Learning about Gifs

I have recently been the learner in a Manaiakalani toolkit workshop. I chose the 'fun with gifs' workshop thinking that I would have a bit of fun there and maybe come away with something to take back to the classroom.

I soon realized that I could make gifs from google slides and talltweets.com and simply set up the sequence like a stop motion. movie. So super easy.

I then noticed a student of mine talking about how the photos they had been taking of their work showed it evolving.

This sparked an idea that I could use gifs to bring the process to life and even get students to incorporate this into their blogging. 

Happy days

Reimagining teaching and learning - self effiacy

http://ikit.org/fulltext/2002AERAAnn.pdf

So I've been thinking about the learner's role in knowledge building. It's quite a different dynamic to traditional, more transactional modes of learning where the teacher is the conduit and all learning flows from them.

Knowledge Building which I have been tinkering with in one of my classes for a few years, puts the student at the center of their learning - they are agents in it and as legitimate knowledge creators in our learning community. It is really scary for some students as they haven't known anything other than direct instruction. But the rewards are huge for when they get it.

I guess the question is how to empower students to see themselves as being capable of inquiry ... and also how to scaffold them so we're not throwing them in the deep end before they've learned to swim!

So in my inquiry, I'm thinking about 'learning how to learn'. How can I give my students the skills that they need to create knowledge? How can I give them the tools that they need to reflect on their learning and be empowered as epistemic agents?

For those of you who have been working with knowledge building and collaboration for a while, how do you support metacognition in your students? Are there particular resources or tools that are really effective?

My inquiry hunch is that knowledge building will improve self-efficacy over time.
To identify a shift I will need to gather qualitative data over time. I was thinking of using the Learning Dispositions survey that we often use with NetNZ students. Teachers, can you think of any other good ways of getting a picture of students as learners? The main thing really is that I'm collecting student voice about their learning as self-efficacy is defined by the learners' beliefs about their abilities.

Please share your thoughts, ideas, and feedback with me.

SAMR

I've been reflecting a lot, since the staff meeting Madeline facilitated around the 'Create' part of learn-create-share and the SAMR model.

(http://manaiakalani.blogspot.co.nz/2015/01/create-learn-create-share-pedagogy.html)  

(Reuben Puentedura)

Two things were highlighted for me.

• How much of what we do is a substitution, and how can we redesign learning tasks given the affordances we have with digital tools? This is something to work through with our awesome team of Junior homeroom teachers. It may be about identifying one or two things that would be achievable for our team. I'm also keen to get out and have a look at good practice in other schools that have been at this digital immersion thing for longer than we have.
• We can't operate at the top of the model all of the time. It would be exhausting and unsustainable (This was reinforced this week at the Mindlab when we were discussing change management. When introducing new ideas, leaders need to think about 'cyclical energising'. What this means is that there will be periods of intense focus and effort, then periods of easing back and just celebrating the wins.) We need to look at the Junior schemes and think about there we could design 'Create' moments and when it would be more appropriate to just augment the task, using the digital tools we have available.

I really value PD with Madeline, it always leaves me with an 'aha moment' or just some little gem to reflect on.