Tairawhiti DFI Day 3

Another jam packed day at the Gisborne Tairawhiti Cohort 1 2019 DFI. Today we focused on  Media and CREATE. Running workshops on YouTube videos and live streaming, Google Slides & Google Draw. There is so much possibility within the classroom with these tools, so it was a whirlwind whizzing through it all. However because of our rewindable learning (and teaching) style - we can go back to the deep dives when we need the content in more detail.

Knowing my learning style - I am definitely a doer when it comes to learning new skills. Fortunately the rewindable learning of slide decks and how to videos mean that you don't need to remember everything, as is with the technology era that we live in. You just need to remember how to find the content or information that you need. Being digitally literate is so important. Gone are the days when you needed to be able to recite the textbook, these days you need to be able to ctrl F to find the info you want fast. It's about knowing how, rather than the what. 

When the class goes silent because they’re all on task! 🤞🏼😄 #DFI #manaiakalani #professionallearning #tairawhitioutreach pic.twitter.com/ZG80LpVohi

— Stephanie Parker (@Sparketter) March 14, 2019

Because we following the Manaiakalani pedagogy of Learn Create Share we all had time this afternoon to create something in slides and draw to cement our new learning  from this morning, and then share these creations on our blogs. In doing so we're able to cement and put into practice our learning from the day. It's this kaupapa that we want to see for our tamariki too, allowing them opportunities to authentically create to demonstrate their learning of a new skill or topic. And what is the point of creating something without an authentic audience to share it with? Anyway - I don't want to preach to the converted. 


Have a look at our digital creations and reflections from today 

Sherryl Gomm - Professional Blog 

Jo's Professional Learning Blog 

EEEE's Adventures! 

Robyn's Professional Learning Blog 

Susanne's Professional Blog 

Allie's Professional Blog 

Learning adventures with Jo

Musings of a Gizzy Sensei 

Jazz's Professional Blog 

David's Professional Blog 

Kia Ora Tatau!

You might have noticed I've been a little quiet here on Spark Ako. In Dec 2016 I went on Maternity leave and returned 2017 for 6 months before returning to maternity leave for baby number two's arrival. Yes, that's right I had two boisterous boys in under two years. 

Though the two boys keep me busy I'm itching to get back into the teaching and learning world. So as a way to refresh myself (& due to a timely expiration date) I've just resit my level 1 Google Certificate and completed my Level 2 Educator Certificate! 

The Level 1 Google Certificate was a great refresher to take - also great to know that I haven't forgotten everything while being out of the classroom. And as for the Level 2, some of it was (thankfully) second nature to me, and I also managed to pick up a few new tricks. Like autoCrat, an awesome way to populate a slide deck with information merged from a google form. I can imagine this would be a great icebreaker for the school year, for learners to complete an 'about me' survey which populates a slide deck to embed on the class site or blog. 

Before sitting the exam I worked my way through the 9 Units in the Google Advanced Training. Even though I was already familiar with a lot of the content, I also had a lot to learn. Also some of the terminology used in the units and exams was different so it's definitely worth going through them before commencing the exam, which is a timed three hour event. The time frame was plenty for me to go over the material (and do a quick google search or rerun through the units to refresh my memory - yes it's open book). Majority of the exam was simply following the instructions and completing tasks. 

If you've been thinking about sitting your Level 2 Google Exam or just want to learn more about developing your efficiency using the Google Tools then I highly recommend sitting the exam. If you have any questions, or want some study tips - please get in touch. 

Steph

Getting Google Educator Certified

For the past two years I have been using google tools in the classroom. Everything from building class sites, google doc, sheets, forms, drawings, slides, my maps, blogger, gmail youtube - you name it. Google makes everything easy in one place, and accessible from anywhere, on multiple devices. 
When I saw the online Google Educator Certification Fundamentals course I knew that it wasn't something I needed to do skill wise, but decided it would be worthwhile anyway. In case you've been wondering whether or not to give it a go, here's my feedback on the course. 

Content 
Majority of the things on the course were targeted for people new to using google products, however, I did still learn a few valuable things including: 

• Google Keep 
• Google Groups
• 'Add to tasks' 
• Google Classroom 

It's one of those, you don't know what you don't know scenario's.

The Level 1 course covers 13 units which cover everything on using the various products, to how they might be applicable in the classroom, and tips on being cybersmart and how to use search engines more efficiently.

Time
Without prior experience using google, the suggested time to complete each unit was probably accurate. As I was already familiar with most of the products I was able to do each unit in a fraction of the time. Completing all 13 within a day. 
After registering for the exam you need to wait for it to become active - up to 24 hours, then you need to sit the exam within 7 days. 
You're given 3 hours to complete the exam. The first section is multi-choice which takes about 10 - 20 minutes. The second section is more practical, where you are supplied a google drive to carry out set activities to show competency using the tools. This bit takes a bit longer due to the requirements, but the three hour time limit is more than sufficient. 

Cost
The 13 units in the Level 1 certification are FREE, however you need to register for the online exam - there is a US$10 fee for this, but I figured the 'certification' was worth it. 

Quality
Though I was already confident using most of these products I found the process and reinforcement worthwhile. The units however were quite targeted to people new to google products, so in terms of the SAMR model, suggestions and 'tips' often sat within the Substitution or Augmentation levels of learning with digital technologies. In saying that it's just a foundation point - we all have to start somewhere right? 

Now that I have completed the Level 1 Fundamentals Training I'm looking forward to moving onto the Advanced Training - which I hope includes more innovation and creativity to allow for Modification and Redefinition of the learning process.