DFI - Day 1
Coming into my very first day on DFI, I brought with me a small, yet adequate amount of digital knowledge in my kiti. Most of the tools and information that I have gained is from observing systems in a range of schools through relief teaching experience, or my own personal experience of teaching and learning.
Today I have been able to not only refresh and update this knowledge but I have also added more tips and tricks into my kiti.
For me, the biggest impact that I see with digital learning in the classroom is the engagement. My students LOVE their chromebooks. It is never a struggle to engage them. They are hungry for knowledge around how to use them, and are always so excited to create and share their digital experiences and learnings.
The manaiakalani pedagogy of learn, create, share is a beautiful and simple way for us, as teachers to grab a hold of the students' interest for digital devices and use it to our advantage to progress, engage, and even accelerate learning. A chrome book is like a pencil. It is a tool in our classroom to help us learn. When I engage with whanau about concerns around digital devices in the classroom, this simple metaphor shows and allows whanau to understand how digital devices are a tool. Like a pencil is a tool.
We are all living in a world filled with smartphones, smart TV, smart vehicles, and even smart fridges. Giving our tamariki the technological skills and fluency not only helps to set them up for success later into the future, but it also is giving them a foundation of knowledge and skills needed in our modern world and workplace.
Amongst the many new things that I have learned today, one thing that stood out to me, was the use of voice to text.
This beautiful little piece of technology records your voice as you speak, and types for you into a google doc. I'm kicking myself for not discovering this sooner!
There are many benefits to this tool, one being for me personally. I am much more articulate and fluent in answers and in my thinking while talking. It is my method of learning and for me, I LOVE how I can now cater tasks to how I best work.
For my learners…whether it be a tool helping an ESOL student to write, or perhaps building fluency in reading, or even publishing students writing, this speak to text tool is something that I believe can make a great impact on students learning. And I cannot wait to use it in my classroom, and in my own life a lot more.
Today has been a great little stepping stone into the wonderful world of digital learning. I am so excited to not only further my own knowledge, but to take this back to the classroom.
Thank you!
Kia ora Holly, it is great to have you in our digital bubble. What a wonderful first day for us all. I am very happy to read your reflection which reflects how the day has been very meaningful and valuable for you. Voice to text is a great tool to use in our practice. I look forward to hearing how your will utilise this in your class.
ReplyDeleteArohanui
Amy
Hey Amy! Its my new go to for publishing now! Once students have finished their writing on paper, they publish using voice to text!
DeleteKia ora Holly,
ReplyDeleteHow exciting it must be for you to have a class who are enthusiastic about digital learning! And how excited are they going to be when you show them voice typing! I love using it and it is a game changer. Have fun with this in your class.
Ngā mihi
Cheryl
Thanks Cheryl! They loved it! Can't wait to show them some tricks with bookmarks and tabs!
DeleteKia ora Holly,
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful to read your first reflection of DFI. You obviously really resonated with the Learn, create, share pedagogy as a simple, yet effective tool. One of the things I love about Chromebooks is that they enable our kids to do what cannot be done with a pencil - to reach a wider audience, sharing their mahi wider than their classroom walls, to be able to begin to understand what it means to share and receive feedback from an authentic audience. It is a wonderful opportunity for them to engage in a supported way to begin to understand the internet and how we can use it as a positive space. What an amazing opportunity voice to text provides as well, to unlock for our learners their voice, without limitations of how fast they can write or how well they can spell. Although all these things are important, I get really excited when I see how much our learners blossom when they finally realise they have something powerful worth sharing and that they can create a whole page of writing in 45 minutes when their written work before would often be much less than this in the same amount of time. Giving our tamariki an enabler to help them see what they are capable of can really increase their self-efficacy. You have wonderful enthusiastic kids too. What empowerment will come from this! I look forward to continuing to work with you and your tamariki as well as reading your future blog posts. Keep up the great blogging!
Amie
Wow thanks Amie! There are a couple of learners that come to mind straight away that would benefit hugely. I think once students start to feel a sense of pride, achievement and purpose for their mahi, its almost like their building that all important positive self efficacy. Especially when their mahi is related to something they love. My class loves digital learning, and I can already see so many children becoming the "class experts". It warms my heart to see they have found something they are passionate about! Like they have found a way of 'shining their light'. Double win when they are learning so much literacy skills at the same time. :)
ReplyDelete