MLP/MLE catching up on #edchatnz

What a fabulous recording of the thoughts, wonderings, ideas and challenges from educators. I hate missing #edchat! Thanks so much to Marnel for the opportunity to catch up asynchronously!

The #edchatnz conference — connecting with connectors

Cross posted from the CORE Education Blog: http://blog.core-ed.org/blog/2014/09/the-edchatnz-conference-connecting-with-connectors.html 

#edchatnz was born from a dream…. Danielle Myburgh’s dream… #edchatnz — the little hashtag that could. She believed in her passion for education…. She knew that her family and friends didn't want to talk about education 24/7….

So, her dream became a reality two years ago with the inception of #edchatnz.

#edchatNZ is a community for New Zealand educators across all sectors to discuss all things education. Please feel free to use this hashtag to share anything relevant about New Zealand education. #edchatNZ conference Friday, 8 August 2014 at 9:00 AM– Saturday, 9 August 2014 at 3:00 PM (NZST) Auckland, New Zealand

In April this year Danielle's dream reshaped to allow for the MAGIC of #edchatnz online to become a face to face reality. The edchtnz blog said it all: "The steering committee has pulled together the#edchatnz conference in 18 weeks. Yes, you read correctly: 18 weeks. Our first official minutes were dated 3/04/2014."

Three hundred educators gathered at Hobsonville Point Secondary School on 8 August 2014.  Imagine the buzz as Tweeps re-connected, met for the first time face-to-face, and recognised Twitter names! The welcome in the auditorium encapsulated the MAGIC of Danielle’s dream, right through to the reality of the face-to-face conference. Wrapped around the 300 plus educators who experienced these two days face-to-face were an incredible number of educators around New Zealand and the globe connected virtually. In the truly transformative, open, sharing, networking way of the world (enabled by technology and social media) following a conference is now becoming commonplace.

The welcome by Maurie Abraham of Hobsonville Point Secondary School really embraced us. A true privilege of the day was to participate in a huge range of sessions, and also work alongside the learners and educators from Hobsonville Point Secondary School in their learning day.

Throughout the two days we were treated to a range of breakouts in what is an incredible mix of conference (structured sessions) and unconference (unstructured sessions), a truly personalised experience was afforded to all.

A very well thought-out inclusion in the conference was the challenge tasks. They were fabulous icebreakers, and a great way to really meet and get to know new people. A favourite among attendees was the ‘grelfie’ (group ‘selfie’), of which I am sure hundreds, if not thousands, were snapped and shared.

Highlights from the sessions I attended were:

• Design thinking with Dianne Carvello: Design thinking encourages us to think agile, to discover and innovate.  It is about going beyond the obvious, digging deeper to ideate.
• Personalised Learning in Action with Amy McCauley, Erin Hall and learners.
  Having visible learning, planning, sharing open for all to see; learners, teachers, parents; community. Running needs based learning workshops, negotiated with the learners.  Student and teacher agency evidenced!
• "Booktrack A new way to Learn Make reading and writing fun!" with Craig Wilson and Chazz Hill-Hayr
  Stunning results evidenced as learners experience reading in a new way!  Learners are able to add sound effects to texts within Booktrack classroom or to their own texts.
• SOLO Taxonomy in the Classroom (primary) with Pam Hook
  From the work of John Briggs, comes the very well researched, easy to use a framework that is SOLO Taxonomy. The well supported, well resources framework is a tool for learners to identify stages in their learning and identify where to next.
• Tips and Tricks for Google Apps with Amy McAuley
  Powerful sharing of a range of tips and tricks and google apps to support us.  Increasingly Google is becoming our go to for things education.
  Education Bookchat – Keys Competencies for the future (NZCER)
  Launched at #edchatnz conference is the first #bookchat, which has now become the focus book for bookchat during Connected Educator Month. Fabulous to connect with other passionate educators and begin a book list for future reads.

The power of connecting

I have always held the belief that online is fabulous, but face-to-face is MAGIC. The upward spiral is evident when we meet a Tweeter face-to-face for the first time, but we have already shared journey, a kindred spirit, a tangible connection. Online connections make the face-to-face connections more meaningful, which, in turn, make future online connections more meaningful — a true upward spiral of success.

From the very first moments in the darkened auditorium listening to the student on the piano, to the Hobsonville learner sharing her poem, to the Hobsonville primary students sharing their learning journey, their agency, through to every workshop — this conference focused on transforming opportunities for our learning.

With the most important space in the classroom or school being the space between the teacher, leader, learner's ears, this conference truly connected us, challenged us, empowered us, and engaged us. We were given agency to make the learning over these two days work for us. We were challenged, motivated, and inspired by each other. We had fun — so much fun!

There are oh-so-many opportunities for us as educators to make a difference in the everyday life of our students! Thanks to everyone who connects, cares, shares, gives…. The learning from #edchatnz conference carries on through the blogging meme.

So what’s next? How can we connect?

Where to now? Counting down until October!Connected Educator Month is going to be the most incredibly powerful opportunity for local, national and global connections on a scale not seen before in New Zealand.

What are you going to do to embrace the MAGIC of this opportunity?
What are you going to explore in your area?
Who are you going to connect with?
Who can you engage with?

Can you:

• Run or attend an educamp?
• Begin or reignite an e-teach group?
• Join #edubookchatnz?
• Run or attend an #eduignite?
• Attend Ulearn?
• Run a techni breaki at your school?
• Blog your journey?
• Share your T@I?
• Attend or start up a local f2f group?
• Join in a webinar?
• Join and contribute to the vln?
• Join or connect with a new group through social media?
• Support learning and connecting at a local retirement home?
• Support a collaboration between ECE, primary, secondary or tertiary groups?
• Become a mentor?
• Find yourself a mentor?
• Join a quadblog group?

Check out the starter resources and the toolkit for staff.

Connected Educator Month is about to kick-off!

A global calendar of free online professional learning, offered by NZ and global organisations. Make October the month that you and your colleagues connect and grow your online skills and professional learning. Become a connected educator and be part of an online, networked profession.

• Want to learn about new digital tools? Check out the Starter Kete – 31 days of activities to help you connect to educators across the globe. Grow your skill and earn recognition through badging.
• NZ Launch Week! Sign up for some of these stunning activities, 1-3 October.
• Book Groups: Sign up to explore future-focused curriculum with NZCER, and innovative design thinking with Ewan McIntosh – and win a copy for yourself!
• Pick a pathway of professional learning: Browse the calendarand join in the conversations that matter to you and your school [NZ events  /  all global events]. Show schools how/why they can become connected in term 4.
• Sign up so you don't miss the news, including the livestream from ULearn14.
• Follow us on Twitter @ConnectEduNZ , Google+ and the hashtags#cenz14and #ce14

The following two tabs change content below.

Teacher Agency - storified #edchatnz

I am keeping this storify of #edchatnz Teacher Agency in my blog as this is so topical and such a huge part of our learning...

SOLO Taxonomy Storify by Pam Hook

What a wonderful follow up...

#edchatnz Reflecting on a MAGICAL two days...

WOW on board flight NZ551 bound for Christchurch!  Time to reflect on the MAGIC of the past two days...

Danielle had a dream...

She believed in her passion for education...

She knew that her family and friends didn't want to talk about education 24/7...

So her dream became a reality two years ago with the inception of #edchatnz.

#edchatNZ is a community for New Zealand educators across all sectors to discuss all things education. Please feel free to use this hashtag to share anything relevant about New Zealand education. #edchatNZ conference Friday, 8 August 2014 at 9:00 AM - Saturday, 9 August 2014 at 3:00 PM (NZST) Auckland, New Zealand

In April this year Danielle's dream reshaped to allow for the MAGIC of #edchatnz online to become a f2f reality.  

"The steering committee has pulled together the #edchatnz conference in 18 weeks. Yes, you read correctly: 18 weeks. Our first official minutes were dated 3/04/2014."

So, yesterday, at the amazing Hobsonville Point Secondary School the MAGIC began as educators arrived from 8am. Words can't really convey the feeling of hugs as connections are restored, hugs as new connections are made and the tangible pulse of the potential of this inaugural event.

I have always held the belief that online is fabulous but face to face is MAGIC. The upward spiral is evident when we meet a tweet face to face for the first time, but we have a shared journey, a kindredness, a virtual connection. Online connections make the face to face connections more meaningful which in turn make future online connections more meaningful - a true upward spiral of success.

From the very first moments in the darkened auditorium listening to the student on the piano, to the Hobsonville learner sharing her poem, to the Hobsonville primary students sharing their learning journey, their agency, through every workshop... this conference focused on transforming opportunities for our learning.

With the most important space in the classroom or school being the space between the teacher, leader, learner's ear's this conference truly connected us, challenged us, empowered us, engaged us. We were given agency to make the learning over these two days work for us. We were challenged, motivated and inspired by each other. We had fun!!! So much fun!

I really find it hard to encapsulate the MAGIC of these two days in a blogpost, because it is so much more than a blogpost is possible of sharing.

So many opportunities for us as educators to make a difference in the everyday life of our students!!!

A HUGE thank you to Danielle, for having a dream, believing in the dream and making the dream a reality. As 300 educators gathered, how far will the ripples flow? Conservatively each educator has opportunities to impact on thirty learners, meaning a very real possible impact on 9000 learners immediately. Then, what of those following the stream from afar and indeed globally? What is the potential reach of the goodness of the past two days? It is phenomenal! It is MAGIC!!!

Thanks to Hobsonville Point Secondary School for the amazing venue!

Thanks to every tweep who is in my PLN and who is such a part of who and what I am everyday.

Thanks to everyone who connects, cares, shares, gives...

Where to now? Counting down til October! Connected Educator Month is going to be the most incredibly powerful opportunity for local, national and global connections on a scale not seen before in New Zealand.  

• What are you going to do to embrace the MAGIC of this opportunity?  
• What are you going to explore in your area?  
• What are you going to connect with?
• Who can you engage with?

Can you:

• Run or attend an educamp?
• Begin or reignite an e-teach group?
• Join #edubookchatnz?
• Run or attend an #eduignite?
• Attend Ulearn?
• Run a techni breaki at your school?
• Blog your journey?
• Share your T@I?
• Attend or start up a local f2f group?
• Join in a webinar?
• Join and contribute to the vln?
• Join or connect with a new group through social media?
• Support learning and connecting at a local retirement home?
• Support a collaboration between ECE, primary, secondary or tertiary groups?
• Become a mentor?
• Find yourself a mentor?
• Join a quadblog group?

These are a few ideas I have. What could you do? Please share your ideas in a comment and let's really connect and collaborate for the good of all!

Education Book Club #edchatnz

Education Book Club

An idea dreamt up on twitter - another dream becomes a reality here at #edchatnz

As teachers, we all love to talk, to tell stories, to learn.  Sharing the story and the learning journey!

@edubookchatNZ

http://www.nzcer.org.nz/nzcerpress/key-competencies-future  as first read!  WOOHOO

possible next reads...
Invent to learn - Gary Stager and Silvia Martinez
Classroom Habitudes - Angela Maiers
Change - Richard Gerver
The Third Teacher - Richard Long
Boy writers - Ralph Fletcher

Haiku writing for prizes... woohoo

Thanks to you all for yet another MAGIC MAGIC session...

#edchatnz Tips and tricks for Google Apps

Tips and tricks for Google Apps making life... easier

Ever expanding Google eco-system!!!
Google for Education website!

Chrome extensions and apps - explore and find ones that work for you!



Selectable images in Google draw is something I have to explore further...
Highlight the area, make it transparent and add a link! Check out Chris Betcher's video in presentation.

Oooh looking forward to exploring Youtube editor!!!

MAGIC session thanks AMY!!!

#echatnz SOLO Taxonomy in the Classroom (primary)

Woohoo session two....

SOLO Taxonomy in the Classroom (primary)

Solo taxonomy came out of research, not a whim, Professor John Biggs looked at thousands of exampled of student work....

SOLO is a way at looking at the physical structure of a variety of ideas.

• Prestructural - No idea;
• Unistructural - Find one relevant idea;
• Multistructural - Find out heaps;
• Relational - Find connections between ideas - linking/relating;
• Extended abstract - know deeply and now able to push the boundaries.  Pushing ideas out to create something new, extending;

http://pamhook.com/solo-taxonomy/ 

The taxonomy is about the work, it is not about the learner....

The learner may talk about their work as being at one stage or another!

THEY MAY NOT EVER TALK ABOUT THEM SELF AS BEING ONE STAGE OR ANOTHER!  They are a learner! They are not a stage!

Carol Dweck research! Mindset

Learning outcome comes from effort and strategies!

What strategies have I got that would help me here?  Venn Diagram, think pair share, actively displaying the strategies that help achieve different learning outcomes.  eg If I can't connect the ideas, maybe my teacher can help me. 

Carol Dweck - the perils of promise and praise!

Thinking about how we praise, the language we use, and being aware of impact of our words.  

Giving our learners of a mental model of learning - all about effort and effective strategies!  Cement this in from day one!  Learning is nothing to do with being smart, being dumb, or being lucky!

HookED SOLO Functioning Knowledge Rubric Generator

SOLO Taxonomy Hand signs

Recap:

• Simple
• Robust
• Credible
• Comes from reserach
• User friendly
• Stops fixed mindset
• Strategy development
• Incredibly well resourced
• HUGE community in New Zealand
• What am I doing, How well is it going, What should I do next?
• Task and outcome can be at different levels

I am committing here and now to learning, using, growing myself in SOLO taxonomy!!!

HookED SOLO Declarative Knowledge Rubric Generator

Using visual maps for learners to draft their thinking onto!

The power of using this map to extend and develop our planning and thinking... 

PURE MAGIC thanks Pam.  An incredibly powerful session which is changing my way of being, learning, growing and facilitating!!!

#edchatnz day 2

Woohoo, day two of #edchatnz
Now, I almost NEVER have trouble sleeping, but sleep eluded me for a long while last night as I mulled over people I'd met, conversations I'd had, learning opportunities created, and the MAGIC of day one at #edchatnz.

So, wouldn't you think, I would sleep in and groggily slam the alarm off when it woke me from my slumber? No to be.  Wide awake and amped at 5.10am. 

HUGE day in store, day two of #edchatnz then flying to Christchurch for a very special birthday celebration and a wonderful celebration brunch tomorrow morning with my girl!!!

So - what am I hoping for today?

• meet more new tweeps;
• spending time with friends;
• introducing Ingrid to new tweeps;
• challenging workshops;
• stimulating conversations;
• catching up with CORE whanau;
• wearing the coolest lanyard ever;
• soaking up the MAGIC that is 300 passionate educators connecting, learning, sharing and growing together to improve outcomes for all our learners...

What are you hoping to achieve today?  Would love to hear from you?

#edchatnz day one highlights...

Highlights from today are innumerable... but lets capture some of them... in no particular order... just flowing out as they come to my overloaded mind...

• he tangata, he tangata, he tangata..
• Meeting old friends;
• Making new friends;
• Booktrack - woohoo - creating first story! (and booktrack t-shirt)
• Design thinking with Diane;
• Mark Osborne's words about sharing your story;
• Catalina CAFE - you are MAGICAL;
• Hobsonville Point Secondary School environment;
• Hobsonville Point Primary teachers and learners sharing agency;
• The MAGIC of Danielle Myburgh for making the dream a reality;
• Selfies;
• Grelfies;
• Kidelfies;
• Following new tweeps;
• New tweeps following me;
• CORE whanau connections;
• Rainbow on the way to #edchatnz;
• Rain on the way home from #edchatnz;

All in all the day has been MAGICAL from sun-up to sundown.... and more in store tomorrow... How will my exploding brain settle to allow sleep to happen...

"Booktrack A new way to Learn Make reading and writing fun!"

Woohoo - hanging out for the MAGIC of this session...

"Booktrack A new way to Learn Make reading and writing fun!"

With Craig Wilson and Chazz Hill-Hayr

Booktrack Classroom - A new way to learn... launched in April 2014, 2300 teachers onboard already!

Booktrack is about providing the tools - then allowing us to create MAGIC with these tools.... Stunning results already... Team are now digging into the results and looking at why the sessions are so effective in lifting engaging, comprehension and achievement. #edchatnz

Oh my goodness - this is truly a MAGICAL experience... 

I am going to use a blogpost to create my own MAGIC...

http://booktrackclassroom.com/#!/classes 

http://booktrackclassroom.com/#!/landing/video-tutorials

http://www.booktrack.com/#!/bookshelf?booktrackId=09129c7a903b45d397eebd338785ab6f

Agh PURE MAGIC....
A published, sound enhanced blog post, a t-shirt... what more could a girl want....

Personalised Learning in action

Personalised Learning in action

Getting to know the learners - finding out what makes them tick. Making the learning as visible as possible - planning open for all to see - learners, teachers, community...

Visible learning: gathering evidence, documenting the learning journey! 

Keeping documentation of the journey - allowing learners to revisit their own learning journey!  

Learning workshops - need based and negotiated with the learners!  
Having learning visible in the form of a photo visual planner. Learners empowered to chose sessions.  Teachers able to add learners to slot for a follow up activities.  Ownership is through student making the choice, then recording the choice!  Colours are used for coding on the visual planner.  Eg - reading, writing, maths... Learners have to chose from these three then can record one other.

R W M for coding.  Teachers are able to encourage and empower learners to structure day. Activity cards are designed to help learners informed decisions to meet all of their needs.  

Hearing the story from the learner! 'At my old school, in the past, school wasn't so much fun, we all did the same thing...'  Moving to the present - the learners sharing the choice they have, student agency, planning own day, having a say in their learning.  

Just loving hearing the comparison... Learners able to verbalise the power they have over their learning journey! Reflections at the end of each day.  Reflecting on successes and challenges during the day.  Checking in with the teacher with your reflection leads to next decisions.  

Negotiated projects - can be scheduled into day and week timetable.  

Year 5-8 in a learning common - planning on individual google calendars. Planning to learn across all learning areas. 

Social media and the place they have in the learning environment at HPPS.  Reflecting on a time before devices... challenged the learners to survive for 3 hours without being connected to a device! From a simple project which began as a challenge, the instigator has seen a positive impact...  

Just loving hearing the story from a learner - empowering learners to spend time f2f!!! Youth of today eh - pure MAGIC!!!

Design thinking: think agile, discover & innovate

My first session at #edchatnz with D
Design thinking: think agile, discover & innovate
What if, and so what of learning, questioning what we are doing.
Reflecting on our own learning and journey!  
Be agile, flex, play, be adventurous and courageous.  
Study of what designers do and how they create - designers sharing their story.  How do you come up with something that will change the world?
The invention of the ipod as an example...
So what is design thinking!  
Abductive thinking....
Pull it down or push it out type of thinking and flexing between the two - a state of highly productive ideas... 
Seeking and asking beyond the obvious.... digging deeper!

Going beyond the obvious, coming up with an innovative solution!

Woohoo, here we are working our way through the design thinking process... and I have a new tweep in my PLN @nessiedavina
What a fabulous opportunity to get to know someone really well in a short space of time.... 
A HUGE thank you to Diane Carvello for an inspirational session!!!!

#edchatnz with Mark Osborne

Mark Osborne sharing an insight into Twitter.  Too many people in the conversation can lead to too little space to talk.
#edchatnz the use of this hashtag dreamt up by Danielle Myburgh and the power of this to enable us to connect, share and grow together.
With 300 of us here in the auditorium there are infinite opportunities for us to connect and grow together.  

(Love the little interlude as Logan, a student, comes to the stage for technical support.... woohoo Logan) Sound restored.

#edchatnz the MAGIC begins...

Brunch at Catalina on the way to #edchatnz chance to catch up with many tweeps!
Woohoo... here we are in the dark in the auditorium at Hobsonville Point Primary!

So many amazing people here... so much fun to be had!!! 

#edchatnz about empowering teachers to step up, be more awesome, grow others... allow us to share, connect, grow and learn, to improve outcomes for all our learners, everywhere!

What an opportunity!

300 educators here for the good of all learners = MAGIC magnified... 

Follow along with the learning: http://www.edchatnz.blogspot.co.nz/ 

Follow the twitterstream today and tomorrow for the MAGIC of these two days!

Te aroha... being sung by Hobsonville Point staff to welcome us.. very emotional....

What a privilege to be here!

Maurie Abrham takes the stage and welcomes us to Hobsonville Point!

And so the MAGIC begins....