Laura Bain - Teacher 2.0
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Things they don't tell you when you get into #edtech: Impact on Health

30/9/2018

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So this post touches on a sensitive topic for me and borders on a rant. It may also be a sensitive topic for others or just something that others can relate to. For me, it is a struggle that is starting to have some fairly negative effects on my life in general. It relates to the impact technology and my role in #edtech is having on my health. 

Having been warned, read on at your own discretion...
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It is school holidays and today I have spent most of my day working on an assignment for university. I am currently studying my Masters in Education and the reality is that holiday time is the only time you can really knuckle down. I am sure plenty of teachers can relate to the craziness of term time. Trying to fit Masters level study around that is straight up hard. Now it was completely my choice to do this and this is not the issue in discussion today really. Sitting in front of my computer all day today made me think about my screen time in general and the impact being in the field of #edtech is having on my general wellness. 

I've been in the #edtech arena for the better part of 4 years now, starting as an ICT Coordinator, moving to eLearning Coordinator and now (as of 2019) Head of Digital Learning and Innovation. Technology in the education space has always excited me and so these have been roles I have really enjoyed and loved. This being said, it is a fast paced part of the industry. For me, this has been part of the allure but it also means that you work hard to keep up-to-date with things. Admittedly I spend countless hours keeping myself skilled with what is new, exploring and testing out new tools and connecting with my professional learning networks online. For anyone in the #edtech niche, this is all essential. The problem though is that is it very time consuming and leaves you sitting in front of screens for hours and hours - often munching on snacks to keep you going and consuming undisclosed amounts of caffeine. 

In the last few years two things have changed considerably for me. Firstly, I have gone up almost 3 dress sizes. For a women, that is devastating and is causing my confidence to take a real slide. The second is a significant decrease in my visual acuity, resulting in myopia (short-sightedness). I can almost hear all the technology haters our there sneering a collective "see we told you so". Alongside them the people saying "it's all about balance" and "your wellness has to come first". I totally agree and SO want it to be the case. I often speak to students and parents about screen time and finding technology balance. The difficulty is that balance is hard to achieve when you are the champion of technology - when you are the person who has to live and breath it and be the best at it. Being good comes with a cost. 

It is a challenge for sure and one that I wasn't really prepared for when I embarked on this love affair with all things #edtech. It is something that I would really like to work on - sooner rather than later. I am sure there are amazing individuals out there in roles similar to me who have overcome this. I would love to hear how you find your technology balance. Teacher wellness is not focused on often enough and is not limited to my examples. With increasing workloads and demands, teaching as a profession is one of the most stressful around. Take my word for it or read more about it here and here. In sharing my experiences on this topic, I hope to expose some of the realities of the profession and perhaps encourage dialogue with those struggling in the same way.

And now that is said.....time to put the screen away for another day.
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Microsoft Surface Go: First Look

16/9/2018

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I was very lucky to have the opportunity to play with the new Surface Go this weekend. I have been looking forward to testing out this new offering from Microsoft. It has been my hope that this device would present a good option for the education market, particularly for the Primary years of schooling.
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Part of my current role involves looking at age appropriate devices to recommend for the BYOD program. There is a need to find a good balance between price and performance when it comes to devices for school. For me, certain functions are very important such as a touch screen and the ability to digitally ink with a connected stylus. A keyboard or the ability to add a keyboard is essential. As much as I think touch screen keyboards are cool, they are a pain when you are getting down to some serious school-work and with NAPLAN writing tests going digital, just flat out necessary. Finally, size plays an important part. It is not good seeing little people hefting about giant laptops and school backpacks tend to be heavy enough without adding unnecessary tech weight. 

Basic Tech Specs

For the spec curious out there, the Surface Go basic technical information is as follows:

Comparing form and function
  • Display: a 10 inch, Corning Gorilla Glass, multi-touch display
  • Storage: available with 64GB or 128GB storage, with extra Micro SD Port
  • Battery: 9 hours of video playback
  • Weight: 522g (not including cover)
  • Processor: Intel Pentium Gold
  • Connections: USB-C and Audio Jack
  • Additional options of connected stylus, keyboard and mouse.
The pictures below compare the size of the Surface Go to my Surface Pro and a 9.7 inch iPad Pro. ​
The Surface Go feels a little more rounded compared to the Surface Pro, but is pretty much a miniature version in appearance, which is reminiscent of the Surface 3. The keyboard is naturally a lot more condensed but still very satisfying to type on. The trackpad actually felt nicer than my Surface Pro - but this may be due to wear and tear on my current device. For anyone who is familiar with the Surface 3 from a few years back, this is a much more refined build. The kickstand could sit at any angle unlike the old Surface 3, which snapped into only certain positions. I pushed it right down flat and put some pressure on it - the hinges are strong and have enough give to allow this, which is good for kids who like to play rough. I would still argue protective case is 100% necessary despite the Corning Gorilla glass screen. This is not as rugged as some other devices pitched at education. 

The Surface Pen experience was equal to that on my Surface Pro, which I generally find excellent.  Surface Pen magnetises firmly to the side of the device unlike the Apple Pencil on an iPad. This is a small but impactful feature because, let's face it, kids lose things. I was a little sad to see that there was no USB port on the Surface Go. While I cannot say that I use it very much, it always offered a good alternative in an emergency. Admittedly, as we continue to work in  more online environments and students become more skilled with cloud storage, this will be less of an issue. 

I toyed with Office 365 on the Surface Go and everything performed beautifully. Even working in Paint 3D appeared on par with my Surface Pro. Nothing puts a machine through its paces like a bit of gaming, so I fired up Minecraft Education Edition. It performed well on the device but I would be curious to see how it handles being on a class server with 30 other students. The Pentel Gold chip has been a topic of much debate online, but I wasn't able to kill it during my weekend test.

At the end of the day...

When you compare Surface Go with an iPad (which was its intended competition), there are a few key differences. The first being price. I was a little disappointed when I heard the Australian pricing for the 128GB Surface Go model (I wouldn't even consider the 64GB model). I had high hopes it would be a real competitor against the iPad and offer a great first computer for my students. The new iPad is cheaper - by a lot. When comparing like devices in both iPad and Surface Go on the consumer websites, the 128GB iPad comes in at $599AUD, while the 128GB Surface Go comes in at $839AUD. When you then add stylus, keyboards and protective cases to these devices, it adds up. Naturally, education pricing is available for both through their respective stores, but it is a big investment for families either way you look at it. It comes down to bang for buck, which leads to my next point...

The second major consideration is operating system. Surface Go does run a full Windows 10 operating system which is loaded with some amazing tools that are great for learners, including Paint 3D, the deceptively capable Photos app and the Mixed Reality Viewer. The popular Microsoft Office suite is more feature heavy at home in Windows and offers more to students with learning needs. If your school or institution leverage and Office 365 environment, its a no brainer. It will just add up to a better experience. 

Finally, the connected keyboard, Surface Pen and option of an additional mouse offer more to the user. If you wanted a Smart Keyboard for iPad, you would have to jump to an iPad Pro (which is $979 AUD) for a base model. Otherwise, a third party Bluetooth keyboard is required. The Surface Go keyboard is perfect for little hands and includes a trackpad. The Surface Pen sticks to the side of the machine, which offers some help in preventing loss but also makes the pen readily accessible and right there when you need it. The optional addition of a mouse also provides more opportunities for individual preferences. 

All in all, I really like it. It is the perfect size for students and school - particularly primary and middle school students. It packs in all the features of a full PC in an easy to transport package. Battery life was up to a full day of use, with the Surface Go keeping up with my Surface Pro 4. The build is sleek and high quality - no student would be embarrassed to whip this out in the classroom. I would have liked for it to be a little cheaper, only to see the magic that is the Surface experience in the hands of more students.






This article is based on a personal opinion and was not sponsored.
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National Science Week Focus: Busy Bees with Lego We Do

14/8/2018

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This week is National Science Week in Australia and to celebrate I am sharing several blog posts dedicated to how I have used popular technology tools to enrich science learning. In today's post, I share how a simple thematic connection between Lego We Do and the Year 5 STEM unit resulted in an afternoon of fun, problem solving and cooperative learning. 
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Kids love Lego. It is known. Lego WeDo combines the joy of Lego with the added opportunities that connected motors and sensors bring. The Lego Education team have put a lot of effort into developing lessons that specifically connect to Science and many others that address design concepts, investigation skills, modelling and computing. The children love using the sets and I can see the added benefit they get from engaging with them. Visual and spatial perception, critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, computational thinking...tick, tick, tick. 

Classroom Connection

While browsing the IOS app, I happened upon one of the investigative units, Plants and Pollinators, which made a nice thematic connection with the Year 5 STEM unit this term. Students are using the alarming decline in bee populations around the globe as a lens for problem-based learning. During the unit students study the anatomy of bees and flowers and the important role bees play in producing the food we eat. It is more than honey! Without bees a variety of fruits and vegetables would no longer be produced. Students watch Vanishing of the Bees and several other documentaries to discover the threats to bee populations. Colony collapse disorder, Varroa Mites, diseases, pollution, habitat destruction and agricultural pesticides are all contributing factors.​
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Last year, the Year 5 students decided to make bee homes for native bees in the area. This year, students are developing pollinator gardens to support the native bee hives on our collage campus. Raising awareness is also a major part of what the children wish to do and so they are hosting a special "Bee Aware Day" at school. 

Lego Project
The Plants and Pollinators Lesson, provided the students with a fantastic opportunity to review what they had been learning while engaging with digital technologies. This project made use of a sensor hidden inside the flower that triggered sound when the bee flew over it. The bee was attached to a motor to simulate the bee flying. Students used block based code to control the model via the IOS app. Many innovated on their code.
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Outcomes

The greatest benefit to the students in relation to this project was the cooperative learning and problem solving the build presented to them. It was a tricky one to complete (intermediate level) and students worked in pairs to accomplish the task. The interpretation and visualisation of the build, as well as the construction, challenged students. Perseverance was essential. The students were totally absorbed and had so much fun with the task. Further learning opportunities suggest then having students innovate on the design, create alternative pollinator models or expand the model to demonstrate cross pollination. 

Year 5 students created a pollination model using Lego WeDo today. The hidden sensor in the flower triggers the bee sound. This project connects with their current STEM unit on Bee population decline. They had so much fun! @legoeducation

A post shared by Laura Bain (@larubain) on Jul 24, 2018 at 12:40am PDT

The lessons on the Lego Education Website have some great ways to link with not only Science, but also other STEM subjects. As well as being great tools for facilitating the instruction of coding and design, sets are flexible and are only limited by your (or the student's) imaginations. 

How have you used Lego WeDo at your school? Please share below in the comments!
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National Science Week Focus: Space Science with Ozobots

11/8/2018

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This week is National Science Week in Australia and to celebrate I am sharing a blog posts dedicated to how I have used popular technology tools to enrich science learning. In today's post, I share a series of lessons exploring how popular robots, Ozobots, were used to explore the moon's orbit around Earth and how eclipses occur. Read on to learn more...
Lately I have been interested in finding ways technology tools can connect with and enhance classroom curriculum. With an increasingly crowded national curriculum, developing rich learning experiences that address several objectives at once is a way classroom teachers can work smarter. Utilising engaging technology tools and layering up skills and knowledge produce highly effective learning experiences for students. A recent mini unit with Year 3 students made use of Ozobots, a tool that I have historically reserved for teaching coding. I cannot take credit for this concept at all. The lessons were based on educator resources found on the Ozobot website. I highly recommend you check them out. As teachers, we do not always have to reinvent the wheel (as the saying goes), but it is always good to innovate on it and adapt it to your context....and that is what I did. 

In the end, a very small unit of a couple of lessons had a big impact on students. The video below was a culminating project of sorts.

Connecting with Classroom Content

Year 3 students were learning about how the rotation of the earth causes day and night in the classroom. I wanted to build on that and demonstrate how the moon can occasionally interrupt this cycle through an eclipse event. 
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Source: ACARA

Lesson Progression

Lesson 1: Learning to use Ozobot Colour Codes
Students had never used the Ozobots before, so I felt a lesson getting them familiar with the robots was necessary. The Basic Training lessons have plenty of good ideas for introducing students to the robots. Students learnt the features of the robot, how to calibrate it and use colour codes to control it. Identifying how similar robots are used in the real world was an especially nice connection to make and helped students relate to the independent problem solving tasks in the lesson where they had to get Ozobot to the shop and then have him deliver goods to a certain part of a warehouse.
Lesson 2: Exploring Lunar and Solar Eclipses
The Celestial Mechanics lesson on the Ozobot website provided the resources and inspiration for the lesson. We blacked out the track for the "moon" and programmed the earth to spin on the spot using the suggested code. We used torch light as the rays of the sun which created a shadow, beautifully simulating how eclipses occur. Students were also able to identify the difference between solar and lunar eclipses from this activity. They captured video of the model for later use.
Lesson 3: Learning about gravity and orbital momentum using Ozocodes
Teaching Year 3 students about angular momentum seems to be pitching a little high, but students understood it easily with our second task. We actually spun a student on a chair in the classroom, getting them hold their arms close and further away, illustrating how the speed of the spin changed. This kind of exercise was very relatable to students and from this we were able to simplify that the moon moves faster in its orbit when it is closer to Earth and slows down as it moves further away. Students then used basic Ozocodes to program the moon's elliptical orbit to represent this. An example is shared below.
Lesson 4: Sharing our Learning
The evidence spoke for itself when it came time to share our learning. It was clear that the experience had stuck with students and the understandings they had developed were meaningful. Students used digital inking in the Photos app on Windows 10 devices to annotate onto the videos they had previously captured. Several went further and added post production elements like sound and titles. The final step was to add their video to their Digital Technologies Portfolio on the Class Dojo Student Story. Parents were impressed and responded with lovely comments. 
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Final Thoughts

This series of lessons turned into a really successful learning experience, which has a lot of potential to be expanded upon or applied to other celestial events. Learning went beyond meeting Science objectives, covering coding and elements from the General Capabilities.

You can check out the collection of lessons for Ozobots here. I highly recommend them!

If you have Ozobots in your classroom, I'd love to hear about how you have used them. Please leave a comment below!
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NAPLAN Online 2018: Observations from the Frontline

13/6/2018

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The National Assessment Program for Literacy and Numeracy, more often referred to as NAPLAN, has been under increasing scrutiny since announcing the decision to move online.  When compounded by differing opinions in the media, concerns from parents and criticism from wider educational communities, there was plenty of pressure to ensure things went as smoothly as possible this year. 

From the perspective of one of the first schools  in Queensland to participate in NAPLAN testing online, it went really well. In this post, I asked staff and students to offer some reflections in relation to their experiences with the online test and make considerations for the future of digital testing.

Why Test Online?

Among the benefits of online NAPLAN tests, ACARA (Australia's Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority), highlighted more precise results and a faster turn-around of information. The online platform also allows the introduction of reactive "tailored testing", which makes student questions easier or harder as they progress through the test. Teaching and Learning Coordinator, Kate Frewin, explains how this could be beneficial in saying:
The biggest advantage for us is the tailored testing which will show us what our students can do, not what they can’t. We look forward to analysing the improved data that NAPLAN Online will bring.
The video above explains Tailored Testing in greater detail.
A common concern about online testing was that students would get a little trigger happy and just click through questions without really thinking about them. This would especially be the case if the questions became too difficult. ACARA argued that the ability to tailor test questions as the students progressed would result in greater and prolonged engagement. Year 5 teacher, Megan Ellis, stated that this was an initial concern for her but went on to say that it was something they explicitly discussed with the students before the test. In her feedback, Megan reported positively in relation to student engagement:
The majority of the students actually said they enjoyed it. The tests were definitely more visually stimulating than previous years. 
This was also mirrored in feedback from Year 7 teachers:
The students appeared to be on task and there was little required interaction with them once they got started.

Technical Readiness and Requirements

The success of conducting NAPLAN online greatly relies on having the technology and infrastructure to support it. This was something we worked very hard to have ready. The college invested in significant upgrades to WiFi capability across the campus to ensure a strong and stable connection for a large number of simultaneous users. Come test day, we encountered no connectivity issues whatsoever. The platform loaded quickly and was responsive between student and teacher devices. 
From an ICT Manager’s perspective, and as it is with most things, adequate strategic planning, preparation and testing is required to ensure a smooth run. The main things to consider are internet connectivity (LAN or wireless), devices (BYOD vs school-owned), venue (shared hall or classrooms).
- Emmanuel Edem, IT Manager
Despite an existing BYOD program from Year 3 upwards, the college selected to administer the test from school-owned and managed devices. This was to ensure a consistent and quality experience for the students. College owned devices were Microsoft Surfaces, which are a 2 in 1 device, incorporating a touch screen, a well-sized detachable keyboard and active stylus. These features were considered important for our students to have access to for NAPLAN online. We allowed students to bring a USB mouse if they wished, but found that very few did as the students were already comfortable working on touch screen devices. ACARA recommends student familiarity with the device of administration for the test. Our current BYOD program requires students to have a touch screen Windows device. Part of the decision extend our 1:1 BYOD program down to Year 3 was to allow our students to become familiar and feel comfortable with the technology. During delivery of the test, I was very pleased to see the children interacting with the touch screen, pinching to zoom in as required and making use of built in tools. Exposure to other online platforms in the classroom appears to have equipped students with general transferrable understanding of common interface elements. 
It was pretty easy to do the test (on the computer). I knew how to go forward and back. It wasn't hard to figure out how it worked.
​- Year 5 Student

Staff and Student Readiness

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There was a certain amount of stress among classroom teachers, who were conducting the test. From their computers, they would have to control, troubleshoot and monitor the test as it progressed. Students also needed to understand how they would be accessing the test, which involved inputting individual identification codes into the platform and conducting audio tests. Practice test windows were highly valuable in preparing staff and students.

​As NAPLAN coordinator on the Primary Campus, Kate Frewin was able to provide insight into the preparation of staff and students:
There was a small amount of training involved. Coordinators were trained by ISQ and QCAA staff. We then trained the teachers administering the test at a school level. This was followed by a student preparation stage which was relatively simple and fast. This involved  familiarising our students with the NAPLAN Portal. We were extremely impressed by how adaptive our students were. 

Teacher Observations and Reflections

Testing online was conducted over two weeks. This was due to the number of school devices we had available to use at one time. Several teachers agreed that having the tests stretched out over a two-week period was quite  disruptive and that they would rather have the testing completed quickly over the traditional three days. To do this in the future, we would have to make use of student owned devices, which would present more challenges in preparation and ensuring a consistent experience. Despite this feedback, general observations and reflections were positive.
I was unexpectedly happy with the whole process. I thought it was going to be far more painful than it was. When we had a technical problem it was easily solved and there were no major hiccups. I liked that it was paperless and that once the kids finished the tests, that was the end of it for the teachers.
​- Samantha Hutton, Year 5 Teacher
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I was impressed with the quality of work our students achieved during the delivery of the test online. Our dedicated teachers worked extremely hard at ensuring our students were familiar with the platform and that they understood their responsibility to pace themselves the same as they would during the paper version and not get ‘click-crazy’.
- Kate Frewin, Teaching and Learning Coordinator
It ran very smoothly.  Preparation is definitely the key.  I think that using College devices meant that we had much fewer connectivity issues but it did mean that we had sessions running for the whole 9 days as we couldn’t run many concurrent sessions. 
​- Wendy Jurss, Director of Teaching and Learning

Thoughts on Typing Vs Hand-written

There continues to be much debate around students completing the writing task online. Perceptions in year 7 and 9 are more positive than in earlier years of schooling. Wendy Jurss, Director of Teaching and Learning, commented that student output appeared greater on the writing test than it had in previous years. With students in the high school now having taken part in a 1:1 BYOD program for the last 3 years, it could be suggested that a developing competency with technology contributed to this.

Year 3 teacher Robyn Behr is of the opinion that the writing test should remain hand-written in year 3:
  • I think by year three, their writing is a skill that has moved into ‘auto pilot’ mode. This means that the only thing they need to be concentrating on is developing their ideas and remembering how to format their work. If they were to type their ideas I don’t think their true potential would be seen as their main focus would be on their typing skills and not on their content.
Typing does present an added cognitive load to the process. The move toward online writing assessment appears to be allowing the results of prioritised literacy skills to somewhat rely on underprioritised technology competency. Despite there being General Capabilities relating to ICT skill and Australian Curriculum subjects focused on computer science, technology is still regarding as an "extra" in classrooms. Many schools engage with little more than a superficial implementation of technology in the early years of schooling.

If this is to be the future of NAPLAN and other external assessments, schools are going to have to very seriously consider their technology integration in the primary years, which is severely lacking in many right now. Insufficient exposure to technology tools could potentially hamper student ability to perform to their full potential in online testing. This is not a case against teaching handwriting or a call to replace books and pencils in schools with devices. Fundamentals are important and always will be. Similarly, this is also not the only reason for improved technology integration in schools and is in fact a very small part of the argument*. Nevertheless it remains a consideration that I encourage schools to consider as we move towards the full implementation of NAPLAN online. 

*Further discussion on the typing vs hand-written debate can be found in a previous blog post here.

The Age of Digital Texts

A similar argument could be made in relation to the reading tests. Previous experience interacting with digital texts could be beneficial to students completing the reading test online. Year 3 teacher Robyn Behr highlighted a potential issue relating to the random assignment of reading material during the test:
There were six pieces of reading (each one at a different level) and students received them in random order. Some got the hardest piece first. For those confident readers the order was not an issue but for those students whose reading is average or below average it would have been very off-putting and potentially detrimental to their results.
Observations during the reading test did reveal some limitations of the interface. The texts were long and quite small on screen. Many digital reading platforms allow students to flick through texts as you might do in a physical book. A lot of students are accustomed to this. Students were zooming in on texts which raises questions as to how well they are actually reading the text or if they are even reading the entire text. There were several instances where students had zoomed in to texts and then lost the frame with the questions. Improvements to the size and presentation of digital texts on the platform would improve user experience.

Conclusions and Recommendations

Our experience with NAPLAN Online was a positive one. I believe this is greatly due to the hard work of our staff in preparation for the test and ensuring that the technology could support the event from an IT perspective. Student exposure to technology through our BYOD program appears to greatly reduce technology related anxiety and complications. There remains the question of exploring the use of student-owned devices in order to complete tests in a shorter time-frame. A more targeted and mindful approach to developing typing may enable students even more. Further development into the interface will help ensure students have the opportunity to achieve their best. Despite our feelings and experiences conducting the test itself, the outcomes are what we will be paying the most attention to. It will be very interesting to compare student data once it is released. 

Contributors

Special thanks and credit to the staff of The Springfield Anglican College who contributed their feedback to help inform this article:
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Kate Frewin
​Teaching and Learning Coordinator P- 6
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Megan Ellis
​Year 5 Teacher
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Samantha Hutton
​Year 5 Teacher
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Robyn Behr
​Year 3 Teacher
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Lisa Christofis
​Year 3 Teacher
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Emmanuel Edem
​IT Manager
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Wendy Jurss
Director of Teaching and Learning
Year 7 Teachers:
Shandelle Crosby
Jonathan Cox
Ann Haines-Shipman
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WWDC 2018 Sharing New Possibilities for AR in Education

9/6/2018

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Earlier this week at their World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC), Apple showcased developments with their ARKit. Two exciting developments were the Measure App and their collaboration with Lego. Both of these present possible applications in educational settings and suggest where AR in education is heading. 
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Measure

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Augmented Reality measuring apps are not exactly a new thing in the Apple App Store but Apple delivering this tool as standard in IOS 12, will see the end of these third-party offerings. Having tried a few of these out myself and being disappointed, I am excited to give Apple's version a try. Given their track record, I am expecting it to be a fairly accurate and adaptable tool. 

In his demonstration, Apple Senior Vice President Craig Federighi measured a 3D object (the suitcase pictured) and 2D shapes (a photograph on a table). ​While the demonstration with the suitcase showed an example of how length was captured, there was no demonstration of a volume calculation after measuring length, width and height. I am curious to know if this is a capability. The app automatically identified the dimensions of the flat image and did produce data on the length and area of the image instantly.
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While many may think of this as a nifty extra on their iPhone or iPad, it represents a huge possibility in how AR can be developed to support mathematics and other subjects in education. Imagine setting children the task of calculating length, perimeter or volume of real-life objects. Add in the ability to ink onto a screen capture or record mathematical process over the top and you have a great way for students to demonstrate their understanding. This is pretty much achievable now, with a few steps in between, but what would be really good to see is a few developers jumping on this capability and honing it to educational needs. 

To see the demonstration of Measure, check out the video below. ​
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AR and Lego

I love Lego and was thrilled to see this partnership showcased in in the WWDC keynote. The Director of Innovation from Lego shared how they have used ARKit 2 to develop a new app allowing 3D object detection with Lego Creator Sets. Children can see their Lego world expand right before their eyes and interact with it in exciting ways. Built in challenges and the ability to add extra elements to the scene take play a little deeper.

You can see the Lego AR demonstration in the video below.
What really stood out for me was the collaboration that was enabled through Shared Experiences, a new feature of AR Kit 2. Up to 4 players could share in the experience of the Lego world. Another example produced by Apple was an interactive game between 2 players which also allowed others to observe. This got me thinking about the potential of collaborative student projects and demonstrations in AR. Again, there is a need for developers to mindfully harness this capability for educational purposes. 

AR in Education

Examples such as these set my mind buzzing. We now need to see this technology move beyond the simple substitution of what we can do in real-life and offer added functionality or allow students to work in more transformational ways with it. Shared Experiences is promising for collaborative tasks and AR Measurement tools could be harnessed to enable deeper understanding or application of mathematical concepts. I am looking forward to some innovative developers bringing these tools to education. 
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To see the full Keynote from WWDC, click here.

Do you have any thoughts or ideas about AR in Education? Leave a comment below!
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Hand Written Vs Typed

13/5/2018

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Over the past two weeks, the students at my school have been among the first in the state to take NAPLAN (National Assessment Program of Literacy and Numeracy) online. Traditionally these are a paper-based assessment. Students completed the writing test on computers, as well as numeracy, reading and language conventions (spelling and grammar). I was so happy (and relieved) at how well things went. This event highlighted ongoing debate among teachers in relation to the impact technology is having on the development of student writing skills. It is a topic I have been throwing around in my mind for some time now and in this blog, I share some of my thoughts....
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My experiences as a writer

I wasn't the best student in Primary School. I remember with clarity the ordeal that writing was for me. It wasn't easy. I was a weak speller and I struggled to compose writing that flowed. My mother would have to stand over me to get me to finish my weekly homework project. I remember rubbing out pages until they'd tear and starting pieces of writing over and over again until my hand ached. My handwriting, in contrast, was beautiful. A more gorgeous page of student writing would be rare to find and yet the minute you actually read it...well, it was pretty average. Many primary school teachers of course know that you don't judge a piece of writing by how it looks on the page, but I am fairly certain it helped me fly under the radar as a child. 

This continued into junior high school until my family got a computer...and I distinctly remember things changing at this point. Composing text became easier. Editing and improving my writing was quick and didn't require me to start over. Spelling didn't hold me back and I learned new ways to say things with the built-in thesaurus. I could set out a few ideas and pad them out. Something about it just worked for me. Fairly quickly, my writing improved. I even started to enjoy writing! By the end of high school, I was an A student in English...who went on to be a teacher....and now a blogger! (That is not me saying that I am a good writer, just that I enjoy it more)

​It is for these reasons (based on my own experiences) that I do not see technology as the evil that many others do. I do not feel that using a thesaurus or spell checker is cheating. My spelling and vocabulary improved with the help of these tools. I actually believe that the online Writing NAPLAN test should allow students to use all of the tools that a real writer might have access to in a platform such as Microsoft Word. If you want to test grammar, spelling or punctuation - do this in the language conventions test and let the writing be about ideas, structure and fluency. 

Digital Text 

Looking back on my journey, I believe that it was technology that enabled me as a writer and as a learner. In the first few seconds of this video, the nature of digital text is illustrated. It is more flexible, movable and essentially more dynamic. The ability to expand or edit ideas and move them around the page is what makes digital tools powerful when composing a piece of writing.  
I acknowledge that this may not be the same for everyone. I just know it worked for me. In saying this, I challenge those who are inflexibly single minded on hand written composition to consider that it may not work for everyone also. With so much talk about enabling learners, individualisation and differentiation why are we not allowing students to benefit from technology tools? 

Writing goes digital

I have always been fan of jotting down a few notes or brainstorming on a big sheet of paper. The digital ink revolution has well and truly arrived. I was excited a few years ago when Bluetooth styluses became available but was sadly disappointed with  the experience. Apple Pencil with an iPad and Surface Pen with a Surface allow really pleasing digital inking experiences. I now find myself inking on my various devices more and more. What is even better about this experience is now we are seeing hand written text becoming more dynamic - searchable or expanding to enabling such things as ink to text or ink to math. 
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Looking towards the future, not towards a test

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When you look towards the future, chances are that the ways we communicate will continue to evolve. Californian based company, Tap, have recently released a wearable keyboard. Dictation tools are better than they have ever been and will likely continue to improve. The AR and VR space is gaining momentum and could potentially emerge with the 3D text manipulation the likes of which you might have only seen in sci-fi movies.
​It is worth considering what we should be preparing our students for. Years ago, the ability to write pages and pages was required for students to survive standardised testing. With tests such as NAPLAN now moving online, it begs the question if this kind of gruelling endurance is required anymore. When I think about my day-to-day life, even working as a teacher I do not write out a lot of things by hand very often apart from the odd sticky note. There are very few paper forms I have to complete these days. I am currently working on an essay for university and there is no way that I am hand writing that! This is just not how things are done anymore. 

It's not about one over another - it's more about the what over the how

I am getting over so many binary arguments in education - it's not always one or the other. With so much technology bashing lately, I felt like I had to make the argument for typing but the reality is that both methods still have merit and application. The most important thing is what is being written, not how it is being written. Different tools suit different purposes. Sometimes it is good to scribble some ideas out and to this day, I still love a hand-written letter. But sometimes when you are trying to piece together a more complex piece of writing, you just need the flexibility of digital text.

I'd love to hear your perspectives on this topic. Please leave a comment below!
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Teachers on Social Media

7/5/2018

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With so many schools now taking the leap and establishing a presence on social media, teachers may feel the gap closing between their personal and professional lives. In this post, I discuss my approach to social media as an educator and why I prefer to maintain separate personal and professional social media accounts.
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A scenario...

​A school Facebook page post some positive news to their Facebook page (such as a recent sporting victory). A teacher from the school, who is following the page, then likes the post as does parents and students of the school. Parents or students of the school may then notice the like and follow through to the teacher account, which then (depending on many varying settings) may allow them to see photos, videos, page likes, posts from friends or apps....the list goes on. In addition to this, teachers can then be put in the awkward situation of receiving friend requests or private messages (which can be sent without actually being a friend on Facebook). I have experienced this situation myself.

In most cases people do not understand how deep you have to dive into Facebook's settings to ensure your personal information stays personal. It can be very difficult to control third party apps and other people tagging you in posts. If you are like me and have been on Facebook for over 10 years, some history literally has to have settings change individually. Similar scenarios can also occur on Twitter or Instagram accounts (that are not set to private).  

Personal Vs Professional 

So many teachers just avoid social media and that's a shame. I am constantly acknowledging the benefits of engaging in the PLNs (Professional Learning Networks) I have become a part of on social media platforms such as Twitter. They have opened doors and provided great opportunities to engage with some amazing and inspirational people. I also love social media for the same reasons everyone else does - sharing and connecting with my friends and family and to explore my hobbies and interest areas. Teachers can have the best of both worlds on social media. I do this by maintaining both a personal and professional identity on social media platforms. This may sound like lots of work, but it really isn't. Jumping between accounts is remarkably easy across many platforms. 
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Tips for juggling identities....

Personal 
Professional
  • Ensure personal accounts are private and keep the visible information to a minimum. You don't have to include location, birthday, education or relationship status. You can even opt for a screen name and use an avatar over a real photograph of yourself. Doing these things can make you more difficult to find.​
  • ​Dive deep into the settings and make sure everything you want private is actually private. Viewing your profile from the outside is a good way to check what it looks like to non-friends or followers.
  • ​Keep watch on updates to privacy settings and how new features change what information is shared. 
  • Having a private account doesn't give you free reign. Remember that nothing dies online and screen shots can happen.
  • ​Avoid connecting or associating these accounts with work email addresses.
  • ​It is okay to have work colleges as friends. Some of my best friends are the people I work with. 
  • ​While you can control your settings, you cannot control your friends settings. Be mindful of pictures and posts that you may be tagged in. 
  • Don't friend or follow current parents or students....just don't. Always communicate with students and parents through the channels approved by your school. 
  • Maintain a professional image on teacher accounts. Don't say anything you wouldn't say in front of a colleague or parent.
  • Friend or connect with other professionals and build a professional learning network. Share experiences and engage in professional dialogue.
  • Keep likes and follows relevant to your industry
  • Avoid connecting with family or friends on these accounts. Explain that the account is for professional networking only. 
  • If these accounts are public, don't make yourself too easy to find. This is still the internet after all...
This isn't a perfect recipe. This is what I have found works for me and it may not be the solution that works for you. I feel that Social Media has so much to offer people personally and professionally. If you agree, this approach might be worth a try....

​As a teacher, how do you currently manage your presence on social media? I'd love to know. Leave a comment below!
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Women and the heroic ideals of leadership

3/3/2018

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A heroic ideal of leadership,  which excludes women and is deeply rooted in Australian cultural mythology. Historical accounts and popular folklore have elevated our belief in the redemptive powers of solitary, courageous men who triumph through endurance, stamina and self-reliance.
Amanda Sinclair, 1998​

If our notions of leadership are socially constructed and based in Australian white-settler mentality, what does this mean for women aspiring to leadership? AND should women even be aspiring to be that kind of leader?

Leadership is associated with the lone and powerful, self-reliant male. Notions of collaboration and collective leadership are viewed as weakness. Women in leadership roles that I have experienced have succeeded by perpetuating this image. Does that mean that unless women adopt this approach, they can never really succeed in leadership?

Statues from ancient societies remind us of the awesome powers of goddesses and high priestess. Mythology around the Amazons and Valkyries also painted women as fearless and powerful individuals. Yet, over time these models faded as patriarchal forms of authority became the norm. These were the result of a range of factors, including the different modes of economic production and the impact that then had on family structures.

As we move towards a more global, networked society where information technology is becoming a predominant tool, allowing a highly collaborative and flexible workforce that is valuing innovation and creativity, will our current notion of leadership begin to change?
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Leadership in Schools as a Social Construct

3/3/2018

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The structure of leadership in schools is similar to that of a monarchy. The king's power was absolute as is the principal's or head teacher's power in many schools. This is because the very foundation that educational institutions are based is a socially constructed and so widely accepted model that reflects the hierarchical monarchies of the past.
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By definition social construction refers to commonly accepted models and understandings that are results of social or cultural practice. They are jointly constructed, widely accepted and so difficult to change. Having now considered the structure of our schools, I actually find it perplexing. Education serves a civic purpose, so why is that in our schools, which are supposed to be preparing students for a democratic society, we model anything but? If anything, we model a very watered down version of democracy which may be considered consultative or delegatory. This autocratic power model perpetuates right down to the classroom level, where teachers reign over their students.

Despite the lack of transformation of leadership structures into the 21st Century, the role of the Principal or Head Teacher has grown and more closely resembles the role of a CEO. They are responsible for marketing and image management, external performance evaluations and the running of the school as "business" on top of being the leading professional practitioner. It is also easy to understand hesitancy to relinquish power when accountability is higher than ever.

This discussion raises far more questions than it answers. While different educational models exist, they do not represent the norm and still adhere to an autocratic leadership model beyond the classroom. Who is to say that a transformation of leadership structures would transform education itself? My inner classroom teacher senses the potential for chaos while my inner educational activist says "giddy-up!"​
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Technology will never replace great teachers, but technology in the hands of great teachers is transformational  -  George Couros