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  • Gerard Macmanus
    Gerard Macmanus 02 Apr 2016 10:36pm () in FORUM: What does innovation look like in your school? | An Enabling e-Learning event
    What does innovation look like to you?
    This has been something of a journey for me in my years of teaching. I suppose being in the technology learning area with what is now digital technologies innovation has been at the centre of my thinking.
     

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    Adaption and Innovation are at the heart of the technological practice. The course planning and ideas I have looked at what new technologies I could include in my development. However, there has been other things that I have looked at about what innovation is, that has been around course structure and assessment.
     

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    The other has been I have been lucky to be in departments that looked at changes within education. Moving away from unit standards to offer achievement standards. This has allowed a better understanding and access to the professional learning that was available at the time. Something which is now lacking for teachers that did not move at the time.
     
    Project based learning has been a big part of my courses and changing assessment from tki.org.nz to new contexts such as developing historical websites for heritage places, pokemon trading cards and nzta crash analysis mapping. These have allowed students to have a meaningful context to showcase their learning. Students have also been able to develop their own projects which have allowed for a spelling game to be created for younger students, an information website about parkour teams as examples. Also looking at competitions to allow meaning contexts for learning and assessment, brightsparks, codeworx and kiwibots vex as examples. Rather than just being an extra thing.
     
    Then there is innovation within teaching, the use of Learning Management Systems to help students rewind learning as well as develop tangents for learning. The use of the LMS has been a big part of the change of my teaching, it allowed for better feedback around a students work. Then came the online apps changes, this has allowed commenting within students work, and better feedback -feedforward. 
     
    Working with other departments to help make learning and assessment easier to manage. Developing systems to assist to help the learner show evidence, as well as for the teacher so assessment is not so onerous. 
     
    To me its being agile within my teaching, working with other teachers, not just in your school, but also in other schools. Developing partnerships. It is through these partnerships where you challenge the current thinking that you get to work with industry and dare I say the Ministry of Education. 
     
    What does innovation in your school look like?
    Innovation at HPSS, this is part of our schools motto, Innovate. Engage. Inspire.
    These are also the goals that our appraisal is around.


    This year you will be constructing three personal professional learning goals based around our principles:

     

    Innovate through personalising learning

    Personalising learning by meeting the needs of diverse learners e.g.

    • Differentiation

    • Universal Design for Learning

    • Self directed learning

    • Blended learning

    • Culturally Responsive Pedagogy

    Engage through powerful partnerships

    Evidence of powerful partnerships being developed e.g.

    • Strong teacher and student and whanau learning relationships

    • Appropriate and responsive co or team teaching strategies

    • Opportunities to connect with their wider community

    • Critical friendship - observation and feedback

    • Open to learning conversations

    • Restorative Practice (being a warm and demanding hub coach)

    Inspire through deep challenge and inquiry

    Evidence of students being inspired through deep challenge and inquiry e.g.

    • Students being supported, challenged and extended in their learning

    • Use of SOLO

    • Use of Learning Design Model / Inquiry Learning

    • Learning area expertise / literacy and numeracy across curriculum
     
    Personalising learning
    Personalising learning is a strategy focusing all of the schools resources to ensure that the potential of each learner is realised by ensuring that the learning experience is appropriate to them personally and that they are able, with support, to decide what they learn, how they learn, when they learn and who they learn it with. 
     
    Personalising Learning is about strengthening the link between teaching and learning engagement. 
     
    Personalising learning recognises that the quality of learning is shaped by learners’ experiences, characteristics, interests and aspirations. High quality teaching explicitly builds on learner needs – as well as on high expectations and good subject knowledge. 
     
    Personalised Learning puts children and their needs first. The distinctive feature of the pedagogy of Personalising learning is the way that it expects all pupils to reach or exceed expectations, feel fulfilled and achieve success. 
     
    Personalised Learning maximises personal potential. We personalise learning so that...
    • Everyone get the chance to be the best they can
    • Everyone gets the chance to have high quality teaching that is responsive to their needs 
    • Everyone gets the chance to have an educational path that takes into account their needs, interests and aspirations 
    • Everyone’s integrity, dignity and validity is respected 
    • Everyone thinks about and presents their knowledge in different ways 

    Personalised learners… 

    • Are engaged with learning and the life of the school 
    • Take responsibility for his or her own learning and behaviour 
    • Show independence in, and having control over, learning
    • Enjoy confidence in oneself as a learner 
    • Display maturity in all relationships, marked by mutual respect.

    Are the innovations in your school amplifying learning? If so - how?
    This is from our Principal, Maurie, A case in point is when we were settling on our innovative approach to NCEA which is largely to skip NCEA L1 and set our students on a 2 year journey to a quality NCEA L2. Having our 14-15 year olds ploughing through 120+ credits towards NCEA L1 did not allow us to ensure our students were inspired by deep challenge and inquiry as it promoted surface coverage to get through so many credits. Because it could not pass through this filter our moral purpose required us to think differently.

     
    I have a Qualification SPIN, which is two 80 minute blocks a week, through this I am covering design through digital media. The students have been working on web development and image manipulation. Normally I would run this for 6 weeks and then assessment. As I am only focussing on one achievement standard, I can delve into it deeply, I am not rushing through, I am allowing students time to develop and create portfolio's of evidence, rather than a single shot assessment. This is allowing students to learn from failure, be creative in their designs and application of the tools and techniques. Which in terms of the learning allows for quality work to be produced. One of the students is a priority learner, it also means that I am working on personalising his learning, which is allowing him to develop a digital media and print media outcome. It is working towards his needs, still along the school theme for term one around identity, rather than the school identity, it is his own identity. 

    How is digital technology supporting innovation in your school?
    I am going with the ideas of the Core Education 2013 trend of ubiquitous, http://www.core-ed.org/thought-leadership/ten-trends/ten-trends-2013/ubiquitous-learning.
     
    Social:
    Social media
    always on, always connected
     
    Technology:
    mobile technologies
    cloud computing
    online services
    UFB access
    wireless


    Educational
    Learning works best in the right context and the right time. Ubiquity helps learning be right there.

     
    We have bring your own device, this allows for the learner and the teacher to use different activities to allow for different learning needs. Rathe rather than one activity for all learners. 
    We also have the platform, no, not the same computer for event student, but hobsonline, this allows for a one place for students to goto to access their learning needs. 

    image

     
     
    Where do the tensions/challenges lie if any?
    For me, its the challenge from the traditional, I know its hard to explain, but one of my titles at a previous school was ICT Innovator, I was always looking at what is happening next, having that future focus look. The challenge was from the people that are not. 
  • Gerard Macmanus
    Gerard Macmanus 22 Dec 2015 9:19pm () in Using Chromebooks to record student Voice

    Chromebooks for us provide an easy platform that removes the distractions of the normal apple or PC. Having a simple platform allows students to focus on what they need to. We use chromebooks to support our BYOD program at school as it links in with our google apps for education. This is where all the students work is saved. through GAFE, and hapara files and collected and disrupted.

    As for student voice, se blogs and google docs for students to collect evidence of their learning. A lot of what we are doing is looking for naturally occurring evidence. 

    Google Chrome with our GAFE domain is changing the world for some of our students. Some of the issues for students with dyslexic are developing confidence using the google docs voice typing. 

     

  • Gerard Macmanus
    Gerard Macmanus 01 Aug 2015 5:18pm () in An Enabling e-Learning forum: Coding, digital literacy or a new kind of language?

    Thank you TraceyH for putting the excellent resources of csunplugged.com on this forum. This is a great resource that looks at the concepts behind programming. A number of students want to know the why? Why do we need to know how to program, what is happening behind the screen. Starting to look at ideas of binary, data representation, error checking enables students to start to making connections. 

    There is even a free book of the activities available for download.

  • Gerard Macmanus
    Gerard Macmanus 01 Aug 2015 5:17pm () in An Enabling e-Learning forum: Coding, digital literacy or a new kind of language?

    To most people this will be something new and out of their comfort zone. While there are a great number of resources in how to code online, there is nothing like having someone who does it for a living in the room with you. 

    http://codeclub.nz is a nationwide network of volunteer led after school coding clubs. From their website, "We create projects for our volunteers to teach at after school coding clubs. The projects we make teach students how to program by showing them how to make computer games, animations and websites. Volunteers go to their local primary or intermediate school or other venue, such as a library, for an hour a week and teach one project a week."

    Going along to these not as a teacher but as a student is one of the best forms of PLD that you will get. Not only will you be working on the same problems as the students, but you will also experience the same amazement in getting a program to work. Going through the projects will give you the confidence yourself to be able to offer this within your own classroom with your students. 

    Keep an eye out on the website as well meetup.com http://www.meetup.com/Code-Club-Aotearoa/ for events in your area to get together with industry and codeclub.nz to make a partnership that will change the way you deliver an exciting technology in your classroom.

  • Gerard Macmanus
    Gerard Macmanus 24 Feb 2014 2:11pm () in eLearning class - tracking

    How have schools been tracking the trial classes of elearning and digital classes.

    Do they use entrance data? PAT? e-asTTle? or are you using another form of assessment.

    Do you take surveys of staff and students throughout the year? Do you engage the community in this?

  • Gerard Macmanus
    Gerard Macmanus 23 Oct 2013 9:13pm () in War in the classroom!

    http://www.forbes.com/sites/benkepes/2013/10/22/google-apple-microsoft-at-war-in-hooking-children-on-their-software/

     
    There is a software war in the classroom! Google Apps, Microsoft and their office suite free and now Mac OS free! Is this good for us?
     

    Google, Apple, Microsoft At War In Hooking Children On Their Software

    The big news of the day was Apple's product announcements. Beyond the exciting hardware envy, was the announcement that Apple’s Office Productivity application, iWork, is now free with any purchase of a Mac or iOS product. This move comes at an interesting time in the office productivity space with the triumvirate of Google, Microsoft and Apple locked in an arms race for the hearts and minds of customers.

    My eldest son starts high school next year and the school he’ll be attending requires that all students have a laptop or tablet device. With that comes son #1′s first foray into the world of office suites and what will likely be a decision that has ongoing ramifications for many years to come. I’m very much a Google Apps guy – while I use PowerPoint and Word a little for specific use cases (PowerPoint because Google presentation frankly sucks and word for tracked changes and editing of collaboratively created documents) the vast majority of my time is spent in the Google Apps world. I’d always assumed that my kids would follow suit – Google Apps is completely cloud-centric and I’ve always felt that this perspective is more realistic than the Microsoft approach of desktop software that is cloud-enabled as an afterthought. Add to that the fact that Office is a paid product while Google Apps is available for free, and the decision becomes even clearer.

    Or at least it did. Until Microsoft announced that as of 1 December 2013, any institution worldwide that licenses Office 365 ProPlus or Office Professional Plus for staff and faculty can provide access to Office 365 ProPlus for students at no additional cost. What that means is that over 35000 educational institutions globally can offer their students free licenses for MS Office to be installed on up to five devices. That made me look again and I had an email conversation with the Director of ICT at my son’s school, Sam McNeill. (As an aside, McNeill has an interesting blog looking at eLearning in action – worth a read for those interested in the topic). I put it to McNeill that Google’s Apps approach is more relevant for the modern world, he had an interesting perspective on that saying that:

    Whilst Google has more market time and experience with Google Apps and it’s certainly an “easier” product to use, MS’ SkyDrive is arguably more feature rich in terms of roundtripping a document from desktop Office, to the cloud for sharing/editing, and then back to the desktop… For once, being slower to market, has allowed MS to release a feature-rich product.

    Functionality aside, it’s fascinating to see Microsoft react to the very real threat that Google introduces in the Office Productivity space by hooking customers at the very start of their relationship with a productivity suite. The reality is that once an individual has gone through high school extensively using a productivity suite, the particular suite they use becomes very sticky. Microsoft have the ability to hook the next generation of technology users and all for the cost of a few foregone software licenses.

    Underlying these machinations in the productivity space is the very real fact that these three companies are all trying to hook people into a technology platform covering all their needs – they obviously have different entry and monetization models for their platforms, but to a greater or lesser extent they’re in a race to trap people within their own flavor of walled garden. What better way to do so than to hook the next generation of users in at the start of their technology use. These vendors are all falling over themselves buying market share in future consumers – and all of them have the ability to play the long game here, investing at the start point for a long term monetization opportunity.

    This fight is only going to get nastier as time progresses – ultimately the consumers benefit from the cut throat nature of the competition and you can bet that we’ll see much more activity from all three trying to hook school and students into their ecosystem.

  • Gerard Macmanus
    Gerard Macmanus 19 Oct 2013 5:35pm () in Student Advantage delivers Office Pro Plus to over 1million New Zealand students, at no additional cost

    Today Microsoft announced the Student Advantage programme, which will help ensure all students at New Zealand schools and higher education institutions have access to the productivity tools used in most New Zealand workplaces, before they enter the workforce. 

    Beginning 1 December 2013, every school and tertiary provider in New Zealand that licenses Office for staff and faculty will be eligible to get Office 365 Pro Plus for its students at no additional cost.

    This comes off the back of The IDC Workforce Readiness Study, released today by Microsoft, which reveals the key skills that people looking for work in high-growth, high-salary jobs need. Behind core communication skills and attention to detail, the third most important skill for prospective employees is knowing how to use Microsoft Office.

    Paul Muckleston Managing Director of Microsoft New Zealand, says Student Advantage gives schools and academic institutions the tools they need to better prepare students for entering the workforce, without spending additional money. 

    “The impact of Student Advantage for New Zealand students is going to be far reaching. We believe it will help address the country’s challenge of ensuring equity of access for all students to eLearning, as more than one million students will be eligible for Office 365 ProPlus under this new benefit.”

    More information can be found here: 

    http://blogs.technet.com/b/microsoft_on_the_issues/archive/2013/10/15/microsoft-announces-new-student-advantage-program-to-prepare-students-for-tomorrow-s-jobs.aspx

    http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/press/2013/oct13/10-15skillspr.aspx

    For New Zealand schools to take up this added benefit, the steps are:

    - Add the zero-cost Student Advantage sku to your Microsoft agreement; and

    - Deploy the no-cost Office 365 A2 Plan service for staff and students; then

    - Students are able to download the Office Pro Plus client software to their devices (up to 5 devices per student)

    Please contact your Microsoft Reseller for more details:

    - For schools enrolled in the Microsoft Schools Agreement with the Ministry of Education, please contact Datacom on 0800 22 55 428

    - For all other schools, please contact your Academic Reseller or partner

    http://blogs.technet.com/b/nzedu/archive/2013/10/16/student-advantage-delivers-office-pro-plus-to-over-1million-new-zealand-students-at-no-additional-cost.aspx

  • Gerard Macmanus
    Gerard Macmanus 19 Oct 2013 5:31pm () in Student Advantage delivers Office Pro Plus to over 1million New Zealand students, at no additional cost

    Today Microsoft announced the Student Advantage programme, which will help ensure all students at New Zealand schools and higher education institutions have access to the productivity tools used in most New Zealand workplaces, before they enter the workforce. 

    Beginning 1 December 2013, every school and tertiary provider in New Zealand that licenses Office for staff and faculty will be eligible to get Office 365 Pro Plus for its students at no additional cost.

    This comes off the back of The IDC Workforce Readiness Study, released today by Microsoft, which reveals the key skills that people looking for work in high-growth, high-salary jobs need. Behind core communication skills and attention to detail, the third most important skill for prospective employees is knowing how to use Microsoft Office.

    Paul Muckleston Managing Director of Microsoft New Zealand, says Student Advantage gives schools and academic institutions the tools they need to better prepare students for entering the workforce, without spending additional money. 

    “The impact of Student Advantage for New Zealand students is going to be far reaching. We believe it will help address the country’s challenge of ensuring equity of access for all students to eLearning, as more than one million students will be eligible for Office 365 ProPlus under this new benefit.”

    More information can be found here: 

    http://blogs.technet.com/b/microsoft_on_the_issues/archive/2013/10/15/microsoft-announces-new-student-advantage-program-to-prepare-students-for-tomorrow-s-jobs.aspx

    http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/press/2013/oct13/10-15skillspr.aspx

    For New Zealand schools to take up this added benefit, the steps are:

    - Add the zero-cost Student Advantage sku to your Microsoft agreement; and

    - Deploy the no-cost Office 365 A2 Plan service for staff and students; then

    - Students are able to download the Office Pro Plus client software to their devices (up to 5 devices per student)

    Please contact your Microsoft Reseller for more details:

    - For schools enrolled in the Microsoft Schools Agreement with the Ministry of Education, please contact Datacom on 0800 22 55 428

    - For all other schools, please contact your Academic Reseller or partner

    http://blogs.technet.com/b/nzedu/archive/2013/10/16/student-advantage-delivers-office-pro-plus-to-over-1million-new-zealand-students-at-no-additional-cost.aspx

  • Gerard Macmanus
    Gerard Macmanus 14 Oct 2013 7:36pm () in An interesting post on why a school chose moodle

    Here is the beginning of a story of why St Andrews College chose moodle

    http://eblog.stac.school.nz/2013/10/14/moodle-what-exactly-is-it-part-1-of-2/

    I would suggest reading the entire contents, 

    Here is a snippet

    Virtually all of New Zealand’s major universities and tertiary institutions have chosen Moodle as their Learning Management System of choice including:

    By deciding on implementing Moodle at St Andrew’s College, our students are using the tools they will invariably encounter when they further their education in the tertiary sector. This is the first of two posts that will explain what Moodle is, why it has been implemented at St Andrew’s, and how it is being used by teachers and students on a regular basis.

  • Gerard Macmanus
    Gerard Macmanus 08 Oct 2013 2:57pm () in Feedback

    putting in a group resource, I added an external link that had https:// at the start, however when this link is available to people, we get http://https//www at the start.

    To see this in action, please goto this resource /resources/view/840487/julie-and-melinda-presentation-digital-technologies-programme

Gerard Macmanus

Gerard Macmanus