Devices

Devices 
In class I need to constantly ask myself - "Is what I am doing in my class programmes link back to the kaupapa of Learn, Create, Share?

Cybersmart - The purpose of this is to empower our learners as this leads to keeping them safe.
In our own kura it's important that cybersmart is a whole school focus for it be successful.

Thinking about what our learners are posting online - is it positive?
"We need to empower our students through positive digital citizenship". - Leeane Lindsay

Smart learners are those who create a positive digital footprint.

Ubiquitous - this allows students to use the available technology in a way that lifts their learning.

Visible - focus on the positive with the students with this so that they know this visibility is there so that others can see their learning and how others, their whanau, teacher and peers can help them learn.

The discussions around those recidivist students who constantly do not follow Cybersmart principles was interesting. There are certainly challenges with this. Hapara has made this easier via using directed browsing which locks students out of sites unless they are timetabled to be in them. This highlights the importance of teachers embedding cybersmart practises right from the first time a device is placed in the student's hands. Families also need education about this and be helped to create 'visibility' with where their children used the internet at home.

Hapara
I am lucky that I have used Hapara over the last four years and know that I have a good handle on the way that it works. We always learn something though and I had never actually thought of only casting the tab while I keep my teaching in front of me. I have been casting from a different computer all this time! Just never joined the dots . . . Also great to go over focussed browsing as this is a tool we have recently been using with a couple of students at school. I like the way that Fiona put a positive spin on the visibility aspect of Hapara. Let's interact with students in a positive manner . . .

Participation, Participation. Protection

Digital Dig
A few years ago I undertook the digital dig with my class but have never revisited this. After doing this myself on a chromebook I can see how invaluable it is for students in my class to identify the areas where they need to 'hone' their skills and also for others to remind themselves to use these shortcuts. I can see the potential for my students to create mini DLO/screencastify to teach others, including teachers in the school how to take advantage of shortcuts. I tend to steer away from using a chromebook but after realising I knew very few of the shortcuts today will endeavour to do so at some stage throughout each teaching day.

Screencastify - really helps to bring slides to life and makes learning even more visible as the viewers can really see that students can understand their learning tasks.

Great to have the chance to go through this app as it is one that I am very aware of and have my students do but have never really gone through the process with them as they very quickly pick it up from others. I know that I need to be doing more deliberate acts of teaching in this regard.

My First Screencastify -  I can really see the benefits of having students explain their own learning by sharing their screens as they speak. I have never really understood how this worked and am pleased that I now do. I am going to model to this to my students and have them select a DLO that they have already created but break down their learning into stages. This really will bring their learning to life and also allows their whanau to hear their child explain what they are learning to do.
I know it will also identify learning blocks that individual students may have. A valuable learning tool that I have tended to steer away from but I will also aim to use it when modelling my instructions to the class.