Room 7's use of technology in the classroom

We are using chromebooks in a variety of ways to enhance our learning in Room 7. 

Ratatype is a typing programme to help us get faster at typing so we can complete our work more quickly.

We use Mathletics to complete follow-up activities for maths. We practice our basic facts and enjoy being able to verse our classmates and students from around the world.

We use the Chromebooks to write about our own topics as well as the genre we are focusing on.

Students have been recording their journey for Genius Hour (Research, Create, Share). Students have been making videos, taking photos, creating slideshows and posters.

Students have learnt new shortcuts and ways to use the Chromebooks more efficiently by working through the Digital Dig slide. 

Students have been experimenting with Screen Castify to record how they can solve math problems using different strategies.

Computer Course - Professional Development.

In January of this year I enrolled for a basic Computer Course at Ara Polytech. I wanted to do this to feel more confident in the use of basic technology and to be able to guide the children in my class in various areas of technology.

The course included software and hardware windows features, file management, keyboarding, sending and receiving attachments, creating, saving and printing files.

I also started a Touch Typing course from home as I wanted to increase my typing speed and competence.

All this professional development has helped improve my confidence using computers, particularly as the children are using computers for a large proportion of the curriculum. It will be a continual journey as I keep on increasing my knowledge and ability.

One of the interesting aspects of this is that the children will often teach me new things as well, as I guide them in other areas.

I found the experience at polytech enlightening and also humbling as I realised how much there was to learn but I am very glad that did the course. 

What to share on a blog

Using the team 3 Manaiakalani site students worked through a series of activities to learn about what is appropriate and not to post on line. Students had to really think about what they are going to post and why considering the consequences if they do post.

Mathletics

Mathletics is used in all five spaces to differentiate and to support learning in mathematics across all of our varied learners/groups. As it is a online programme students can access it both at school and home, it provides support material for both teachers and learners and interactive games for students to practice their basic facts knowledge.

Embedding work in to student blogs

This week for Manaiakalani we have been learning how our students can use their blogs. One great way that they can share their work is it to embed the work they create in google. This makes it really easy for their parents to see, it also updates as they update their work on the original document.
Room 17 and 18 have just been allowed access to their blogs and rooms 7, 14 and 15 will get access later in the term. 

See below some examples of work they have embedded into their work:

My next step for this would be to allow children time to become more confident with using the 'screencastify' google ad-on. This allows them to create a video explaining what is on their screen. By doing this they would be able to explain their learning in their own words, and create tutorials for others to use. 

Digital Digs

Room 14 children found the session with Room 18 very useful. Some children had already shared this but not all had. After the session, the children were able to go away and practise what they had learnt. I have noticed increasing confidence with some of the quieter children. They were very proud to show others what they had learnt.

The Digital Dig

Mark worked on the Digital Dig document with the tamariki in Room 17 and 18 in Week 5 and 6.

This was a really useful tool to get the kids used to using shortcuts. Although they thought they were pretty savvy, there were a lot that they didn't know about, and a couple that Brett and I didn't know either!

Having the 'tip' tool on the slides was a great way for the children to get some help with the answers if they were unsure.

Room 17 helped Room 7 with this earlier on, and on Friday Room 17 worked with the tamariki in Room 15, and Room 18 with 14 to teach them what they had learnt.

There is not doubt that their favourite part was learning how to create an animation in google slides using the shapes and ctrl+d (the duplicate short cut).

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1d_uiXojJPKXbZlZwMTehpn__e-xMiC7ZCuqlO4B8FUw/edit

https://sites.google.com/a/manaiakalani.org/cybersmart/Infrastructure/3-devices