GAFE Day 2- Opening Keynote

To start the we were so very very privileged to have the amazing Aorere College Barbarshop group 'Fa Man'. Thank you to the four very talented young men who shared their passion with us it was wonderful.

Day 2-Keynote
Richard Wells presents 'Let learning TRUMP teaching & tech'

Richard started by saying I can tell the future I have been telling my children for years all you need to worry about is TRUMP.

Teachers and children often say in relation to learning:

"I hate it when he just keeps talking"

"I just want to work on the things I need to"

The thing that is interesting is that well teachers say this when they are the learners but as teachers do we still do it?

In England when he was at school, the school focused on letting children explore to learn but this didn't teach him the skills or strategies he needed to solve problems himself in reading. 

Maybe why children love playing games is because each person has a role and everyone knows their role and the rules of the game so they can manage and play and solve problems themselves. Richards ideas that he is focusing on in his blogging is giving kids strategies so they can play on the pitch without the coach (teacher). 

The classroom needs to recognise the individual learner not just the teacher. Here are some ideas of things people have given the kids to help them decide what they need to do. 

How to we adjust to make sure children always know what they are doing. How can learners get feedback from each other and support each other to speed up the feedback loop. 

Should they connect? How should they connect? Is one way of connect enough and what tools do they use to conduct these connections effectively. 

Richards Wells suggest that we need to give learners access to all five tools, here is his blog post on this topic.

This is Richards awesome tools. 

Relating to others especially when in confrontation, Well you can would together in Doc and Hangout students need to have tools and strategies for the students to do it.

Using language symbols and text, I can put stuff on a slide that no one can read. You can use text and images to really create and put children in the shoes of others using Google cardboard. 

Managing self, Some tools for managing self timers. Timers are important if you teach boys if they have a time limit you will get more work out of boys. You can use calendars to organise your week. Groups can allow students to organise themselves. 

Participate, The classroom should be a room where children feel safe and comfortable to contribute and participate. Google forms is like putting your hand up. In secondary school you can use Google+. 

The first thing you need before you add your Google Tool they students need to know the How to of the Key Competencies for the use of the tools to be effective.