Thursday, May 15, 2014

AFL Rules

Katie and I had the pleasure of attending the AFL game at the MCG ON Saturday night. It was an awesome spectacle, all pinked out for Breast Cancer awareness. 
The game was between Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs.  Of course Katie and I were supporting Melbourne and we were delighted when Melbourne took the lead for the first time.  The game was close throughout and the lead changed often in the fourth and final quarter until the bulldogs had a couple of lucky breaks and streaked ahead.
We were exceptionally lucky to have prime seats near the ground and to be sitting in front of a group of supporters who cheered for the Melbourne team by name to add to our interest of the game! 
Katie and I decided to list the top ten rules we were able to deduce from the spectacle in front of us:
  • You can play the ball with any part of your body although we wouldn't recommend the face;
  • You can go anywhere on the field at any time, like anywhere;
  • Play mainly takes place inside the circle field except for when it doesn't;
  • Referees wear cute uniforms and have the inauspicious privilege of projecting the ball back into the field of play, throwing it over their head with varying degrees of weirdness while they face the audience... Hiiiii guys;
  • There are four quarters of approximately 30 minutes each, I say approximately as it varied between 28 and 34 minutes, um can you guys count?!
  • Originally this rule was gonna be no girls allowed on the field but then we seen a girl do this weird two hand signal meaning a goal had been scored... You go girl, do that job!!!
  • The goal posts don't actually need a bar across them I mean kick it along the ground if you want, same amount of points so why not save some leg strength;
  • If there is a point where the ref isn't sure on which way the call should go they blow the whistle and chuck the ball at the ground in another weird twist of events;
  • There isn't just one score for each team, that would be far too easy. No there are 3 scores each. We did work out what they meant, but who cares! Why the heck do ya need three scores each?!
  • And finally, it's not real rugby so it isn't really ok to tackle! Well it is sometimes but if the pile builds up to more than about 3 then the whistle is blown because apparently piling on top of each other isn't the point of this game, hey you learn something new every day!!!!!!
Obviously I owe a heap of gratitude to Katie for her humorous addition to this post... Encouraging her to start her own blog as we speak....

Monday, May 12, 2014

Best Mother's day ever.....

It is hard to explain how perfect today has been!  The day started as all perfect days do with a sleep-in, followed by a swim in the rooftop pool.  


This was followed by a scrumptious brunch on the waterfront at Docklands!  As we walked around the waterfront we hired bikes and spent the next two hours cycling around the Yarra River, having a MAGIC time in the sunshine!  

We followed this up with yet another MAGIC shopping session resulting in me purchasing the most amazing purple boots!!!!! Oops and a pair of grey boots too!  They were just too nice and too soft to leave in the shop.....

A relaxing stop at the Boatshed saw us relaxing in deck chairs in the sun on the banks of the Yarra River enjoying a platter and a cold drink!

The day concluded with us booking an awesome adventure down the Great Coast Road tomorrow, then dinner!

A truly perfect day!!!  Thank you Katie for the best day ever!!!



Melbourne update!

We had an awesome flight over and arrived to sunshine.  Off exploring we went to the markets and walking around.  After a much needed catch up sleep in the middle of the day we set off for more adventures, shopping of course!  We ended a very successful day with dinner on Lygon St at Johnny Carvena's!






Day two - a wonderful sleepin was very welcome!  We went exploring again around the inner city, then out to harbour town.  We are becoming quite expert at negotiating our way around on foot or in the trams.  We had a wonderful night at the MCG for Melbourne versus Western Bulldogs AFL game.  A real highlight was the 'pink out' for Breast Cancer Awareness!  


Sunday, May 11, 2014

Melbourne adventure!!!

One week’s holiday!
Woohoo, here I am mid way across the ditch heading for Melbourne!  To celebrate Katie’s birthday we have a week of adventure!  A very, very early wake up call today at 3.15am for our 4am taxi to the airport!


So here we are, well on our way.  I thought it might be nice to take some time to share what I am looking forward to most!   Relaxing!  No alarms, no timetable, no schedule… in fact this could be called the no agenda holiday!  We do have a couple of things planned and pre-booked but mostly it is about just chilling and enjoying a week of sightseeing, shopping, wining and dining and of course a little bit of retail therapy thrown in!

Friday, May 9, 2014

Holiday time....

A very early start to the day and Katie and I are enjoying breakfast at the airport before our flight to Melbourne!  What a treat for the two of us to heading off for a week of adventures....  I am looking forward to sharing our adventures as they unfold...



Thursday, May 8, 2014

Update 7 May 2014 - Teaching as Inquiry

Kia ora tātou,


Welcome back.  I hope you have had a relaxing holiday time and a chance to recharge your batteries ready for what promises to be a short but action packed term 2.


To begin term two we are focusing on Teaching as Inquiry and Goal Setting.


Following on from recent discussion around the use of Google forms in education we are asking you this week to share your literacy wonderings and inquiry.  


This is a chance for you to be involved in and see the way google forms can be used to gather and share information.


You can fill out the form and check responses here.  Lets see how we can collaborate and share our successes and challenges!  As we reflect on our wonderings and our inquiry, what goals do we set for this term?
Anne’s Latest Literacy Links and Look ups…
  • GAFE Summit Twitter feed.  Check out Pauline’s Storify record of tweets from the Christchurch summit and Marnel’s storify of the Auckland Summit.  

Day 1 Christchurch,

Day 2 Christchurch,

Day 1 Auckland,

Day 2 Auckland

Enjoy your first week of term!


Conferences:


NZLA - the 37th New Zealand Literacy Association Conference. Register now.
CLESOL - the 14th National Conference for Community Languages and ESOL. Register now.
Ngā mihi nui
Anne Kenneally
Literacy Online Facilitator
CORE Education
@LiteracyOnline2

To post to the list email: literacy@lists.tki.org.nz

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Storify MAGIC - day one of Auckland GAFE summit

Woohoo - thanks Marnel for the MAGIC of storify of day one in Auckland GAFE summit....

https://storify.com/1MvdS/day-1-gafesummit-aukland-29-april-2014 

Can't wait to have time to come back and check this out!!!

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Flying home from Google Summit – brain on fire…

WOW – what a whirlwind MAGICAL two days!  Possibly the best two days of back to back PD I have ever taken part in!  Why so MAGICAL?  Time to reflect on some of the possible reasons for this:

·      Intimate size – 300 participants is a lovely sized crowd;
·      He tangata, he tangata, he tangata – the amazing educators from all around the south who are so bubbly and keen to interact;
·      Venue – great venue where we are all together for lots of time;
·      Unconference style where we have freedom to choose as sessions at will, anytime, depending on our needs, where one session takes us, what is recommended;
·      Overwhelmingly open sharing by MAGICAL presenters;
·      Range of sessions;
·      Value of all the sessions I attended;
·      Sheer volume of new learning;
·      Ease of use of Google Apps;
·      Ever session fully supported with resources making the experience fully rewindable;
·      Having our whole team present so we can take this learning, reflect on it, grow and use it in our facilitation;
·      Pride in CORE being a major sponsor;
·      Pace and timing of the sessions – one hour for each session with each presenter totally maximizing that time, followed by a half hour break to allow us to dig deeper, or share with others, and socialize –very valuable break times;
·      Fluidity and flexibility of the sessions and programmes – adjusted to meet the needs of the participants.
What do I now need to do to make the absolute most out of this learning opportunity?  I am going to start by setting some goals:

v I am going to be recklessly creative;
v I am going to continue to dream out loud!
v I am going to continue to notice and share MAGIC anywhere and everywhere;
v I am going to live blog;
v I am going to really make google sites work for me and meet my needs;
v I am going to carry on the conversations both face to face and online so that this learning truly carries on, these conversations continue;
v I am going to increasingly explore creative ways to gather and share evidence of my inquiry;
v I am going to start my presentations with google form surveys and allow my participants to share their needs and challenges, and take it further by empowering them to analyse the results and dig deeper into data gathered;
v I am going to explore ‘google a day’ challenge;
v I am going to research and read more about TPack and incorporate this learning into my sessions;
v I am committing to really maximize the potential of engaging with my literacy mailing list subscribers;
v Explore critique protocol with our team – look at how we can use this to benefit all;
v Storify day two of GAFE Summit and share it online, alongside Pauline’s day one;
Teehee - done!  Thanks Pauline for creating day two!
v Try to blog at least 4 times a week….
A HUGE list I know….  But it is great to have a list…
And it is so important to remember that it is okay to go slow, it is okay to take my time, it is okay to make a start and keep moving…


Final Session Dacy Two - Reckless Creativity with Jim Sill

Reckless Creativity with Jim Sill

Day two - 4.19pm
I think this would have to be the most powerful PD of my life!!!!

The World of Wild and Reckless Creativity!

you tube


go pro world!

Enabling everyone, everywhere to learn, create, share!

Reckless creativity!  
How can we encourage everyone to recklessly create and share their MAGIC?

We are living in a world of wild and reckless creativity without a net!  WE ARE THE NET!!!

I was born a bicycle native!


Don't be afraid of the new technology - get in amongst it! Give it a go!!!

The desire to be creative is inate!

Creativity start with an idea - shape it into something tangible - publish it!  

The biggest barrier to creativity is fear!  

As you review context - it is okay to change your idea!

Our job is to teach creativity!!

Take an idea - repurpose!

Mastery, Purpose, and autonomy are needed to build intrinsic motivation!  Dan Pink Drive

Example - create an instagram account, use a hashtag, share your learning and journey with community (family - when you are on camp etc)

Share the visual of your journey!

Flipagram create beautiful short video stories using your photos, set to music you love.

Become a relevant teacher!  Use the tools to lead to change!  Fail and fail, fail often... Create lessons where learners loose balance.

How can we change our world with an idea?  A very powerful challenge to leave with us as we walk away from two STUNNING DAYS!

I not only use my brain but all the brains of others - crowd sourcing!!! Powerful, quick gathering of thoughts, responses...

WOW!!!!

We can dream out loud!  We are all architects of the learning journey!!!!


MAGIC!




The Teaching and Learning cycle meets Google Apps

Plan, Teach, Assess and Report using Google Apps

Thinking about how we are spending our time!  Accessibility of information for our learners!

Doing things differently - engaging the learners!

Tpack model


Experimenting with Google Moderator  has the added power of allowing voting.

Use Today's Meet as a chance for any questions to be added and reflected on later!  (Model carefully as you cannot delete any comment)

Set up page level access on Google Sites.

A powerful tool to use!  Pages can be open for planning and sharing.  Once they are ready it is a simple matter of changing the access to change the access and sharing.

Google a day challenge - how incredibly powerful is this!!! How could you use this to encourage your learners to sharpen up their skills online???

Using forms for assessment!

Tune the learner into the lesson!  Edit the form!  Create one form - with five to ten questions!  Save all of the responses to one spreadsheet.  Next time you edit this and add information to an existing spreadsheet!  Gather data over time!  Very powerful for students to reflect on!



Use Youtube record to instantly capture reflections.. 

Use voice comments to capture voice feedback!  Kaizena! 
Capture learner's thought processes!

Woohoo... back to back MAGIC at all of these sessions!  Thanks a million to you all!


Personal Learning Networks for Educators: Now With Google Plus!

Personal Learning Networks for Educators: Now With Google Plus! with Mark Wagner

http://www.edtechteam.com/workshops

Who is in your learning network?  How do they support you?  How do you support them?

Connect
Contribute 
Converse
Request

Beginning with connecting, and contributing, can lead to conversing!  Once the relationship is established requests may be responded to more openly and freely.  

More fabulous learning to take to my literacy online role!!! 

Thinking through some options for my literacy updates....
Add a google form... Start with a form to gather data that will inform and allow us to best meet the needs of those subscribed!

Never underestimate the value of our contributions!  

Once you connect and establish a PLN online, you are able to feel like you are travelling and learning with these people forever!  

Using Google Hangout!  Wonder if we could schedule hangouts at specific times to really develop conversations? 





LM-YES! Using Google Sites as a Learning Management System

LM-YES! Using Google Sites as a Learning Management System

Wendy Gorton - leading us into using a site to enable us to create, store, and use one space to share the learning journey!

Looking at the functionality of Google Sites.

Woohoo - great to hear that Google Sites is about to get some serious TLC!  How exciting is this!!!

Using a google site for a fully blended experience!  Instant, easy access!

Excellent start with a google form!  A great idea to have the results of the form visible for all to see and read through when they are done!

Making and sharing a google site template.... Anything in the site will copy over as you create your own personal copy!

Take some time to plan how I architect the learning environment!  

Using Google draw to create image for consistency across my site!

Use Site - with very specific instructions - create a system that works for you!  Allow for the sharing of docs.  Allow for sharing with others through the permissions in docs. 

Site overlays over drive!  

Add on to docs - eg doctopus - create all the folders for you!

Insert a folder - choose grid mode! 

Make the site work for me!!!!

http://www.google.com/edu/training/tools/ 

Absolutely MAGIC session!!!

Keep site as view only!  Turn specific pages to 'edit'.  


Creating Connected Communities

Creating Connected Communities

Disco music mix... interesting music mix to use

Kimberley Hall

Presentation



Use of a google form to crowd source a whole lot of information at the start of a session is a tool I must explore and use a whole lot more!!!!

Defining community was a great start to this session. 

Actively teach our learners critique protocol - help learners to be helpful, specific and kind with their feedback!  

Google critique protocol and find one that works for you!

Our responsibilities are to draw out strength, network and connect our learners. 

Peer-critique protocol example

Playing and creating in Google+ now.  

Actively encouraging engagement is the tricky bit!   What is the purpose of the community?  

The moderator needs to encourage engagement! 

Moderator needs to:

  • appreciate/affirm
  • celebrate
  • question
This should impact on the way people engage.  

Empowering others to share their knowledge.  

My mind is racing with the potential now to use this learning in my moderation role for Literacy Online.  Have you joined our community? 
Sign up here and please interact with our discussion and our journeys to improve outcomes for all learners.

How do we turn lurkers into contributors in the journey?  How we get members to add another piece of the puzzle to our community?

How do we set expectations?
Develop a culture of high expectations!


  • Model the type of participation you want to see
  • Maintain quality around the input in the community
  • Establish yourself as a learner alongside everyone else
  • Exemplify good posts/commenting

  • Be proactive


AWESOME session!!!!








Storify MAGIC from Day One of Gafe Summit

Thanks Pauline for a MAGICAL storify record of day one!

GAFE summit day one!


Day 2 - Google Summit

Here we are back at Burnside High School for the MAGIC of day two of the inaugural GAFE Summit South Island!

Started the day with singing HAPPY BIRTHDAY to @markwagner.

Beware the Transformation Trap: Making Meaningful Change

Jenny Magiera starting us off with an awesome insight into kiwi/usa language: bit.ly/kiwiusa 

Check out the videos at http://www.funnyordie.com/ 

Is the next best thing really making such a HUGE difference!  

The big question - does it make it better?

Are we really thinking through making things better for our learners?

Thinking through why we are all here when we are on holiday!  

We are here to get better at: encouraging, empowering all of us to tweet out why we are here!

#gafesummit

Compliance does not equal engagement! Actively engaging in learning, participating in the learning, looking at the old problems, and creating new solutions with new tools.  

Me boxes - bring along items to display so we can all view and identify the learners!  old problem - simple solution! Making the me box an online experience on a google site - with QR code access.

Assessment - google forms.
Start a day with a mood check in and set a goal for the day - and can request a session with a teacher.  Could you use a google form to allow your students to share how they are feeling and why?

A form could be as simple as name, feeling, why, goal, need to chat with teacher...

How are you using google forms to check in with your students? Celebrate? Assess?  This is a HUGE area to explore.  By using conditional formatting you can instantly have your results colour coded. 

Engagement - 
Real and authentic learning as a hook in!

Creation - 
What did you create today - not what did you learn today!!!

Aligns so perfectly with Derek Wenmoth's learn, create, share!

Learner becoming the teacher:

  • app speed sharing 
  • device decisions

Empowerment
Actively involving the learners! 

The rate of change can be slow!  There is no shame in slow and steady.  Don't ever let the time stop you getting started!

Remember we always have to fall before we fly!  
What do you do right after you fall?  Do you get up and try again?

It is not something we want to do - it is something we need to do, we need to be!

Jennie's student's videos!