pakiki.net

Session Description

Our students are not all the same so a one-size-fits-all approach to teaching is not going to meet the needs of each learner. In this session learn how you can differentiate learning tasks for groups of students using Google Drive and the white magic of Apps Scripts and Add-ons. We will also explore how to provide adaptive instruction, including formative feedback, based on a student’s understanding using Google Forms, YouTube and Gmail. Chromebooks or laptops are recommended. Participants with tablet devices will find it hard to participate in the hands-on sections of this session.

Session Resources:bit.ly/jradifferentiation

Notes

Doctorpus (add on to Google sheets) to distribute differentiated Google docs (same doc to all, different docs to different groups, shared with differentiated groups)

Goobric (Chrome Extension) for Rubric feedback from Doctorpus

Use Search tools to filter by reading level for sources

Using Flubaroo to create self marking tests. After the test is created as a Google form, complete as ‘Answer’ ‘Key’ to get answers. ‘Student Feedback’ gives one comment for the whole quize (use an IF statement to give differentiated feedback).  Help tips will include specific question by question feedback emailed to the student.

Google drawing tips: use option key and drag objects to make a copy. Hover line tool over points on a shape, connect to another shape and the two are now linked. You can move them independently and they still stay connected. Check out this example.

Link to websites from session.

Session Description

In this highly interactive ChromeBook Dojo you will learn the secret art Chrome mastery. As you progress through the belts you will put into combat to defeat inefficiency, frustration and bad browsing habits. Once you’ve found inner ‘Chrome Zen’ your browsing experience will never be the same!

Session Resources: http://goo.gl/rkwMO

Presenter: Tim Lee

Notes:

Origin of Chrome name – all the glitzy bits on a car, unnecessary bits on the Netscape broswer.

Recommend that schools have a browser policy. Chrome can be centrally managed from the Cloud (e.g. set home pages, manage extensions)

Chrome Dojo: A range of resources to getting your Chrome belts.

Great resource for learning about the technical aspects of the web: 20 things I learned

Self paced course on search: Power searching with Google

Use of extensions and tabs.

• Use of Onetab to send out a group of websites that students may be using for a particular task.
• Google dictionary: With this extension, you can:
  1) Double-click any word to view its definition in a small pop-up bubble.
  2) View the complete definition of any word or phrase using the toolbar dictionary.
  3) Store a history of words you’ve looked up, so you can practice them later.
• Texthelp: read and write for Google. Could be useful for students when drafting their reports.
• Turnoffthelights: hides unnecessary content on page (eg YouTube)
• Other tips: Print-> Destination -> Google Cloud print (to easily share with students)
• Extensions and Apps Tim uses:
• Training for use of Google drive – Synergyse
• Workshop links

With nothing better to do in the school holidays, I signed up for the  GAFE Summit in Auckland. This ran over two days with a couple of key notes and 8 workshop sessions. Run by EdTechTeam, an American based organisation, the focus was on using Google Apps for Eduction (GAFE).

I was hoping to add to my skill set and understanding of using Google Apps since I use it a heap of the time teaching in the Inquiry programme.

Mark Wagner

First up was the keynote. Introduced by Mark Wagner, he gave an overview of the number of these type of summits his organisation had hosted (52 in the last 22 months).

Notes:

U2 quotes:

“Let uncertainly be a guiding light”

“Dream out loud”

Is your school future ready?

Keynote – Suan Leo

Summary image

Start with why – http://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action

Inspiring story of 3D printing arms

Trends in higher eduction – report

“Shift from students as consumers to students as creators”

Google search vs discovery. Discovery – all the other things that happen on the way. Ask ‘un-Googleable’ questions.

10 things Google know to be true

Planning for the last mile, not the first. Post by Jeff Utecht

Well, look at me-this week I decided to get all flash and start to study at the prestigious Stanford University in California. Sounds next level, but in reality is just an online course titled ‘How to learn Math‘ by Dr Jo Boaler. She has been a real math teacher in the US and the UK before lecturing in Math education.

The Mathmatician’s Lament is a thought provoking piece of work as you realise the ridiculousness of applying the same approach that we have with Maths to another curriculum area. But how can we create opportunities for students to ‘play’ Math? What does that look like?

Jo refers to Carol Dweck’s work on Mindset. There are two types-fixed and growth. So a fixed mindset would have a dumb kid saying they are dumb and can’t improve. This type of approach would certainly do away with the tradition of streamed classes based on ability as a growth mindset over comes any pigeon holing based on placement in either a ‘smart’ or ‘dumb’ class.

The growth mindset is a better concept to think of than just a simple work ethic. Students still need to work hard but that needs to be based on a belief that they can get better.

every mistake creates a synapse

Making mistakes is THE most useful things in maths

Concept of a Didactic contract in Maths learning: students want to be shown step by step, and teachers want to help; both lessening the ‘struggle’ and cognitive effort that will lead to deeper learning.