Digital Learning Report 2019
Every child in the school has had the opportunity to be part of the digital learning programme, with the Year 1-6 children going to the Creative Space weekly. The Creative Space programme and the Maker Space programme share a timetable where classes receive both digital learning lessons in the Creative Space and time in the Maker Space for a one hour block each week. This enables the class teachers to have their CRT release time.
Students:
Year One students have continued to benefit from the support of Doreen Fester who has worked in the classrooms with the children on a regular, timetabled basis. Most of the year one classes had an hour each week for at least one term. The focus was on becoming familiar, confident and comfortable with using the Hyperstudio drawing programme. Learners followed simple tasks such as drawing a picture about their inquiry focus for the term.
Year Two students used the Hyperstudio programme to draw graphics and create animations related to their inquiry. Mini projects were created each term on Hyperstudio stacks for students to work on both in class and in the Creative Space. The Year Two teachers have also continued the use of their class blogs to share the children’s work and interact with a very keen audience of parents and whanau.
Year Three and Four classes have worked on Hyperstudio projects starting with structured, linear cards, drawing graphics related to their topic work and literacy, culminating in movies with voiceovers recorded and compiled with some assistance. Many students in this year level have become very competent at creating detailed graphics and animations of a high standard.
The Year Five and Six team tackled a range of projects linked to the term inquiries, utilising a number of tools. These have included Hyperstudio, Google Slides, iTunes, iPhoto, Photo Booth, iMovie, Tinkercad, Scratch and blogging. The tasks have included sections designed to develop children’s higher order thinking skills. The main aim for our senior children is that by the end of Year Six they will be empowered to select the digital learning tools best suited to complete a given task.
The Year Seven and Eight team continue to select the digital learning tools that best suit a given task. Many students are competent videographers, editors and producers of movies. Some of these students are considered to be ‘experts’ and are often called upon to help produce PENN (School News Network), film and edit school wide events, or help teachers across the school to produce class movies.
Coding and 3D printing:
This year we ran coding clubs in Term two with a group of keen coders during one lunchtime a week. The students enjoyed learning how to code and we are keen to run coding clubs during lunchtimes again next year. Students created objects using the Tinkercad programme, which were then printed using a 3D printer in the MakerSpace room. Towards the end of Term four, our school won a set of coding robots from Chorus and the AM Show which will be used across the school. Our school also received support with coding workshops from OMGTech!
Blogging:
Every class in the school (from Year 0 - 8) has their own class blog. Blogs range from class blogs through to individual student blogs. Many students across most year levels continue to be prolific bloggers. This method of sharing our students' written, oral and digital work has proved successful. It continues to be a huge motivational tool for students to write and share their work. The feedback and feedforward they regularly receive from their peers, principal, teachers, family and visitors from around the globe has been invaluable. Many students have also benefited from participating in the Manaiakalani Summer and/or Winter Learning Journey (Blogging) Competition. Data from Woolf Fisher Research proves that blogging over the school holidays helps to maintain or improve literacy levels for students who participate.
Film Festival
On Wednesday the 13th of November, a cluster celebration took place at Sylvia Park Cinema - on the largest screen in the Southern Hemisphere PLUS two others. This year we had 27 amazing films produced from our school for the festival. Our children did a magnificent job of presenting before each film was screened. Our movies were once again a wonderful and varied selection. Close to three thousand children visited during the day. Parents and community had the opportunity to watch at 7pm on the same day. It was a great opportunity for our school and our community of schools to showcase the children’s digital learning work in many different genres.
Ipads:
The implementation of the ipad programme has continued across the Junior School and has continued to result in increased success for our learners. The maintenance of ipads continues to be managed by Helen King.
Netbooks:
All year 4 to 8 classes have their own chromebooks and all are operating successfully as 1:1 classes. Maintenance of chromebooks and loan books has been managed by Tia Peleti, Shaniah McCarry and Leigh Flavelle this year.
Staff PD:
Throughout the year there has continued to be a variety of PD opportunities for teachers to develop and improve their ICT skills. Several teachers have been involved in MIT (Manaiakalani Innovative Teacher) which is sponsored by KPMG. This years MIT group went to Sydney and spoke at the Google Summit. COL (Communities of learning) has seen many of our teachers share their skills and knowledge with other teachers within and across schools in our community. Over the year, several teachers participated in DFI (Digital Fluency Intensive) with Dorothy Burt. The use of Google Apps have prompted short PD opportunities in our weekly staff meetings. They have been delivered by a core group of teachers. Also in the area of PD, Manaiakalani toolkit sessions have been hugely successful.
PENN:
The production of PENN (Pt England News Network) this year sits with a team of Year 5 - 8 Extension students. This has worked very well with the producers becoming competent in the planning and editing of the daily news programme. The system for classes contributing items once a term has continued. Every class is responsible for at least one item a term. The focus of the show is still the celebration of learning, and it still screens twice a day. This continues to be a powerful motivator for our students to share what they are learning and creating.
Visitors
Teachers from Auckland, all over NZ, and other countries have all visited our school, keen to see how we integrate digital learning, how the students use chromebooks and ipads and how we produce PENN. We have continued to host large groups each term this year. A big part of these groups have been the parts of NZ that Manaiakalani have as part of their outreach plan.
Some issues and challenges that need to be considered for 2020 include:
Continue to strive for equitable access to digital learning opportunities for every child in every class.
Teachers maintaining high standards of movie production. Making it authentic with students being creators of content. Clearer links shown between learn, create and share with a focus on improving language acquisition. How to best support our students with their online work any time any place. Keeping up with the commenting/feedback with the rate our students are producing posts, especially in the senior school.
In my fifth year as the Digital Learning/Extension Teacher in the Creative Space, I am constantly amazed at how talented and creative our Pt England students are in the use of digital learning tools. It has been a privilege to be part of the KPMG programme with Justine Todd. I have also enjoyed collaborating with Walter and Zoe from OMGTech!, Luke Nola from Kea Kids News, and Wendy from the Auckland Museum with their Digital Tech programme. With the developments of the Manaiakalani Programme in our cluster, next year holds many exciting opportunities for the school. Part of my role will involve helping to introduce, teach or integrate digital learning opportunities to support our learners and teachers.
I look forward to the challenge of continuing to help our students to strive to succeed in a digital learning environment.
Sandy Lagitupu
Digital Learning/Extension Teacher
Creative Space Room