Learning remotely or remotely learning?

My first reflection in our “brave, new world ” of education in Victoria.

Everyone was wondering how are students would go as they logged in to our classes from home.

Very few of the year 7 and 8 students in my classes have ever had to do this ( only some with a medical issue for a short time). As a whole, the boys at our school have always indicated that they liked attending the school.

I teach mostly digital technologies classes so I also have the advantage of teaching a subject that they all have an interest in (one way or another). These holidays saw me spending a lot of time working through my lessons. Creating videos, putting extra guidelines, more images and trying to make sure they have all the information they need to learn. I like to have small group and whole class discussions as well as individual input in almost every class and this is is very much restricted. I also like to get their ideas about many aspects of technology, that that leads to some wonderful spontaneous learning situations. Again hard to be as spontaneous when we are all distant with our own particular home setups.

However the first two days of classes have been very rewarding and the students indicated their presence in our class forum at the right time. After that they went to the online class space we have been using for the past 2 years. This space is not new to them as I have always put all class documents, links and copies of my class notes and all the expected student work here for them to access.

Our school wants us to use the forum option (that is part of our Learning Management System) as the starting platform for each class. For the moment, within each class forum I set up with 2/3 threads. In each forum I began by clarifying my expectations of the boys, using the following information adapted from the rules I use with other collaborative

Welcome boys to our ……… class forum.

This forum will be used for class discussions and attendance if the College is forced to close.

Lesson plans and activities will be online in Courses section of SEQTA Learn as usual. However you will be required to indicate your attendance at home by replying via this forum.

REMEMBER: This is an online space and, as with our earlier class Padlets, it is a public, school forum and the same expectations apply.1. ENJOY being in this space and “PLAY NICELY”
2. Be RESPECTFUL of the ideas and opinions of others.
3. As this forum space is designed as a school-based one, LANGUAGE and CONTENT needs to be carefully CONSIDERED.
4. No bad or threatening language please. It will be deleted.
5. All members must be TOLERANT towards sensitive issues and the opinions of others.
6. NO SPAM.
7. If commenting on items, please be sensitive and mindful towards others as you expect them to be towards you.

PLEASE make sure you do not start your own threads, separate to what we are doing in class. These will be deleted.

After this I create an attendance thread for the lesson – This is a somewhat clumsy way to mark the roll. There is a lot of jumping between the forum and my online class attendance roll. (But it works well enough!)

The second thread I set up was for the boys to ask questions. It allows me to answer problems or clarify instructions in the lesson. Some of the other boys can also assist in the process. This certainly kept me busy but it seemed to work well with the classes on both days.

16/04/2020 Questions and/or reflections on the lesson

‘Comment’ in this thread any time between –.– and –.–this morning with any questions that you would like to ask me about the work that has been set for the lesson. I will be checking this thread and answering your questions until –.–

Just before year 8 DigiTech classes ended today, I asked the students to respond to the lesson by answering the following questions.

1. What did I learn in this lesson? Explain in one or 2 sentences

2. What did I complete everything? Answer by briefly telling me what you managed to do and how.

3. What was the most important idea/skill I learnt about in this class? Explain in a few sentences           

I was really pleased with the way they answered each of the questions. Although brief, it really did help me evaluate the success of all the lesson components.

So how is student learning progressing? So far, so good. We are all learning and modifying and refining as we go. I am learning what the different classes and different students require to improve on what is already there. In the long run, when things “get back to normal”, I envisage that I will have such a rich supply of material to support my classes into the future.

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Useful links

• Resources For Teaching Online Due To School Closures – The Edublogger “This guide will give you insights into how educators around the world are approaching school closures.
  Thousands of teachers worldwide are currently sharing snippets of their experiences via social media or their blogs. We’ve compiled, curated, and built on some common themes and ideas to create this extensive guide.”

• 11 amazing productivity apps for teachers that will keep you organized – BookWidgets “11 top productivity apps that can help you stay organized. Some of these teacher tools will help you manage your time as well. You’ll find productivity apps for iPhone, Mac, Android, as well as free productivity apps that go on all platforms.”

• Free Voice Typing in Google Slides – Teacher Tech An explanation about – how to add voice typing to Google Slides and made it FREE!!! A former math teacher, he knows how important this feature is to teachers, especially teachers of younger children. Slides Translator allows students to take text from the slide and translate it to their native language. A new hidden feature of Slides Translator is VOICE TYPING!
  Install Slides Translator
  After installing Slides Translator, go to the Add-on menu and choose “Slides translator” and then it gives you the option to use voice typing in the sidebar or as a floating toolbar. Click on the textbox you want to voice type in, click on the mic icon in Slides Translator. When you pause… it turns your voice into text.

• Free Technology for Teachers: How to Schedule and Host Google Hangouts Meet Events – Video For those who are interested here is the whole process in a video format illustrating how to schedule and host Google Hangouts Meet events. The following tutorial video includes: How to Create Google Hangouts Meet Events using two methods for creating events and inviting your students to join those events.”

• Free Technology for Teachers: Two More Guides to Transitioning to Online Instruction “Two guides that I’d like to draw your attention to.” “Rushton Hurley is the founder of Next Vista for Learning, a video sharing site. Before focusing on Next Vista Rushton was the principal of an online school in Texas. He has published Emergencies and Switching to Online Learning. In that guide Rushton outlines how to try to maintain continuity in making the switch to online classrooms and recommends a series of free and low-cost tools to make the switch. What Richard Byrne likes about his guide is that many of the tools he mentions are ones that are already popular in classrooms, he just does a good job of framing their use in context of making a quick transition to online classrooms. (One quick logistical note about Rushton’s guide, the links for each section of the guide are in the upper-right corner of the guide’s landing page. They might not jump out at you if you’re on a tablet or phone).”

  MonkeyLearn – Word Cloud MonkeyLearn is a new tool for creating word clouds from text that you supply and it allows you customize the display of your word clouds before you download them as PNG files. MonkeyLearn can also be used to extract a keyword from a document. You can also use it to analyze the sentiment of a document.

• Wheel of Names | Random name picker Wheel of Names is a free random name picker website. There are many random name pickers available on the web but this one offer a bit more then most because it not only lets you enter names, it lets you upload images to be chosen at random. Wheel of Names also lets you create a free account that you can use to save a series of wheels. That option could be helpful if you have multiple classes and don’t want to enter names whenever you need to pick a name at random.
• Keep Calm and Posters Generator, Maker For Free – KeepCalmAndPosters.com Easy tool to use to create your own posters

• 7-10 resources “A collection of resources aligned to the NSW curriculum that supports teachers to deliver remote learning to students in Years 7-10.”

• 16 Free Resources for Schools Who are Closing Due to Coronavirus @coolcatteacher

• Remote Learning: Impossible Desires | Teaching it Real “We are in uncharted waters at the moment. We are going to have to perform a delicate balancing act between what we want to achieve and what is actually possible. This has meant we have to adapt, setting work appropriate work, checking work that pupils have done and making sure that they get some kind of feedback. “

• Resources for Cyber Security Awareness Month • TechNotes Blog “A collection of resources, ideas, and activities about cyber security that can be implemented and shared with students (and teachers).”

• Ed Tech New Roundup: Taking It Online • TechNotes Blog “Here are a few ways the landscape of online learning is changing and growing.”

• Copyright-Free Images for Student Work • TechNotes Blog

• A Beginner’s Toolkit for Teaching Remotely | Hooked On Innovation “This beginner’s toolkit us a start for a teacher just now getting started. It does not focus on a grade level or subject area with this guide, but rather a set of tools, resources, questions, and ideas you’ll want to have in your virtual toolkit.”.

• Creative Writing 6 – Gratian Vas – Google Books

• Metaphor and Simile examples Flashcards | Quizlet Short quiz with answers

• Teaching Ideas for Holes by Louis Sachar | Book Units Teacher A range of activities including:Create each mini-book from a single piece of paper, folded to form a book. The finished books contain 6 pages where students can list character traits for the main characters. This is a valuable tool for a book such as Holes with three story plots taking place and many characters to remember. Just click on the image below to download the free printables for this activity. An answer key is included to make this activity a print and go project.”

• Moving Your Class Online: A Survival Guide for Teachers – YouTube “A video to help teachers making the shift to online leavening during the Coronavirus Pandemic.”

  5 tips for effective online study – Monash University Library Blog “Online education can be just as effective and rewarding as traditional classroom methods, provided you devote some time to preparing yourself and try out some strategies for success.
  To help you make this transition and gain confidence in online education, we offer the following top 5 tips for a strong start.”

• Python 101 | Code Breaker Free course to teach Python

• M Davidson Resources – Coding Across the Curriculum

• Be Internet Awesome – About 

• Photo Booth App | Code Avengers

• The Tour Guide Activity | Teaching London Computing: A RESOURCE HUB from CAS LONDON & CS4FN “This activity is an example of creating an algorithm that is a simple sequence of instructions to do in order. It shows that if we have written down a solution to the problem in the form of an algorithm then we are able to do tours in future just by following the steps, without having to work it out from scratch again. Also if we write down the algorithm we can check that it definitely works by following it step by step on paper.”

• (207) ANZ’s James Kotsias on working in cyber security and “Social Engineering” – YouTube “ANZ’s James Kotsias on working in cyber security and “social Eegineering””He got into cyber security by helping out on a “Red Team” operation. These teams that are paid to hack into big companies to test their security – bank heist style! He also elaborates on why social media can be a hacker’s best resource”

• (202) Network Security 101: Full Workshop – YouTube  A comprehensive video on the topic that starts at the basic level.

• Best Thriller and Suspense Writing Prompts of 2020 A range of prompts

• Best Historical Fiction Writing Prompts of 2020  Good ideas to assist students to start writing

• 5 Sites to Download Free and Copyright-Free Music for YouTube Videos Don’t post a video on YouTube with background music from a copyrighted source that will be taken down. The sites mentioned here offer free and royalty-free music.

• Online Learning Resources | National Communication Association “In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more colleges and universities are shuttering their physical campuses and ordering instructional faculty to migrate courses online. NCA’s Teaching & Learning Council has developed this list of online teaching & learning resources; please return for updates and new resources in the days/weeks to come.”

• How to Learn in an Online Classroom – Student Tutorial @coolcatteacher 

• 10 Ways to Use Screencasting for Formative Assessment @coolcatteacher “Screencasting is a useful assessment tool. Vicki Davis uses it for her video tutorials. She also has her students make their own screencasts to help her assess their progress. In this blog post, she shares how she uses screencasting to assess student work. She also gives some suggestions for using screencasting in formative assessment. Specifically, she mentions features of Screencastify, the tool she recommends for students to use for Google Chrome or Chromebooks.”

• Beware of ‘ZoomBombing:’ screensharing filth to video calls | TechCrunch

• Will the Coronavirus Crisis Bring Creativity into Education? Interesting article discussing if the Coronavirus Crisis will bring creativity into Education?

• Resources for learning at home while we’re keeping each other safe — @joycevalenza NeverEndingSearch A very good post that describes many resources available for teaching and learning remotely

• Learning at home – Wakelet A Wakelet list of free learning resources and tools to enjoy with kids and as a family, while we’re are at home. Note that this list points to resources made freely available by a growing number of publishers to support learning during this crisis.

• Infographic: Child online safety – Teacher

• (193) Host a Live Virtual Classroom – Google Classroom, Calendar, and Google Hangouts Meet – YouTube “This video tutorial will show you how to host a live meeting or class with students via Google Classroom, Calendar, and Hangouts Meet. Google Calendar and Hangouts Meet can also be used to conference with other faculty and staff.”.

• 7-10 resources “A collection of resources aligned to the NSW curriculum that supports teachers to deliver remote learning to students in Years 7-10.”

• 16 Free Resources for Schools Who are Closing Due to Coronavirus @coolcatteacher

• Remote Learning: Impossible Desires | Teaching it Real “We are in uncharted waters at the moment. We are going to have to perform a delicate balancing act between what we want to achieve and what is actually possible. This has meant we have to adapt, setting work appropriate work, checking work that pupils have done and making sure that they get some kind of feedback. “

• Resources for Cyber Security Awareness Month • TechNotes Blog “A collection of resources, ideas, and activities about cyber security that can be implemented and shared with students (and teachers).”

• Ed Tech New Roundup: Taking It Online • TechNotes Blog “Here are a few ways the landscape of online learning is changing and growing.”

• Copyright-Free Images for Student Work • TechNotes Blog

• Learning from home ” DET site page assist learning from home. They will continue to update this page in the coming weeks. On this page: Learning continuity contingency planning: early childhood and Learning continuity contingency planning: Online options; Offline options; Tips for remote curriculum delivery; Privacy and safety considerations; Information and privacy; Safe use of digital technologies; Using Digital Technologies to Support Learning and Teaching.

• Reduce Student Anxiety (and Your Own) During Uncertain Times | Common Sense Education

• Best Tools for Virtual and Distance Learning | Common Sense Education CommonSenseEd has put together a list to assist teachers with options to make virtual learning or distance learning work for all students. The best tools for virtual and distance learning. They have grouped the tools according to some key needs teachers may have when setting up virtual classrooms.

• A Beginner’s Toolkit for Teaching Remotely | Hooked On Innovation “This beginner’s toolkit us a start for a teacher just now getting started. It does not focus on a grade level or subject area with this guide, but rather a set of tools, resources, questions, and ideas you’ll want to have in your virtual toolkit.”

• How to use a school closure to surge ahead academically – The Parents’ Website Full of great practical strategies for students (and parents) – a great read

Remote learning is here

Over the past few weeks we have all been on a steep learning curve to prepare for the remote teaching of our students. Although we have been using technology for many years and we also have  a learning management system where I have added all my lesson planes and resources for the past 2-3 years, it has always run parallel to the in class learning and teaching. In most of my classes the students are encouraged to share ideas and collaborate with each other. So, along with my input, they gain so much more from the sharing ideas and working through problems and issues together.

There are many wonderful resources available (more have been opened up to help us through this time) but I am trying to think about how they can maintain/create the very important learning (and social) connections that enrich learning. Over the next few weeks I think I will be using tools (many that I have  been using) in new and different ways.

I will reflect on how they worked here so I can try to work out what works best in helping my students learn.

Below is a video from a post on the CoolCatTeacher blog by Vicki Davis. that is worth watching.

 

Reading in the crime genre

Crime novels come in a variety of forms and the three below were read in the January holidays. I enjoyed each of them allow for quite different reasons.

To Love and Be Wise by Josephine Tey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was an enjoyable read. It was the fourth in her series of books featuring the very interesting Inspector Grant. This time he is sent to a small English village, Salcott St Mary, to investigate the disappearance of a very attractive young man, Lesley Searle, who was an exceptional portrait photographer from America, famous for taking pictures of actors and actresses.
Although not a traditional mystery, it had a clever and engaging hook. The mystery itself runs almost second to the exploration of psychology and personality, identity and gender.
The characters in the story are explored as they relate to Leslie. He collects an increasing number of people who become drawn to him for varied reasons that range from wanting his approval or because they develop an irrational hatred for him. Whatever the reactions, all sense that there is something no quite “right” to him. So there is no shortage of people who may have wanted him to disappear.
The novel has some unforgettable characters, a wonderful setting and an intricate plot that leads a very satisfactory ending.

Daughter of the Razor: An Australian True Crime Story by Maria Tinschert
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

At the start of the book Maria says that she is not a trained writer however the story she writes, and the depiction of the domestic violence and torture she suffered at the hands of her family, holds together as it goes back and forward, as it relates this very disturbing tale tackling a very dark aspect of society that unfortunately is still occurring today.
The important aspect to remember when reading this book, is that Maria talking in-depth about what still needs to be implemented to ensure justice for all victims of violence. Throughout the book she emphases that she a survivor rather than a victim and that being able to say ‘I am a survivor’ and believe it is an important step for anyone who wants to move forward.
This book is uncomfortable to read, is brutally honest and, ultimately, an inspiring story.

The Innocence of Father Brown by G.K. Chesterton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have always enjoyed the current tv series and it was interesting to have found the basis for some of the episodes in these stories.

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Two quick reads

A New York Christmas by Anne Perry

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A change in setting and a slightly later date, early 20th-century New York City, than the usual “Pitt” novels, Anne Perry gives us a relatively new character, Jemima Pitt. The now grown daughter of Thomas and Charlotte, is an appealing and smart heroine, ripe for an adventure of her own.
She is accompanying a younger girl as her companion to the girl’s high society wedding. Both the families are wealthy and part of a business partnership. Delphinia (Phinnie) is marrying into one of the most powerful families in New York. In this story of betrayal, greed and power, Jemima finds herself enlisted in the search for Phinnie’s estranged and disgraced mother, Maria, in order to stop her from gate-crashing the wedding ceremony.
Unfortunately, the search results in Jemima finding much more than she bargained for and she subsequently has only a few short days to prove herself innocent of a cold-blooded murder. In this strange place, with only her wits and determination, some Christmas hope and the assistance of a young police officer, she races against time to establish her innocence, find the real culprit and prove what he has done.
Although the identity of the murderer is rather obvious to the reader, the motives and context keep the story interesting and moving along nicely. As always the story is well-paced and the background details provide a powerful sense of atmosphere and life in early 20th-century New York.

Three Detective Anecdotes by Charles Dickens
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The stories are: The Pair of Gloves, The Artful Touch, The Sofa.
Inspector Wield relates the first two tales of interesting cases he was involved in. In The Pair of Gloves, the pair are possibly an important clue to the identity of a murderer.  In The Artful Touch, Wield expresses his admiration for Sergeant Witchem’s quick-thinking and actions during a theft, that lead to a successful conclusion for the police.  Finally, in The Sofa, Sergeant Dornton shares his case about someone is stealing from medical students.
I picked this book because I was intrigued to see how Dickens would have written these short stories. I enjoyed the first two stories better than the last. They were interesting to read and the conclusions not obvious. I was not so taken by the last story. It did not hold my interest the same way as the earlier two and the ending was less satisfying.
This edition also contains a biography “Charles Dickens” written by English writer Gilbert K. Chesterton in 1906. This is interesting and whilst not adding to the stories , offers some interesting insights into Dickens and his writing.

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