TBCS - Craig - Voice Typing Trial - Something I Love

I decided to try to increase engagement in Writing by getting the students to write about a subject of their choice.

I asked the students to find a photo of something they loved and write me paragraph about why they loved it, using complete sentences.

The next writing period, I introduced them to voice typing to allow them to put more ideas down on screen and excite them about the process. 

The intent was to give them a tool to get their thoughts down quickly and completely and help reluctant writers to enjoy the process and to begin to allow their creativity to flow and not be hampered by the writing process.

It was a messy lesson and it ended up being about experimenting with microphones etc.

They were very impressed when I said full stop and it did!

Where to next.

Use this to cement the show where full stops live and to get the students to think and speak in sentences.

Try to engender excitement and engagement with Writing.

I will blogg results as time goes by...

• 4  Effectively incorporating digital media into the learning environment.
• 6  Use of relevant resources
• 6  Monitoring of ākonga learning during the implementation of a programme of learning, so that the programme can be adapted where needed to better achieve desired outcomes for ākonga.
• 6  Using appropriate pedagogies to accelerate progress of ākonga who are achieving below national expectations.

TBCS - Craig - Reflection - Start of Day 2 PLD

Yesterday

Yesterday went well. I got to try lots of things and feel more comfortable with the Blogg reflection process.

It was great spending time together and to encourage each other in our skills and thinking.

I was inspired to use pictures and captions to help get reluctant writers to get started using complete sentences as captions...

Knowing how to move files is really helpful.

Creating the Google form for using with the learning register was fantastic and will help us and especially Judy-Anne.

The talk and presentations around Learner Agency were helpful and it was great to be able to turn that into a blogg.

I was also helpful to know how to put a slide show onto blogger.

Where to today?

I want to know how to set up a class drive and individual drives when the letter to parents takes effect.

I want to know how to use Google Docs more effectively with my students to raise their Writing outcomes
including auto corrections etc.

Also how to know when using technology is making a true difference in my teaching.

End of Term 1 Reflection - Judy-Anne

This term seems to have flown by which is quite amazing since in reality it was a long term. I found running Preschool Play dates to be quite challenging as being on show to large groups is outside my comfort zone. It is one of our ways to promote the school though so needs to be done. They seem to have gone well and I think we have a relatively easy 'formula' programme to follow now.

We have used see-saw quite a lot. The children were initially reluctant to post their work without me checking it but are generally happy to do so now. We have good buy in from the parents and often the feedback is really fast. I have made one activity for them to follow and that was really successful. A number of the girls spent about 40 minutes writing that day - they found that they got words underneath their writing so they didn't need to know how to spell everything plus they got pictures to add as well. Some of the boys chose to record their work and made a great job of coming up with good sentence structure and relatively good sound quality.

My big challenge is figuring out how to make ICT an integrated part rather than an end in itself.

Next steps:We need to look at improving the quality of our audio in videos so need to look at what better quality means and then find a way to be recording for our subjects- maybe it will be writing.

TBCS - Craig - Reflection - P.L.G

I got to go to my first P.L.G yesterday. It was held at Tasman School.

We started by introducing ourselves: where we were from, what class we taught and what we had done in the past.

We then got to go in a circle and say what was on top for us... I said it was keeping track of my students who were all working at different levels in lexia and Math Buddy. Others needed to get to know their students better individually, learn to deal with wide range of abilities, and set routines as we have not had many full weeks this term.

We then got to talk about what goal we were working on at the moment. Mine was trying to improve my students writing. Other issues that arose included Math and Science. For Math, it was in regard to games that could be used for activities. In science, most of the other teachers have it for P.L.D and have lots of requirements to meet, and there was some confusion about the big picture.

Some things that came out of the conversation that I thought would be good to remember and/or put into practice were...

• using a speaking stick and named ice cream sticks for answering questions.
• Math games: study ladder, and the bankers game (with dice) Paul Swan 
• Give instructions clearly and say what you want and not what you don't want. Rather than say, "Go out to lunch when you have finished your work", I should say Finish your work and then go out to lunch. It helps those who need routines and and lists to have instructions in order.
• Writing helps included...

1. Quick writes
2. Literacy shed https://www.literacyshed.com/
3. National Geographic short videos (David Attenborough)
4. Fishbone https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=fish+bone+planner&safe=strict&rlz=1C1GGRV_enNZ751NZ752&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiyz6LomujZAhWEyLwKHe5BDfAQ_AUICigB&biw=1800&bih=700#imgrc=0JNNE8Z3R1cdoM:
5. Brain frames

Action plan

I am going to check out fish bone planning which seems easier. than the writing for fun template I tried to use these last two weeks.

I am also going to try brain frames, which seem very logical and I think may help many students.

But first, after looking at their e-asstle tests, which I did today, I am going to hammer simple sentences! Some have got it and will need to be challenged in other areas, but some still can't even use a capital letter, let alone have a complete thought in a sentence. I have my work set out for me...

• 3 Discussing my practice with colleagues and being open to new ideas.
• 2 Being an active member of professional learning communities.
• 3 Appropriate and professional communication with colleagues, ākonga and whānau.
• 3 Establishing collegial relations by participating with colleagues in staff activities, and taking an interest in what others are doing through positive professional interactions.