Kawa of Care...Getting parents involved in elearning.

Tonight we had a "Kawa of Care" session for parents in the staffroom.  These sessions are run by a Manaiakalani tutor who works with the parents in developing their understanding of how we use netbooks at school, how to use and take care of netbooks and the expectations of care needed in order for netbooks to stay in good working order.

It was wonderful to see parents using the netbooks to access their child's learning and write comments to them.  Some of the parents present had a little experience on the devices, but there was new learning for all involved around their child's blogs, class sites and the school website.
Courtney ran the workshop and talked to parents about encouraging discussion with their children around the sites they access, the learning they share with the world and how to use a netbook responsibly.
The questions parents asked were around "How long do I let my child work on the netbook?"  "Where is the best place for children to work on their devices?"  "What do we do if there's a breakage at home?"  "How can I see what my children have been doing?"
The advice that we passed on regarding these very relevant questions were....

• Length of time on the computer would depend on how old the students are and what work they have to complete.  Most teachers wouldn't recommend more than an hour for 9-10 year olds and maybe one and half to two hours for older students.
• It's best that children work on their netbooks in an open room.  Not their bedroom.  That way parents can see what their children are doing and have piece of mind that their children are using the netbook for the purpose they expect them to be used.
• When netbook financing is arranged parents signed a contract that included insurance and processes to go through in case of breakages.  If a netbook is broken, parents should contact the school for details on insurance and repair.  For further details, parents can access the Manaiakalani site for information.
• Courtney took parents through, step by step, 'how to access students blogs' and also gave them a list of questions they can use to ask children about their learning.  
  

To complete the session, parents were then shown how to post a comment on their child's blog.  This is always wonderful to watch, as many of the parents can become quite emotional about the work their child is producing...often, it's unexpected and parents are impressed with what they see.
This is such a great way to build stronger relationships with our parents, and I think they appreciate the insight that these workshops give.  We will be having a few more Kawa of Care sessions before the end of the year. 
Thanks Courtney for a great service!

Tidy House...Tidy Mind.

This is just a quick jot down or reflection on Head Space.  The first week of school went well, everyone hit the ground running once again with teachers back ready to teach and learn and students back ready to learn and teach!  It's been busy with data checking, performances, assemblies, new staff at school, overviews and calendars getting in sinc to name a few things happening this week.
One thing I did get stuck into this week was a wee tidy up of the drawers...amazing the amount of things one drawer can accumulate over a couple of terms.  I didn't realise I had accrued so much in such a shortish period of time.  Hence this post...Tidy house, Tidy mind.  I find it easier to get myself in the right headspace for work, when things around me are in some semblance of order.

  By semblance of order, I don't mean alphabetised folders and colour coded papers...I mean, a place for everything and everything in its place.  The 'places' I refer to here are 'my' places and I know where something should be, and if it's not there, then it's lost or someone put it somewhere other than 'my' place. 
So, with lists made of 'things to do' and professional readings ready to be read, I shall endeavour to add my thoughts, opinions and ideas around 'education' and my role as a senior manager in a school to my blog this term.
....and that's all I've got to say about my drawers!

Term 2 Reflection

This term I've decided that I really don't like 9 weeks, particularly in the second term (assessment and report writing).  While mentally it's a positive, knowing that it's a short term, work wise it's added stress in a limited time frame.
So, what did we achieve this term? From the outset the term was set to be a quiet one.  Management purposefully kept the overview as free as possible due to the quantity of assessment and reporting that was to be completed by staff.  While on paper it looked quiet, it didn't quite turn out that way.
This year we have become part of the KIP programme.  This is a joint initiative where a handful of students are identified as 'Kid with Incredible Potential' and are invited to go on a four week camp at STAND to develop confidence, self-esteem and leadership skills.  The initiative was created and is run by the RTLB service and we have 5 students who have accepted the invitation.  This is a wonderful programme where students who generally 'fly under the radar' so to speak, have an opportunity to gain confidence and develop a voice in their learning.  Students identified are those who are shy, quiet achievers who require encouragement to participate and lead to their full potential.  We are looking forward to their participation and to see the effects this programme will inevitably on these beautiful students.
Our PLD sessions have been in full swing with Kate Birch in writing and Lucy Cheeseman in maths.  Both consultants are with Cognition and are worth their weight in gold.  We are beginning to see some progress in both subject areas on the assessment carried out this term and teachers are endeavouring to implement their own new learning into their programmes.  During discussion with KB, staff regarded what we hoped to achieve, teachers created a success criteria for their learning which was - to develop learners who are capable, confident writers.  The overarching goal to this is for teachers to teach with 'clarity', so that their students fully understand what they are being taught, why they are being taught it and  how it will help them.  We want to focus on the 'learning' that is taking place, and the clarity in this was developed in the form of a success criteria.

Clarity in teaching is an area that we as teachers are endeavouring to focus on and deliver consistently in our practice.  Through clarity comes understanding.  This is visible in the progression of skill and process which is ultimately the desired outcome students should strive for...not just the product.  This clarity is delivered though goal setting using current data,  process based success criteria, creation using new learning, feed back and feed forward, scaffolding and expectations.
I attended an informative session at an RTLB cluster meeting where the resources teachers shared the services they provide.  Many of the presentations shared were new to me and I was really pleased I attended.  My questions really focused around why we didn't know all of the services available.  The website didn't contain any of the programmes addressed at the meeting, such as Early Intervention and outdoor education programmes for the development of confidence and self esteem.  We will be looking into a few of the 'group' programmes shared with us that we know our students would benefit from.
Jam Bus came early in term 2 and was another huge success.  Our students were once again given an opportunity to share their talents and gain experience in recording.  Jam bus is a programme run by the 'Play it Strange Trust'.  The programme encourages students to develop interest and skills in music, composing and performance.  The Jam Bus team were in school for the day and at least 50
students took part in recording a range of songs in solo, band and in a class singing format.  We were also lucky enough to have TV3 come into school to do a news story about Jambus and include our school's music story too.  We were on the TV3 news and became 'world famous' in our community.  It was FANTASTIC!  Check out our TV appearance here. 
So, now half the year is done it's time to look forward.  Half a year to go and more great learning to do.  Bring it on!