May 1st 2019 Enabling Access
Today we listened to the other teachers' experiences of how they felt about what we had been learning so far. We are certainly learning a lot of information. I think it is important that each teacher focuses on getting a couple of aspects fully developed that are relevant to their stage of learning without comparing themselves to the progress of others. Just like our own students we are really in the learning seat at the moment. Working out the 'tricky bits' is fantastic and a great feeling of success.Dorothy reinforced in her hangout that it is human nature to want to share with others and that this needs to happen in a variety of ways. However, learning and sharing must be seen to be purposeful and that the children know that their learning is valued. Audiences that students share their learning with must be realistic, purposeful and make them feel their learning is valued.
Learning Sites
Looking at the range of learning sites today helped me to really understand that it is not the pretty whistles and bells that make a difference to student learning. Using multi-modal sites ensures that the learning is accessible to all learners and that it hooks them in. My students have been using Chromebooks now for four years and the novelty of doing so has long worn off. I know I need to stay fresh with new ideas to continue hooking students in and making it fresh for them.
The sharing of our own learning sites possibly felt threatening to some teachers who are not far along their digital journey but we are here as a learning group together and feedback from our peers is valuable.
It was great for me to have the opportunity to have a 'play' with my site to sort out a few little issues such as placing term 1,2,3, and 4 across the top of my home pages. It was great to have Danni on hand to show me a few simple tips that will make organising my site easier. For example - I never knew there was a preview button! I am pleased with the way my own learning sites have evolved over the last four years and I can see real progress in my own learning. I constantly ask myself - 'how will this make learning more interesting, meaningful and hook-in my learners'. I think it is important to view the sites through the kids and whanau eyes. If too much explanation is required the site needs to be tweaked.
Another inspiring day. Thanks!
Thank you for sharing your Learning Site today Michelle. You are so right that we should never compare our sites with others, but it was empowering to get ideas of how others use their sites in their learning environments and their feedback on ours. I was thinking, as I read your post about allowing the students to make their own sites, if we should be asking them to feedback on our Learning Sites so we get their student voice. This may also give us some ideas on how to make them more appealing to the learners if we are able to incorporate their ideas and thoughts. Just some food for thought Michelle, however, well done on the accessibility of your site which you have obviously tweaked over the years to make it amazing :)
ReplyDeleteIt was great to have some time to work on some of the nuts and bolts of our sites. Our students are engaging with each others in different ways than we did, doing this in a meaningful way is a challenge with our time constraints.
ReplyDeleteHi Michelle, great to see feedback from someone who is teaching children who have no real experience of a world of learning without their own device. This is reality now, not some futuristic thing. I love your attitude to keeping it fresh for them.
ReplyDeleteDorothy after reading your comment I have to pass on a little story from yesterday with you. I was sending my team of four students off to take part in the West Coast 'Kid's Lit' competition. My final tip for them as they headed out the door was, "Remember, that you might like to take turns writing the answers down - or whoever is the fastest writer should do so". Abby looked most bemused and replied, "Oh, you mean we have to do it the old way on paper?" It certainly gave me a giggle. Best of all however, the team won the Year 6 division.
Delete