MTDA Reflection

When I began the filming process for this video I really wasn't sure what I would end up with. During the creation of this video I learnt a lot about filming, choosing good locations and editing. Most importantly I created an honest reflection on my teaching and learning over the last six months.

Filming troubles

This week we set out to start filming an interview describing our experience so far as part of the MDTA program.  Danni and I decided to film outside at the university campus. At first we thought this was a great Idea. We set up in an area with a table to sit at and trees as a backdrop.

But the disaster stuck... Maybe that is a little over dramatic. As we were filming sorts of things started happening around us, Vans, cars and even trucks pulled into to a near by parking lot. Birds screeched as loud as they possible could and people can by talking.  And with all the noisy and disruption the sound from our video was ruined.

We ended up calling it a practice and re-filming in a quite class after the children had left.

So now that we have our footage it is time to edit out the funny moments like this one.....

Check back next week for my interview movie.

Using a classroom site

This week we created a screencast to show how learning can be accessed through our class site. My video explains how learners access their reading learning. The group that I have used in the screencast used both digital tools and creation using physical materials. They were developing the skills to work together to create their bridge and share their ideas for their report. Through this video you will see how learners in our class learn, create and share.

Note that this lesson is achieved under term one on the Batman page.

Our Class Site

The class site makes learning public, anyone can access our site and see the learning the occurs in our classroom. The learners blogs are also public so anyone from anywhere in the world can see their learning and provide positive, thoughtful and helpful comments.

Here is a link to Ben's blog.

Google Class OnAir

This week at our MDTA day we learnt about Manaiakalani Google class On Air. We looked at how these are records. I continue to be amazed by the way that these teachers are making learning visible and sharing good practice. It is awesome watching teachers share what they are doing to engage and inspire learners.

If you haven't check out google class On Air yet you really should: Here is a link

As I think about how this apply to my own practice I realise more and more that this practice is good for the teacher, their learners and the profession. For teachers the ability to put out their what they are doing, get feedback is powerful. As learners in these classes traffic is directed to their blogs so they get more of an authentic audience.  This also helps the profession because it puts out a positive image of teachers, it allows for sharing of ideas and an example for teachers in training to watch and reflect on.

Sparkshop Auckland

This weekend I attend the SparkShop conferences  (un-coferences) held in Auckland. The day began with a Smorgasbord session in which we could vote for the presenters that we most wanted to hear. This was awesome because it meant that we were involved in shaping the event.

The first session I attended was all able chrome add-ons. There were some interesting add-ons shared and I came away with a mini me in the form of a Bitmoji.

The second session I attended was about Maker Spaces. In this season we tinkered with swishy circuits and played with robot. It was so much fun and now I really want a Robot!!!!! For my kids mostly but also because they are Amazing. It was great fun programming it say and do different things. 

The third an final session I went to was about mystery hangouts. This is when your classes calls another class somewhere in the world and the learners have to ask yes or no questions to figure out where the other class are. During this session we had a test run with two teams, each team was assigned a school somewhere else in the world and we had to figure out the other teams location. WE WON!!!! This session really made me think about the connects our learners can make and how this can support them to develop questioning skills. 

I had an awesome day at Sparkshop, met some awesome educators and learned about new way to use technology in the classroom. I am excited to keep connecting online and at more events. 

Building with the Force: A StopMotion Animation

At our amazing MDTA Day today we learnt about StopMotion animation using lot of pictures to create an animation. This was a fun process and although my characters kept falling over I think my movie still turned out alright.

Our movie focus was to create an animation to motivate or inspire our learners. I choose to use the Star Wars characters that I had on hand to create an animation with a building and collaboration focus. I will use to animation at the beginning of an up and coming collaborative creative art lesson to remind learners what they can achieve when they work together. I hope you enjoy the movie.

  

StopMotion animation is an awesome skill and would be really fun to do with my learners. It would be great to create some StopMotion animations of the creation of buildings to link in with our art theme or Architecture.

Creating with iMovie

This weeks Digital immersion day focused on creating movies using iMovie. We learnt the basics of iMovie and then created our own movie to show a day or week of learning in our classroom. My video is an example of a day in the Pavilion and some of the amazing ways that our learners learn.

It was exciting using iMovie and I have learnt a lot about iMovie but I still have lots more to learn.