Effective Feedback

As always I make sure my learners understand what feedback is, how it helps them with their learning, how to act on it and model how they can provide effective feedback to their peers.  On Tuesday I was trying to locate a 'jump jam' presentation in 'my drive'.  As I was struggling to find it and nearing 'throwing the towel in', one of my students came up from behind me and kindly whispered 'Miss Fortes, it's on our Daily Dig.  Remember you told us we can always find things on there.  Now you have to do it too'. I praised this student as it was timely feedback because while I was trying to find the presentation, most of my class were talking, moving around and restless (who can blame them... their teacher was not prepared).

Then I addressed the class about my expectations around them waiting patiently, showing the Hay Park Way and being respectful learners. I also let them know that I was not impressed with the noise level and number of people walking about. After bringing everything to a halt I then started the first jump jam video.  As the class actively participated in the jump jam I had two of the boys approach me.

Student 1: (nudges student 2) Go on, say it..
Students 2: Oh, Miss Fortes?  Ummm...
Me:  Yes?
Student 2: Oh, you weren't explicitly clear about the instructions.
Me: What do you mean?
Student 2:  You didn't tell us explicitly what you wanted us to do
Me: Are you sure?  I told everyone to find a spot?
Student 1: Uh yes but you didn't be explicit and tell us to sit down or be quiet as well.
Me: (lightbulb moment) Ohhhhh I see.  Yes you are absolutely correct.  I will apologise to everyone and let them know that I was running off the assumption that you could all read my mind
All: (giggles)

This has to be one of my proudest moments to date... getting feedback from my Year 4 students and knowing that they feel comfortable enough to take the risk and correct their teacher.  O for Owsum!

Another time to reflect...

I mean, Another time opportunity to reflect..

My class responded well to using screencastify as a reflection tool. In this context I have defined 'reflection tool' as a tool that is used to record active refection as well as a tool to capture learning, which is then listened to and reflected upon. I have found that using screencastify seemed to reignite the enthusiasm around active reflection.  With this in mind I decided to enhance the opportunities to reflect by creating a QR Code Challenge.

This challenge included the use of GAFE tools such as google presentations, google spreadsheets, google drawing, screencastify and QR Codes.  There was also a slight hint of gamification as students had the opportunity to earn a digital badge upon completion of the challenge.

Where does reflection tie into this challenge?
The challenges were based on reflection.  Each challenge had a few bullet points or key ideas to reflect on.  These reflections were recorded using screencastify which was access via a QR code (also created by students).

Instead of reading about me babbling on about this task, have a look through the QR Code challenge I created.  Feel free to post any feedback or questions below.

Update
Here are two student blogs with their 'QR Code Master' badges displayed at the top
Raymond: hpsraymondt.blogspot.co.nz
Gargee: hpsgargeej.blogspot.co.nz 

SparkMIT Mind Map

As part of my inquiry I wanted to create a Samoan Language resource that would help my target students progress at a normal rate towards the National Standard in reading.  I havebeen thinking about my innovation and am trying to find a starting point, but I can't.  So I have brainstormed a quick pro's and con's mindmap for two things I have in mind.

I really want to create a Google Site but I'm not sure about the formatting and time needed to create it.  Although I do want to use the 'voice-over' approach that I tested on my class site earlier this year. It would be nice to have a welcome on each page that automatically plays.  That is something I can't do that on a blog. I would really like it to be fun and entertaining with a slight hint of gamification but I have no idea about how to do that.  I suspect there would a lot of coding involved??  Eeeek!

At the moment I am leaning towards a google site. . . watch this space!

SAMR

I am currently sitting in a room of likeminded educators listening to Dr Reuben Puentedura (the creator of the SAMR model.

Watch this space...

Helping parents comment on blogs

Hi everyone. I've found that a few families have had issues commenting on my class blog. I've updated my settings and made a quick screencastify that shows them how to comment on a blog. I have posted this to my class blog for all to access.

In this screencastify you will also see a 'robot' prompt pop up prior to publishing the comment. This could be a little tricky for parents to navigate. So I modelled what to do by running through the commenting process with my class (I did this by browsing 'incognito') Now they can help anyone who may come across this at home (this can be seen at the end of my screencastify).
Setoga Class: Week 4: How to comment on a blog: Hi everyone.  Welcome back to another exciting week of learning in Setoga class.  This is a brief screencastify that shows you how to commen...

A time to refect...

Throughout term one I encouraged student reflection using a range of approaches.  Some examples are reflection dice, socrative quick questions and the exit ticktets, learning conferences with my students, posing reflective questions during group work, think alouds etc.

However I felt that is was starting to become slightly monotonous.  More of a chore than an active state of critical thinking to improve learning outcomes. So what did I do?  I switched it up and turned to my new buddy Screencastify (sometimes pronounced Screencastifly - so cute!).  However, I didn't come up with this idea by myself.  It was one of my students who had decided to record himself reflecting on the self-assessment of his writing.  He said it 'helped him to feel good and that it would be evidence for Miss Fortes if she doesn't think that he has self-asssessed because some people just make it colourful and pretty but don't know why'

Cue in Screencastify.  We have started using screencastify to assist us as a reflective tool where they would record themselves reflecting on a particular task and paste it into their document.  This allowed them to revisit their reflections, gave me an insight to what they understood and still found tricky as well as helping others who weren't sure what to do.

Prior to recording their ideas the student's were asked to write their reflections.  The differentiated aspect to this task was that my students who struggled to type their ideas were only required to record them orally.  Yes to some 'typing and recording orally' may seem pointless, a double up and a waste of time. However writing their reflections helped them keep track of what they were saying.  As some students read out their reflections their auto response was to explain some vague points they had identified only from reading it aloud.  Boom!  Reflecting on learning whilst reflecting in the moment.

Here is a snippet of how it looked in a document.

SparkMIT Reflection on my inquiry

Firstly my apologies for neglecting to post regularly about my inquiry journey.  I will add a few screenshots of the innovations I have tried so far (I have given myself until the end of Wednesday to do this).  I'm super excited about sharing these snippets of my journey so we can see the progress in real time and I can get some feedback or tips from everyone else.  Why I didn't think of this earlier is a mystery!  Actually I did think about it, I just haven't done it.  Second time lucky.

Another successful day with the SparkMIT crew.  We discussed the SAMR model and how it relates to our inquiries as well as sharing the progress we have made so far.

Quick recap
My innovation is a resource site that students could go to, to develop their vocabulary skills thus improving comprehension and fluency in reading.  My target group is Year 4 and 5 Samoan students but the innovation is purposed to serve all learners far and wide.


Purpose
To acclerate learning in reading.  It will have student and teacher made resources purposed to develop vocabulary and evaluation of a text.  Data from reading assessments (probe) has highlighted these are areas of need.   Students will be creating resources as research shows the learning experience is enhanced when it occurs between students ie students learn more effectively from each other.  What better way to engage our aiga [family] than to have their own child's voice, pictures and learning in video form?  I would love to hear if you have any other suggestions for aiga engagement.


Challenges
Three key students have transferred away from my school. They were students who had entered into a digital classroom directly from Samoa.  Even though they have left, it has been a great reminder that my innovation will be a resource for all students to access.'

I added a new page to my class site focussing on the digital literacy aspect of 'metaliteracy' . This was a trial where I was going to add screencastifies created by students and myself.  They would be serve as 'go to' video that help students and parents understand how to use their chromebooks and apps, hopefully building vocabulary around our devices.  This was a challenge because of time.  I also became preoccupied with adding a voice over to my class site.

Time.. time..... time!


Successes... Challenging Successes
Power of conversation.  Discussing my innovation with colleagues and getting feedback from them has been fantastic.  With my digital literacy page a colleague reminded me about the importance of the 'why'.  Making sure that the videos explained why we use such apps or chromebooks.  How they help us on our learn, create, share journey.   At present the videos are basic step by step instructions.
I am a Term 2 flyer.  This time last year is I was panicked, believed students shouldn't blog until Year 5 and running substitution tasks day in and day out.  By the end of the year I had been accepted to participate as part of the SparkMIT group, had a fully fledged class site that was being used as a model, presented my own toolkit and had a class of Year 3/4 students with their own individual blogs. So with this in mind, I have a really positive outlook on Term 2.


Where to next?
I really want my innovation to be easily adapted into everyday planning.  There are so many innovative ideas I came across at the GAFE summit but finding the time to impliment them has been diffiuclt.  With this in mind, I want to streamline my innovation to work alongside the teacher.  I hope to do this by making it responsive to reading texts.  For example finding a way to enable my innovation to develop vocabulary, comprehension and fluency based on articles sourced from Kiwi Kids News.  These articles are free to access and have a generally wide range of engaging topics.