Twitter Dinner - Representing Class Dojo

Was so awesome to see everyone and get to meet some new f2f buddies too. I got to the Twitter Dinner a bit late but had enjoyed myself talking with one of the awesome guys at Furnware discussing effective learning environments.

Incredibly thankful to Class Dojo for helping to sponsor our refreshments at Twitter Dinner and found the presentation went really well! It was a bit difficult without speakers for the videos or a mic because we had to speak so loud over the quietened music in the restaurant.

Super thankful to Campbell Potter for his ongoing support and offer to help present how he uses Dojo as well.

Gave out a couple of bags... wish I'd brought more because I'd given so many out during the first day. Am betting that the stickers went to school but forgot to go past school before I drove to Auckland. Will share stickers out at the next event and with my students too who have probably been my biggest supporters.

Thanks to Hamish my co-community lead for bringing more bags the next day as I probably would have run out much faster if you hadn't have given me the new lot!! :)

Hopefully encouraged some new CD users during conference and am looking forward to doing an abstract next year for Dojo.

Thanks again Class Dojo!

Blogging for Beginners - Breakout 2

This will essentially become a collaborative post once we both add in our different bits and pieces.

At the moment though - before I think too deeply about how it went I'd just like to say a massive thankyou to Nathaniel for allowing me to be a part of this new journey! Was an absolute pleasure presenting with you e hoa. For all my procrastination - I hope I didn't disappoint you! Think we did pretty well really and most people seemed to enjoy it. Wish we'd done some quick feedback at the end though.

Our presentation slides are here:
https://docs.google.com/a/whhs.school.nz/presentation/d/19DGsuOJpWAfJUGMc6jEjFKjUq5SzDn1dKrErmno4KQc/edit?usp=docslist_api

Kahoot Quiz for those playing at home:
https://play.kahoot.it/#/k/392f773d-f566-4fac-b5fb-dc9c56ea0b5a

Crowdsourced Padlet from Twitter buddies - Why Blog:
http://padlet.com/nlouwrens/whyblog

Crowdsourced Padelt from Blogging workshop - What we might learn:
padlet.com/nlouwrens/ulearnblog

List of newbie bloggers here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-t_ltCAk39jzR48vJ3Tji7lTjsse1Nh_cfE4kScfUQE/edit?usp=docslist_api

General Takeaways:
I was initially overwhelmed by the quick uptake of both EdBlogNZ and our sign up sheet for our workshop. Even more surprised that our workshop filled up so fast! Perhaps we needed to offer a couple of sessions? Maybe next year!!

I always feel a bit jittery before presenting but feel like I'm slowly becoming more confident and am able to present a lot better. Would love some feedback and feedforward - am I talking too fast, am I mumbling, do I help enough etc etc etc

It was cool to be able to share the teaching and facilitate the session. I find it funny that I do so much prior knowledge and checking in with the audience just like I do with my own students. Partly because I was aware of how disengaged I was in the last breakout and wished we'd been properly asked about our level of understanding throughout the session- so I made sure to keep checking in with our audience to gauge their understanding. 

I liked the digital mihi at the beginning and that Nathaniel did his i te reo Māori before explaining i te reo Pākēhā. Mine was a bit more jumbly and switched between both languages and I didn't include my maunga nor much of my throwbacks. But think I captured my true essence in my pics! Mia, siblings, twitter and selfies. Haha

It was cool to see all of the attendees actually create their own blogs and become so involved in the discussion. Think I should only have had maybe 8 Kahoot questions and made them even simpler perhaps - hopefully they take the app and use it in their class as they do with the Padlet.

Am wondering how many listed their blogs into our shared doc as well:

Am hoping they all work together and keep writing after ULearn. It's a kickstart that we all need. And it's important that we all push ourselves to keep writing, curating information and developing and evolving our thought processes.

EdBlogNZ challenges are still running!

ULearn15 - Overview

Firstly, before I say anything else, I just want to say the hugest of thanks to Jenna and Class Dojo. You guys truly made me feel so appreciated and valued and more importantly welcome into this massive CD whanau. It was an absolute pleasure being able to go to ULearn on behalf of Class Dojo and I was able to talk with a lot of people about the app and share ideas, swag and Twitter handles!

This year - I honestly think I've got the hang of conferencing. It truly is all about the networking, the learning, the building on ideas and collaboration, sharing and listening. I feel sometimes though that my conference experience may differ from others purely because I've put a lot of effort into getting to know lots of awesome educators and learning as much as I can to help my own practice and my school too.

I was overwhelmed by how awesome the keynotes were from Grant Lichtman and Pat Snedden. Totally inspired by four out of the five breakouts I went to. Loved the breakout that Nathaniel and I presented at and wish we'd even had more time to delve into the more deeper stuff than we'd done. Maybe next year! :)

I've written screeds of tweets and some notes for different breakouts and keynotes.

Barely wrote a thing during Pat's korero because I was utterly transfixed by everything he was saying.

Spent most of my time in Ann Lieberman's keynote sorting out the wifi and Tweetdeck issues - gave up and used my data and created the Day One ULearn Storify. Totally redundant now because it will be ridiculous to try and do a day 2 and day 3... there must be a better filtering system so I can search for time periods?

Really liked what she had to say and I think it's important to be aware of ongoing leadership and growing ourselves.
Am still perplexed by the messages from our Political members that came to conference to speak but I suppose there will always be an agenda - no matter whose it is...

Still stoked at the number of Class Dojo bags I was able to give away and wish I'd taken more each day because I kept running out!

Feeling like I need to really think through the perspectives and whakaaro from all the speakers and put everything together over the next 24 hours. Another update to come soon. Sleep for now! :)

Lastly, a massive thank you to all of the awesome newbie bloggers that came to our workshop. You were all super supportive and hope you have all been inspired to start/keep writing!

Quick Update: Term 3 Holiday Break

So we're now halfway through Term break and I still haven't been able to completely rid myself of the bags under my eyes - but I've had a pretty good break so far.

Term three is always full on. Stressful and draining. Partly because of the pressure to get as many students passing their internals as possible - which have now all been marked! Yay! And also because to get them to that point there is a bit of a second wind of motivation needed after readying them for prelim exams. There was the quick turnaround of senior reports where I had to ask to see certain parents - and the disappointing outcome on parent teacher interview night where only four of my student's parents were able to make it.

Now that we're heading into Term four I keep thinking about all the things that need to be done. I've got most of the revision stuff sorted, I'd like to make my juniors courses more interesting but for the next three weeks I have to focus on my seniors and their revision and carry on with the programme I set up for my juniors last term. Am just glad that it's the Tiriti o Waitangi and creative writing for their booklets.

Surely though - I should be all rested and off on a holiday right? Perhaps. I write this as I'm still tired so there isn't much pep in my step haha.

I had an awesome time at PPTA conference last week. I need to do the Storify for it. Am a bit nervous to do so though due to a few member's inappropriate use of Twitter. I ranted quite a bit at our NETs caucus meeting, took screenshots and will do what I need to do to ensure that something so disgustingly inappropriate doesn't happen again. It frustrates me that grown men can be so immature and disrespectful to our other members and keynote speakers. It comes back to digital citizenship and how we conduct ourselves online - especially as professionals.

Anyway - despite that raru - it was an awesome time. I'm glad I was able to take two of my colleagues from school with me and they've both been bitten by the PPTA bug too. Stoked. :) They'll be coming back.

Had a moderation meeting yesterday for the level 2 writing portfolio - which was really cool. Wish we could do that more often. I learnt that I can stand my ground when I believe my assessment is correct and it was cool to see that 9 times out of 10 I was right because my assessment was endorsed by another.

Still need to finish the slides for our workshop tomorrow. Am nervous. But excited all the same.

Still many things that need doing - like packing again before I drive to Auckland before ULearn begins. Finish doing my washing while it stays sunny here in Rotorua. Play with Mia so that I can get a few more minutes sleep later on before I drive up. Hang out with Dad for a bit before he goes back to Opo. Clean the house before my mate comes over tomorrow to look after Mia for me while I'm gone.

Will write a better post later about PPTA and ULearn. Still need to update the PLD post too...So many things to do and it's already Tuesday!

Connected Rotorua - Cross-Curricular Collaboration

This Friday we are embarking on a massive collaborative approach in terms of creating a discussion around cross-curricular collaboration.

For those of you who already come to Connected Rotorua - this type of collaboration is old hat. For the new teachers and those we have been working on bringing to join our roopu - collaboration can sometimes be a scary thing.

The idea for Connected Rotorua this time around - to have a Twitter chat - run by me in where we copy our number one It Girl's Face2Face Twitter chat model from the #edchatnz conference.

I don't think I sold it very well at school - but I'm hoping a few people will come along.

My questions so far:

1) Name, school, reason for coming to Connected Rotorua this arvo.
2) What does collaboration look like?
3) How can we create collaboration throughout a school setting - often when we are in our own small areas?
4) What would cross-curricular collaboration look like?
5) How have you collaborated with someone or a different department / age group in the school?
6) How does cross curricular collaboration benefit our students?
7) What other ways could you see cross-curricular collaboration working throughout the school?
8) What do we need to do to ensure we are making constructive progress with collaborating with our colleagues in our schools, nationally and globally?
Final Question: How have you taken part in Connected Educator Month?

In the primary and intermediate school sectors - there is a tonne of cross-curricular collaboration - however the  same issues around sharing resources and being connected seem to permeate - as it does in the high school sector.

It's unfortunate that there are a tonne of kids falling through the system because the dramatic change in teaching style and schooling style changes as they grow up. Perhaps having a more inter-related and cross-curricular perspective when it comes to their studies and their new learning could help aide this growing issue.

For teachers - being collaborative should come second nature - however we are time poor. We don't have the time to create amazing resources or be up to date with best practice all the time. But what we do need to invest time in - is collaborating with others to enable closer connections, positive sharing and giving and taking, building trust and friendship, hopefully further ensuring a wider knowledge base from which to teach our students.

For students - collaboration is what they do best. They love working in groups. They share and feel comfortable pushing out their ideas with those closest to them.

Why do we as adults move away from that? We become scared of being told our ideas are stupid or that they would take too much effort. We feel as if there just isn't enough time, yet try and invent the wheel again anyway. Those of us more seasoned teachers feel that we know a substantial amount of knowledge already and know that what works for us - is already working.

The problem is - our world is changing dramatically - and we need to create learners who love learning, who strive to solve problems, who work in teams to pursue an issue and challenge each other to find the best possible outcome in a difficult situation. We need learners who will not be scared of creating change and learners that will fight for their ideas to succeed because they have overwhelming growth mindsets and believe anything is possible if they just keep trying.

It may sound silly - but I think collaboration is the way to do it. Cross-curricularly as well. Let's break down those silos, those walls to our classrooms. Let's make use of the tuakana/teina relationships we have in our classroom, school, staffroom. Let's share the power - give and take ideas and all be listened to.

Want to come to Connected Rotorua now? This Friday night from 4.30 at Western Heights High School. Nibbles and drinks provided :) Just bring your thoughts and enthusiasm :)

The Twitter Journey - Paper Tweets with Year Nines

So today we begun some more writing challenges - with a focus on reading mileage and a beginning session on using Twitter in a live chat.

1) Promoting and developing a Reading Community - one that chooses to read rather than one forced to read...
2) Encouraging more positive behaviours through collaborative group and class work
3) Encouraging oral/aural listening skills through verbal questions and written answers on paper

We started the lesson with students writing down as many books that they could remember reading - for some I added the "since the beginning of time" suggestion. I asked them to choose their favourite ones and write down what each one was about and also why they enjoyed them the most.

It was surprising seeing the reading mileage by a few particular students - they're not particularly 'strong' readers and one student said today that she was "forced" to read that many. Surely though.. even if she did just have a good memory - could this be a simple cry for help? She remembered at least 20 books in under 2 minutes. When in the reading room in our set reading timetabled period - she sits there reading - but doesn't seem to enjoy it. I really want to help her love reading.

To do this - I was talking to Bridget Compton-Moen (@BridgetLCM) about the 40 Book Challenge from Donalyn Miller's 'The Book Whisperer'. I want to start a ridiculously enjoyable experience of reading in my English classes - particularly with my Y9's. Up until now we've had quite a few disruptive terms - with students leaving to go to alternative education and then coming back and then going again - the class dynamic has changed at least 3 or 4 times and we're finally at a good point in the dynamics where the majority of the kids wanting to learn outweigh the kids who don't really care. The reading mileage has been good, but I still want to measure it - with a few dyslexic students, others with other learning issues and behaviour management issues - it's been difficult measuring their reading - other than through verbal conferencing between myself and students individually.

For this lesson though - the focus was getting some quick feedback halfway through the year in how they're doing and what they're enjoying, struggling with and what they would like to do more of in English.

Before we began with the rules of the game - I asked them to group themselves with two others (groups of 3) with one person who reads a lot, someone who reads a bit, and another who doesn't read much at all.

In their groups they needed to then create handles individually which they wrote in their spelling books. Half will now be used for spelling and half for Twitter practice.

The Rules: Like any Good Twitter Chat :)

1) Every tweet they write needs to have the hashtag - #Y9English
2) They can only say up to 10 words (to fit into the 140 character limit)
3) They need to answer the questions - A1. (response) #Y9English, A2 and so on..

The questions we used:

Q1. What's your name and where are you from?
Q2. What have you enjoyed so far about English this year?
Q3. What subjects do you not enjoy/struggle with at school?
Q4. What makes these subjects not as enjoyable?
Q5. What are three things you have learnt so far this year in English?
Q6. What do you get frustrated with in English?
Q7. What does Miss L do to help you in English?
Q8. What would you like to learn more about in English?
Final Q. What do you think Miss L needs to do better/differently in class?

These questions were chosen to assess their learning, my teaching and also what else I need to do to help my students achieve to the best of their abilities.

Issues during the Mock-Twitter Chat

Some students were initially not wanting to get involved for a few reasons:
1) Felt that they weren't allowed to do Twitter at home so did not want to try on paper in class
2) Said that they had been blocked for some reason from Twitter
3) Didn't understand the task

Out of 23 students - I had 6 students who were being rude, disengaged and unfocussed - they were onto it at different points of the chat but I held them back during interval to discuss their behaviour and how disrepectful it had become.

I hardly ever yell. With one particular student he says I'm "too soft" - that phrase again. I understand why he says that from his point of view and he may very well be correct in saying that I'm not hard enough with him as a result.

Issues in Using Twitter in Class

I have not asked parents yet about using Twitter in class - mostly because we're not actually using it as Twitter yet - but we are using twitter terms like hashtags, questioning and answering structures and handles.

Visibility in Going Forward
I want to make everything I'm doing incredibly visible - transparent even - so that everyone knows what I'm doing in my class - and so that the students can be proud of the work they have done.

In order to do that properly I need to do a few different things:

1) Talk to Principal
2) Talk to BOT and Deputy Principal in charge of IT
3) Double check policies on Cybersafety that students have already signed with their enrolment forms
4) Create a class policy on Digital Citizenship
5) Talk to parents and whanau and ask them about their concerns and issues with students doing this
6) Talk with students about using Twitter appropriately - even if we only begin with a Class Twitter account for starters
7) Set up a Class Twitter account '@EvolvingatHeightsand' maybe and a Class Blog - 'Evolving at Heights' to further showcase student's learning :)
8) Talk with those running @kidsedchatnz and @NZWaikato about blogging and twitter
9) Use this evidence as a base to make sure everything is on board.


I would like to do another Twitter chat in class - perhaps this time on small sheets of paper with the students' handles on it and put them up on the whiteboard or windows to share students' thinking.

If I get the students' permission about sharing their tweets - I will take some pics and put them up here :)

Blog Lurkers...

Hello! Yes you there!

Welcome to my blog. I hope you find it interesting :) I love that you have found it here nice and safely.

Would you like a cup of tea or a cold drink while you read? Refreshments are in the kitchen.

I really do love your company. It makes me happy that people are reading it.. and I hope it's engaging, useful or perhaps fodder but maybe interesting in some way? Just recently 114 of you from New Zealand read my blog or at the very least came to the site itself. Even more than that came from America in the past two days!

I would love to connect with all of you. If you have read a post or been watching the madness and reflections as they come - it'd be awesome to see how many of you have enjoyed my posts.. or not - that's okay too :) I'd love to read your comments! What would you guys like to see more of?

If you are happy being a lurker - lurk away. If you might try to come out of the shadows... please comment or even follow me on Twitter and connect that way!

Statistics don't tell me who I'm affecting. Are you teachers or students or are you robots from the future sent back to find out what it's like to be a teacher in this frustrating age between traditional teaching and the digital divide to digitally being citizens and using technology as effectively as breathing. Can you even breathe robot?

Forgive the crazy and the robot talk. It could very well have been Vampire talk... particularly after 'What We Do In The Shadows' ... which I watched with TC tonight and her husband. Absolutely amazing and fangtastic mockumentary!

Its 12am I must be lonely... or is the line .. 2am? Anyway. It's late. There are two days left of school for term 2. Had a brilliant day today and even better one yesterday :) Things are getting underway. Though think a trip to the bank is in order so I can go to ULearn14!! And.. yep.

So excited for next week ... three conferences! NZATE presentation is nearly finished just need to do the CLESOL one!

So to the blog lurkers:
What's your name?
What country do you live in?
What is one interesting thing about you?
What have you enjoyed/not enjoyed so far in my blog?
What is your occupation?
Hobbies, passions, where you see yourself in five years time.
What you think about the impending Zombie apocalypse and the robot invasion...
And lastly why you keep coming back to this blog?! :)

Thanks guys and gals :)

-A

Why I agreed to do a workshop on Twitter at #NZATE...

Twitter is probably the best way to connect with other teachers.

It has revolutionised aspects of my own teaching style.

I have met other passionate teachers and have even met some face to face.

Now of course, this isn't to say that my real life colleagues haven't made an impact. Because they have. And on a daily basis. I'm so greatful for the people I have in my life and the colleagues I work with are absolutely fantastic.

What Im getting at is that Twitter is powerful. It crosses boundaries like water and countries and cities and school boundary zones.... even school departments.

If you're already a bit of a social butterfly, like myself, Twitter becomes an extension of what you already do.

For me, Twitter has taught me lots of new things and Im so thankful to the people in my Professional Learning Network to continue to allow this to happen.

Sometimes... scratch that... as teachers we are nearly always too busy to add something else extra onto our already full plates/bags/boxes of things to do.

Twitter is that little oomph I need at the end of a stressful day. With other passionate teachers to remind you to pick your load up and continue flying.

A few months ago I redecorated my house... sure it wasn't anything crazy like painting.. it was merely blu tacking pictures, inspirational quotes etc around my house. Some pics of these are on the #whoiamwhatido post. In particular is this one:

Every day when I get a drink of water, wash the dishes, fill the dog's water bowl, refill the hot water bottle... I read this again. Maybe only a small section but it reminds me to fly in formation.

Often in teaching we feel that we're isolated.

I know for certain as a new teacher I felt this way. So much so I chose to stay in my isolated prefab room to ensure others wouldn't mock my teaching or tell me I was doing x wrong. My thought processes hadnt moved far yet from a victimized psychology and I was constantly worried that what I was doing was wrong and felt that I didnt know what I was doing.

Part of this is of course the falsities I created as truths while growing up, and some events that stuck in my head while going through teachers college and doing practicums... at that time still very fresh in my memory.

Interestedly enough I never felt isolated while studying my BA in history and english... perhaps because there was a stronger sense of collaboration in those faculties.

But surely... we as teachers should be even more collaboarative. We should be encouraging others because thats what we do with our students.

Why then do so many student teachers come out of teaching college feeling incapable? Is it the weight of having all tjose futures in your hands? Surely part of it...

From personal experience.. I think it has a lot to do with teaching student teachers about the fact that they're on their own. Like my first mentor H said, "It's the only job in the world where they leave you in a room and let you 'get on with it'."

Why is this?

In a day and age where we have information at the tips of our fingers we were taught by past teachers who hadn't been in the classroom for over 10 years. We learnt the value of curriculum and what pedagogy was... we even had a few token sessions on Te Kotahitanga. Now I love my university that I went to. I rave about it to whoever asks. But I learnt more about teaching on practicum than I ever did while at teachers college.

I learnt that there were a huge structure of school politics bubbling behind the face of a school, and that to lead change - you had to be prepared for the firing squad... sometimes literally.. and of course metaphorically.  I learnt that not every teacher had good practice nor 'best practice'. What's more is that I found it increasingly difficult to be given an associate teacher I got along with. I'm not too horrible a person... but in teaching, especially as a student teacher (IMO) alot of the success and failure you recieve comes down to how well you get on with the Associate Teacher you are paired up with.

Teaching is a personable sport. You have to get along with others to make it work. If you don't have that personality style then you better have fantastic classroom management.

Those are things I learnt while on practicum. And thats just from the teachers. I of course learnt much more from the students.

While on practicum.. I can count on two hands the teachers who made a positive impact on me. They had a relaxed and calm manner with their students and they related to them. They made everything they were doing somehow new and interesting.

What teachers forget is that they dont need to be isolated. They shouldn't fear being observed by others. They shouldn't fear getting criticised or giving students the power in their lessons. Above all else... teachers shouldn't fear collaboration.

Because teachers are so busy.. they forget what it was like to be a new teacher.. that for a new teacher every lesson is a mindfield.. and as you get better you learn how to set up routines and how to improve behaviours and set expectations etc. Because teachers are so busy they forget that they can ask others for help. That an answer is at the end of the hallway or at a response of an email.

Because teachers are so busy they forget to keep up with the latest in teaching pedagogies and curriculum. Teachers get stuck in the way they were taught and how they've been teaching for x number of years. Because teachers are so busy they forget that they dont need to isolate themselves from others.

That's why Twitter is awesome.

Create an account. Search some famous people and follow them. Then what? Perhaps I'll search new teachers... Ooh, I found #ntchat. New Teacher Chat.. but the time differences will make it hard for me to get to view and add to the discussion.. 

Go back to teaching. Forget about Twitter.. wonder why there isn't a NT chat for NZ teachers. Attempt to make a hashtag. Fail. Go back to teaching. Wonder if there are other communities for teaching. Find some radio broadcasts by the Teachers Lounge. Get an oomph.

Go back to teaching. Find out about TED talks. Wow. Find out about spoken word poetry. WOW. Find out about Freedom Writers blog online. Find out about #edchat. Find out about issues that relate to my students. Find out about #edchatnz. WOW!!! So busy though...

Change school. Start fresh. Focus on teaching. Make new friends. Go back to teaching. Focus. Extra - curricular activities.

New year. YES YEAR. Nominated for PPTA.  Go to Wellington. Meet other passionate teachers. Re-introduced to Twitter. #edchatnz #edtech #educamp #eduignite #techrev BYOD. PB4L. Busy. Teaching and collaborating. Learning. Teaching and learning. Sharing. Learning. Focus. Passion. Fresh. Be asked to do a workshop on Twitter. Know that you don't know everything. But going to do it anyway.

Create a google form. Ask others to tell you why they like Twitter as an educator. Write blog posts... alot of blog posts. Think about why you like Twitter.

And now I'm here. Join the Twitterverse. The Twitter Staffroom.

Get relevant PD. For you.

When you want it.

Try. Fail.

Try again. Succeed. :)

HUGE Opportunities - Presenting at the CLESOL and NZATE conferences.... Help Needed!

Wow. I got an email this morning asking if I would be interested in presenting a workshop at the NZATE (New Zealand Association of Teachers of English) in the Term 2 Holidays. About using Twitter.

Imagine my sheer excitement and horror. And the fact that I saw the title and a bit of the text from the email when I logged into my school email account just after my Y13's came into class and were all settled... There may have been a little bit of squealing with excitement... and me putting my head on my desk to breathe. Luckily the class is well accustomed to their nutty teacher.

I told them what I'd just read and they were happy for me - and told me to do it. I had and still have my reservations. HUGE opportunity. But surely there'd be someone better than me to do this?

Originally I asked the teachers organising the conference if they needed any help I'd be keen to help them. And then I got that email.

Stoked.

So - in the process of figuring out what I'm going to focus my workshop on - keeping in mind this is my first ever NZATE conference... as well... please fill in and pass on this form to as many twitter users as possible!







Also - have been asked to present at the CLESOL conference... though that one is only via Google Hangout.. but is one I was initially hugely freaking out about. Partly because of what I am planning on discussing. And also because I wouldn't be able to see who my audience is.. harder to gauge the feelings of the audience when you can't see them properly.

My CLESOL talk will be about teaching bilingually - from a Maori perspective. Partly from what Tapu and Tapu 3 stemmed from.

Thoughts and ideas are much appreciated!

Nga mihi nui ki a koutou in advance :)

Alex

@ariaporo22