DFI week 9 External recognition

 This was our final week on DFI with the online Google Educator test. Happily, I passed:

Certification Exams

Hi Ian,

Congratulations, you're a Google Certified Educator!

You have passed your exam and will receive final results within 3 business days from gfe-certifications@google.com.

Yours in Education Google for Education Certification Team

We were well prepared for the test thanks to our awesome facilitators. I also completed the feedback on this course and am happy to share my response summary:

Goal 1: How well did we do this for YOU? *

Goal 1: Our teachers are supported to acquire fluency using the basic tools our young people use for learning.

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Completely missed the mark						Every day was another step closer to this goal

Goal 2: How well did we do this for YOU? *

Goal 2: Our teachers are supported to acquire fluency using the basic tools required for effective teaching, planning, assessment and professional learning.

	1	2	3	4	5
Completely missed the mark						Every day was another step closer to this goal

Goal 3: How well did we do this for YOU? *

Goal 3: Our teachers are supported to understand how digital technologies used effectively can have a significant impact on accelerating achievement outcomes.

	1	2	3	4	5
Completely missed the mark						Every day was another step closer to this goal

Goal 4: How well did we do this for YOU? *

Goal 4: Our teachers are supported to understand how the Manaiakalani pedagogy and kaupapa has been co-constructed over more than a decade to maximise the impact of effective teaching and learning in a digital learning environment.

	1	2	3	4	5
Completely missed the mark						Every day was another step closer to this goal

Let us know how this opportunity to attend the Digital Fluency Intensive has impacted you positively. *

We are thinking of the whole package here - the digital, the group, Manaiakalani, learning using the LCS pedagogy etc etc

Having time to take the time to specifically learn and be exposed to the various apps and the Google suite has been extremely valuable. Learning about the underpinnings of Manaiakalani has been very worthwhile.

Are there any highlights that have impacted your life, your practice, your workflow... *

All has been valuable but more specifically the Google suite has been a highlight.

Let us know how you think we could improve or do this better to support the next cohort. *

N/A

Is there anything else you would like to say or let us know?

Thanks to our wonderful facilitators for sharing your knowledge and expertise.

I would like to express my thanks to the facilitation team and the other colleagues participating in our DFI course. I have learned a lot and have much to explore further! It is reassuring to know that help and assistance are only a click or an email away. The collaboration and professionalism within the course have been exemplary and I am pleased to have been a part of it.

Nga mih nui.

Week 8 DFI: Computational thinking.

 Week 8 DFI: Computational thinking 01.12.21.

Today's session on Manaiakalani Kaupapa focussed on empowerment. This has certainly been on my radar recently following our NZCER wellbeing survey. Our students overwhelmingly commented that they wanted more voice and influence in their learning and school life. From this feedback, we are currently looking to set up a student council to help us shape up 2022. This will be totally new at our school. We will also be enrolling our students into the Summer Learning Journey to give them the option to engage in learning over the Summer. Within our classes, we will be looking for students to have greater input into how their learning is delivered. I reflected that our students really had a great opportunity during lockdown to extend their learning by closely connecting electronically with their teachers during check-in time for example.

The Digital Technologies session was valuable for me as this was a new area to explore. I found the decoded 4 learners a great resource that I will access in the future. The wealth of material available on Technology Online was wonderful and a real eye-opener as to what can be achieved. The comment was made that many of the targets within the digital curriculum can be/ are met during many other activities covered within the wider curriculum. For instance, giving instructions to others. Integration is a key aspect to focus upon during planning.

The afternoon session was with an aptly named app called Tinkercad which was a new experience for me. During the exploratory session, we were tasked with creating a Whare (house) here is my attempt:

 

I enjoyed the Tinkercad session and I look forward to exploring this further in the future. I can see that it could be useful in future projects at our school for both students and staff. This is something that I have never had the opportunity to explore before I can see that it is very engaging and hard to put down!