Future Schools Conference 2016

I attended the Future Schools conference in Sydney this year. Thanks to my school Hagley College for sending me..
This was a great opportunity to listen to speakers with ideas and tips on how to improve our teaching and our schools. I was in the" Teaching Kids to Code" conference, but did cross over to the Special Needs conference for an afternoon.
There were 2 days of full on learning and discussions which leave you feeling full and quite inspired. My mind has been racing and so many ideas come to light - now I need time to digest everything.

Here are a few notes from each session I went to, giving an overview of my days. They are just notes of the main points really for my reference. If you are interested in more information, see the links or ask me!

Demystifying Coding - Tim Bell

All digital systems are made with code.

Python and Scratch are also just programs.

You can get a Sprite fest! This is where students just get carried away with a large amount of Sprites on their page.

Coding, Programming, Computer Science are all about people,

Google developed a person finder which was launched for NZ quake - meeting human need.

Humans need to be able to pay for something with the correct amount - hence our use of barcodes We have a lot of confidence they are correct.

Doing the process away from computer first is best option. Then look at making programs in Scratch.

www.barefootcas.org.uk join! Tools here for Computational thinking.

I always find Tim an engaging and informative speaker. He makes things make sense!

How to teach Coding within the existing Curriculum - Meredith Ebbs

Spend money on infrastructure. Most important is wifi and internet access.
Creative and Service careers are on the increase. Need computers for most things
Kodu-only windows-use for English- Visual programming system. She made a game where Mario rescues a princess. This included storyboarding and a wiki on terms.

This slide has the link to her presentation and contacts

Using Scratch in math. Scratch Junior has lots of resources. Students follow pictures-really simple for someone hesitant to teach coding. There will always be someone in the class who knows more than you so don't worry.

Pencil Code useful up to high school. Create pictures using 2D shapes.

Year 5 she gets them to build a board game using Makey Makey and Scratch.

CS First Year 7 learn Scratch and create own game.

At High School they get to make their own sprites.

No girls doing coding. She thinks this is due to marketing. Another problem is that girls stop coming because the boys take over. Definitely an issue.

Computational thinking: a digital age skill for everyone

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFcUgSYyRPg

Discover Authentic Learning - Anita L 'Enfant

ThinkUKnow  students answering questions about the internet

This came up several times at the conference:

Authentic learning must be:

Relevant

Real world problem solving

Meaningful and useful

Makers challenge at the conference - students selected the challenges. It was great to see them working on these over the 2 days.

Robotics - Bronwyn Moreton

Teachers should go through curriculum and highlight where robotics fits.

Robocup Junior

Blue Bot for juniors-very young students

Dash and Dot-ultrasonic, infrared, bluetooth. Can play hide and seek Program Dot with Go! Program Dash with Blocky, very similar to Scratch-good for Year 7-8-9

Edison Robot-picks up barcode or program with Edware-uses variables and data containers

Pi2Go with Python -use EV3 Lego kit, program EV3 withMindstorms

Can robots inspire a passion for computing? Watch the talk by Robin Murphy -TEDtalk on importance of robotics on disasters.

It is important for students to understand how technology changes the future.

Let them get on with it - Marg Meijers 

GO! Gifted Online

"In the new economy, computer science isn't an optional skill. It's a basic skill, right along with the three Rs" Barack Obama

No guarantee they have previous experience. Some students can program apps and some never had computers. It is the equivalent of dropping students into algebra if they can't count yet!

Used gamification and at each level put skills that she wanted them to learn. Badge earned at each level. Then she had a Boss level that they had to pass to move on.

Did a scoreboard - they do this all the time at home, so it is nothing new.

Boss level - the teacher sends a challenge. Students expect to lose the first time so the Boss has to be a challenge.

Compare this with a school test and you can see the benefits.

 
I really enjoyed this session and have written another blog post about it with more detail and slides.

Coding with Drones, Droids and Robots - Brett Salakos

@MRSalakos                   #AussieEd

The law is quite strict on use of Drones. It needs to be checked before you use them.

He uses a drone in the hall with portable whiteboard for it to fly around and under and over.

Tickle app to connect with lots of devices drag and drop coding

Lunchtime coding club - set up a maze

Set up obstacle course outside

Search drone racing clips on Youtube

SPrk Lightning Lab has a plethora of ideas    https://sprk.sphero.com/

Can set up a virtual classroom environment

Hour of Code and Beyond - brendan@code.org

"The programmers of today are the wizards of the future"

You don't have to be a genius to code. Every student in every school should have the opportunity to learn computer science.

Teachers and parents can do the Hour of Code too. They all have a goal that is fun, achievable and creative.

Block and JavaScript versions.

Multiple rounds of classroom testing before they go public.

What Code. org does:

Full K-12 curriculum-free

U.S. Teacher training

International reach-different languages

A course has full lesson plans. Web-based Interaction lessons, Videos, PD in the USA.

Code Club - Annie Parker

Free resources. After school Programme where kids learn to code for free.

Most jobs in the future will be based around coding.

Computational thinking is beneficial for all jobs.

self confidence, teamwork, confidence

"Coding is like a super power. They get to create the future."

750,000 jobs in tech in-U.S.A in 10 years will be unfilled

Needs fixing Atlassian -tech start up in Aus. Need more tech start up

Scratch, html, css, python

3yrs of resources free

free teacher training

52% of participants are girls in Aus-9-Ilyr olds so not pre-conditioned

Continually adding to library

Kid and inventor day. Bring in people to inspire kids. Coding though play

learning though code helps problem solving skills

This session started us thinking about how we can set up a coding club at school, perhaps with School of Apps students being the mentors for our Year9 and 10 students.

Coding in the Junior School

https://jchild.edublogs.org/

CSER Digital Technologies Moocs - from the University of Adelaide.

http://blogs.adelaide.edu.au/cser/the-cser-digital-technologies-moocs/

 Learning coding helps in all areas of learning, not just computer science.

 She went through a huge range of resources that could be used with Junior school students. This is just a small example of them.

She started with Codeclub world and just downloaded projects. Does a lot of unplugged activity.

Group for girls to chat about what they did during the day.

Cs Unplugged resources

commonsensemedia.org

certificates and digital badges

NXT Lego Mindstorms NXT kits

Makerspace in the library - she brings in parents and grandparents to help out.

Literacy. Binary Code -Binary bracelets

Fuzz ball in kodable  https://www.kodable.com/

The official Scratch Book-really good. for Scratch Junior

Science- Use Scratch to teach Circuits

Hello Ruby -LindaLiukas A delightful way to teach kids about computers

Ada Byron Lovelace and the thinking machine. Binary games Magic binary Trick game

Usborne- Computers and coding

Uses Tickle to program BB8

Littlebits for makerspaces

Bitsbox -make on tablet then get a QR code and put on your phone. Through hour of code.

I was amazed at the huge amount of resources available for teachers. If you are keen to code, you can!

Use of Virtual Reality in Special Education - Mathieu Marunczyn 

Matieu teaches Tech in Special Ed at Jackson.

Oculus Rift with Touch

HTC VIVE

Sony ProjectMorphens for Playstation

Google Cardboard  

Hololens and Google Glass

Kinect Party xbox360 great for social interaction. Kids love it for games.

Kids are going to have this-we need to keep up

Why virtual reality and special ed?

Emerging technology, affordable, Virtual sensory spaces, learning environments

In special needs you should ask for gear from companies. They will help if you have an idea you want to try.

Challenges:

Physical space limitations, behavioural, issues, social role modelling. and engagement, funding

Ethical considerations:

Ethics approval, screen time limited, adult supervision well being checks, Oculus user guideline

We don't have research on what can happen when students use this equipment.

Titans of Space, Meditation app (sit on a beach), Positive response from students.

Observable results: Behaviour modification-calming, Language Development, Increased engagement

What is it used for?

Sensory experiences and calm spaces -somewhere to go have time out

Social modelling for kids with autism can have interactions with a character

Broader education use

Humanities and job training

Go for a walk in an area and flick a switch to another space

One example is "Clouds over Sidra" - a virtual walkthrough of  a refugee camp. A review of this is here.

Richard Attenborough -Virtual reality "First Life"

Workforce training. Kids doing training before they leave. Driving lessons and practise safely in VR.

Limitations:

Damage to real world relationships? Are we losing co-ordination?

Dependency and escapism -depression?

Cost  - Still very little educational content. Kids are coding maybe they can do it themselves?

This session really blew my mind. So much potential and so many questions. This is not just in Special Ed, but imagine what could be done in all classrooms. Where to from here?? 

Raising student achievement through technology - Robert Carter

Technology can transform lives

Access to content: Programme that can read text for Apple -Prizmo

Digital content: digital feedback enables students to revisit it

Loved this quote from Robert - "If I had asked him to write it down, he would have left the room telling me my history and my future!"

"From the moment students enter a school, the most important factor in their success is not the color of their skin or the income of their parents, it's the person standing at the front of the classroom... America's future depends on its teachers."

—  Barack Obama

Video interview -list of questions. Used Typorama App for text blocks. Use video compressor App and put video in SMS http://www.typorama.co/

They do video stories for SN students and put out to all students. Rather than just IEP. Gives the student a voice.

Flipped Classroom - Anita L'Enfant

Have to write 2 questions about the notes at home

Can look over and over the notes. Kids can pause and rewind. For tests and quizzes you can go back and watch him teach it again. Videos on Youtube.

How to make the best use of teacher time. Best use of time is talking with students

Need a screencasting tool and somewhere to put it. Specifically used for chalk and talk or demonstrations. Doesn't have to be you. Use Kahn academy.

Challenges:

work ethic

School culture

Not good for everything

Time for video

Technology -where-how

Parents love flipped classroom. Students often say -"Mrs x does it this way" so now they can show parents how so they can help. Good for junior high.

Start by setting up your laptop to record your instruction.

screencasting tool - Explain Everything

Verso - Got a built-in sharing system. Need password. Has questioning techniques

My Ed App - Datacom uses this. Can embed and takes to next level. Learning Pathways System.

ITunes u

Edmodo

Don't limit it to just a video

Focus on the learning. Group them in like needs for peer coaching.

Assessment. You can get students to use Explain Everything to talk though the process while 
writing answers.

Choose the best 2 Explain Everything on a topic and put into their video space.

Overall, the conference was an amazing experience. The time spent listening to inspiring teachers
and then discussing ideas with my colleagues was well spent. So may things to think about now 
that I can implement into my classroom and share with others. Hopefully this blog is just the first 
step to inspiring others.

Gamification - a talk by Marg Meijers

One of my favourite sessions at the Future Schools Conference 2016 was  Marg Meijers "Let them get on with it". She gave us some really good ideas for making learning fun through Gamification and I wanted to share those here. These slides are from her presentation and her contact details are at the bottom of this blog. She is a motivated and exciting teacher - I wish I had been fortunate enough to have a teacher like her when I was at school.

As we all know with teaching, there is no guarantee students have previous experience in your subject. Some students can program apps and some have never had computers at home. Marg likened this to being the equivalent of dropping students into algebra if they can't count yet.

To cater for this huge range of abilities, she wrote different levels of a game where students could drop into a level at the right stage of their ability.

She wanted students to be able to work at their own pace and not repeat work they had already mastered. The goal was to have students engaged and motivated as well as challenged and extended. So she made a game that covered all of these requirements.

 Each level has badges and a "SkillZ Boss" they have to beat before they can move up to the next level. I particularly like the idea of the Boss level as it covers all the work and effectively is the test. Her slide on the difference between the Boss level and a test is enlightening. I really love this. Isn't this exactly what we want to have our students do?

 She also includes Health bars where she can add health for good work and remove for off task behaviour. There are random fun elements as they go and various challenges as extras. She uses a spinner for those that can't decide which challenge to do when there is a choice.

If you are looking for reasons to gamify your class - here they are:

Marg's email is mmeijers@gmail.com
Check out these games she has made to learn coding:
Alice
Scratch

I wish all classes were like this - imagine how much fun learning would be!

Inspiring Videos and Blogs

Over time I collect a large number of links to things that I read or watch and I find myself being overwhelmed by information. There is so much out there that is relevant, interesting and inspiring. I feel that there is never enough time in the day to digest all the information, and where do I store it all? Where can I keep the best bits and how can I tell others about them? Finally, now I have started blogging, I have found the space. I think I will collect the ones I want to go back to, and every month or two I will write a blog so I keep them in one place.

Over the last couple of months I have been copying and pasting urls onto a draft, waiting for the day when I had time to type them up into some sort of order. There is no link at all between these, they are just some awesome blogs or videos that I found useful and wanted to be able to come back to time and time again, rather than just reading once. So this is more for myself, but hopefully it is useful to others as well.


The first is a video on students designing their own School within School. This relates well to what I do at Hagley College (this will be my next post - Schools within Schools)
Students design their own schools


Charles Tsai wrote an awesome blog with an awesome title "From excellent sheep to motivated elephants" which challenges us to think about what we are teaching and how. I love his quote...

"Education today needs to help young people change the the world for the better — for themselves and for others."

From Excellent Sheep to Motivated Elephants



James Paul Gee has made me think about how I can use video games in my teaching. The power of games to change education is huge. Time to look at this more closely.
Video Games, Learning and Literacy


Grant Wiggins wrote about his experience following 2 students for 2 days. He did all the work they did and sat for as long as them. It has inspired me to make sure my students move more and get some physical exercise as well as looking at what my class will seem like from their point of view.
A sobering lesson learned


15 year old Audrey Mullen shared how she and her peers used technology in the class and provided some dos and don'ts for teachers. There are some awesome ideas in here that I will certainly be using in my classes!
A cat is not a dog and other advice


And finally, my latest read that I know I will go back to often, how to fight burnout. It's been a hard year or three for me and I have been trying to feel motivated lately. This article summed it up for me and has given me some great strategies to use. Interestingly enough, I had already started on some of them of my own accord. The hardest will be the work/life balance - there is always something to do for work and I have to learn to stop.
Fighting work burnout as an educator

How to truly listen

One of the most inspiring TED talks I think I have ever seen is by Evelyn Glennie " How to truly listen".

This clip shows the amazing determination and battle against all odds as well as the most amazing musicianship that I have seen. This clip made me rethink my teaching on so many levels.
One - all students should have the opportunity to follow their passion. Nothing should stand in their way, no matter what challenges they face. Who are we to tell students they can't do something?
Two - Music is for everyone. We work with deaf students at school and now have quite a few taking lessons in different instrument. We also have blind students who have gone on to tertiary study.
Three - Anything is possible. Never say never.
Four - Musically, I look to push my students to do more than just read the music. She says "what I have to do as a musician is do everything that is not on the music" which I love.

What will I take into the classroom? Being open to all students, their dreams and their passions. Giving support to them in any way I can.
LISTEN.

My journey over time - Part 2 - Inspiring people in my life

Throughout my life I have been blessed with some amazing teachers. Both at school myself, then during my teaching career.
Primary school started with Rick Merrington who taught me in Form 1 and 2. He was an amazing man who read us the whole of The Hobbit and always made sure all of us were engaged and excited about learning. I have a lot to thank him for, but sadly have no idea where he went to so I can tell him how much of a difference he made in my life.
My High School days were not as exciting unfortunately and only 3 teachers stand out for positive reasons - along with quite a few that stand out for other reasons that I won't go into here! One was my Form 5 English teacher, Margaret Grundy, who changed the way I saw English and actually made it interesting. She was full of life and always positive and her role as my Form teacher meant we got plenty of time with her. The other teacher who had a huge impact on me was my Music teacher - no surprise there. Stuart Martin was a young teacher who had boundless energy and often went out of his way to inspire students and support music in the school. He gave me opportunities that pushed me and made me a better musician. Highlights included our tour to the Tauranga Jazz Festival, playing in the National Jazz Orchestra and musical productions.
Stu Buchanan was a special person in my life, being involved in my music education, teaching me sax, clarinet and flute and then giving me opportunities to play at a high level with him and Ian Edwards. He also taught me a lot about music arranging and was a good friend with whom I had some interesting discussions with all the way through my life. I do believe that music teachers have a huge role to play in student's lives and can make a huge difference when they connect with students and the community.
University was not the most inspiring for me - with my main outlet being MUSOC and musical directing. I fought the system more often than went with it and this, although not liked by the Music Department particularly, gave me resilience and strength to fight for what I believed in. My time at Teacher's College was difficult as we had a line of relievers who often knew less than we did and I could hardly wait to get out on teaching practice. Tony Ryan was one of my teachers during this time, and while the musical production was on, he showed me how dedicated and motivating a music teacher can be.
Once I started teaching I was lucky enough to be teaching under Ward Clarke as Principal. Ward is an inspiring man and I still see him today. One thing I learnt from him was about the importance of valuing your staff. Every time I did something extra at school he wrote a letter of thanks. These were not just quick notes, but well thought out and heartfelt letters thanking us for how we were adding to the school and the community. This has stuck with me (I still have those letters) and I make it a priority to do the same for my staff and for those who work with me on projects. I look at the staff who supported me in those first few years of teaching and realise the quality of the people I was surrounded by - Gilbert Enoka, Phil Holstein, Mike Fowler - all leaders in their fields. It was an honour to have them to talk to and bounce ideas off.
My years of teaching have seen me work with a range of staff and although I can't single any out, I certainly learnt a lot at every school I went to. I would say the students were the most important, inspiring me to push my teaching and to learn new ways of student management. This continued until I came to Hagley where Brent Ingram and Andy Gorton pushed me to do more, think more and show what I was really capable of.
My thinking has changed a lot over the last 5 years and I feel doors have been opened and I have been exposed to a wide range of ideas. Twitter has been a huge learning base for me - amazing how much I have learnt from scrolling through and clicking on links to articles. I have #futureschools, #chched, #edchatnz, #globaled15, #edtechchat, #OneNote, #EdBlogNZ, #aussieED, #edbeat and #cenz on my check frequently list and I am always looking for more.
My Feedly is a reading kete full of great blogs - too many to mention here. It always gives me something to read and think about and keeps me in touch with new things to learn.
As far as world known educators are concerned, you can't go past Ken Robinson 's famous "Do schools kill creativity?" video. John Hattie and Michael Fullan are wonderful educators with great ideas. I have been to a couple of conferences where I have heard Angus MacFarlane talk about our Maori learners and he is so inspiring. There are so many books I have read and so many conferences I have been to that change my practice and help push me to be the best I can be.
I have discovered that the best way to be inspired is to listen to others, challenge yourself and believe you can change things for the better. Keep learning, keep reading and ask questions. Surround yourself with people that support and push you, people who have vision and who want to learn.

“The best thing for being sad," replied Merlin, beginning to puff and blow, "is to learn something. That's the only thing that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honour trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then — to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting. Learning is the only thing for you. Look what a lot of things there are to learn.”
― T.H. White, The Once and Future King