Leadership in Digital and Collaborative Learning

Purpose/Aim

Lead innovation in digital and collaborative learning that draws upon concepts of transformational leadership theory, educational theory and research.

Learning Outcomes

1. Critique relevant transformational leadership theory, contemporary educational leadership and/or governance models in the context of digital and collaborative learning.
2. Reflect on personal leadership attributes and styles within the context of leading innovation.
3. Examine the influence emerging research, policies and guidelines have on leadership in digital pedagogies.
4. Design an implementation plan for leading a digital and collaborative learning innovation

Overview

There are multiple challenges that must be resolved as we move from passive to collaborative forms of learning, both in terms of pedagogy and mastering new technologies but also in terms of championing change and progress. Leading through change requires a thoughtful approach, vision, respect and understanding for those fearful of change and a well planned and executed plan that includes operations, systems, logistics and a well defined and transparent road to success.

LDC Assessment 1 
Transformational and Pedagogical Leadership Theories and Styles

Critically analyse the leadership of a change initiative that you were involved with.  Identify the leadership theories, styles and attributes used and evaluate their effectiveness.

Description

Either individually, or in groups of two or three, write a cohesive essay where you evaluate a change initiative and your own role in it with reference to your chosen leadership theories. When reflecting on the leadership attributes and styles used, provide evidence where possible (e.g. interview class or team members who were involved.)

LEADERSHIP Assessment 2

Develop a plan that shows how you would lead a change initiative (digital and collaborative innovation) through its implementation. Consider the various stakeholders involved and your own leadership reflections.

Description

Either individually, or in groups of two or three, create an essay or video presentation where you explain a plan to implement a change initiative with your main stakeholders over a period of no longer than 6 months.

Reflect on your own leadership from your DIGITAL 2 activity and the insights into your leadership you gained from LEADERSHIP 1. Decide which digital and collaborative innovation you want to lead. It can be a continuation of your DIGITAL 1&2, or it can be a different change initiative.

Digital and Collaborative Learning in Context

Purpose/Aim

Based on contemporary educational theory, policy and research, identify and evaluate the potential for digital and collaborative learning to impact on educational practice and outcomes. 

Learning Outcomes

1. Identify a potential digital and collaborative innovation and design an implementation plan that can be applied in a learning environment.
2. Consider and compare national educational policies/guidelines and contemporary educational theory against existing delivery models and needs.
3. Evaluate collaborative educational research and investigate its application in a digital environment.

Overview

There are multiple challenges that must be resolved as we move from passive to collaborative forms of learning, both in terms of pedagogy and mastering new technologies but also in terms of championing change and progress. Leading through change requires a thoughtful approach, vision, respect and understanding for those fearful of change and a well planned and executed plan that includes operations, systems, logistics and a well defined and transparent road to success.


Assessment 1

Identify, justify and plan a digital and collaborative learning innovation applied to a specific area of your practice.

Description

Either individually, or in groups of two or three, create a cohesive video presentation where you critically reflect on your practice and propose and justify a plan to address an area for improvement.

An innovation can be a combination of many types of tool, the ways you use them, new collaborative practice(s) etc.

Remember to consider the perspectives of different stakeholders.


Assessment 2

DIGITAL Assessment 2 

Implement, document and critique a digital and collaborative learning innovation applied to a specific area of your practice.

Description

Either individually, or in groups of two or three, create an essay or video presentation where you describe and analyse a digital and collaborative learning innovation that you have implemented.

If it is not possible for you to gather primary data from your innovation, for example because of ethical issues, you should use secondary sources of data (e.g. related research literature.)

Activity 8: Changes in my practice - the last post!

Or is it new beginnings?

I have spent the last week thinking about what I am going to write today. Today being Saturday, which has mostly been every Saturday for the last 8 weeks where I have sat down to write my weekly blog post. Sometimes, in preparation for Saturday I have sat up late at night during the week or even early some mornings before school - reading, researching, and connecting with other online contributors for opinions and ideas.  

It has not just been the last 8 weeks though. The last 32 weeks have been amazing, challenging, hard work, and surprisingly, sometimes fun. I have enjoyed meeting other professionals and collaborating to complete set tasks and share and reflect on our learning. Putting myself back as a learner has reminded me what it is like to work along others in a community of learning. How it feels for students when the work gets hard and how to apply the skills we have for the benefit of others we work with, not just ourselves.

I have particularly enjoyed working with my colleague Francesca Avent to complete our assignments. It has been great to have moral support along the way without her I would have struggled. I think that we have both complimented and supported each other at times when motivation was hard to maintain.

I guess, change initiatives for me have been reflecting, not just on what we had to do each week and month for assignments, but thinking about how to apply it to my professional practice. My blogging skills have improved out of this world and this has assisted me with helping the students in my team to reflect and share their learning through blogging. I feel confident to say that while teaching today has its challenges, it is an exciting time to be teaching. Having a growth mindset allows us to challenge ourselves and the students we interact with daily. There are so many opportunities to empower our students to be confident, connected, collaborative, creative, and critical problem solvers for the 21st century to go out in the world and make a difference.

RTC and e-learning - Criteria 6

Fully registered teachers conceptualise, plan, and implement an appropriate learning programme.

RTC and e-learning - Criteria 1

Fully registered teachers establish and maintain effective professional relationships focused on the learning and well-being of all ākonga. (Ākonga is inclusive of all learners in the full range of settings.)

The two examples below I think, link with both criteria as a goal was to also be interacting with our whānau and encouraging them to participate in and share our learning.

Biography writing and retelling was a programme which stemmed from a Mind Lab assignment which I planned firstly with Francesca, my Mind Lab colleague and we then further developed to use within our respective school settings.

1. Biography Writing and Retelling

Rationale: To help the students and staff to get to know each other better, hearing about each other's life experiences is a great way to make connections and establish relationships. To be able to complete this activity, students needed to work collaboratively with others by interviewing their buddies and drawing out the information they needed for their biographies. The students used google docs, Audioboom, and QR codes for this writing task. The ‘how to’ videos enabled them to be able to plan, write, read aloud, and record their biographies anywhere and anytime, at school or at home. Once the QR codes were printed, they were displayed next to their pastel self-portraits.

2. Online sharing using Blogger tool

In our team we have been for sometime using Google docs to support the writing process. All students write in a weekly doc where their drafts can be edited by using the read write tools for correction. We give feedback at this stage and when the student is happy with their completed piece of writing they upload to their blog.

Blogging for an audience

We have been this year focusing on writing for an audience, eg: our whānau, other students at our school and other schools. Through blogging our audience has expanded, so it is important when sharing their writing or any learning that it is the best that it can be for them at the time.  The students must have an introductory blurb at the top of the post, and the labels to connect what the learning is about. The introductory blurb of a post is important because it feeds into the Google Search and summarises the blog post. Accurately labelling a post ensures that it is easy to find.

Student feedback / feedforward

Students have grown in confidence, particularly as they receive comments about their work. One area that we have really focussed on is to read other blog posts and write comments. Make sure that they begin with a positive comment, agree with the writing using a because statement, or disagree constructively with some positive ideas for improvement. We have found that the quality of the written and/or other forms of presentations has improved, and they have become more motivated as writers and sharers of their learning.

RTC and e-learning - Criteria 12

Fully registered teachers use critical inquiry and problem-solving effectively in their professional practice.

My Teacher Inquiry is focussing on the use of blogging as a vehicle to increase student engagement in the writing process through sharing regular blog posts, giving and seeking feedback. By providing authentic and engaging learning opportunities for all students to share and celebrate their work. I want to have children reading, writing, commenting and sharing each other’s blog posts on a regular basis. (as described above)

I am using research and evidence gained from my own professional development both at the Mind Lab and other relevant research articles I have sourced. This is challenging me to reflect on what I do to in my practice to make sure it has the desired result for improving the engagement in learning in our team.

Future dreams regarding my future professional development, firstly, it won’t be completing a Masters, that I am sure of. It will be based around maintaining and growing my CoP (community of practice) with participation in online communities to share and collaborate in future learning opportunities.

I am also looking forward to having far more time to explore, experiment and apply the digital and collaborative learning opportunities we touched on in the first part of the Mind Lab course. I want to use my leadership skills to support and encourage others in my CoP to be the best we can for all students and each other.

References
Ministry of Education (nd). Practising teacher Criteria and e-learning . Retrieved from http://elearning.tki.org.nz/Professional-learning/Registered-Teacher-Criteria-and-e-learning

Applied Practice in Context

Course aimTo critically examine and contextualise practice and develop a critical understanding of how indigenous knowledge and cultural responsiveness, society, ethics, environment and law inform practice.

Learning outcomes

1. Demonstrate a critical understanding of how indigenous knowledge and cultural responsiveness inform practice
2. Critique and evaluate practice in the context of different audiences (local, national and/or international) and their perspectives
3. Critically analyse issues of ethics, society, culture and professional environments in relation to practice
4. Critique and address issues of law, regulations and policy in practice

Week 31 - Crossing Boundaries and making connections.....

Week 31 I have chosen to present differently this week, a bit more interactive. I hope you enjoy my clip?  I haven't incorporated the map into the Powtoon, maybe I should have. But anyway I did start with a map to decide which way I would go. Hopefully you can read it.

Very messy Mind Map 

I originally missed out my mind map above in the youtube video. 24 hours later it annoyed me so much that I had missed it out, I went back and inserted it into the video and reloaded.

Week 30 Activity 6: Using social online networks in teaching and/or professional development

What social media platform do I feel best supports engagement with my professional development? Why?How do I use social media to enhance your professional development? Why?

The ability to respond flexibly to a wide range of trends and student needs means that institutions need to support teachers’ learning on-demand, using collaborative and organisational approaches as much as the more formalised approaches. (AlaMutka, 2009) from (Melhuish, page 24).

We live and work in a digital environment and whether we choose to or not, technology is thrust in front of us on a daily basis. Who would have thought that we could be reading our emails off our television screen? Or using our phones to be connected at all times to whatever online web sites, social media groups, news, professional learning communities for work and social activities.

While I don’t consider myself to be a proficient online communicator, I am pleasantly surprised that when I do sit down and reflect on how I use social media to enhance my professional development, I actually do participate and use it often. Being on the Mind Lab course has  opened up teaching and learning opportunities interacting in online communities.  My CoP has grown exponentially from predominately being part of face to face groups to moving within various online communities.

There are quite a few social media platforms that I use to support and engage in professional development. Within my Facebook community I belong to the NZ Teachers (Primary) Teachers  page, #NZReadaloud, Google Apps NZ Primary, ILE and Collaborative Teaching NZ, plus I am a member of four other private groups in a non teaching capacity mainly for health and wellbeing.

I have also become more proactive within the Google+ community, with The Mind Lab November Intake, Google Apps for Education, Google Apps Educators, edchatNZ, Hack your class, and Living + another out of school Hauora group for health, happiness and mindfulness  to balance my home/work life.

I am an a participator on twitter rather than just an observer. Asking questions and sharing on twitter has helped me immensely with my Mind Lab assignments and resources for my class. From participating in the twitter conversation, we now use Edmodo in our classroom programme. Edmodo is an easy way to get students connected so they can safely collaborate, get and stay organized, and access assignments, grades, and school work. Some of the students have voluntarily joined up their parents so that they can view the work they are doing in class.

Having had to set up a reflective blog for The Mind Lab course, and become a blogger of sorts has helped me put into practice what I expect the children in my class to do. My Teaching as Inquiry focus this year is to use blogging for reflective practice, sharing work and seeking and giving feedback to and from others to see if this encourages more collaboration through critical and deeper thinking, when writing and discussing work. Hopefully, the children will gain a wider audience which will bridge the gap between school and home and encourage parents to participate in their child’s learning by engaging in comments and giving feedback.

Educators using online communities for their professional learning to stay connected with colleagues, students and parents become part of a “transformative and powerful” movement. (Office of Ed Tech).  We want our students to have agency and self direction over their learning, we too, must do the same.

“We know that effective adult learning hinges upon the extent to which learners have agency over the process …. that self-driven learning is vital for sustainable learning, and increasingly this may be facilitated flexibly using online technologies. (Melhuish, page 24)

So far I have been using it for my professional development and resourcing for classroom activities. I know that I need to be even more proactive and participate in online chats and transfer this to classroom activities.  This will happen in due course as and when I see the need for it for myself as a learner and myself as a learner amongst other learners.

I liked this video which was published on September 18, 2013. Its an interview with educators about the importance of being "connected" in order to be effective teachers and leaders. It was created as part of Connected Educators Month

References

Source: Office of Ed Tech. (2013, Sep 18). Connected Educators. [video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=216&v=K4Vd4JP_DB8

Melhuish, K.(2013). Online social networking and its impact on New Zealand educators’professional learning. Master Thesis. The University of Waikato. Retrived on 05 May, 2015 from http://researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz/bitstream/han...

Week 29 - APC - Activity 5 Influence of Law and Ethics on Professional Practice

Social media map infographic:

My teaching career has been enhanced with the use of digital technology and social media. I am constantly amazed at how quickly the use of innovative digital technology, online websites with resources, lessons, youtube videos, Ted talks etc has rapidly changed how and what we teach. We are no longer isolated by the classroom walls. We collaborate with our colleagues to plan, share, document and reflect on our programmes to enhance teaching and learning. I can see what each of my colleagues intentions are, notes they make about specific students which I can add comments too. I love how this has all changed for the better. Resourcing has also been enhanced and shared, it is not necessary to stock or keep many resources anymore. The first thing I do when I am searching for inspiration or resources is go to my online community.

Understanding Professional Ethics:

Teachers are constantly reminded about their professional responsibilities. We are responsible to:

• the children we teach;
• their whanau, parents/caregivers  
• other local community members; Board of Trustee; often on PTA’s;
• our colleagues, senior management;
• cluster colleagues;

These communities are referred to on the New Zealand Education Council website - guidelines on social media. These are a reminder about our online and social media responsibilities.

• Learners:Teachers have a professional obligation to develop and maintain professional relationships with learners based on the best interests of those learners.
• Parents/Guardians/and Family/Whānau:Social media provides a great opportunity to collaborate and communicate with parents and whānau.
• Society:Teachers who model good social media use will grow learners who apply positive, respectful values in their interactions on social media platforms.
• The Profession:As a member of the profession you should seek and respond to opportunities to share knowledge and discuss concerns.  

http://www.teachersandsocialmedia.co.nz/what-social-media

The advantages far out way any disadvantages. In my school environment we use class and individual blogs to share and celebrate student learning. The school has a Facebook page on the school website which is google sites. The facebook page is administered by senior management. Fortunately individually owned mobile devices by students is not a problem for us. The advantages for using digital devices and social media are many as long as we adhere to the Code Of Ethics for Certified Teachers which govern our practice at our particular school - we should be okey dokey? Right!  This leads into me ….

Identifying my personal ethics 

Personally I don’t have too much trouble with this area. I use mainly Facebook for both professional and personal sharing. Although recently my Facebook feed tends to be teacher resources, pedagogy etc. I use Twitter mainly for professional resources and sharing. Photos I share these days are mainly family gathering photos with family living overseas. I do not share any school photos on my personal Facebook page. I am very aware of my professional / personal boundaries. I do not friend ex students and usually not parents, unless they were a friend prior to me teaching in that community.  

“The two most obvious ethical concerns of social media co-habitation are (a) teachers sharing their private (out-of-school) identities and practices in their profiles with their students that might not be congruent with the expectations placed on them as professionals, and (b) students actively seeking contact with teachers on the networks and, in doing so, building a profile of the teachers that may be incongruent with expectations, or even place the teacher in a compromising position.” 

(Henderson, Auld & Johnson.2014, page 4).  

 

I am conscious of friends who may tag me into their photos and have only had to once ask someone to take down a photo, not because it was inappropriate but because I just didn’t like it and they didn’t ask permission. It is extremely important for me to be very aware of security settings with all the applications that I often use, particularly with icloud settings.

Ethical dilemma

Any ethical dilemmas that I have encountered were at another school where often there were inconsistencies with regards to personal mobile devices. It is amazing how many year 7 & 8 children have flash smart phones. Because we were a large school, some classrooms had to hand their phones in and others often didn’t. It is always the few who spoil it for most of the others. There were a few texting and social media issues that did arise in school time, which were dealt with quickly once we were aware of them. However, the more serious bullying social media issues often occurred outside of school hours, this of course reared its ugly head for us the next day at school. It is not uncommon these days for Community and Education Police Officers to be spending much of their time dealing with social media bullying in many primary and secondary schools. This is extremely time consuming and unproductive. 

It is important for schools to teach and sustain safe online practices for children, parents/guardians and whānau and for all teachers.

References:

Henderson, M., Auld, G., & Johnson, N. F. (2014). Ethics of Teaching with Social Media. Paper presented at the Australian Computers in Education Conference 2014, Adelaide, SA. Retrieved from http://acec2014.acce.edu.au/sites/2014/files/attachments/HendersonAuldJohnson_EthicalDilemmas_ACEC_2014_0.pdf:
Education Council. (2015). The Education Council Code of Ethics for Certificated Teachers. New Zealand Retrieved from:  https://educationcouncil.org.nz/content/about-code-of-ethics
Education Council. (2016). The Education Council - Teachers and Social Media. Retrieved from: http://www.teachersandsocialmedia.co.nz/what-social-mediaEducation Council. (2016). The Education Council, Guidelines on ethical use of social media. Retrieved from: http://www.teachersandsocialmedia.co.nz/guidelines-ethical-use-social-media

Activity 4: Critically reflect on how Indigenous knowledge and cultural responsiveness is used in my practice and that of my school. - Week 28

“Culturally responsive teaching is defined as using the cultural characteristics, experiences, and perspectives of ethnically diverse students as conduits for teaching them more effectively. (Gay, page 106).

As Teachers we are bound by a Code of Ethics and specific Practising Teaching Criteria, the four overarching statements of this criteria demonstrate that:

1. Teachers play a critical role in enabling the educational achievement of all ākonga/learners.
2. The Treaty of Waitangi extends equal status and rights to Māori and Pākehā. This places a particular responsibility on all teachers in Aotearoa New Zealand to promote equitable learning outcomes.
3. In an increasingly multi-cultural Aotearoa New Zealand, teachers need to be aware of and respect the languages, heritages and cultures of all ākonga.
4. In Aotearoa New Zealand, the Code of Ethics / Ngā Tikanga Matatika commits registered teachers to the highest standards of professional service in promoting the learning of those they teach.

How does this apply to my classroom practice?

For myself as a pakeha teacher I strive to embrace - manaakitanga and whanaungatanga, I integrate Te Reo Māori at a basic level within my programme. However, to be honest I want it to be more than just “doing the surface stuff”, as identified by Mike Hogan, Principal of Prebbleton School. It is an area for me to focus on with future professional development. So working in a school where the the dominant culture is NZ Pakeha, culturally responsive teaching is not just about an ethnicity group of students but also about the cultural characteristics of how a community is shaped by those who live and work in this community. The challenge is to model myself as a learner among learners, and build positive relationships with all ākonga to encourage them to have a voice in their learning. Bishop states that “teachers being ‘agentic teachers’ are the key to making a difference for Māori students” (Bishop 2012). It can be a challenge for Māori families who themselves don’t always identify or belong to their Whānau.

There are historical perspectives of how a community was established and how they continue to adapt and diversify in the 21st century. Loburn School is a full primary school with a current roll of 165 students and is located in the northern part of the Canterbury Plains. It is bound to the south and west by the Rakahuri (Ashley) and Okuku rivers respectively. To the north it is bound by the foothills, Mount Grey/ Maukatere and Mt Karetu and to the east by the Ashley forest. 

We are predominantly NZ European/ Pakeha, 93%; only 5% of students identify as Māori and 2% are Tongan.The gender composition is Boys 53% and Girls 47%. We work hard to engage with the Māori community, as was demonstrated with our Marae visit earlier in the year. 

When Loburn School was established in 1869, the area was traditionally a fruit growing area with well established apple orchards. Today, there are only a few families who gain an income from farming, the rest are families living on lifestyle blocks with many parents commuting to Rangiora and Christchurch for work.

Two areas where Loburn School addresses cultural responsive teaching and learning

School Wide Activities:

We are an Enviroschool with a Silver award. We have a strong environmental and sustainability focus. The Enviro club, the gardening club and chicken group work hard to sustain the native planting around the school, growing fruit and vegetables and keeping healthy chickens. Each classroom is named after native birds, takahē, ruru, pīwaiwaka, pūkeko, tūī, kākāpō, kea and kererū. Each house is named after local awa (rivers), Makerikeri, Okuku, Rakahuri and Waimakariri.

Learning Activities:

The weekly buddy programme fosters and nurtures Ako, positive relationships between senior students who work with all New Entrant to year 2 students. It runs formerly three mornings each week, each session lasting 20 minutes. The senior students are buddied up with a junior student as soon as they start school. This programme is not just about what happens within the buddy time in the classroom, it has a flow on effect throughout the rest of the school. It models the principle of āta where the building of new and existing relationships is a strong emphasis.

References:

Bishop R. (2012, September 23). A culturally responsive pedagogy of relations. [video file].Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/49992994 Source: Edtalks

Bishop, R, Berryman, M., Cavanagh, T. & Teddy, L. (2009). Te Kotahitanga: Addressing educational disparities facing Māori students in New Zealand. Teaching and Teacher Education, 25(5)734–742.

Gay, G. (2002). Preparing for culturally responsive teaching. Journal of Teacher Education, 53(2),106-116.

Hogan M. (2012, May 30). Mike Hogan: Culturally responsive practice in a mainstream school. [video file].Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/43097812 Source: Edtalks.

The Principles of Kaupapa Māori, http://www.rangahau.co.nz/research-idea/27/