The year in review

What a year. It has been full of ups and downs with many ongoing, but also a very productive and positive year.
It started with a really positive vibe, being involved in my first year of competitive Dragonboat racing, personal stuff going well and looking forward to my first full year of work for a while. Life is not an easy road by any means and I seem to have a few cattle stops along the way, just to keep me on my toes and to make me remember what is really important in life. As the year went on there were times where life was not easy, but as always, I get through it. I wonder why we worry so much sometimes. It always seems to come right eventually.
Highlights for 2019:
I made it through the year at work. You may think that is not unusual, but for me it is. Having had concussion over the last couple of years, and cancer before then, it was a real achievement to make it through the whole year without being absent for medical reasons. Not that there wasn't yet another medical event in my life - my collision of my toes with the couch has become an ongoing problem, from April 8th to now, and ongoing until I see the surgeon next April - it's been a mission. Thankfully I have an amazing physio at Tower Junction Physio who made a diagnosis and is helping me cope until I can get it seen to.
Dragonboating. It's been a really great sport for me to be involved in. I enjoy the training and, because I am a little bit competitive, the competitions. I got my first ever trophy this year - very exciting. Hoping to get a medal of the gold variety in 2020 - working hard towards that. I think I really enjoy doing something for myself, not for others. Getting out on the water just takes me to another place and it's nice to have that escape from the world.
Our school production. It's a passion for me to do shows and I loved getting our ākonga and kaiako together to put on a production. My thanks have to go to Michael Sharp for writing his production of Kauri - the Giant of the Forest. It was the perfect show for us to start with and has inspired our ākonga to write their own for 2020. Looking forward to that.
Chile. Watching my daughter compete at the World Junior Karate Championships in Chile was amazing (read my blog here). I am so proud of what she has achieved and to be able to see her compete on the world stage was a real bonus.
Shows. I talk about our school show, but I have also seen a number of productions this year with both my son and daughter in them. So proud to see them up there performing, either on stage or in the band. They are both super talented and I'm looking forward to seeing more of their artistic talents on show over the coming years.
Haeata. I love this kura. I love working there. The people are passionate about changing education and we all work together to try and make things better for our ākonga. It is a real pleasure to work alongside these kaiako and I have learnt so much from so many of them. We do things so differently, but work so well together. An example of this was summed up well by Karyn in her blog which you can read here. I had some amazing letters from students who were leaving, which just reminded me of the important work we do in our community.
Conferences. I love learning. Being part of the NZ Microsoft Innovative Educator network is a real bonus. I learn a lot from them and love being around these inspiring educators. I enjoyed the Future of Learning conference as well - great to see what others are doing in the education and business space.
Challenges for 2019:
Staff changes. I think Karyn sums this up well with her words for Andy's farewell. I have found it quite hard this year with a number of original staff leaving, many in leadership and often those with whom I had a good bond with. It's not been easy and there have been many tears shed over the year. But as Karyn so clearly states in this blog, we still have the vision and that is why we went there in the first place.
Personal. Oh, there have certainly been some moments over the year. Some very personal, some very difficult. Some ongoing, some resolved. I think that I have grown as a person over the year to realise that I really have no control over anything. Life will happen around me and I need to be grateful for what I have, not for what I would like to have, or what I think should happen. I have been watching this Ted talk (Own your behaviours, master your communication) on repeat lately, getting my head around being in the chairs I want to be in. It's been a work in progress.
Work. It's not easy, what we are doing takes courage and commitment. Many people slam us when they can, and many just have no idea what we are doing but seem to have all the answers for us. I believe in what we do, it's just hard sometimes to enlighten others.
My foot. I'm actually quite over not being able to walk in bare feet for very long or wear sandals or nice shoes. I'm over the pain and the annoying exercises and strapping. I'm looking forward to next year to hopefully get it fixed in some way.
Looking forward to 2020:
Boma NZ Education Fellows Programme. Super excited to be part of this for 2020. I have some great ideas and I will be blogging about these as the year goes on. Looking forward to a trip to the USA in April as well. An amazing opportunity which I will make the most of.
Shows. Looking forward to finishing writing our own production for Haeata. To have our own ākonga write and perform this will be very special. I also have my own production to do. I am Musically Directing West Side Story for Kirwee Players in August. It will be good to be back musically directing again. It's been a while.
Dragonboating. I really want a gold medal this year. We got silver and bronze medals last year at the South Island and National Champs. I'm keen on gold. It's been good training hard and I feel I am improving all the time.
Work. Driving and supporting change in education. Learning more. Reflecting more. Working on improving my own practice.
Personal. More meditation. More exercise. More sitting in the purple chair.

So as Christmas day comes to an end, I've had a great day. I've cleaned the house and the pool, been for a walk, had a ham sandwich for lunch, written a song, written a blog and spent a lot of time reflecting on what has been and looking forward to what is to come.
Really, all I can do is live in the moment and that is what I am going to try and do more of.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all.

The changing face of education

There have been a few things coming up in the media lately around the changes in education in New Zealand. Two have really caught my eye in the last week. One of them I kept reading and going, yes, yes, and one of them got me riled up about what people think we should and shouldn't do with education. That one inspired me to write this and put my own personal thoughts out there in the public forum.

Learning Revolution or Pathway to Ignorance?
Insight Article- link
Podcast link

I took a few notes while listening to this podcast. After reading the article I felt the real disconnect between many schools about where education is heading. There certainly is a divide and I'm glad I am on the side I am.
Hobsonville Point 
Most learning in 2 subjects done in modules of 2 learning areas together.
Deep understanding comes from links between subjects. Students and teachers co-construct contexts. Most schools the teacher decides the contexts. Can engage students more. They don't do NCEA Level 1. Some parents don't understand about what they are trying to do.
One student found it was a shock to do this style of learning, but was loving it. "Instead of just doing work for the sake of a grade and then get ranked, I was doing stuff that I was interested in and that meant something to me and my future".
It doesn't work for everyone. Lots of talk about why it doesn't work. It's up to the student to make it happen.
It's hard for parents to get their head around.

Haeata Community Campus
Working towards a model of students developing their own learning
Want the passion for learning, rather than being credit driven

Teachers have to be a facilitator of learning. Students need to have control of their learning.
Modern approaches in learning are widespread in Primary Schools but not so much in Secondary. Some have adopted the changes and some have not. Some think they shouldn't be moving this way.
Schools need to do more than just teach subjects to get students through NCEA
NCEA review results will be out next April - looking at having a project at Level 1 NCEA.
I think all schools would agree that involving students in designing learning, collaborating and use of technology are important factors in education.

Some comments made in the podcast that I want to say something about:
Teachers can't teach all those subjects in a transdisciplinary way
This is where collaboration between teachers is so important. We have strengths, we have areas of knowledge that are stronger so we need to team up with other staff to help our students get the depth and knowledge around areas we might not be so strong in. We also need to model that we don't know everything. This is an opportunity for us to upskill and learn new things and be passionate about learning. We need to facilitate learning, rather than be the fount of all knowledge.
Revolutions in technology have changed schools a lot
I am not sure many schools are using technology to change education. I see many just swapping the textbook for a pdf and pen and paper for a doc. I'm wondering how many are at M or R in the SAMR model. Perhaps this is something all schools should look at as an overview for use of tech.
You can't show a video or have open debate about things in the new Modern Learning Environments 
I would argue that, as we have breakout rooms and spaces if you need an ecnclosed space, plus we are often using our open spaces in small groups having debate and discussions and teachable moments. We often have debates and show videos, even in our open spaces.
Secondary schools are for learning specialised knowledge not for play
See my blog on Lifelong Kindergarten. I believe that we should be playing - we should be doing projects and that the specialised knowledge will be learnt as required. The old style of passing on knowledge from teacher to student is no longer applicable - the students can learn pretty much anything online if they want to. We need to be teaching them how to access that knowledge, then guiding them through projects into more depth.
Universities are finding huge gaps in knowledge I agree this will be happening - it has happened for a long time. From my own experience I know that in music, many students don't do the aural and theory externals (chosen by teachers to not sit them), but still go to Uni to do Music. There will be gaps in this area. What is needed is for the Universities to rethink how they are also delivering their courses and what they are expecting their students to do. We have so many graduates coming out of Uni not getting jobs. Why? Jobs are changing (check out this infographic). Employers are wanting more than content. They are looking for skills. Critical Thinking, Collaboration, Creativity - the list goes on. Having a degree with purely content is not enough anymore. Workplaces have had to adapt - so does the education system.


The Futures of Learning
Education  Research and Foresight Working Papers by Cynthia Luna Scott
Report link

I read this and highlighted lots of things that I really believe in. I found it really inspiring and affirming that my beliefs about education are on the right track. It's a long document but worth a read if you are really interested in the future of education. Even if you just skim read the headings, it will give you an overview. This paragraph (taken from Pg16) sums it up for me:

"What adaptations can be expected in education in the near future? Teachers will remain, but their roles will be extended as mentors, mediators and guides, facilitators, learning coordinators, assessors, and designers and compilers of learning tools. Testing will most likely continue, but assessment will become more individualized and formative. Learning will become more personalized and customized to reflect students’ individual needs and interests, and informal learning opportunities will become recognized alternatives to traditional formal education. Transformed learning environments will encompass customized learning for each student, wider availability of diverse sources, and collaborative group learning (students will learn together as they work collaboratively on authentic, enquiry-oriented projects). Real-world experience will permeate learning activities. Most likely, schools will remain but classrooms will become more open to diverse learning experiences and instruction will likely move out into the community. Education providers will still offer face-to-face learning, but this will be supplemented by informal and virtual opportunities. Self-responsibility for learning will be essential and learners can expect to determine what their learning profile will look like. New tools for learning will be developed. Technology will support personalized learning processes and facilitate inclusion and equity."

This is what we are heading towards. This is what I believe in. This is why I am at Haeata.

Future of Learning Conference

What a way to start the holidays! I was lucky enough to attend the Future of  Learning Conference held at Haeata Community Campus. Monday was conference day and then I also get to go to the Masterclass on Tues and Wed! There were some really amazing speakers and lots to think about from today so I have put my notes here to hopefully get others thinking about what education might look like further down the track. So much information for one day! I thought about splitting this, but maybe you might just have to read it in 2 sittings. Apologies for typos, I haven't proof read it all as it is just my notes with links added, lots of extra reading. You can also check out the Twitter feed #folnz18

Introduction

Hamish Duff BSc. MSc. MBA Recalibrate

Dr Cheryl Doig Think Beyond

Some great questions to start the day!

Explore outside of our comfort zone into the world of possibilities.

Tech being used for the greater good.

Anticipate, Collaborate, activate

Preferred future, probable future, possible future

Need to consider the balance of these and being aware for all of the intended and unintended consequences

The oath of non harm for an age of big data:
"I will remember that the technologies I design are not aimed at data points, probabilities or patterns, but at human beings"
Virginia Eubanks

Keynote: The Future of Learning: Redefining Readiness from the Inside Out

What is the interaction between people and technology? Exploring our readiness for exponential change and key considerations.

Jason Swanson will explore the rise of smart machines, which include technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics and other forms of automation and which are increasingly capable of doing tasks or jobs once thought safe from automation, is changing how many tasks associated with work are completed. He will also explore how work is being organised differently.

It is really worth reading this article that this talk is based on - I read it before the conference and will read it again.

Skills knowledge and dispositions needed for life and for work

Every student should have personalised learning

The future is not a fixed point. It is ours to create. It's not possible to know the future, we look at trends so seek to depict a range of futures. Do this not to be accurate but to prove the unknown

How has work changed since you entered the workforce?

Smartphone or laptop

Quality and speed

Are the changes we are experiencing now new?

Readiness will impact equity, social justice, and so much more.

As we move into the future, what skills will she need to be ready for the world in 2040. How will ready be defined in 2040?

Exponential change, rate of change grows very quickly. Rate that tech is moving, business, societal structure.

Education radically resistant to change. Need to keep pace with an exponential world.

Pressing need to partner with the code in our digital devices to make sense of the world around us.

Four industrial revolutions

Robotics, AI, internet of things, autonomous vehicles are in the latest

Have begun the shift and are increasing at an exponential rate.

Continually need to innovate to bypass resource issues.

We can expect the rate of change to continually accelerate, 5th revolution even closer.

Rise of smart machines

Rembrandt painted by a machine. Smart machines will develop further and get cheaper and will impact cognitive manual tasks.

To what extent will this change work?

Can cause significant human displacement.

Baxter robot working along side people. He learns tasks

Drs use machine learning to diagnose

Gps enabled devices also recommend shorter routes when traffic changes.

Google translator in real time

Transportation, Uber freight disrupting change.

Decline of the full time employee. Internet making it cost effective to access knowledge on the open market rather than employing people for things.

Project based work

Task rabbit. Online platform for just simple tasks.

Uber, human task is simply to drive.

Taskified jobs are broken down and easy to automate

Rise of smart machines and decline of full time work will change the employment landscape.

Future work characteristics: Market driven and user-centered, Data and metrics driven, Modular and recombined, Grounded in relating, Interwoven with learning.

Frequent measurement and quick feedback

Work broken down into tasks, each with own team and goals

Relationships will help determine success, collaborative. Productive relationships important

Act of working will be the act of learning. Passion based projects to learn new skills.

Graphic from:

Redefining readiness from the inside out

Resilient, reflective and able to build new relationships

Need to foster inclusive work environments

Focus first on the people learning, then the context that they might employ their skills

Mastering content first, then moved to thinking and doing came to be seen as being essential.

What is the role people play in the workplace? Schools need to respond with how they educate learners.

How do we use tech to augment our learning experience?

Career mosaic rather than a career ladder.

Conversation that has to have a diverse group of people at the table.

Take the focus off assessment and onto learning success.

Own set of micro credentials

Bring those resistant to change into the conversation.

How can we integrate what is important to them to where we might be heading?

Pd  look for ways to meaningfully personalise this so you don't do a one size fits all.

Base it around employees needs and goals. 

Lots more information on the Knowledgeworks site.

Panel 1:

Panelists will share their personal reflections on readiness for the future of learning and provide provocative challenges to consider during the day.

Andy Kai Fong Principal, Haeata Community Campus

We are ready to embrace change. We are ready to change the status quo.

Singularity university summit. Never before had he felt so irrelevant as an educator. Things need to change.

Whatever space you are in, it is becoming more complex. Work with the change and use the momentum to change. 

Celebrate, not sort. We celebrate all strengths and wellbeing alongside learning.

We celebrate dispositional development as a priority.

We connect and don't silo. Our students lead learning.

Our NZ curriculum calls to go across subjects but we assess in single subjects.

We all want our young people to be self managed.

Make it personal. We are about individuals. We need to value every story.

Is the education we are providing in our institutions appropriate for the future that is coming?

Biggest lessons at Haeata. Complexity of change gets more and more entangled.

We need to get more people around the table. Every time we change, it affects others. 

Hannah Hudson Student,University of Canterbury

Have done a learning mosaic, done a lot of stuff outside of Ncea and uni.

Age 11, what might the world look like in 2030. Did future problem solving.

Was told to read more science fiction to help with future sobbing. Felt if she did enough research she could solve the problem.

Singularity university, not science fiction but is science fact. We do know underlying trends which help us know the pace of change. All tech is exponential.

Our collective future is not a distant fiction. We should all understand the trends.

Need time dedicated to explore the crossover between school subjects.

Need interdisciplinary thinking required to solve problems.

Needs collaboration and ability to apply new thinking.

What is learning for? Give people the tools to lead lives and achieve goals.

Flexible and connected.

Schools be launchpad to different places and experiences.

Conference and exams. Did my grades take a hit, maybe, did my learning, no.

How do you conceptualise the future, are you a bystander in a science fiction novel or a co creator?

You have been successful in the current system so why change. The number of people that it suits and serves are narrowing. I did what I had to do to survive in the system but I hated it and wanted to thrive.

Need to jump across the divide soon. Could do ok, but have opportunity to do better.

Dr Eruera Tarena Kaihautu/ChiefExecutive, Te Tapuae o Rehua

Adaptive leadership

Ancestors were astronauts of their time. What kind of leadership would it take to embark into the unknown with no maps or evidence?

First part of being a navigator is what we leave behind. Always looking backwards, always sailing away from somewhere. What do we want to leave behind?

How can we spend more time focusing on human parts of work, robots can do the boring stuff.

How do we address the inequalities of our past?

Where do values, of equality, justice and fairness sit in our future?

Design to improve Maori and pasifika outcomes as it won't happen by itself.

We can choose to perpetuate history or change.

Plan our journey with intent. How do we make equity and innovation reside in the same place and plan our journey with intent?

We need to come together. It's not addressed by any one sector. This is an issue that impacts across sectors and communities.

If robots are answering our emails, what can we put more attention into? Equity, fairness and justice.

Question for all the panel: What's the key thing that we should be doing by 2020?

Relationships. Trust is the currency. What is the shared future we want to co create?

What would inspire us to come together and create a shared vision?

We need every New Zealander  to know about exponential change and Moore's law.

We all need to change.

Tell everyone about what you have learned and what you are worried about.

Change needs to be spread wider. 

Human Centered Learning

Exploring the skills and competencies needed to thrive. How technologies are being used to change learning experiences – trends and uses. Implications for qualifications, credentials and lifelong learning.

Faye Langdon Director, 21C Skills Lab

How to get ahead in a world of AI, algorithms bots and big data

Active listening, speaking, reading comprehension important.

Our youth need to be able to think like entrepreneurs. Need to be flexible.

Lab is about building the soft skills. It is our humanness that will enable us to survive.

Video:

The future of work is now - more info at http://www.cherylcran.com

Humans think critically, problem solve and be creative.

A lot of our young people's relationship with technology is passive. Need to move to a learning relationship.

Collaboration and team work across platforms.

What skill sets do our young people have to take into the work force.

To participate we need to think like skydivers. Have to have constant practice and learning.

Learning, unlearning and relearning. Needs to be flexible, current system does not.

Change thinking to make progress. Training brain for a growth mindset. Adaptability will be a predictor of success.

70% of future jobs will place importance on maths

Days of having expert skills have gone.

We are in the driver's seat but machines are riding shotgun with us. Career mobility will be there for all of us.

Vivian Ming.Augmented intelligence, joint partnership

Approach our learning and working lives on skills.

Employers building their own credentials. Resume has gone.

Goodbye to the linear world of work

Skills and knowledge have a shelf life of 5yrs, will learn far more on the job. Foundation for Young Australians 

Work flexibly and independently.

Self directed learning important

2030 everything in our jobs will change.

Use portfolio of soft skills to solve problems and think creatively.

Bilingual skills, digital literacy, critical thinking, creativity. Duo lingo for other languages.

Purpose and a sense of self is what young people want.

Germany 50% of education in workplace

South Korea,academic credit bank, skills in and out of class.

Soft skills here are important.

World Economic Forum has more on this.

Tessa Tierney Agile Tribe Lead - Spark New Zealand

Victoria Lyons Tribe Lead - Spark New Zealand

Taking whole organisation and using Agile and tribes

Decision making further down the organisation. Puts them in the direct line from problems to resolution

No longer tell them what to do. You give them a purpose.

You have constraints and success measures. Allow them to come up with the how. 

Outcomes: Stronger customer focus, Engaged and empowered people, Faster to market

Need to move business systems and structures and their culture

How do I get better? Invest time and knowledge into your craft.

Work in two weekly sprints

Examine problems. Cross functional times. Empathy.

Experiment, pivot, pause. Stop, realign.

Have an agile coach to develop a high performance mindset.

Need to follow the discipline of Agile.

These teams also bring together diverse people. What does inclusiveness look like. Reflect in our workplace the community we serve

Diversity is our strength, let's celebrate it.

Reflection:

What skills do you imagine you need for the future?

What are the priorities for your organisation?

Panel: Qualifications, Credentials and Reputation: Implications for Personal Learning

This panel will share experiences in microcredentials, new learning models and blockchain technology

Matt Carter, Director of Business Development, Otago Polytechnic

Developing microcredentials

More info on Edubits. Learn, build, succeed. Assessments and credentials

How do we recognise learning. Assessed against competency.

Demo skills through work and volunteering

This can be personalised.

Examples: Te Ao Māori, social marketing, health and safety, Microsoft skills, project management

Evidence can be through work, video, photos

Professor Samuel Mann, Professor,Otago Polytechnic @samuelmann (his Tweets were awesome graphic notes!)

Capablenz

Possible to do within current system

Tell their own story

Line up with graduate profile

All about defining professional framework of practice

Applied management and social services bachelor degree and one of Leadership for Change:

Defensible argument. Here I am and this is what I do.

What is it to work in their career space.

Start with a review of learning. What is my current framework of practice then what is the aspirational framework which leads to a project.

Then action research cycles.

Can be doing lots of change processes along the way.

Professional framework of practice canvas.

Entirely project based degree.

Work backwards from the end point. I want to make this difference in the world.

How are they setting themselves up for that?

Andrew Masters @adm_chch

CEO and Co-founder, HomeScore and Inductive

Introduction to AI at stanford

How do we get info into human brains.

Unprecedented growth in new knowledge

Cross fertilisation of Internet of things, blockchain, AI it goes crazy

Cost to learn about things is declining.

Scarcity of people that can use that knowledge for the greater good.

Store in Qualifications comes in the form in trust. Have to trust that your Qual will still be wanted.

Financial cost of quals

Decentralisation. Power is shifting to the individual and the small group

What if anybody could be a student or a teacher in any subject.

Blockchain have to work out if anyone was any good in it.

What if anyone could create a qual and issue it? Who guards the guards?

Large scale collaboration without central control

Fancy database. Block are pages in book. Each page references previous page. Each page has micro credential

Open, public and global. Full access and available records.

Can never be altered, can only add to them

Ethereum/smart contracts. Unstoppable code

Can build rules about who can issue micro credentials and how they interact

Tokenisation

Can have a digital item and take it out of one game and put into another.

When you get a certain amount of microcredentials they could stack up to a new level.

Can get micro credentials through act of teaching as well.

Might have crowd funding to take and learn micro credential, might be paid to learn.

Questions for the panel were answered as follows:

Micro credentials are showing how people are keeping up their standards

Competency based model

Shows here are the skills you need to be building

People need to continue to learn all the time. Life long learning needs to be taken seriously.

Having microcredentials democratises learning. Removes the barriers. Can learn in small blocks.

Take learning from the project and has validation for that.

Employers can offer for staff, they can recognise that and give pieces that can add up in the future.

Even a short project, what have we learnt from that, how can we share that.

Continually learning

Dark side:

That we reduce everyone down to numbers. China has social credit score.

If we are continually  assessing things, it can change the outcome

At lunch there were also breakout sessions which I didn't attend, instead I wandered with the Haeata tour and had some good conversations with others about what we do at Haeata.

Machines as Learning Partners

The impact of AI, robotics and immersive technologies on the way we learn. Implications for today and the future.

Dr Elinor Swery Solutions Architect, Soul Machines

Artificial humans. Used in a number of industries.

Need to make sure tech is more human like. Creating the future of human machine cooperation.

Bring a human element to the way we react with machines.

I just finished uni, I could do whatever I want, how do we support people to change careers and make that jump. This tech did not exist 4 years ago.

Baby X  video 

Movies portray robots as having human qualities. Often negative ones!

Why do we need these things?

Message to get across we go from text, to voice then face to face.

Having a conversation with someone face to face you can pick up cues.

The face is so important for determining context.

Intersection of :

Embodied cognition

Emotional intelligence

Artificial intelligence

Dopamine currency, making people feel good

Personalised service, for anyone.

Could be a virtual teacher

Specialised content and knowledge

Accessible by anyone anywhere

Need people from different backgrounds and different expertise.

World's only virtual nervous system - Mark Sagar CEO

They are modelled in full body. Heart and lungs affect how we talk.

AI is here, we need to embrace it and use it for our own benefit.

Applications:

Assistant, to create customer experiences

Companion, digital characters that learn in real time, engage, entertain and empathise with you.

Can we use this for companionship, or provide unbiased support.

Hero, well known real world heroes that educate enlighten and inspire you. Have a conversation with someone from history.

Autodesk, Ava tool 70% of tier 1 and 2 calls

Creative script writers

Teams looking out how to dress her

Royalbank of Scotland, Cora

Providing customer support. Anything complex gets diverted

Our biggest challenge is we don't have the staff we need. Data scientist. People needing to be flexible on learning new skills.

James Hayes CEO, Virtual Medical Coaching @virtmedcoach

Because fantastic education doesn't just happen

We now live in a world driven by data. Why don't we do it in education? We have changed from a black board to a white board.

We don't have an airpoints card for students to collect data. Why are we, in education, teaching to all in the same way at the same time?

Will AI take teachers jobs? Probably not. Will it take teachers jobs who refuse to work with AI? Probably.

Air New Zealand kiosks. Took no jobs, they are now circulating and helping out.  But the process is now quicker.

Teachers shouldn't be trying to teach content.

How do we get that data for students?

10 questions just finding out what they know 7/10

Weighting takes it to 5/10

Then find out they guessed 2 takes it to 30% correct.

Do you want to know if they got 70% or 30%

Using VR to train radiographer. Students used to train on people.

Data collected and used to enhance learning experience.

This kind of talk should not happen. Do not ask multichoice questions.

Adaptive learning development tools

Personalised, micro adaptive learning. They don't seem to know this so it sends them down that line.

Big data platform. No point doing a 3hr exam. They should have access to data where it tracks behaviours, competencies, risks and strengths.

Advanced analytics.

Move from what happened and why they got there.

Prelearning on their phones. Online material at weekends on their phones. Doing 30% on the bus.

Evidence based exams.

Finding out what they know is really important, then you can teach them what they don't know.

VR unit. Everything they do is saved to their data. They can see they are doing well and make it more complex. Can do it at home.

Gamified solution. People love to compete. Even against themselves

90 days to forget 50% of information. Texts can continually remind students what they did in the past.

Waiting room, every time they did a module a person left the room.

With data you know what they know and don't know. If they are really good at anatomy why ask them about anatomy in a face to face.

Start in same place, end in same place but different path.

Software identifies knowledge gaps and it fills them.

Continuously data driven

Adaptive digital learning

Vr

Lms elearning

Oral/practical assessment

Retention strategy

Students know what they don't know.

Panel: How are machines influencing us and what are the implications for learning?

Panelists will share their unique perspectives of technologies from their industry perspectives – what is happening, what should we consider and how should we design learning in this changing environment

Amy Fletcher Associate Professor, University of Canterbury & Executive Council AI NZ Forum

Disrupting the status quo with AI

Higher education.

Find some of it to be challenging and quite threatening.

Raises risk and psyc issues

"Automation is Voldemort, the terrifying force nobody is willing to name"

Jerry Michalski

The education model we have brings them in week 1 and turns them out at week 12 with same assessment.

How can we have faculty in as partners not obstacles to change.

Younger people much more tech savvy than we are.

Those that perceive themselves as experts actually need to know there are new ways of doing things to be a life long learning

Competency based learning can take place in different places. Needs to be accountable and reliable

Scenario for faculty:

Dystopia, Goodbye Mr Chips

Alternative, rock star academic, could broadcast the top ten to all students but would lose people on the ground

Aspirational, augmented professor, brought in as a key part for effective learning system.

Personalised learning done well will create more access, equity and fairness. Is crucial when done well with the student with the centre.

In one sense we have had stackable credentials for a while, more interested in horizontal.

Can work across different areas. Partnership going to be important. Education and employers are in sync. Citizens deserve to feel they are being prepared for the workplace. What does it mean to do critical thinking?

Concept of a pathway is crucial. NZQA will be key. Put together micro credentials in a pattern. 

Margaret Pickering Co Founder and COO, MTech Games and Stickmen Media

How can we be collaborative to partner up with machines to human advantage.

Software developers

You could make a youtube clip. - On demand, convenient, cheap and customised

Cartoon: I've found a course on how to find a course.

So many projects and online courses not finished.

This is how humans prefer to act in a digital environment.

Get to know your engagement types:

A Killers (competitive) - want leader boards

B Explorers (curious) - so find every bug

C Socialisers (Chatty and cooperative) - mentors

D Achievers (all the gold stars) - Want quals

E Nurturers (Build and refine) - Farmville

Socialists that are also killers can be bullies

Minecraft caters to every engagement type.

Killers get to destroy other stuff

If you engage people in the way that relates to them, learning becomes relatively painless. 

Game developers know how to engage their audience

We can tailor education for different types.

There are so many moving parts, get it there and get to know how your audience like to engage

Self awareness will become more important.

Core skills they need for hiring: Need people who can learn and keep up with what they need. 

Eduard Liebenberger Head of Digital, Jade Software Corporation

Humans crave connection

Connections define relationships. Relationships define success.

Shared experiences can define a relationship for life.

Meaningful conversations about things we care about.

Touch, experience and conversations

What is AI? Software that gets better without updates

Feedback defines patterns. AI is feedback from a dataset.

AI can make digital interactions more personal.

Can simply say what we want and we get answers.

Voice recognition has increased exponentially.

Chat bot can listen and respond 24/7

Electricity has changed the world and how we use it. Think of AI as an opportunity to make digital more human.

Looks past credentials when hiring. Looks at how they think and how they fit.

Panel: An intergenerational response to the themes of the day

Perspectives on the Future of Learning – what could this mean for us

April McLennan Founder & Trustee, Limitless Charitable Trust

Margaret Austin Former Vice-President Science Education, Royal Society of NZ

Sacha McMeeking Head of Aotahi, School of Maori and Indigenous Studies - University of Canterbury

A

Orientation of where we are now and where we are heading.

Past we look back on to inform the future.

M

Change is the result of learning

You can't learn without collaborating together and achieving what you inspire to.

Resistant to changes.

S

We would rather keep that that we don't want, than engage in the unknown.

Predictions cannot be accurate. It is impossible to know what so happen. Can only focus on trying to build something we believe is worthy.

M

Need to reinforce the idea of learning and what are the areas that cannot be left to chance as we move into the digital age.

A

Exciting to see things that can enable learning.

What is the world we collectively want and how do we move towards that? How do technologies give us one benefit without compromising another?

S

Students already prefer chat bots for feedback.

Quite often the first person to say I believe in you.

My ability to believe in and aspire to students.

Her child will have education not like hers, thankful for that.

Key takeaway:

A

Building self awareness and confidence in young people

There is a lot to think about. A community of people that are dying so much work and research. Power of collaboration is important.

M

Translating from the me to the we.

Teams, time and relationship.

Challenge in our community to make sure we have an informed public. At the present time they are listening but are they taking it on board? Environment, technology, future of work. Got to do something about social cohesion.

We have human condition of optimism bias, it won't happen to me. We are all dispensable. We have a choice whether we work in the status quo or bring in the new. Building the new is much harder.

Practicalities

M

Embrace tech but be aware of the risks. But don't be afraid to make mistakes, learn from them and get on with the job

S

Find a group of 4 people, 2 you don't know who and do an intentional project. Need concept deliveries

Need to work with people that are different.

Provocation

S

Question your own assumptions about what will be. Take someone who has an opposing view out for a meaningful coffee.

M

Never forget your roots, be thankful for them, never turn down an opportunity

Give as well as receive

Never for get to applaud some one for something they did during the day that deserves to be recognised.

Think we have to have the audacity to develop

To shape the future so it is more humane and more equitable

Conclusion: Postcard from the future

A call to action, implications for learning and our future

Jason Swanson

Hamish Duff BSc. MSc. MBA Recalibrate

Dr Cheryl Doig Think Beyond

Nearly every speaker has mentioned the power of collaboration.

Struck by how vital that is.

Hope you have met someone you can collaborate with. An unusual suspect

Education is facing an exponential world. We have to move towards a network ecosystem mindset.

When you are trying to move things forward, sometimes it is a lonely job.

Microcredentials to measure lifelong learning.

Learning how to learn is really important. We need to create the ecosystem to support people through new learning.

Equity access and trust are key design principles.

Major hurdle is about marginalised communities not being able to learn

Still issues as a city we need to address, access to learning

Removing boring parts of jobs to allow people to be more humane and work with people.

How do we break down silos with schools and businesses.

UN sustainability goals. Put our actions in the same direction

We have a city of opportunity. We have a collection of people who are willing to dig deep and make change happen.

My thoughts:

I am super excited about micro credentials - I did some work previously on Digital Badges and I can see some possibilities in where this could go. I love the idea of AI and can hardly wait to get into how we can use some of this amazing tech at Haeata. There were so many passionate people in that room today and I know I will be having conversations with many of them over time. It was great to meet new people and get different perspectives on how things might look in 20 years. Looking forward to Tues and Wed Masterclass.

Concussion Part 1 - The Art of Doing Nothing

I am a busy person. I have a full time job teaching and 2 teenagers to run around with karate and dance as well as being involved in fundraising and organising for community groups. I have my own interests in gardening and genealogy and technology to keep up with. My life is always full on and I love it.

Then I turned to look at something going on in a room to the side and walked smack into a glass door and my life has changed for a while. I stood for a minute after hitting my head and knee, thought "that hurt - a lot" and carried on with the day at work. I went to work the next day, feeling a bit tired, but not really out of sorts. The next day I woke up and could hardly get out of bed. I felt nauseous and exhausted and had a headache. I slept most of the day and then the next day decided to go to work anyway as I felt slightly better and there were things I wanted to do. Halfway there I thought I shouldn't be driving, made an appointment with the doctor and came home with the diagnosis of concussion. It was a long weekend coming up so I was told to go back if I didn't feel any better after the weekend. Sure enough I was back at the doctor on the Tuesday and 3 weeks later I'm still at home. The support I have had has been amazing, from friends, family, colleagues and services, everyone has been so helpful, but it has been exceptionally frustrating and I thought I would share my thoughts, in the hope that maybe they would help someone down the track or at least give some insight into this strange thing called concussion.

After that first week of feeling shattered, frustration really set in. The amount of things I have on the go at any one time is huge. Rearranging, cancelling, organising and changing things takes almost as much, or more effort as doing them myself. Passing on information for the most urgent things took energy and I was so lucky that we work the way we do at school and I didn't have to do huge amounts in that area as well. It also backed up my mantra of always documenting everything at school. I have learnt in the past to make sure I have shared all the information I gather, particularly around communication with students. Keeping a track of those conversations is invaluable when all of a sudden you are not there and someone else has to pick up the thread. Support from my kura has been fantastic, food has been flowing in so I don't have to cook and sometimes this can be quite overwhelming - I'm not good at taking help and support from others. I've been quite humbled by the help I have received.

In the first week ACC (Accident Compensation Coorporation for those not in NZ) called me and asked lots of questions about the accident and work and what I needed support-wise and I was referred onto the Insight people, commonly known as the Concussion clinic.

The first meeting with the Occupational Therapist (OT from here on) from Insight was tiring. Many questions were asked and there was lots of thinking about how I feel. Marking scores from 1-10 is always weird for me. My pain tolerance is quite high and I know that for me I'd be very reluctant to go anywhere near an 8,9 or 10 but then, does that mean that I am playing down the pain or nausea? The biggest overwhelming feature was that they told me to do nothing. Don't watch TV, don't use a computer. Nothing. How do you do nothing? I don't have that in my DNA. Rest she said, listen to music. It could be months she said. Months!? Surely not I thought, it was just a bump on the head. They said I have to be 100% at home before I can start to go back to work, small steps at a time. I think I came out more confused and stressed than I started.

So my research started. I googled "what to do when you have concussion", "how to do nothing" and a few other choice phrases. I read as much as I could manage (probably too much) and I contacted a friend who has had a very long road with concussion and got the message loud and clear that I needed to , yes, you guessed it, do nothing! She suggested listening to audio books and podcasts and listening to meditation tracks and she also talked about Binaural beats which I went away and looked up. A book she suggested was " AGhost in my Brain" by Clark Elliott and she suggested walking in parks and green areas. A colleague from work connected me with Anna McCone who has written a couple of blogs about her journey very aptly named "The moment that changed my life" and "Concussion I would not wish it on my worst enemy". I was lucky enough to be put in touch with her and had a good conversation around the same thing, doing nothing! I think that being able to talk with other about what they went through, knowing that what I am experiencing is normal, and read about their experiences has been invaluable and part of the inspiration to write this.

After the conversations with these two amazing busy people, I heard very clearly that doing nothing was my only way forward. Not being the type of person who can do that easily, I decided I needed to write myself a timetable that gave me a plan to follow. This was version 1:

Breakfast

Check emails and do urgent things like pay bills etc. max 10 mins

Do 1 thing I need to sort or do for the day (sort transport for kids, appointments etc)

Read

Go for a short walk to the park

Listen to music/podcast

Lunch

Meditation/rest

Read

Watch 1 hour TV

Dinner

Write blog

Read

This soon changed as I realised that listening to music and podcasts also made my head hurt - I think it is partly due to my deafness - I have to work hard to listen, but also when I listen to music I tend to analyse it and listen hard, not just let it wash over me. The joy of being a music teacher.

I added colouring in to my day and this has become my go to for turning my brain off. It now takes up about 3 or 4 hours each day and I am thankful for adult colouring books!

I had a few visitors over the first couple of weeks, particularly from work. It was great but also not so great as it reminded me of what I was missing out on, a severe case of FOMO (fear of missing out). I miss the amazing conversations and the energy that I get from teaching at Haeata. The support has been outstanding from everyone there. I can't explain how wonderful they all are.

The whole problem with not being able to do things, the frustration and the knowledge that I can't do much is something I have thought about a lot and, having work always sitting in my thoughts, have related this to our students. To understand that I have to do things in very small steps has been quite a challenge but also an eye opener. I felt myself slipping into depression and having been there in my past, I was keen to not go there again! After working through why I was feeling that way, I realised it was because I couldn't achieve anything. Everything was too much for me. I felt overwhelmed and everything was out of reach. I needed to break things down and set achievable goals, very much like we need to do for our students.

Small steps are my saviour from feeling depressed and frustrated. Being able to walk to the park is huge. Making dinner without collapsing into tears is a real feat. The little steps mean I am progressing and however small and slow they are, it is forward motion. I'm keen to keep this in mind when I get back to school and show those students that even when they feel it's all too much and too hard, that those little steps can be a gamechanger. Little steps. Every day.

This is the first part of a few blogs that I think will get written. I have been writing them on paper and typing up in short bursts as I can manage (being on the computer I'm not meant to be on...). Part 2 coming in a week or two.

Any suggestions on how to do nothing will be gratefully received.