Learn Code Teach Code

This week I have been teaching myself coding. Well, studio.code.org has been teaching me coding. I began with Course 2 aimed for children who can read and suitable for ages 6 - 18 years. This course took me through coding using visual blocks learning everything from the basics of simple commands, to loops, 'if' statements, loops within loops and allowed me to practice these skills to create simple images, solve puzzles, and even create games using rules and logic. 

Throughout the course were several 'unplugged' activities and teacher lesson plans which described how to teach some of the principles of coding, without computers, great for classes with limited resources, and for getting to understand the purpose and function of different code capabilities without the distraction of the computers bells and whistles. 

One of the things I liked the most about this 'code' business is the practical side I can see to, how purposeful it can be to develop a child's problem solving capability, logic, reasoning, creativity, and open up a world of future pathways. A lot of the activities included tasks which required understanding patterns, angles, symbols < > =, 'if' and 'when' clauses which link perfectly with geometry, algebra and other mathematical applications. 

The best part however, was that it was actually quite fun. I was learning while having fun. Ideal. Check out some of my learning examples below. Click the image to be directed to the activity and code behind it. 

At the completion of Course 2 I also received my Certificate of Completion - Well done me. I think I'll enjoy incorporating this learning in my class this year. 

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. 

BEHIND THE SCENES: The making of "They're Coming"

Following the plethora of questions on my Film Club's film They're Coming, I decided to make a short screencast of just how we ran the film club and did the special effects. 
This is a great resource if you are creating a film with a whole class, of any age range. Even the younger children in the club were able to be involved in the decision making every step of the way, while the older tamariki did more of the driving of finding sound effects, special effects and actually using the iMovie programme. 

This screencast includes: 

• Applying special effects
• Applying layers of sound effects 
• Using green/blue screen
• and making people 'disappear' 

If you have any other questions - please be sure to leave a comment. 

Also, if you want to see the film on the big screen again, it is being played during the 2016 Movies in Parks summer season. The film will be shown along with two others from the Manaiakalani Film Festival on Friday March 18th at Point England Reserve - a fantastic whānau evening. 

If you want more info on Storyboarding check my other blogposts. 

Coding to Learn...

... or should I say learning to code? 
Today my class and I had the opportunity to learn some coding skills, while practicing coding, as part of Computer Science Education Week. 

from OMG Tech arrived to set-up and assist us in our coding journey. Code.org has some simple coding modules which anyone can learn. They get progressively harder, beginning with simple instructions, before requiring learners to understand the loop process and "if.." statements in coding.

The code.org modules are based on three themes targeted to engage children (or other enthusiasts). Module themes include Minecraft; StarWars and the popular Disney theme Frozen. 

What's brilliant is that no experience is needed, and the teacher modules are just as accessible. I know what my summer PD is going to be, when I'm not at the beach that is! 

Learn more about Computer Science Education Week here. Awareness of computer coding is a brilliant skill in terms of problem solving, logic, mathematics and analytics. More so, just to appreciate the 'behind the scenes' required to make some of our favourite things work. 

Exploring digital footprints with 9 and 10 year olds.

This week my year 5 & 6 learners were learning about digital footprints as part of our cybersmart programme. Most of these learners are new to having their own personal device, so it's really important that they make a good start to their digital citizenship journey.
After watching a short film and brainstorming what we already knew, it was clear that we didn't know too much just yet, about the power and capabilities of the world wide web. We knew that we shouldn't share our address and full name because we were told not to, but didn't understand why. A learner voiced that his classmates knew were he lived anyway, so what did it matter. I showed them the hits on his blog from Christchurch, he didn't know anyone in Christchurch. This got us thinking. The internet is a public place. 

So we decided that we wanted to see just how quickly and how far things can spread on the internet. We wrote a message and shared it on my google plus account asking people to share it and tell us where in the world they were.

We were absolutely amazed by the response, and how quickly it spread so far. We learned about geography and all the places in the world that we were able to make an impact, check out the map of the progress.
The red dots were the hits within the first 9 hours. Green the next 24hrs and blue the third day. By then it seemed to have dropped off everyone's radar. 
You can view the map in more detail here. 

As you can see, within 9 hours it had spread across the world, and within 24 hours even further, with over 60 shares and over 100 different locations. Some people didn't share their location, which allowed us to investigate, looking at their profiles. This opened up the discussion about how much information some people shared, and others chose not to share. We were able to think about why this was and the choices we had. 

Besides the thrill of having responses to our post, we learned a really valuable lesson. One which had a lot more impact than any video or stories from me could have made. The children realised the potential of the internet, that it has great power to spread messages, and share our learning. But it also showed us exactly why we should keep some information private, and why we need to have a positive digital footprint. 

If you have other cybersmart lessons you would like to share with me, please do. 

Thanks for reading
Steph

Developing Citizenship with New Learners, a New Class, and a New Level

Barely a week into January and I'm already contemplating what 2015 will bring. This year I will be teaching a new level of Year 5 & 6 learners (last year was Yr 7 & 8). I will have a whole class full of new learners in a whole new classroom. These learners will be pooled from three different 2014 classrooms, and for the majority it will be their first year in a digital one-to-one learning environment. 

Before this year begins however I will be undertaking a summer school paper at Auckland University, along with 10 other Manaiakalani teachers, on Digital Enhancement. In preparation for this I have been reading a variety of papers on knowledge building, 21st Century skills, opportunities and implications of ICT, and other digital education research and findings. Though it seems a waste of this amazing weather to be stuck reading when I would much rather be out enjoying my new paddleboard, I am finding the texts are getting me thinking about this year, and about how I can best foster the skills and aptitude's I desire with my learners within the existing curriculum. 

Determining how I can go about explicitly teaching 21st century skills, then embed them in our daily routines is a challenge I look forward to. As I mentioned, 2/3 of my class this year will be new to having their own digital device, so it is up to me to ensure that our learners use them to enhance their learning, not just as a substitution for their textbooks. Later this year I will be speaking about this at the 2015 BYOD Making it Mobile! workshops at Hobsonville Point School; reflecting on how to develop the learning behaviours and skills needed to learn in a digital environment, how to get the foundations set early on so the learning can happen later. If you can't make it to the workshops, findings and a summary of the event will be posted here also. 

Film Editing 101

In the past weeks we have been learning to storyboard, shoot, and edit films. 

Some of the key tips I learned were:

• Never cross the line, when filming two characters talking. Instead film from the same side, but different angles. 
• Use a variety of shots. They all have a variety of effects. 
• Unless you are trying to make it cheesy, or it has a specific purpose, avoid the 'fancy' transitions. A simple cut between clips is what most film and tv shows use. 
• When cutting between scenes, it's often less jarring to do so on a movement (see Breaking News 56 seconds in)
• Use background music... it really eases any (bad) editing where it jars a little.

To make this into a reality my team of four collaborated to storyboard the storyline. This as it turns out is a really important part, to plan the scenes and shots you want to get for each before you even begin filming. 

Our team then spent 1hr filming, before individually editing in iMovie to make our own movies. This is my edit... enjoy