Hui Reflection Term 3

Today in the hui we each provided five principles that we thought would be important to tell a new teacher about teaching with technology. Then we all went through and analysed the underlying assumption of each given principle. 

Here are my five principles, analysed by the people in the hui for assumptions:

Principles	Assumptions
Establish a routine for disconnecting from the technology when you want to communicate with the class (e.g. slant devices, remove headphones, eyes on you etc).	that classroom management is important - with or without technology
For introducing or reviewing new content, try to evaluate online videos/interactives/simulations/activities that are able to be paused and rewound, or that provide immediate feedback to students on how they are going.	Teachers can inherently spot the learning value in different tools. Teachers know best how to teach. Having learning student-paced helps students learn. Immediate feedback helps students to learn. Teachers have time to wade through the offerings on the web
Pick ONE platform for all of your visible planning/explanations/resources/work distribution and stick to it throughout the year - an online routine or online learning zone. It is VERY confusing to bounce from gmail to bio folder to short goo.gl links etc to find your work.	that teachers have sufficient confidence and courage of their convictions to go with just one and not be swayed by the brighter and better rhetoric that this doesn’t then lock you into something that is old, useless, boring or superseded by something flasher. That students can’t handle different platforms easily
It is just as good to have an online presence on all of the student’s work (having all their docs open, leaving comments and repeatedly cycling through their work) during class time. They know you’re watching and helping.	-that students like feedback -that teachers appreciate the value of giving feedback -that feedback is critical to learning -that students like to be monitored
Use technology to share planning and learning progressions with colleagues in an organised way, as well as recording student data by having links to student work in one place.	several teachers are teaching together/ in the same place/ same school/ on same project. teachers believe in sharing information

Hui Reflection Day 1

Today I was at the first day of a two-day hui for the "evolving pedagogies when teaching with digital technologies" project being funded by the University of Auckland.

The main discussion point for this morning is preparing our students for their future. What does that look like and sound like currently, and what does it hope for and assume?


Thoughts about knowledge valued by the school system:

• Is knowledge still power? We think so, but the nature of knowledge is constantly changing. 
• What is the power of having knowledge in your head v knowledge in your device, knowing something v knowing how to find out, knowing what you know v knowing when to Google. 
• The role of the teacher has changed from transmitting to facilitating knowledge building. 

Thoughts about curriculum, choice and learning:

• Students learn best when they're learning about something they see as interesting or relevant. 
• Following student interest and passions in learning v forcing students to experience new content (and form neural connections) that the education system has determined to be important.
• What age is appropriate for students to exclusively follow their existing curiosity and passion, so they are not limited learners later in life?
• Following on from that, is there a basic level of learning and knowledge that students NEED and would be lost without; for example, are times tables necessary any more? 

Thoughts about other things valued by the school system?

• Skills required in the workplace such as cooperation.
• Skills required to succeed in the current economy such as creativity.
• Dispositions such as curiosity, love of learning and resilience in the face of difficulty.
• Expanding students' options for their future (whatever that may look like).

Thoughts about teaching:

• We are in a new age of access; teaching is one of the only careers where professionals consistently work outside of working hours and teachers need to consider when they are available and when they aren't.
• In schools there seems to be a discord between innovation and mastery; moving always to the next next next idea/tool/programme before teachers can master the last, reducing consistency in their teaching.
• Collaboration and sharing between teachers/departments/schools could reduce workload.
• Universities do not model this and instead focus on competition to the detriment of all.