LearnPath - araako

I have been busy doing some updates to a system that I am developing at school. LearnPath.



Or as the students know it as araako.com

Araako is a system to help students develop their understanding of the hub curriculum, their my being, my learning, my community.



























How can LearnPath show the following?



Students work through filling in different sections of araako through their profile.



Personality test, this is based on the https://www.16personalities.com/ personality test. This enables the student to put in what their personality type is. A way to remember then strengths. The personality types are one aspect we get students to look at how they learn, how they work with others. The different personality types of listed here. https://www.16personalities.com/personality-types

Short story. In some ways this adds a bit of humour to the area, having an opportunity to write something short provides opportunities for students to be creative.

Profile. Other social networks have it, why shouldn't this? The avatar needs to be changed to the community that they are in.

Habit that they are working on. The Hobsonville Habits allows students to select a habit that they are working towards, or a habit that they show strength in. This can be used in either way.

Goals, both personal and academic excellence.
Though, it could be nice rather than a graduate profile statement, to be a more learner focussed statement.

Academic Excellence Has developed the generic learning skills and the specific knowledge, skills and understandings that enable learners to excel in their chosen pathway.

Personal Excellence Has developed the personal values, dispositions and capabilities that enable the learners to lead a happy, healthy and successful life.

Developing understanding through the Hobsonville Habits, allowing students to delve deeper using the habit cards to understand and show strengths and weaknesses.



Personalising the header colour, allows the students to have some form of customising. These are limited to the materialisecss colours, available here http://materializecss.com/color.html


I have half developed a way for students to see what they have covered curriculum wise.
But this needs to have a bit more done to it, to show the learning objectives that have been covered.


Red - MODULES
Blue - SPINS

Developing a different way to look at the habits, all the habit indicators have been added to the system and it picks 5 at random that students are to develop some thinking around, wether it is for their own goals or around developing and understanding their learning.




Through one of the reflections to offer opportunities to develop SMART goals more, similar to what Amanda has done here https://amandargreenhalgh.wordpress.com/category/goals/

Through this I have been looking at other ways to pull apart goals.


While it provides opportunities for students to show aspects of the habits, one of the main things I design it to do it is to provide a way for students to do reflections.

The reflective nature of what they have learnt is the focus of a number of research papers.
http://www.ideaedu.org/Resources-Events/Teaching-Learning-Resources/Encouraged-students-to-reflect-on-and-evaluate-what-they-have-learned
https://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/meaningful-reflection/


How can we provide opportunities for students to do this within hub. I have talked with students about blogger and other opportunities, however they wanted it behind a wall. Many are not yet at the stage where they feel comfortable posting online. Especially Year 9 and Yer 10 students.

What should go into a reflection?

digital information - habit tracking

Getting students to track how they are using there Hobsonville Habits within their learning.

Twitter is such an interesting tool to see how people are using digital technologies within their learning. To gather information and inquire into what is happening with that data.

It started with a tweet...

How Might We show this understanding with our collection of data.

Being able to get the students to enter the data. Making a simple easy to use interface. 

Each day students would be able to change the sliders to indicate their use/understanding/development of the habits.

You might ask about why there are two sliders for each, the top one is for students to enter, the bottom one is for the learning coach.

Once the data is entered, how to best show the patterns, at the moment this is available to the coach only, with future development for the students.

It is at the moment being thought about doing this is in slightly different way, being able to turn on and off habits to be able to show patterns over time.

Notes:

• Keen for some wellbeing/hauora aspects too... so we can keep an eye on that. Could be cool if as well as a ranking, that somehow/somewhere they justify with evidence so not token judgement?
• Complete this one. Perhaps a group of Coaches pilots it and iron out bugs and streamline usage ready for term 2 across school launch.

Digital Information

Working between old standards and new thinking.

The old standards required:

Apply digital information management tools to create a digital information outcome requires students to create a digital information outcome that involves manipulating and combining data from more than one application. The specifications for the digital information outcome, software and techniques to be used need to be determined prior to the outcome being made.

When creating digital information outcomes students will use appropriate techniques and data integrity and testing procedures. Students will apply appropriate file management procedures, design elements, and formatting techniques. Students will consider their legal, ethical, and moral responsibilities when developing digital information outcomes.

While the new one focusses strictly on the database.

Last year I spent time researching and developing ideas into what this could look like, and through a discussion I firmly realised that students get lost between the database and the development of the media. There needed to be more of a focus on what a database can do. Not just the simple work, but to develop the ideas of the power of them. Be it mysql, or sqlite.

Getting students to be able to create a database to hold the data is one thing. Getting them to be able to queries on it to be able to develop the answers that could be used someone else is another.

The focus for my students was to use the khan academy site. Intro to SQL, https://www.khanacademy.org/computing/computer-programming/sql

This provided them real time feedback from the software, suggestion on what to do when they got something wrong. The ability to problem solve, yet to be independent.

I had my doubts when I started it, but even I was impressed at the interaction it provided. It has provided me opportunities to develop my own skills. We didn't stop at the SQL basics. We went through the whole SQL course.

When I think back to what the students were developing and understanding, it was Level 3 NCEA, however these were only Level 2 students. How to show and grasp the information that they had learnt. I think this is where things got difficult. 

However with the new standards, the Level One standard 91879 is around

Develop a digital outcome to manage data involves: 

● using appropriate tools and techniques to structure, organise, query and present data for a purpose and end user 

● applying appropriate data integrity and testing procedures 

● describing relevant implications.

Develop an informed digital outcome to manage data involves: 

● using information from testing procedures to improve the quality and functionality of the outcome 

● structuring, organising and querying the data logically 

● addressing relevant implications

Develop a refined digital outcome to manage data involves:

• iterative improvement throughout the development and testing process 

• presenting the data effectively for the purpose and to meet end-user requirements.

I know one of the ideas around one of the assessments is to be able to bring in a large amount of data, that will need need to be structured or in my case manipulated, to organise that data in a way that it can be used to provide a solution, provide queries against the data.

Developing Identity-hub activity

I have been thinking about ideas on how to change the beginning of the year for my hub. Each year has been similar and with having the same students in hub they get bored of the activities.

So, I need to develop a hub Identity. But to do that my students need to show themselves. This has normally been done through words, images, showing themselves on a piece of paper.

However, I am interested in the idea of getting students to communicate an idea through a visual means. The medium, felt.

I think this comes from something I saw when the school started. Plus I think the idea of a craft based activity gets students sharing, showing others how to do various aspects, looking at others work and building on it and problem solving.

I have seen some of these around the school during the past couple of years, and no have one sitting on my desk to save it from being thrown out.

The concept at the beginning of this two yearly cycle is Identity.

https://maoridictionary.co.nz/search?idiom=&phrase=&proverb=&loan=&histLoanWords=&keywords=identity

Developing the concept of this, Spotlight has felt for sale around $1.50 per size. Some of our school community colours are shown below.

The guidance sheet to go with the materials for the students.

Copy of Google Document available here https://docs.google.com/document/d/11xi0B1Z_J_usFdzwbZgFdrY7Ycbvp_A-bR6ioERDBCs/edit?usp=sharing

kite photography

Earlier this year a student posted up a photo of their kite aerial photography. This was something that was explored and developed on through the come fly with me project when they were trying to send up a weather balloon with sensors attached.

Through kickstarter this year a balloon mapping kit was made available https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/publiclab/kickstarter-gold-balloon-mapping-kits through the kickstarter also came a kite mapping kit as well. Since I am more likely to be not wandering around with a bottle of helium, the kite mapping kit is more suited.

I finally had time to try this out at our local park. I was amazed at how well it flew as well as how much string I still had on the reel.

I plan on doing a few more of these as time allows.

How might this be used within a project. Getting students to update the changes to our local orienteering map so we can have a map for our school.

end of year thinking

It has come to the time of the year where I have been thinking about ideas for next year.

What type of projects could be offered to students to develop Designing and Developing Digital Outcomes?

Idea One

Thinking of a starter activity for the year, something that get students using vector based programmes to develop ideas. Using open source software, inkscape allows students to develop vector based images.

While I have bene interested in this type of idea for a year now, something around getting students interested in the hobsonville habits. I wish I had taken a photo yesterday of the sleeves of the year 8 students that came to school yesterday. There seems to be a history of badges with intermediate schools in the area.
How could we take this thinking and apply it in a different way.

We have a laser cutter...

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/steamcrow/monster-scouts

Also the idea of badges, since we have a sewing machine that can embroider... and 3d printers... opportunities could be developed... this would require students to think broadly.



To be able to get students working towards the badges using an idea around evidence of working towards the habits and goals.

Second idea

The second idea is one around mapping. We have an ever changing point where we need to do some work to enable a physical education activity to take place.

Kite flying capturing of the point using go pro and public lab. https://publiclab.org/

To be able to knit the images together, public lab has a mapknitter website https://mapknitter.org/

This would link into complex digital media techniques to be able to develop this as it would require a range of different capturing methods to be used.
http://www.openorienteering.org/apps/mapper/

Third one

The third one relates to my last post which is around developing the circles, something that I have been thinking about and exploring, through research I have found https://graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/questions/37823/how-to-place-different-sized-circles-inside-a-shape/37852 which provides some good answers in how this could be developed.

Developing some thinking about junior programmes

I have been doing some thinking over the past couple of days around this, and looking at what the current CT and DDDO Progress Outcomes are, as well as Technology Achievement Objectives. Unfortunately we won't know until December sometime when the actual curriculum will be released.

We have themes in our school, so I am having to think about my planning to go under these categories. 

SEMESTER 1		SEMESTER 2
TERM 1	TERM 2	TERM 3	TERM 4
IDENTITY	SPACE & PLACE	CITIZENSHIP	HOW THINGS WORK

This is only just thinking stages at the moment. Also thinking about culturally responsive practices, priority learners, 

How Might We INNOVATE through personalised learning?
How Might We ENGAGE through powerful partnerships?
How Might We INSPIRE through deep challenge & inquiry?

Which relate to our school values of INNOVATE. ENGAGE. INSPIRE.

Identity
Link up with social science learning area under a module that links in the original ideas of the BNZ Amazing Place competition held in Christchurch a number of years ago. The Amazing Place was a series of competitions for the children of Canterbury of different age groups to have a real say in the future of Christchurch by connecting them with the redevelopment of the central city.
Getting students to rethink their ideas about how cities are changing and what could be on offer, to be able to develop surveys, understand data, communicate ideas, use SketchUp to develop ideas. This is a more a generic technology unit idea, mainly because I still see these concepts being important for students to develop and understand, to propose ideas, to be able to inquire. Important aspects that need to be learnt and grafted.

Computer generated art, developing the thinking for a student to be able to develop their own art. Not with brushes, but with programming, I have come across this guy who with 10 lines of python code has been able to create some interesting cloud images. https://scipython.com/blog/computer-generated-contemporary-art/ thinking about what this could mean, there is talk of a book that he has written.
Then there is this, https://www.media.mit.edu/projects/boundaries-drawings/overview/

I love the idea of insta:ants https://cdv.dei.uc.pt/insta-ants/, getting students to take a photo and then have an algorithm to change it up. Then is even a mp4 created of it being drawn.

Flow chart to get it working


An example image created



Digital media, moving image, https://helpx.adobe.com/after-effects/how-to/rotoscoping.html
Rotoscoping is an animation technique used by animators to trace over motion picture footage, frame by frame, when realistic action is required. Originally, photographed live-action movie images were projected onto a glass panel and re-drawn by an animator

One of the ideas I threw away at the start when doing some idea generation around this was the use of blends. https://cdv.dei.uc.pt/pigangelcactus/ the following is when combing pig, angel and catcus to enable some new images to be created.

One of the other pieces of work, and I hope to try and work out the coding around is this:

These wall drawings are generated by a series of predesigned instructions that dictate their form. The instructions give both constraint and flexibility, so that the piece that unfolds has a clear structure and at the same time expresses the individual aesthetic preferences of the participants who contribute. Since each step depends on the previous steps, the result is a dynamic, collaborative piece, authored collectively by the artist and the exhibit visitors.  https://www.media.mit.edu/projects/boundaries-drawings/overview/

I can imagine students creating the code of the outline for this, and then using collaborative process within class for students to enhance and develop the original piece of work. I need help from a maths teacher for some of the maths around this.

Example of code to help develop 2D Shape Patterns
http://code-it.co.uk/2Dshapepatterns


Electronics 

Paper based circuits for space and place concept. Getting students to understand the world around them. Carry on the idea of the battle for our birds. http://www.doc.govt.nz/our-work/battle-for-our-birds/ Getting students to develop an understanding of electronics, thinking about the ideas of trapping and the electronics now involved. Would love to link in with a partnership with https://squawksquad.co.nz/ to be able to get students understand the place of technology within this and develop the concepts of design and developing digital outcomes to support new ideas. Link in with the wwf NZ Conservation Innovation Awards possibly.

With this also linking into the ideas of how electronics can be used within different ways. I was introduced to https://papersignals.withgoogle.com/ tonight, using voice controls to get students to control.


Gear
https://nicegear.nz/product/adafruit-feather-huzzah-with-esp8266-wifi
https://nicegear.nz/product/continuous-rotation-micro-servo-fs90r
https://nicegear.nz/product/premium-femalemale-extension-jumper-wires-20-x-6
https://nicegear.nz/product/short-feather-male-headers-12pin-and-16pin-male-header-set
ends up to be $49 NZD

Citizenship

Still thinking about this one. Though I do want to look at game design, both online and board game based.
Hoping that this could link in with the NZTA Education competition, still waiting to hear back on what this may look like next year.

It is sad to see that this competition will not be happening next year.

CS - Developing an understanding of computer science principles. 

Focus on HCI, searching and sorting, data representation. Getting students to think about how things work, I have experienced EROAD over the past 4 days driving up and down the country, developing an understanding of speed, centreline databases, and harsh acceleration and sharp cornering, and how it is gamified to make you a better driver.
To get students to have access to this book, https://www.no8recharged.kiwi/ and be able to start looking at what is the world around them, and how New Zealand has made a difference. This is the next book on from No. 8 Re-wired.
With this comes the second aspect of Arduino programming that students will be able to investigate how things work through sensors.

Identity
Create a character, design and create a 3d character using Blender.
Main focus will be on the tools within blender to support the learning. Being able to design and create yourself as well. This is similar to some work that media design school did a couple of years ago with the development of a super hero character.

The project that was worth no credits

This year I have been working with a student as part of the independent project at school. I have been a guide to his project.

He aim was to help develop fitness using the point's parks and reserves.

The project looked at the current ideas of the powerade challenge, parkrun and apps on a phone.

It is a pretty great system he has come up with and is looking at how to develop this to an actual community project as part of next year.

But that is not what this blog post is around.

It is the learning, when this project started, he didn't want any credits from it, it was more about the learning and him wanting to develop something for the community. He is a year 12 student currently sitting NCEA Level 2. He already had the plan for what he was wanting to study this year, and what credits would fill the pieces, he already had worked on part of his level 2 pathway at year 11.

During the year he was encouraged to look outside the box, brightsparks was identified and the requirements looked at. A video outlining his project.

As part of the independent project requirements, a dragons den were presented the projects and those that were allowed to develop an individual project got the opportunity, an individual log was required that showed some form of planning and reflection, he was encouraged to take photos along the way to show his development and ideas. Out of this fell the views and perspectives social science standard.

The project was entered for Brightsparks, and he is now a finalist, in the engineering and software categories.
Update to this from brightsparks; 3rd place senior software, 3rd place senior engineering, 1st place senior best design concept.

A week before externals were to be sent away we were discussing the project, technology scholarship was talked about, would he be able to put his work together to meet the requirements. A late entry and the challenge was on.
He managed to complete the work and the timelines. We wait to see what the outcome will be.

After the submission, I started sharing the idea and the video. Since then we have found out that the ideas of the project could be submitted for PE scholarship.
It has also started being talked about within PE circles and the student has been encouraged to share his ideas and project through a podcast, The video will also be shared this week as well as part of it.

Through this project has also fallen out the Kendall Engraving Supplies Ltd Student Design Award, as the project has been laser cut through our school's equipment, this provides another opportunity to show his learning.

developing ideas - create a computer system

Looking at the ideas of the possible achievement standards, I am working on the ideas of innovation and inspiration.

It has been good to see on the NZACDITT group that people are starting to share ideas.

The first idea is one around Aircraft Tracking.

Airways have developed some amazing software, including automation systems that allow for pilots to land in fog. This is illustrated beautifully in this clip of landing in Queenstown (where an astonishing 30% of landings are affected by fog) This is why we fly - Queenstown




We can bring some of this technology into our classrooms with a simple and inexpensive Software Defined Radio (SDR) such as this ADS-B Kit US$26 from RTL-SDR. SDRs can also be used to receive radio, tv, and to listen to aircraft and ATCs. Airways have put together the attached PDF file with steps on how we can set these up in our classrooms. They are really keen to support schools so that students are exposed to this technology.

The outcome is similar to what you see on flightradar24.com

This is great, we are right near an airfield, what a great way to start to get students interested in this as a career.

The dongle has been purchased, and what do you know, it links in with a raspberry pi. So building and developing a system to track aircraft looks high on the list of projects to do next year.

Now to start looking at how we can set this up full time.

The second idea, Make an Impact with the IoT
The teacher has been working with a vineyard in the local area, and has developed a range of sensors to probe the environment, a great starter and something that I could possible look at, however, I am also thinking about broader applications. In some ways to carry on the ideas that I gathered in Christchurch, Sensing City (trust has now closed), but the ideas are still there... https://www.arup.com/projects/christchurch-sensing-city-new-zealand

This has been one that has been on and off since I started at the school. Internet of Things. 

The network has now been built and has good coverage

Now the difficult was trying to find a kit to make this work. thinxtra in partnership with sigFox have done this, it costs about $84 to have it land in NZ.

The kit is described here

The perfect way to get started with Sigfox, the Thinxtra devkit Xkit boasts a full suite of features and accessories to empower anyone to set up an IoT solution, even with very little hardware experience. Perfect for start-ups, design houses, universities and schools, the kit has everything you need to hit the ground running using the globally available Sigfox network.

Included in the box

• The Thinxtra Shield, with embedded sensors: temperature, pressure, light, shock and 3D accelerometer, 2 LEDs and 1 push button, 1 USB port
• Arduino Uno R3 board clone (already plugged in the shield)
• External 8.5 cm antenna 8.5cm for best performance
• USB cable (to plug to a Raspberry Pi or PC or to re-flash the Arduino board)
• Battery holder (so the kit is independent of any external power source or computer)
• 1-year connectivity on the Sigfox global network
• 1- year warranty. 

A great place to find what to do and how to connect and develop is here