Reflection

"I haven't done one of these in a while," was a comment from my hub students on Friday, neither have I.

Sports
Adventure Racing
The term started off being a challenge for me, the Get to Go Junior Hillary Challenge was coming up and we have entered this for the past 3 years. After a bit of messaging, emails, talking with students (They don't check there emails, or read the school notices) I managed to get a team together. With the help of two of the Senior Get to Go students, training started. It has been great to see the leadership and ideas that the senior students brought to this, they bring a different sense of what it means to them to be part of this squad. They are able to talk about the challenges, the way they reflect afterwards. It allows them to gather the skills to work with 7 other people when you are tired and grumpy. The positive spirit in the group and the talking in the van between the different challenges showed that they had fun, enjoyed the day. I hope that they will join the senior squad next year.

Mountain Biking
This continues with the last race mid September, I have seen my team grow and develop their racing and now showing the skills and training that they have been doing pay off. The last race showed that even the parents work together to support each other when one of our riders was injured. I help out with the timing and general organisation of the race when running, we have not had a race like this in a while where a number of things didn't go to plan, a lost rider that didn't make the start, was found, a injured rider that needed assistance, all ok, a protest due to a rider cutting part of the track. It just goes to show when you are a teacher, you can deal with more than one thing going on.

E-Sports
League of Legends High School League.
This is a new one for me, I am looking after a e-sports team. It has even got me playing the game so I know what is going on now. I have taught these students for the past 3 years, and I am seeing a completely different side to them now. The team work in this and communication is essential for good game play. They too, reflect after the game and talk about the strategies that they use and things that went well and not so well. It has been great seeing one of the students who has taken on the role of captain communicate and encourage his fellow team. We have yet to win a game, but that is not the objective, as with the Adventure racing, there are other objectives that we are working towards.

Learning
The MODULE I have at the moment is Mathematics and Digital Technologies where students are learning how to code. We are using snap coding, as it is an alternative to scratch, the students have said they welcome not seeing the cat when it loads up. It works within a browser, as we have mac's windows' and chromebooks within the class. The biggest thing I hear from the students is that this is hard. When we unpack this, and I am more this week as part of my inquiry, is that this is the first time that they have done anything like this. They have not had to code before. Trying to work out how to get a computer to figure out the highest number when you enter three numbers, they can look at the three numbers and say it straight away, getting them to unpack how they do it, is a little bit harder.


FX, Learning how to do editing and creation of graphics is fun, thats what they are saying. They are looking forward to the challenge of the Fair Go Kid Ad Awards and spent the day on Friday researching different ideas from the 70's to make cool again. Even looking at old ad's to see ideas that they could bring in.

Challenges
Digital technologies Curriculum Workshop
I was unable to go to the teachers one of these when in Auckland, and ended up going to the parents and industry meeting, which gave me some different insights into what they are thinking the challenges of the new curriculum is. Communication with parents on what schools are teaching seems to be a partly missing gap. What is it that the community would like to see us teach?

Developing understanding of the micro:bit
Next term I am running a SPIN based upon electronics, I am using the ideas of the mindkits brainboards, bbc micro:bit and adafruit sparkfun express.
We have been lucky that a New Zealand Supplier has just started and is bringing these into the country. Learning Development is offering a bulk discount for a set of 10 micro bits. https://www.learningdevelopments.co.nz/product-page/bbc-microbit-starter-kit-10pack

I have been thinking about the next steps with this, and starting to think what are the best resources or projects that could be developed by the students. This is one of the first results when searched, https://enterprise.microsoft.com/en-gb/articles/industries/public-sector/citynext/educated-cities/7-perfect-microbit-projects-for-pupils/

Supporting other schools
I have had a number of visits by primary schools in our area looking at what their technology programme looks like and how it may link in with what we are doing as a school. It has surprised me that schools are doing the one project for all students still.
How can secondary schools support the local schools in developing the ideas while still holding onto their identity. For me, it will be the progress outcome statements that I am looking for when a student transitions to secondary. These will provide better guidance on where a student is at. Maybe something for the SiSi project to have within it.

To end this reflection, we had the political parties and people in our area talk to the senior students, it was great to hear them talk and understand what is happening.

I am still working on the ideas of the habit stick, I now have some laser printable rubber to be able to create some stamps with the hobsonville habits on them.

Week eleven

Leadership Camp, up the top in the farmland,
The mist comes out after the heavy rain.

Eleven week first terms are long, they create a huge amount of stress. I look back to what was happening to me around week 7 and 8 and they are when pit falls happened.

However, I probably spent less time in the classroom this week, due to leadership camp. 50 students away for an overnight camp on the night that cyclone cook entered New Zealand. A 20 minute massive downpoar of rain, the rest just wind.

The camp showed the students in different ways, developing new teams and communication were two very big components of the camp. How do we communicate with others what we want, our ideas. This is something I paid particular attention to, as in my role of Learning Design Leader of Technology is something that I need to keep developing.

When the bus didn't turn up for nearly two hours, the weather turns on us, when things don't goto plan. Having to work through problem solving and changing decisions on the fly is something that you have to get used to at camp, while things are planned, outside factors do impact.

The same in school.

How have things gone this term.

Hub, I started off doing well, however, I have let things fall away slightly, araako.com/learn worked well to help students input there goal, I need to work on the next phase. The curriculum checker as well as the habit indicators.
Getting students to up their reflections took some work, however they now seem comfortable writing 150+ words. It seems that the majority of them enjoy reflecting on their week and how things are going. The ones that struggle to do the reflection I am thinking about how to work with them, is it that they are unable to reflect as they feel they haven't done anything during the week?

WOTPOINT Technology/Social Sciences
This module has put me outside my comfort zone, getting students developing drawings of the building that they are creating, I am thankful for the work that I did at Secondary School as well as having a graphics class earlier in my teaching. I must say I am impressed at what the students created and so were others at the show time on Thursdays Professional Learning morning. I look forward to next term and the ideas that we are going in with. The struggle has been working through inclusion for some students. Working at lower curriculum levels than I am used to, as well as I wish that I had rewritten the project brief for some of our students so they could see some success.

WALLE Technology using EV3 robotics
Developing a robot to meet a certain set of conditions. I went outside the normal create a robot to follow a line idea, getting a robot to from one side of the classroom to the other, students tested, refined, developed constantly. Though some students were still developing there robot on the last day was of concern. I need to look at this next time so we have all teams running. Students did do well working together and collaborating, sharing their ideas.

DESIGNW - web development
Developing students to understand the code that the web works by, many of these when faced with challenges embraced them and have develop some great pages through simple design. The one that gets me, is when a students doesn't want to try. This is a struggle, without knowing the tags of HTML you cannot do the create stuff later on. There needs to be a natural development of understanding knowledge to develop skills.

HWMGHTWE - technology
Students have developed a good understanding of database management through khan academy, I was not sure if this was going to be the right move, but students would be able to do the requirements of NCEA level 1, level 2 and level 3 database management. It is the next part that we need to work on, which is the database integration into another program.
Building on this has been the brief development, getting students to think about what they are going to develop. I need to make sure that this cane get down to 2-4 pages. Something that will need to be the focus of the beginning of the next term.

I have started to think about how to support a student that may be finding this too hard. Though this also could provide an interesting brief for a level 1/2 course. Building a website that records the amount of water a students drinks daily. Simple enough, but how to do you develop the marketing behind it.

Where are things going?
3DSPACE PLA - the 'engage' part of our innovate. engage. inspire. engage through powerful partnerships. Working with an outside company on this has provided some interesting opportunities. To be able to develop NZ Mountains through 3d printing.

To start to think what terms 3 and 4 SPINS will offer, one will need to be a programming SPIN, the other, I am still thinking...

Wellbeing...

Has anyone got students developing projects around wellbeing?
I saw one earlier this year this around helping a student manage their NCEA credits and homework. http://www.getblueprint.co.nz/

Looking at other aspects of wellbeing, "the state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy."

Getting students to think about how these aspects can contribute to their life.

Apple have been working on their wellness within business. The Close the Rings Challenge v1.0
https://www.macrumors.com/2017/04/11/apple-close-the-rings-employee-challenge/

However, not all students have apple watches, and probably cannot do the standing within their day. Thinking about other ideas, like removing the soft drink to the 2 litres of water a day challenge, how could this be tracked?

The habit of reflection

While my students are looking at the habit of reflection, I have been reflecting on where I am at the moment, sort of taking a stocktake of how things are going.

While things are going well with modules, SPINS, projects. The new floortime for this term is going really well. It is different from my normal ideas. It is based around the Department of Conservation Battle for our birds. 

I have been using a metaphor lately, trying to keep everything in the box. Taking on some new challenges this year has made me take note a bit more of what I am doing. Learning Design Leader and timetabler. Both of these are providing me some great challenges. 

One thing that I feel is falling outside the box and upsetting me is Learning Hub. This is something that is higher up this year as it is also one of my goals. As you can see in my previous blog posts I have been putting some new activities and ideas into what I am doing in hub. Planning is a big one now, as it is a sizeable amount of time. The great thing has been the development of a hub curriculum which is designed to allow the dispositions(habits) to be explored and inquired about. Then why has it escaped the box. There has been a number of other activities, ideas and exploration happen that has happened. I feel like the planning and work involved in the development of the hub that has been a goal has been taken out of my hands. Something which I am struggling to share.

While also looking at reflection I have been thinking about other things, what is happening in my life at the moment. I have started being a bit more adventurous, I have started getting my food bag. It is taking me out of my comfortzone of the food that I normally eat. Yes, I needed to change what I ate, too many times not being organised of what to get at the supermarket. Maybe that needed to be taken out of my hands for a while. I am looking at my food bag for three weeks and relooking at what it has allowed. A Rose, Bud, Thorn exercise.

Monday

Tuesday

I also am looking at what I doing as extra-curricular. I have restarted taking photo at sports games this season, something which supports our students and our vision.













I am helping take a fantastic group of students through the Hillary Challenge training at present. Every Monday and Friday at 7am they are there, excited and ready for the challenges that they are put through. My favourite has to be keypunch and street number bingo.

I am also enjoying the mountain biking winter series again. It allows for so many of the habits to be shown, I enjoyed the comments from the students as they finished this week about the mud, throwing a bike at the marshalls (sorry, didn't see you behind the tree) and the initial, I hate this, i am not doing it again, through to I can't wait for next time.

P.S I think my students did enjoy eating a raisin, listen to it here. In learning hub.

Reflective: I look back to look forward.

Metacognitive Perceptive Mindful Observant Self Aware Insightful A Critical Thinker Analytical Revising Strategic

I am always thinking about my thinking. I am conscious of the steps and strategies I use when problem solving. I am able to reflect and evaluate the usefulness of my thinking.   I plan a strategy before embarking on problem solving. I am aware of my  actions and the effect of those actions on others and the environment. I am able to pose internal questions as I searches for information and meaning. I am aware of the need for correction if my plan is not working. I am able to reflect on the plan for the purpose of self-evaluation, and editing for improved performance.

I have ended the week with this,

I realise that we haven't really had the chance to really inquire about what the Habit of Reflective is, I thought I would help end the week with looking at an aspect.

Find some music, even if it is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cq-NShfefks&list=PLX9gF6kceU2SUVDqRWrJtWdal-HTpWMnIor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57dIRXiRx_s

I would suggest finishing a quiet spot and listening to something for 10-15 minutes, relax. 

Then fill out these 10 questions, you cannot put don't know or anything that is not a coherent answer. 

Some of these questions relate to conversations that have happened in Hub this week.

What did you have for dinner of Wednesday Night, did you leave your most favourite part of it last?

Choose a module that you had this week, what was something new that you learnt?

Choose a SPIN from yesterday, was there an aspect of it that you did not enjoy, why?

What was your favourite TV Show or Netflix, Neon, Lightbox, youtube show, about this week?

If you could listen to a song over and over, what would that song be, why?

Consider Wednesday afternoon with the heavy rain and thunder that happened after school, how did this make you feel?

If you could any change an aspect of HPSS, what would it be?

Can you identify one teacher that supports you best? What is it about them that brings out the best from you?

What was a strategy that you used to solve a problem recently?

How do you feel about thinking about thinking?

comfortzone

If there is one thing that has challenged me so far is that I have had to step outside my comfort zone.

Today we had e-asttle testing. This morning was reading for the year 9 and writing for the year 10. We had two different modes of testing going on, online and paper based. Good thing to as we had a look at our bandwidth usage when just having half thw school on and we feared the worse if we had all students doing the e-asttle maths test in the 2nd block. Quickly plans were changed and phone calls being made to try and sort out our bandwidth requirements.

Part of me was thinking, why is this problem happening? I have come from a school where we had a 1Gig internet connection and we would have coped with an online e-asttle test.

Year 9 students were sent to the gym, year 10 students sat the test. In the gym I learnt quickly from watching Anna work with 120 students. (I am thinking at this stage how do you control 120 students) Students were split into teams, given bands to represent their teams, and instructions given on how to play.

The activity was multi-sports

A number would be given and a sport. The number is the number of players allowed on the court from your team and the sport to be played.

One-touch

headache

football

netball

basketball

When a goal or point is scored, the game stops, and the next number and sport is given.

This afternoon, I was assisting in the same activity, with year 10 students. In about 30 minutes we had all the year 9 students coming into the gym. What is going on, we needed a plan. Mitch (sports coordinator) and myself took the year 9 out to the courts, we had a netball hoop, could do football and headache as well as touch. But no basketball. Splitting teams up we came up with split into the three learning communities and then split one of them in half again. This worked well and we had a good activity running. Only problem was we were getting more students joining us, we needed to split again and have another court running, no netball hoop on this court, so limited to three sports.

Everyone from both teams playing headache

I need to ask what the rules are around one-touch, so I am better prepared if I have to do this again.

Are teachers prepared to spend time outside of their comfort zones?