2020: Pandemic Planning

Pandemic

Adjective:

 (of a disease) prevalent over a whole country or the world.

synonyms:

widespread, prevalent, pervasive, rife, rampant, epidemic;

Noun:

an outbreak of a pandemic disease.

"the results may have been skewed by an influenza pandemic"

I really didn't think we'd be getting right into Pandemic Planning at kura so early. I thought maybe we'd hit global Zombie Apocalypse first... but no. This is real.

I was in a state of panic yesterday.

I spent a lot of time in bed - worried, concerned. Sleepy.

Today, I got back into action mode. Lots of things were completed at school but there is still this overarching sense of impending doom to calculate and maneuver around.

My current thoughts are a resounding: We got this! But my internal conflict says... Do we? Like actually, do we?

It makes me think about how lucky we are here in New Zealand. We'd heard about it late last year, on into the beginning of this year.

One of my Y12 students even did her speech on this subject. Only slightly ironic that we'd then have a global pandemic on our hands...

Still, all the planning in the world couldn't prepare us for this. At present we have sixty-six confirmed cases of Coronavirus. This man in the video below is so clearly spoken, so relaxed and calm in this growing sense of panic that the rest of us are feeling. People are panic buying toilet paper. TOILET PAPER. Yes.... And not just here, either. All over. Sure, hand sanitiser and bleach sold out quickly too. They've only recently put a limit on how many loaves of bread you're allowed to buy. My friends are having trouble buying bags of flour. It makes me a tiny bit more appreciative of being gluten free.

Underneath all this bravado and my own sense of supposed calm. There is an overwhelming worry and concern for the people I love and care for. My immune-compromised colleagues are allowed to work from home this week according to Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health guidelines.

We're at Pandemic Alert Level 2 here in NZ. Our schools won't close until we are at Level 4. This is in itself quite a stressful time. We are on the frontline: teachers, nurses, doctors.

What are the symptoms again?

Coronavirus has spread fast. From Wuhan, China and then on throughout the rest of the world. We closed our borders relatively quickly. Thankful to have the cousin Jacinda as Prime Minister. She has truly helped keep the virus at bay. People traveling were meant to self-isolate. I'm guessing the 66 cases are people who did the travelling.

We are yet to move to community transfer. When that happens... I guess we'll be rising to the next Alert Level.

Italy has become the new epicentre of the virus. It is awful to think of the beautiful places I travelled to and visited in 2018 having their beautiful people getting sick and dying from this disease. Apparently the canal waters are clear. The sediment has not been disturbed. Fish and swans can be seen in and on the canal waters. Even dolphins have returned.

Some are saying that this is Mother Nature's way of putting us all into a time-out. Perhaps this is true. We were going to end up this way at some point, why not now?

It's hard to say what might happen next.

All I do know is that I have to keep a calm face and encourage my colleagues to do the same.

We're all in this together. Solidarity. Sick?

Whatever it means - we have to keep moving.

It is scary though to think of my students getting sick and coming to school, sick and then that virus transferring to others.

Usually when I start thinking of next possible situations, the worst possible situations, I feel a sense of dread, panic and fear.

At least with this pandemic of Coronavirus... I know the realities. Everyone I know and love could die. This might be a really morbid thing to say - sure. But I've actually never felt more calm. Because this is literally the worst thing that could happen.

And yet, I think the panic lies in what to sort out first. Which priority is more important?

Which task on my to-do list needs to be actioned first?

To Do...

• Ensure all classes in my department have Google Classroom set up
• Ensure that all students have access to wifi, data or other means to complete their work
• Check in with the immune-compromised teachers in my department. Are they okay? Will they be working at home this week? 
• Talk with immune-compromised students via email. Check that they are ready, and set up for learning at home
• Reassure students and teachers that it will be okay... 
• Find out more information of how dogs can get sick from the virus... 
• Buy more echinacea tablets ---- don't be overwhelmed if you can't find any...
• Try not to panic buy....
• Talk to Nan often and see how she's doing
• Create Zoom lessons and use Screencastify
• Prep resources that can be used online and offline
• Talk with students and check they're prepped at home with food and safe places
• Carry out duty at school -- enforce 2 metre separation where needed
• 
  

Student Blogging: te timatanga 2

I wanted to create a blog post that had a list of all of the posts I've written and those that others have written as well - about student blogging. The risks, gains and possible safety issues and concerns. Thought it would be a good idea to start collecting a list of all of the research I've done - just for me - in the hopes that I can start to help implement digital citizenship at our school.

So here they are - most recent blog posts first:
Student Blogging: Te Timatanga - my thoughts on safety issues and gains :)
Student Blogging - Resources
Kidblog Journey: The Beginning - The use of kidblogs.org as a starter - bulk user creation = easy!
Policy for Student Photography Usage - cybersafety and digital citizenship awareness
Digital Literacy: Digital Citizenship - Where my thinking began truly...Read this one first!!
First Lesson Doing PBL - Hopes to use blogging to allow my Y9's deeper level thinking and a way to portray their investigations to their peers, whanau and outside world possibly - Currently just using Word - will be transferring to Google Docs soon though!

Here is an extra list for some of the research I have done in the process towards this:
Digital Citizenship in NZ Schools - PDF Overview - Great Resource!
Netsafe Kit for Schools - Transitioning to Cyber Safety and then to Digital Citizenship
How to Use the Netsafe Kit - Must Read!
How do we teach Digital Literacy to Digital Natives - Thanks to Edudemic and Tom Whitby
Help Kids Start a Blog: Get them reading, writing, thinking, creating - From +amy mascott
Staff Discussion Points: Learn Guide Protect - From Netsafe
Combating Cyber Bullying: LGP - From Netsafe
Citizenship in Blogging - Using Paper: LGP  - From Netsafe
Playing and Staying Safe Online: LGP - From Netsafe
Exploring 21C Literacy - Thanks to Michelle Budge
Global Digital Citizen 
Cartoon Videos Describing Internet Safety - Thanks to GDC
12 Timeless PBL Resources - Great links for Project Based Learning
Do's of Student Blogging - Thanks to Doug Peterson
Using Photos in your blog under the Creative Commons Licencing
Blogbooker - How to create your own book from your blog posts!
Peer Editing - Some resources for students editing their own and others' work

Digi Natives and DigiCit - Teaching Respect and Responsibility

http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/05/teaching-respect-and-responsibility-even-to-digital-natives/

I have collated all of this for future reference - and also so that I can share my ideas with colleagues, BOT, my own whanau, students and their families as well.

#TechThursday - Integrating Technology

UPDATE - 7th May 2015: A year on from this post below - check out where we are heading now! http://evolutionandimagination.blogspot.co.nz/2015/05/heights-elearning-committee.html

Have been slowly gaining more interest from others for #TechThursday where I help my colleagues develop or integrate technology into their practice.

For teachers who already do this and who are au fait with the process, it can be intimidating for others.

So far I've targeted specific people on staff who seem interested, willing and again... interested. At the moment I'm doing it on a very casual basis and hopefully in the future will create a specific PLC on it with a broader range of staff - not just the basics but also where to next. Kind of like an educamp or eduignite for school where they can leave somewhat overwhelmed but mostly inspired and keen to get started.

Have helped one colleague with her KAMAR printing and finding students.

Have just finished helping another who I do duty with (K House all day!) and we looked at a surprising number of things. I'd asked him what he'd like to learn more about originally and again today so that we could make his learning as relevant as possible.

1.  Searched for mathematics resources - TKI for starters and the Maths community
2. Figured out how to copy and paste using ctrl + C and ctrl + V
3. Copied a table of information about area and measurement from Word to Powerpoint
4. Created a hyperlink on PPT from a different url of a different website
5. Copied the embed link from a video
6. Inserted embed link into PPT to show Youtube Vid
7. Created a Maths community on Google+
8. Added links and videos onto the community page

HUGE lots of learning done. Proud as.

Hopefully he'll share that with the rest of his Maths dept now :) Yay! Success!! :)

Oh and this new link I just found: http://www.vln.school.nz/groups/profile/74810/home-school-partnerships/

Digital Literacy - Digital Citizenship

Thanks to Mrs Orman there was a link to Tom Whitby's blog post on Endemic. 

Have recently been working on creating a student photo use agreement form so that I'm able to send photos to the Daily Post as a follow up from the Pasifika Competition.

We went through our enrolment forms yesterday to check that there wasn't that type of clause in there so will definitely have to get some signatures in order to release the photos.

Earlier yesterday on Twitter I asked whether others had used a similar form and found these links from Netsafe and their kit for schools:

Netsafe Kit for Schools

How to Use the Netsafe Kit - Including the Required Steps

Digital Citizenship in New Zealand Schools - A quick overview

Just got an email back from Netsafe with the form for using photography of students in schools - which I've saved into this Google Drive folder - Digital Citizenship. Will be updating it to work within our own school setting and think that it would be better having both parent and student signatures for permission rather than just the parents permission. 

Back to Tom's blog post though- really like the thinking around whether students being digital natives meant that they would instantly be seen as digitally aware or whether perhaps as a result were in essence unaware of the dangers and risks. 

Which is why teaching and becoming a digital citizenship is important.  

Found this blog on C21 Reading as well... Hoping to jump onto this bandwagon to help my students learn how to use formal language in a more 21st Century setting/focal point rather than the traditional way of teaching letters etc. Plus it will improve my students' reading if they are given deadlines for posting reviews on a chapter/book/author etc. Love that there are awesome initiatives already going that I can just get involved with :)

We talked last night on #edchatnz about teaching students how to problem-solve and also how to question our students. Was a great topic!! Check the hashtag out to see this conversation - unfortunately I had to leave the discussion by question six because my phone battery was dying out from taking too many pictures of the Rotaract Membership Drive at the same time. Knew I should have brought my charger!

Am hooking into the SOLO docs at the moment - they're awesome. 

Just trying to do everything at once but need a full week to get on top of everything or maybe longer. Would love to be all PLD'd up on how to use SOLO and PBL and how to incorporate digital citizenry into my classes but need to focus on one thing at a time. At the end of the day I need to remember my mantra - think smarter, not harder.

And... then of course I forgot I'd decided on heading with Rotorua teachers to go to Educamp in the Hawkes Bay back when I went to EduIgnite Rotovegas! So am now looking very much forward to the Educamp at Richmond School tomorrow :) Thanks to Annemarie Hyde for reminding me last night!

Love my #PLN. Love my school. Love that I'm starting to get my head around the increase to five classes I'm teaching and also that I'm starting to make way into making policies - or at the very beginning making a solid piece of agreement between the school and whanau in regards to using students photos in school and in media such as our local paper... and perhaps the Google Site I still need to find time to finish!

ALSO:

When I eventually get the courage to discuss the thoughts that have been circulating my head for a while about the need for a BYOD policy at our school with the board and,

When I finally make a policy in collaboration with the Board and Staff and SMT etc and,

When I finally get up the courage to speak in front of the staff with our team of highly effective and focussed members of staff who have been educated in digital citizenship with me

We will use this to help discuss with staff how we will teach digital citizenship:

Learn Guide Protect: Netsafe
Professional and Private Lives
Combat Cyberbullying
Playing and Staying Safe Online
Citizenship in Blogging

First Lesson doing PBL

Wow. It worked.

The reading room was having the pipes fixed in the to improve the heating in there.. So we went into the library non-fiction side - and the kids stuck to routine - putting their bags on or under the bag table - and sat at the computers.

This was the first time we had been on the computers - usual problems - slow computers, needing logins for the kids, some students having inappropriate behaviours on the computers and a couple not having basic computer skills. I took the chance to begin our Project Based Learning - to coincide with our research projects due at the end of the term.

Once I had their attention - a feat sometimes similar to a circus leader trying to tame a talkative crowd - I asked each of them to think of something that they're really passionate about - something they're really interested in. We had the usual suggestions - music and singers, hunting, driftbikes... but then there was the web design, what would happen if there was a WWIII, illusions and magic etc. My students are pretty amazing really.

So had them create a word doc with their title and a basic definition in their own words - what it is and also why they're interested in it.

They had to write three things they already knew about the topic they were studying and learning more about.

For some they could then just get started immersing themselves in the topic and collect relevant data, information and were required to copy the links for whatever they were finding.

For a few -  before they immersed themselves - I had them write a few hypotheses around the topic - what they thought they might find out -  as well as some research questions.

As I walked around and worked one on one - or with groups as I'd allowed them enough freedom to choose who they could work with... though surprisingly most chose to work individually - I noticed an engagement I hadn't seen with the entire class before. It was very cool.

One of my students asked if we would make something to do with their project - and I said .. Why not!? :) So we'll be heading towards makerspaces eventually as well with this class.

Am looking forward to seeing their research carry on and develop.

I was most impressed with one student - he is normally quite a quiet student and I hadn't yet developed a close connection with him - who was so far ahead with his web design research that he said to me - "Miss... I don't have to leave New Zealand anymore like I thought before. I can do web design here." Very cool.

Watch this space :) Makers and growth mindset students in action!

PBL: Idea Development and Evolution

I always believe that a fully immersed beginning is the best way to get anything done. In other words I've come to enjoy - no longer loathe - the 'pushed in deep water and expected to learn how to swim' type learning. Mainly because I feel like I work well under pressure - even though I take a while to find my fins.

After #teachmeetnz this afternoon, I was back on Twitter... yes again.

And was discussing Project Based Learning after a colleague's talk about Future Built Classrooms and if it's not built for the future - how to make your classroom an environment where future learning could take place.

So here I am again - though with a bit more confidence - though still not sure how it will work. The confidence merely comes from others who know what they're doing!

Vlogging.... A Whole New World

Wow. How come it's taken me THIS long to do a real Vlog? I've been blogging since... jeez since I was 13? On livejournal. I shared... I overshared and now at 25 I'm beginning to understand my Dad's comment last year about my FB posts and how one comment -  "Jeez Alex, you're 25" changed my entire mindset about how I share stuff.

Despite it not looking like I've stepped back from my online presence... I know I have. The stuff I post now are meant to be interesting, funny, entertaining and also help keep my friends and whanau updated. This online presence of mine is well old. I've been using the internet/computers since I was eight. I began using Encarta and played that Encarta game endlessly. Then came Hotmail and Neopets and online chatting.  I was hooked.

Soon came Youtube with those terrible old videos and the Harry Potter Fanfiction on YahooGroups obsession where I fell madly in love with ALTU stories.

And then Myspace where I could listen to amazing music and like my favourite bands and singers and show off my singing skills. And then came Bebo once I'd grown out of dodgy Myspace. I used Bebo during high school and the first year of uni. And then I left Bebo behind when I realised that Facebook was for cool kids who were all at Uni/College and felt a strong sense of community. Until the rest of the world joined FB and I was angry for a while until I realised how even more amazing this was. I could talk to my Dad and siblings who'd just come back into my life and 'friend' them too.

And then Youtube grew steadily bigger as did Trademe. And Facebook took up sooo much of my time because... not only is it a great study tool (procrastination tool?) it's also the best way to keep in touch with people....or be annoyed and severely affected by people :s

So... after many years and one failed attempt at filming my friends' cat that we hid in our halls of residence rooms at uni.... I have finally started uploading real videos. I don't know how long it will last and whether I'll be bothered to carry on with it when school starts back. After all it is only the second day of Term One holidays... so we all know how much I love starting stuff and then realising I don't have as much energy to keep up with stuff during the term!

If you want to be updated with silly things... sometimes intellectual... check out www.youtube.com/user/ariaporo