Connect Four - STOP.... sharing time!

Kia Orana. I am currently sitting amongst an amazing group of educators here at Waikowhai Primary School for our Ako Hiko Cluster meeting. Our task today is to connect four... yes, as in the game connect four but better!

Below you will see my 'Connect Four' game board. It's a simple, straightforward and easy way to collect evidence and build your presence online as a connected learning educator.

How to play
After participating in one of the tasks, you add a link to evidence of the task then shade in the box. Once you have 'connected four' you win, start your winning streak. By winning streak I mean that you 'connect four' and win. Then the OCD teacher in you makes you want to connect five, six... nine until you just want to complete the board.. or is that just me?

The world of 'sharing' 
Sharing online is like going for a swim at the beach. It's a place where you can easily sit back and admire the ocean of knowledge. Sometimes we get really comfortable and just sit there without getting in. Yet we are more than happy to help ourselves to the abundance of resources.

Personally, I walk into the ocean and go through stages of breathlessness and fear as the water rises. Prior to completely submerging I usually go through a split second of anger when people think splashing me will help me get in faster. In all honesty, the splashing works. Whether you're just the 'dip your toes in' kind of person or the 'fast walk and plunge' type, this game board is the splash you need to get yourself out there sharing your work.

It is a fantastic way share your learning online without that daunting feeling. Before you know it, sharing becomes second nature.

Thank you to Gerhard for sharing this with us today and thank you to Mark and the team for creating this board and giving me the splash I needed to get back into it.

LCS - how do your students use their 'share' skills?

I was lucky enough to attend the first EdChatNZ conference back in 2014. Thinking back.. I remember sitting with the secondary school students as they completed their work and hearing them talk about their learning. It was a day I will never forget because when I saw those students talking so freely about their learning, I realised they were doing something I wasn't practicing. I knew I had to put this into practice myself and really wanted to get my students to do the same. This became one of my long term goals.

Adding a little context...

Wednesday

Two of my students emailed the CatDoor Company to see if they could sponsor us to get a microchip cat door for our school cat (as it is so cold at night). On Wednesday they got a response from The CatDoor Company who have graciously given Dusky a microchip cat door, new glass window for installation and installation all for free.  

Friday

During second block one of my students had just finished presenting his learning conversation to his mum and myself (yes he was brave enough to discuss his goals etc while the rest of the class worked independently), when Grant (from The CatDoor Company) came into class to talk with him and another student. These two students beautifully handled the business proposal which they explained through learn, create, share. While this conversation was happening I had two other students sit down and join in while a few onlookers listened as they completed their work. Once the business proposal had been wrapped up, the students decided to share some of their learning.  More students lined up to share tasks they had completed, discuss the different learning tools they use and explain how they help them learn.  They had Grant's full attention for a solid fifty minutes.

This is when I stood back and realised that my students were sharing their work independently... no support from me... without me... wait, without me?  Did someone say student agency!?!

YAY! I had achieved my goal.  My learners were sharing their learning by choice.  They had their own motivations, tools and ability to share. My reflection: it was a transformation over time, not a change that happened.  Change is a quick switch that can be CTRL-Z'd just like that, whereas transformation is a process where skills and learning is built upon. That is how I achieved my goal. After seeing my students respond so well to having Grant in the class my new goal is to invite in more experts into the classroom.  Either through social media or in person.  I really need to give them more authentic learning experiences where they can utilise their 'share' skills and reflect on them for improvement.