive school-wide change. The potential for a flow-on effect whereby students transfer agency learnt in this subject area, across to other areas of learning is valuable. Furthermore, teachers experiencing this way of teaching in their own classrooms, can potentially incorporate these characteristics across other areas of their teaching.

Stage 2: Observation and Analysis.
Observations of my lessons and interviews with my students have revealed that those experiencing agency were more engaged and easily follow their own inquiries, collaborate with others, show confidence to take new risks and felt ownership of their creations, which were personal, original and age appropriate.

Walk-throughs of classrooms showed a contrast in the teaching approach. Uniform sets of artwork hung on walls and in some cases, teachers had modified student work to ‘improve’ it for display.

Figure 2. When You Do It For Me (Wall Poster, nd).

Stage 3. Abstract Re-conceptualization

Figure 3. Clark Fralick and Clyde Gaw (Block Paper Scissors Podcasts, nd)

Figure 4. Bergmann and Sams (Flipped Learning Worldwide Podcast, nd)

Mindlab has encouraged me to further expand my participation in CoPs and CoLs online, where I continue to explore resources and practitioner exemplars on teaching for student agency. By collating and using a range of teaching techniques to develop the 21C skills of Complex Problem Solving, Creativity and Critical Thinking (World Economic Forum, 2016), I am further expanding on my learnings from this course. The Design Thinking Challenge lecture (week 14) initiated further explorations for me and I developed a process for our school to follow, which I introduced at staff Professional Learning (PL).

Photo 1: My junior Design Thinking Process (DTP) posters introduced to Y1-4. (Willemse 2018).

Photo 2: My senior DTP posters introduced to Y5-6. (Willemse 2018).

Stage 4: Active Experimentation

Two questions that initially came back from teachers were around time and prototyping. Invitation based follow-up sessions with planning teams have helped me to analyse both the understandings and misconceptions they had arrived at from the whole-staff PL. I used ‘Teaching for agency’ principles with planning teams to devise their own solutions during our meetings, to help them take ownership of the teaching aspect.

Working through the DTP, teachers realised how they had owned the first 5 steps in the process and were only inviting students in at the ‘Make’ stage, and they particularly liked the ‘Rest’ or ‘Incubate’ stage. DTP was noted to support other learning, areas like writing and inquiry. Now teachers have started using it here too.

Walk-throughs have now revealed changes in classroom practices in the Arts. Below is a display sample of before and after from the same Y1 classroom, 2 months apart.

Photo 3: Before - early February (Willemse 2018).

Photo 4: After - late March (Willemse 2018).

Another connection to this teaching approach has been Mauri Ora or Relationship teaching and learning (week 31). Valued contributions from our culturally diverse group of students and teachers has been a rewarding development, as we all learn more deeply about each other than when we use teacher-directed models.

3. What next?
 
Future developments to explore include relevant assessment practises that reflect this change in teaching focus. Looking into Hack Education’s ideas about the future of education in New Zealand, these changes begin to address the individual learner in a contemporary world.

The role of technology and how it can support choice and differentiation in a specialist subject, is my next focus as I create content for students and teachers in video format. Where possible, recordings will be of students at work to model concepts - students learning from other students.

Photo 5: Our Art Blog search menu - site access restricted to school students due to privacy policy. (Willemse 2018)

Photo 6: Our first few posts - site access restricted to school students due to privacy policy. (Willemse 2018).

REFERENCES:

Bergmann J., & Sams, A., (nd). Flipped Learning Worldwide Podcasts. Retrieved from https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/flipped-learning-worldwide/id646787432?mt=2

Brown, T. (2009). Change by Design – How Design Thinking Transforms Organization and Inspires Innovation. Harper Collins, USA

Design Thinking for Educators (nd). Retrieved from https://designthinkingforeducators.com/

Education Council. (2017). Our Code Our Standards.Retrieved from: https://educationcouncil.org.nz/sites/default/files/Our%20Code%20Our%20Standards%20web%20booklet%20FINAL.pdf

When you do it for me (nd) Wall Poster. Retrieved from https://i.pinimg.com/originals/c7/aa/a1/c7aaa12be7c194e4b5cd17774a06e9d6.jpg

Fralick C., & Gaw C. (nd). Block, Paper, Scissors Podcasts. Retrieved from https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/blocks-paper-scissors/id1302971793?mt=2

Ministry of Education (nd). Our code, our standards. Retrieved from https://educationcouncil.org.nz/content/our-code-our-standards

Osterman, K. F., & Kottkamp, R. B. (2015). Reflective practice for educators : professional development to improve student learning.(2nd ed.) New York: Skyhorse Publishing.

Rolfe et al.'s reflective model, (2001). Adapted from: Rolfe, G., Freshwater, D., Jasper, M. (2001) Critical reflection in nursing and the helping professions: a user's guide. Retrieved from https://my.cumbria.ac.uk/media/MyCumbria/Documents/ReflectiveModelRolfe.pdf

Willemse, T. (2018) Photo1-6





With Love,

Timea

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I See You! - Indigenous Knowledge & Cultural Responsiveness. Mindlab Activity 7

Reflection in the areas of vision, mission, and core values, and school-wide activities (Rolfe, G., Freshwater, D., Jasper, M., 2001).

Figure 1. Hongi  (Dolphin Travel, 2018)

During her ULearn17 talk, Milne regularly used the term Hegemony. Cultural hegemonic thinking is a Marxist philosophy, the domination of a culturally diverse society by the ruling class who manipulate the culture of that society - the beliefs, explanations, perceptions, values, and mores (manner and custom) - so that their imposed, ruling-class world-view becomes the accepted cultural norm (Wikipedia, 2018)

“We know that (mainstream) schooling has been one of the most powerful tools of colonisation, still complicit in the creation of the alienation we (Maori) are struggling with and a major roadblock in the pathway forward.” (Milne, 2017).

Figure 2. Mainstream (Milne, 2017)

What:

I was born in Hungary, which underwent cultural eradication following WW2, by the Soviet Union. The monarchy was removed, privately owned property was expropriated and policies conformed with Communist principles.

Hungary experienced the worst inflation in financial history and people lived in fear, on the verge of starvation. Individual liberty ceased and arbitrary imprisonment became commonplace. All means of communication, from broadcasting to the classroom, were used for Marxist-Leninist indoctrination.

Hungarian people were aliens in their own land.

Figure 3. Me with sculpture of Vladimir Lenin. (Willemse, 1973)

I was 7 when my parents relocated to South Africa. Despite being bilingual in German and Hungarian, and having already completed a year of schooling, my lack of English was quickly identified as a deficit and I was enrolled at a grade lower than my peers. I felt invisible, misunderstood and quickly grew bored of school. You feel your culture being erased by the imposed standard and unknowingly, you become complicit in erasing your own culture as you strive to fit in.

When moving to New Zealand in 1998, we again experienced silent racism from the comfort zone of the endemic people and were surprised by the racial profiling toward non-Pakeha - whether indigenous or migrant. The human condition of rejecting the unfamiliar in order to preserve the familiar.

Viewing this slide (Milne, 2017) through my cultural lens, the similarity between occupation and colonisation is evident.

Figure 4. Naming White Spaces (Milne, 2017)

So What:

Teachers have a responsibility in nurturing people to be true to themselves.

Culturally responsive pedagogy (Gay, 2001, p.106) “uses cultural characteristics, experiences and perspectives as conduits for effective teaching”. My experiences have honed my EQ and cultural intelligence, as defined in 9 megaskills by Bucher (2008). This helps me to 'See' students of migrant cultures trying to establish or hide their identity and 'See' indigenous people strive to have their culture re-established and valued in their own land.

In Visual Art, the ultimate subject of self-expression, identity and culture play a vital role in developing personal points of view that drive authenticity and originality in creative work (see Action Continuum, Milne 2017).

Figure 5. Quote by artist Annette Messager (AZ Quotes, nd).

What next:

Bishop (2012) calls on agentic teachers to take action. So what is an agentic teacher?

Like the significant teachers that 'Saw' me, I aim to become someone with vision, who ‘sees’ the learner for who they are and values what they can contribute, with a mission to enrich experiences for my learning community. My explicit core values strive for connection and seek to collaborate, challenging deficit thinking. As a human resource, I own my personal learning by pursuing inquiries about ways to make a difference to students, colleagues and communities.

Figure 6. Mauri Ora (Maori Television, nd).

Bishop encourages a movement away from transmission models of teaching (Mauri Moe - the “sleep” state), and beyond child-centred education (Mauri Oho - state of being proactive). It is time to practice Whānaungatanga and build a relationship centred education that is culturally responsive and culturally sustaining (Mauri Ora - state of being actively engaged).

In fact, the Whānaungatanga competency is linked to the Teaching Standard for professional relationships (see below):

Figure 7. Whānaungatanga competency (Tātaiako, p4, 2011).

Figure 8. Professional relationships. (Our Code and Standards. p18, 2017)

My personal goals for improving school-wide activities, are summed up in this Maori proverb:

Figure 9. I am the river (Mader, 2012).

This speaks of our interconnectedness in this 21st-century digital era. A culturally sustaining practice can prepare students to be authentically contributing global citizens (Milne, 2017). So as I  present at staff PD based on my specialist pedagogical practices for developing student agency, our teachers can collectively use these principles to improve indigenous knowledge and cultural responsiveness in their practice.



REFERENCES:

AZ Quotes (nd). Annette Messager Quote. Retrieved from http://www.azquotes.com/quote/894044

Dolphin Travel (2018). New Zealand Maori Culture. Hongi image retrieved from http://www.dolphin-travel.co.nz/new-zealand-maori-culture.html

Bishop, R., Berryman, M., Cavanagh, T. & Teddy, L. (2009).Te Kotahitanga: Addressing educational disparities facing Māori students in New Zealand. Teaching and Teacher Education, 25(5),734–742.

Bucher, R. (2008). Building cultural intelligence (CQ): Nine Megaskills. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.

Education Council. (2017). Our Code Our Standards.Retrieved from: https://educationcouncil.org.nz/sites/default/files/Our%20Code%20Our%20Standards%20web%20booklet%20FINAL.pdf

Gay, G. (2002). Preparing for culturally responsive teaching. Journal of Teacher Education, 53(2),106-116.

Mader, R., (2012). I am the river image. Retrieved from https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8449/8026468001_52ccae79e3_b.jpg 


Maori Television, (n.d.) Mauri Ora - Healing Our Spirits Worldwide image. Retrieved from http://www.maoritelevision.com/news/regional/healing-our-spirits-worldwide-welcomes-mauri-ora-theme


Milne, A. (2017). Core Education: Colouring in the White Spaces: Reclaiming Cultural Identity in Whitestream Schools. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cTvi5qxqp4

Open Society Archives (1956). The Impact of Communism on Hungary. Retrieved from http://osaarchivum.org/files/holdings/300/8/3/text/30-2-125.shtml

Tātaiako (2011 ). Cultural Competencies for Teachers of Maori Learners. Ministry of Education. Retrieved from https://educationcouncil.org.nz/required/Tataiako.pdf

Wikipedia (n.d.). Cultural Hegemony. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_hegemony

Willemse, T., (1973).  Me with sculpture of Vladimir Lenin (Photo).





With love,

Timea

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To Reform or To Transform - that is the question? Mindlab Activity 6

A critical reflection on future trends and their implications on practice (Rolfe, G., Freshwater, D., Jasper, M., 2001).

(Insert Video Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=773hbiCTkg4
 Edualert, 2012)

What:

Easy sharing of digital information, contributing to increased migration, has resulted in rapidly changing “ethnic, linguistic and cultural diversity” (OECD, 2016) in our learning communities. The challenge is to integrate migrants while maintaining both their unique identities, and ours.

Global challenges like ‘erratic weather patterns, overfishing and conflict’ (OECD, 2016) affect all of humanity, but unifying efforts of global collaboration and problem-solving are evolving as ideas are shared among concerned global citizens.

Education practises devised for the industrial age are now outdated in our knowledge based economy and to remain relevant, educators need to lift NZ's low attainment levels (Buckley, (KPMG), 2015) by developing young people skilled in creativity, innovation and complex problem solving. The value for global languages, advanced digital skills, and social and emotional intelligence also needs to be recognised.

Language trends depicted in Figures 1 & 2, are addressed at my school by offering Chinese and Maori from K-6, then French, Spanish and Japanese from Y7-13. The staff is culturally diverse with most global ethnicities represented.

Figure 1. Top Native Languages (The Washington Post (2015)

Figure 2. Most Common Second Languages (The Washington Post (2015)

So What:

Being a K-6 Visual Art and Digital Media specialist, I am continually investigating global teaching trends in these areas and note strong links to skills identified by Partnership for 21st Century Skills (2007). This has lead me to developing a choice-based programme that is “flexible and reduces barriers to learning while setting high expectations for students.” (National Centre on Universal Design for Learning (UDL), 2009).

Figure 3. Framework for 21st Century Learning (P21, 2007)

In student-directed, choice-based art learning environments, children learn to identify problem, are encouraged to inquire and that leads to insights and conceptual understandings (Gaspardi, 2012). Whether it’s the 5 year old figuring out how to develop friendships or the 10 year old unpacking the dilemma between animal poaching and their ancient cultural beliefs about medicine, it’s the personal connections that drives their response to - How can I communicate ideas I feel passionately about, clearly and effectively to my audience, through a medium of my choosing?

We already know that students come from different places and learn at different rates, which makes differentiation essential. All voices, ideas and problems should be heard equally, yet answered differently (valued), resulting in positive mental well-being.

(Insert Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDvKnY0g6e4 
National Centre on Universal Design for learning, 2009)



Now What:

“The goal of education in the 21st century is the mastery of the learning process.” (UDL, 2012). UDL’s 3 learning guidelines aim to develop learners that are:
 1. Resourceful & knowledgeable
2. Strategic & goal-directed
3. Purposeful & motivated.

And Speicher's (2009) wrote 10 Tips For Creating a 21st–Century Classroom Experience in IDEO, including:
Create from relevance - engage the child, making connections
Stop calling them ‘soft skills’ - creativity and collaboration are essential 21C skills
Allow variance - value customization
Be an anthropologist, not an archaeologist - study people to understand their value

(Insert Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0xa98cy-Rw  MacFound, 2010)



“Current education dislocates people from their talents” (Robinson, 2015). New Zealand’s National Standards has been enthralled with the idea of ‘linearity, conformity and batching people’, in complete contrast to how life develops - organically and symbiotically. Human talents are diverse and people have different aptitudes. As educators we must create conditions under which these can flourish, by customising and personalising education for our students.

To transform our current education system and compete in the knowledge intensive labour markets, we must recognise that our students need important competencies. Acquiring global languages, navigating aspects of the virtual world as well as the real, and maintaining a healthy social and emotional intelligence are keys. Innovation will challenge what teachers take for granted but we need to rise with the challenge pro-actively. Abraham Lincoln said it best in 1862, when he presented congress with his innovative ideas about emancipation:

Figure 4. Abraham Lincoln as quoted by Sir Ken Robinson (Bring on the Learning Revolution, 2015).

Change is always challenging, it is how we respond to these challenges that matters.


REFERENCES:

Buckley, R (2015), KPMG. Beyond 2030: Global Megatrends and the Impact on New Zealand's Prosperity. Retrieved from https://www.iod.org.nz/Portals/0/Director%20Development/Conference/2015/Session%206_KPMG%20Global%20Mega%20Trends%20April%202015%20revised.pdf

CAST. (2010, January 6). UDL At A Glance [Video]. Retrieved from http://www.cast.org/our-work/about-udl.html#.WqMN5RNuZQI

Edualert. (2012, July 24). What is 21st century education? [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=773hbiCTkg4

Gaspardi, E. (2012). Teaching for Innovation: Supporting Diverse Learning Communities. In D. Jaquith, & N. Hathaway, (Eds.), The Learner-Directed Classroom (pp. 99-106). New York, United States of America: Teachers College Press.

MacFound. (2010). Rethinking Learning: The 21st Century Learner [Video]. MacArthur Foundation. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0xa98cy-Rw

National Centre on Universal Design for learning, (2009). UDL Guidelines - Version 2.0. Retrieved from http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/udlguidelines

OECD. (2016) Trends Shaping Education 2016, OECD Publishing, Paris. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/trends_edu-2016-en (this publication can be read online by following its DOI’s hyperlink)

Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21). (2007). Framework for 21st Century Learning. Retrieved on 10 March 2018 from http://www.p21.org/about-us/p21-framework

Robinson, K. (2015). Bring on the Learning Revolution! Ken Robinson. TED Talks [Video]. Retrieved on 10 March 2018 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=7&v=kFMZrEABdw4

Rolfe et al.'s reflective model, (2001). Adapted from: Rolfe, G., Freshwater, D., Jasper, M. (2001) Critical reflection in nursing and the helping professions: a user's guide. Retrieved from https://my.cumbria.ac.uk/media/MyCumbria/Documents/ReflectiveModelRolfe.pdf

Speicher, S. (2009). IDEO’s 10 tips for creating a 21st century classroom experience. Retrieved from https://www.ideo.com/news/ideos-ten-tips-for-creating-a-21st-century-classroom-experience

The Washington Post. (2015). The world’s languages, in 7 maps and charts. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/04/23/the-worlds-languages-in-7-maps-and-charts/?utm_term=.9480c4e034ef



With love,  

Timea

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Have you jumped in yet...or are you still peeking over the wall? Mindlab Activity 5

Reflection on the role of social online networks in my professional development (Rolfe, G., Freshwater, D., Jasper, M., 2001).

Figure 1. Wall of overwhelming Stuff. (Abbott, 2011)

What?

Recent research has identified some models of Professional Development to be less effective than others, e.g. one-day workshops or conferences not directly connected to a school’s academic programmes or teaching practises.

“Spontaneous, experiential, and unplanned” (Greenhow & Robelia, 2009, p. 122) informal learning driven by the urgent ‘just in time’ desires of teachers (Timperley, 2011) also seem to lack the impact of sustained professional learning with clear outcomes, driven by evidence and inquiry.

Contemporary ideas about teaching and learning endorse proactive participation of the learner in the learning process (Das Gupta, 1994). Therefore, it could be argued that social online tools fit within this practice. Blogging helps learners to express their ideas and collaborate with others, supporting both individual and social learning activities (Minocha & Kerawalla, 2010) as we become ‘Produsers - a hybrid of producer and user” (Bruns, 2007), and the boundary between consumers and creators of content is blurred. The greater the social capital (investment of time) of an individual or community, the greater the chance for improved practice and gain (Denzin & Lincoln, 2005, p. 21).

Figure 2. On-line Learning and Knowledge Building (Harasim, 2014)

My professional online networks include Facebook, Blogger, Twitter, Weebly, Pinterest, Instagram, Google+, Youtube, TeachersPayTeachers and Teachers Notebook which I use to connect with teachers from around the world.
My use of online social media changes with my role and interests in education.


So What?

Teacher-authors who write about observations in their own practise can be highly informative and motivating. The more you engage, the quicker you can weed out the weaker content and find deeply reflective practitioners willing to share ideas and findings, or expose you to diverging ideas and practices.

But how much influence does it have on student achievement? And how much quality control is there from the site moderators of the content being shared? Is this a place for poorly thought through ideas and responses not based in theory, nor considerate of impact on practise, (McLoughlin & Lee, 2010)? Perhaps that role of moderator falls on us - the knowledge community!

Figure 3. On-line Learning and Knowledge Building (Harasim, 2014)

Most educators look for 'affirmation of practice, advice on experiences within the classroom, new resources, and mentorship' in their online communities (Melhuish, K., 2013). Geographically separated or single subject teachers like me, working in isolation, can develop a collaborative, participatory model with others who were previously inaccessible, as I did this week to connect with Hamish (Betts, 2017), an art teacher from Singapore. Through our online profiles, I was able to contact and meet up in person with this expert in the field during a brief trip to New Zealand.

Online communities are comprised of mostly anonymous members connected by a communal interest and attending by choice. They range in experience, background and perspective which will challenge your preconceptions or provide support with an issue in your practice.


What Next?

Currently, I use my daily commute for independent online PD. A great way to tune in/front load knowledge is by listening to podcast channels recommended by my social networks.

My Podcast Channels (Willemse 2018).

I also engage with focused Google+, Twitter, and Facebook groups which trigger personal investigations or keep me informed about evolving conversations in my areas of interests.

My Twitter Feeds (Willemse 2018).

People engage to the level of their comfort or need but is 'lurking' a legitimate way of learning (Melhuish, K., 2013)? While this doesn't appear to contribute to community building, followership numbers boost the participation of active members, and learning through reading replicates print resource material from the past. But those that engaging in practice based discourse find this leads to more effective professional learning.

My Facebook Groups (Willemse 2018).

As connected 21C educators, we need to at least raise our heads over the walls of our classrooms and experience that cognitive dissonance to drive reflection on our practice. Melhuish, K.(2013) recognises the value of networking with educators beyond your own environment and vital for experiencing divergent thinking, that external voice is crucial to effective professional development (Ministry of Education, 2008; Timperley et al., 2007).

So jump in and enjoy the view!

Figure 4. Jump!!  (AnneCN, 2011).

REFERENCES:


Abbott S. (2011). Customer Crossroads. Wall of overwhelming Stuff image retrieved from http://www.customercrossroads.com/customercrossroads/2011/12/drinking-the-mouthwash-your-customers-are-overwhelmed.html

AnneCN (2011). Jump!! image retrieved from  https://www.flickr.com/photos/anne-cathrine_nyberg/5928692484/in/photostream/

Betts H. (2017). Creatively Hamish. Retrieved from http://www.creativelyhamish.com/#_blog


Bruns, A. (2007). 2nd ed. 'The Practices of News Blogging', in Bruns, A. and Jacobs, J. (eds)  Uses of Blogs. United States of America: Peter Lang.

Das Gupta, P. (1994). 'Images of childhood and theories of development', in Barnes, P. Personal, Social and Emotional Development in Children. United Kingdom: Blackwell/The Open University.

Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (2005). The SAGE handbook of qualitative research (3rd ed.). United States of America: SAGE Publications Inc.

Greenhow, C., & Robelia, B. (2009). Informal learning and identity formation in online social networks. Learning, Media and Technology, 34(2), 119–140. doi:10.1080/17439880902923580
Heap, T.P. (2011).  An Investigation into the Blogging Practices of Academics and Researchers. Centre for Research in Education and Ed. Technology (CREET). The Open University, UK. Retrieved on 1 March 2108 from https://oro.open.ac.uk/35641/1/Thesis_tph37_final.pdf

Harasim, L. (2014). On-line Learning and Knowledge Building.  Retrieved on 1 March 2108 from https://lindaharasim.com/sfu-courses/cmns-453/part-2-topics-activities/https://lindaharasim.com/sfu-courses/cmns-453/part-2-topics-activities/

McLoughlin, C., & Lee, M. J. W. (2010). Developing an online community to promote engagement and professional learning for pre-service teachers using social software tools. Journal of Cases on Information Technology, 12(1), 17–30. doi:10.4018/jcit.2010010102
Melhuish, K.(2013). Online social networking and its impact on New Zealand educators’ professional learning. Master Thesis. The University of Waikato. Retrieved on 28 February, 2018 from http://researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz/bitstream/han…

Minocha, S. (2009a). 'A case study-based investigation of students’ experiences with
social software tools', New Review of Hypermedia and Multimedia, 15(3), pp.245-65

Minocha, S. & Kerawalla, L. (2010). 'University Students’ Self-motivated Blogging and Development of Study Skills and Research Skills', in Lee, M.J.W. and McLoughlin, C. (eds) Web 2.0-Based E-Learning: Applying Social Informatics for Tertiary Teaching, IGI Global.

NZ Education Council. (n.d.). What is social media . Retrieved 28 February, 2018 from http://teachersandsocialmedia.co.nz/what-social-me...

Rolfe et al.'s reflective model, (2001). Adapted from: Rolfe, G., Freshwater, D., Jasper, M. (2001) Critical reflection in nursing and the helping professions: a user's guide. Retrieved from https://my.cumbria.ac.uk/media/MyCumbria/Documents/ReflectiveModelRolfe.pdf

The Glossary of Education Reform (n.d.). Professional Development (2013). Retrieved on 1 March 2108 from https://www.edglossary.org/professional-development/

Timperley, H. S. (2011). Realising the power of professional learning. England: McGraw-Hill Education.

Weller, M. (2006). VLEs and the democratisation of e-learning' [online] http://slidesha.re/lguk6R
(accessed 1 March 2108 ).

With Love

Timea

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Fly on the Wall, or . . . Fly in the Ointment? Mindlab Activity 4

Reflecting on Legal and ethical contexts in my digital practice (Rolfe, G., Freshwater, D., Jasper, M., 2001).


Personal devices and social platforms, like Seesaw, are now the norm and whanau are becoming regular 'flies on our walls'.
The fly in the ointment is that we teachers could also be recorded, potentially in our worst moment, and for that recording to be instantly shared.

Image 1, Students Filming with iPad 30 (Flickinger, B., 2012)

What? 
1. The critical incident.

My students were mid video reflections with personal iPads when another teacher walked into the lesson, venting in a state of frustration.

Meanwhile, students completed their recordings, uploaded to Seesaw as per expectation and left for lunch. Approximately half the video reflections had recorded the outburst.

Figure 2. Reflective model. (Rolfe et al., 2001).

So What?
2. The competing forces that impacted on decision-making.


The ethical dilemma:

a) content belonged to multiple students,
b) the teacher is a valued colleague, who was recorded without her knowledge.


Digital information can be communicated rapidly, is hard to permanently delete and can be remotely accessed, (Ministry of Education, 2015). Had a student or parent used this footage with poor judgement, it could have resulted in a negative impact on our school community.

The Ministry of Education’s DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY: Safe and responsible use in schools (2015, p.37), offers a guideline for removing problematic digital information. It states “to delete only when it is appropriate, act promptly to prevent content spreading, thereby reducing any distress or harm that may be caused.”

It further warns that digital information can only be deleted with complete confidence if all copies are removed and cannot be restored or accessed from another source. Deleted only with “a clear understanding of what this action is aiming to achieve” and “the knowledge that this action could break or add the school to the chain of evidence.” (Ministry of Education, 2015, p.37).


3. My values, beliefs, and ethical orientations.

My instinct was to protect the teacher and the reputation of the school. However, I also had to consider that, if mishandled, my actions may cause further disruption.


4. The choice to act.

I removed the videos from student devices, blaming poor sound quality. This action protected both students and teacher as outlined in Scenario 5 (Ministry of Education, 2015, p.40):

Figure 3. Scenario 5. (Ministry of Education’s DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY, p.40, 2015)

In The Code of Professional Responsibility, this decision reflects: Commitment to the Teaching Profession, maintaining trust and confidence and particularly items 2 and 3.

Figure 4.  Our Code Our Standards, (Education Council, 2017).

And in The Standards for the Teaching Profession, it reflects: Professional Relationships:

Figure 5.  Our Code Our Standards (Education Council, 2017).

Now What?
5. Implications for the individual, organisation and the community.

Our school’s Privacy Policy only states "information on individuals is not to be released to a 3rd party without their permission".

Our Code of Conduct Policy has Serious Misconduct category about "verbal harassment or threatening behaviour against another staff member." If seen out of context by a parent, this recording may cause unnecessary concern.

Finally the policy for Objectionable Electronics Information has the most applicable information for this situation, even though it was conceived for dealing with students accessing inappropriate on-line content.

Figure 6.  Objectionable Electronics Information Policy (Kristin)

One recommendation is that digital policies are more regularly reviewed in recognition of quickly evolving conditions in this learning space.

When filming, I now arrange students around the room with the speaker’s back to a wall to minimise potential visual intrusion, and I step outside of the recording zone if a visitor arrives. I also refer students to our Digital Citizenship Poster:

Figure 7.  Digital Citizenship Poster (Kristin)

Against Zeichner and Liston’s five levels of reflection, (cited in Finlay, 2008, p.4), "Rapid” reflection and “Repair” were the two that I actioned.

Also considered are

• MANAAKITANGA: creating a welcoming, caring and creative learning environment that treats everyone with respect and dignity, and 
• the 1st aim in our 4th code about Commitment to Society.

Figure 8.  Our Code Our Standards. (Education Council, 2017).

What constitutes ethical behaviour is likely to be influenced by organisational, personal and cultural beliefs, rather than the Teaching Code. In Lyons’ (1990) research, teachers revealed that dilemmas were either ongoing or likely to recur, makes the point that ‘many of the dilemmas of teaching are not solvable and must simply be managed rather than resolved’ (p.168).




REFERENCES:

Education Council. (2017). Our Code Our Standards.Retrieved from: https://educationcouncil.org.nz/sites/default/files/Our%20Code%20Our%20Standards%20web%20booklet%20FINAL.pdf

Ehrich, L. C. , Kimber M., Millwater, J. & Cranston, N. (2011). Ethical dilemmas: a model to understand teacher practice, Teachers and Teaching: theory and practice, 17:2, 173-185, DOI: 10.1080/13540602.2011.539794

Finlay, L. (2009). Reflecting on reflective practice. PBPL. Retrieved from http://www.open.ac.uk/opencetl/files/opencetl/file…

Flickinger, B., (2012). Students Filming with iPad 30. Retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/56155476@N08/7242929380
 

Lyons, N. (1990). Dilemmas of knowing: Ethical and epistemological dimensions of teachers’ work and development. Harvard Educational Review, 60(2), 159–180.

Ministry of Education. (2015).DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY Safe and responsible use in schools. Wellington: New Zealand: Author. Retrieved from https://www.education.govt.nz/assets/Documents/School/Managing-and-supporting-students/DigitalTechnologySafeAndResponsibleUseInSchs.pdf

Rolfe et al.'s reflective model, (2001). Adapted from: Rolfe, G., Freshwater, D., Jasper, M. (2001) Critical reflection in nursing and the helping professions: a user's guide. Retrieved from https://my.cumbria.ac.uk/media/MyCumbria/Documents/ReflectiveModelRolfe.pdf

School Policies and Digital citizenship document retrieved from Kristin school server.







With Love...

Timea

Embedding YouTube Videos in Blogs?

How to disable related videos when embedding YouTube videos into your blog.

Hi friends,
Today I started work on my class blog, a place to curate learning objects that I find or make and consider useful tools or exemplars for the students' learning in my programme. This is in response to research I am currently working on for a literature review in my course with Mind Lab.

I started loading some videos from YouTube and noticed that after I played them on the front end of the blog (on visitor mode) the video would end on a selection of unrelated videos from YouTube, even if I am embedding them through the HTML mode. These videos are not always appropriate and not something you want to see on a website that you are creating for your school community, as you have no control over what is advertised next.

So after a quick search, I came across this tutorial that quickly helped me to solve that problem. It may help you too :)

Its 2 years old so the YouTube navigation has changed slightly but the steps are still the same.


 Thank you for visiting,

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Mind Lab Week 19 - CoP

Communities of Practice (CoP)
In my current role I have found collaborating regularly in a community of diverse people/thinkers drawn together by a common interest or focus, to be imperative. Wenger, McDermott & Snyder (2002, p4) define CoP's as “groups of people who share a concern, a set of problems, or a passion about a topic, and who deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interaction on an ongoing basis”. 

In her presentation on blended learning, Sharon Padget shares this graphic to demonstrate the varying roles one might have in a CoP and how these change over time, depending on factors like the needs of the CoP, your level of comfort with participation, level of experience, etc. 

The Core are: the subject matter experts, show leadership, direct the vision of the CoP.
The Contributors are: the informal leaders, develop content, participate regularly, moderate with feedback.
The Collaborators are: those with self-selected involvement, support the CoP through questioning and making suggestions, increase their own understandings on the subject or focus.
The Consumers are: the general audience, they read, watch or listen regularly, try out the ideas presented, are exposed to new ideas and to how a CoP works.

When I first moved from a classroom teacher role, with  leadership responsibilities for planning teams and Mathematics, the first thing I had to do was to engage with new on-line Communities of Practice. My current role as a specialist teacher of Visual Art and Digital Media for Kindy to Y6 has a very different focus and as the novice, I had a lot of new learning to absorb.
I went from a regular contributor to CoP's for Literacy, Mathematics and Inquiry based pedagogies, and with in-school planning teams, to a lurker/consumer in new on-line groups.
I am very grateful to the leaders of these groups who got me up and running a lot quicker than I would have managed otherwise. There is limited scope for collaboration in specialist areas within a school. For that I have had to attend conferences and visit other schools with specialist art teachers (very few in NZ).

By participating in relevant CoP's, I have been exposed to alternative pedagogies in teaching the arts which has lead to further research, helping me to take my students so much further than I could have done on my own.


The two questions I am considering are based on observations of my students following adjustments made to my practice based on research about TAB (Teaching for Artistic Behaviour), Choice Based Art and Guided Inquiry models. These link in that they both borrow from the flipped learning model.

1) How can I use blended learning to improve engagement and achievement for target children
I noticed that some students find choice based learning and the ideation process challenging, even confusing. They achieve better (feel more confident) with the 'Show me' model and need gentle guiding toward 'Let me do it for myself'.
For them, I want to look at compiling past lesson resources into digital guide books to refer to, with the aim of combining these with more and more of their own ideas, as they grow in confidence. In the past I have written many lesson guides for teachers, so I could start by adapting these.
Creating a large and visible running sheet of ideation strategies that we add to each time we come up with another way to get ideas, could be beneficial for students too.

http://www.help-me-learn.com/store/c2/Visual_Art_.html

2) How can I promote student agency from Kindy -Y6?
While most conferences in a choice based learning environment are specific to a student, I do find myself repeating certain concepts or techniques multiple times. I have been thinking about creating short, sharp movie clips that answer these questions and loading them to a central cloud-based location for students to access independently, Then they can review skills and techniques from week to week, even year to year, as they need to. Despite looking for such resources on-line, I have not yet found anything suitable.
This resource will further enhance other changes I have already made to support independence in my classroom and possibly be of worth to share across my school to support classroom teachers in their practice. Who knows, maybe even shared globally through on-line CoP's.
Having already created and shared videos for teachers (like this one below), this is a new aspect I am looking forward to.
Help Me Learn Video Tutorials on You Tube

References:

Padget, S. (2013). aealearningonlinlive.Retrieved on November 28, 2017 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtM-6isRCtU

Wenger, E., McDermott, R., & Snyder, W. (2002). Cultivating Communities of Practice: A Guide to Managing Knowledge. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
 
With love, as always

Thank you for visiting,

http://www.help-me-learn.com/
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/One-Teachers-Journey
http://www.teachersnotebook.com/shop/tkwillemse
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http://www.youtube.com/user/HelpMeLearnMaths
http://pinterest.com/tkwillemse/boards/