Christine Weepu Professional Blog
Monday, 21 September 2020
DFI Revision: #9
Saturday, 12 September 2020
DFI#8 Computational Thinking
Still learning alongside students, it's amazing how fast they pick up new learning, techniques. This week students started using Google Keep for notetaking, their timetables thus saving a lot of trees as they would consistently lose the printed ones. Fairly happy with my blog now, looks better, have resized images, and embedded more of my learning.
Te whakaaro rorohiko-computational thinking.
There are 4 goals for DFI. One is empowerment. Looked at Manaiakalani.blogspot.com. 37 cohorts ago it was started as a way to empower teachers & learners. Learned the history of how it emerged from Tamaki. Empowerment is "Advancing Rangatiratanga". May not apply to some but some have lived & breathed this-not having control over their lives or to change their circumstances. The word Agency-was a negative thing for many whānau i.e: Oranga Tamariki, CYPS. Changed the word to Empowered. Empowered all by allowing all to have access to digital tools, devices. Given examples of what disempowers -financial choice, housing/location, disposal of rubbish, shopping, access to health, education. oral language, stability. Watched "What Next" about the working poor.
Manakalani: The principles of Equity and Access are the same as the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi-Partnership, Participation, Protection; Giving people control over their lives and circumstances. Giving Equity and Access. Finally, understand the word ubiquitous!!
I enjoy the talks given by Dorothy although it's a lot of head knowledge it is also good for the heart. Warm Fuzzies from learning how Manakalani empowers ALL students and their whānau
KERRY-computational thinking
Whakaaro Rorohiko: Digital fluency-when & why to use digital technologies. Feel confident, making the most of their time online. navigating, finding resources, sharing their stories
Tangata me te Rorohiko: Digital technologies;
Computational thinking is a set of problem-solving methods that involve expressing problems and their solutions in ways that a computer could execute. Breaking something down, pattern recognition, abstraction, and algorithm design
Kia Takatū ā-Matihiko-some good resources on there.
Explore Coding / Tuhi Waehere-Thanks for the opportunity to give coding a go.
Had a go at Minecraft and Lightbot. I didn't do too bad, normally I set this up, and whilst students are on this, I'm busy organizing another lesson, marking, or something teacher like.
Need to try mihimaker again as I didn't get to finish. I want to take a screenshot to post
Friday, 11 September 2020
DFI #7 Devices
My language is my awakening, my language is the window to my soul
It sets my day up well starting with karakia, its a sense of meaning and connection to everyone. It helps me to get into the right mindset and settle down. He mihi tēnei ki te kaikarakia.
Worked on a Chromebook, initially, students gave me a crash course on it before this session. They thought I was having them on but it soon became apparent they were the experts and they turned into hard taskmasters. Role reversals experiencing what it is like for students working on Chromebooks and IPads.By the time this session started, I was more confident in my new skills on a Chromebook and keen to build on from this, learned some keyboard shortcuts.
CYBER SMART
Monday, 31 August 2020
DFI #6 Enabling Access- Sites
He Wānanga Matatau Matihiko (DFI: Digital Fluency Intensive)
Spent just over a period getting students to tidy up their emails. Congratulations goes to a year 11 student for having over 2000 emails! He now has GMail under control with a more organized and functional system. We also personalized our background theme, added 4 labels (including color) for keeping incoming emails on track.
Friday, 21 August 2020
DFI#5 Collaborate-Sites
He Wānanga Matatau Matihiko (DFI: Digital Fluency Intensive)
DFI#5 Collaborate-Sites
Visible teaching and learning-Dorothy
From the original 4 goals developed in 2006- Ubiquitous, Visible, Empowered, Connected. This session focused on supporting visible teaching and learning through building collaborative, multimodal Google Sites.
Visible learning should be accessible, available, and in advance so there shouldn't be any surprises. The intention is to embrace the power of technology to make all teaching and learning visible for all. Only some elements of teacher learning need to be private-i.e health, teachers appraisal
Hidden learning and agenda, whilst some students may have the ability to navigate the teacher's mind and know what the teacher wants (cultural capital) and experience educational success. A number of students don't, Evidence suggests that the cultural capital passed on through families help children do better in school.
In their 2009 book Culture, Class, Distinction Bennet et al, describe this system of privilege:
"This is the reproduction circuit associated with schooling and formal education. Those parents equipped with cultural capital are able to drill their children in the cultural forms that predispose them to perform well in the educational system through their ability to handle “abstract” and “formal” categories. These children are able to turn their cultural capital into credentials, which can then be used to acquire advantaged positions themselves.’
Visible Learning and teaching make it equitable for all Hapara is the teachers visible one link, specifically designed for Manakalani schools
Kerry-Multi Modal
Enhance teaching and learning key words-engaging students into the screen and hooking them onto learning, empower students to be confident in navigating their site -the purpose is all about delivering communication from one person to another-take into account when designing a learning site.
Different people have different modes of communication. designing a class site that is inclusive-caters for all, differentiates, caters for different learning styles, pace, and time-rewindable aspect to it.
The concept of multimodal-engagement with learning, personalized to the learning, acceleration of learning, pedagogical based, empowering the student to give them the confidence to access learning, setting them up for life long journey
HOOK: Some students become disengaged from learning or the process of learning. Hook students in and captivate as there are so many other things that can distract them- films, games, social media with friends, online shopping. Make learners excited about their learning
Have to sell the love of learning-Mary queen of shops.
Multimodal learning is teaching concepts using multiple modes.
Modes are channels of information or anything that communicates meaning in some way, including- Pictures Illustrations Audio Speech Writing and print
- Music Movement Gestures Facial expressions Colors
Digital multimodal texts include film, animation, slide shows, e-posters, digital stories, podcasts, and web pages that may include hyperlinks to external pronunciation guides or translations.
Multi text Database-not all text are equal.
Students need to regularly file their work-open their drives & drop their work into the correct folders. Needs to be a regular weekly thing, don't ever ask students to make folders as it will never show on Hapara.
I need to design a new class site that stands on its own, engaging, multimodal design for behavioral engagement and multi-textural for cognitive engagement., designed to give students choice. I will re-look at the examples provides as I plan for this.
Fairly happy with this- started gathering the resources prior to today. Although I worked on a site that wasn't age-appropriate for my class, I felt I could achieve the objective without too much stress and once I was fairly comfortable with the process, I could attempt this again at the appropriate age level. Maybe that was my way of scaffolding the learning for me?
Thursday, 20 August 2020
DFI#3 Media
He Wānanga Matatau Matihiko (DFI: Digital Fluency Intensive)
DFI#3 Media
Create-Hanga: Really liked the kōrero from the principal of Hornby High. Creativity takes risks. Schools have to be risk-takers to open the doors of creativity. The images are a great way to show this.
Google Draw-Tānga Kūkara: Currently working with students to create drawings, showed examples, just giving bite-sized pieces of information and I am conscious of not dragging this learning out. Have learned this from being on this course, for new learning not to be overwhelming, being supported, having patience, allowing mistakes, and not be taxing. Eventually, students will get to creating charts and diagrams. He waka eke noa. We are all in this together,
Google Slides-Ata Kūkara: This is something I have had fun with during the lockdown, I tried making my teaching slides more creative, engaging, and fun as a way to connect to my students and to help motivate them. I will add some slides soon. This is one tool we often use as a class.



