DFI Session 4: Dealing With Data

This weeks session was a combined session and in a new venue, so once again it was the use of Google Map GPS technology to get me there. It was about 15-20 minutes longer than getting out to Panmure, mainly due to the cuss inducing (and you know how difficult it is for Catholic educated girls to cuss without fearing a lightning bolt appearing from somewhere) stop-crawl traffic flow around Mangere Bridge. The bonus was being in a new environment and Papakura Central School was certainly a very pleasant place to be in. Wide open spaces, colour pops everywhere and some hilarious wee characters, whom I bumped into going on my bathroom pit stops.

It was also really wonderful to meet and greet our Hamilton cohort who drove and trained up for the day. 

For me the biggest thought provoker of the day was by far the power of digital technology when it comes to sharing what we create from our learning, the potential reach it has for our Pasifika students to do this in todays global world, and the implications it has for us as teachers to up our game and put the world in their hands. 

Now for a wee confession (something Catholic girls are more familiar with): when I joined my current school, they were 4 years into the digital journey. This meant digital devices for all students from year 4-6, in the form of chrome books. It was a whole new world for me. The in-school digital technician had just left and there was not much guidance apart from weekly class sessions with an Ako Hiko digital professional who was very, very expert, worked levels above where I was at and way too fast for me to keep up with. I was 4 years behind everybody else and boy, did I feel it.

To make matters worse, I was not familiar with the Manaiakalani journey or the LCS foundations and I felt like I was drowning in a pool where my feet could touch the bottom, which sounds silly, but was exactly how I felt. I was drowning when I shouldn't have been. So for me, the digital technology became just another mountain on top of an already existing mountain of work on the teaching plate. You will all be familiar with how that feels! it never stops. 

Added to this, I had parents who did not really understand blogging or its impact and were horrified that some stranger, not only from other places in NZ, but also from America, the Netherlands and Papua New Guinea could see and comment on what their children were doing online. "But they are strangers, they don't know my kid. How can they see what he is doing? This is scary." Happily, because I have a Year 4-6 class and they stay with me for 3 years, this perspective has begun to change, albeit still with some way to go.

So all in all, I was not pushing the blog part of work that my students did. We did the creating and the sharing in class, responding to each others work and occasionally venturing onto our blog posts. 

From Day 1 of the DFI, hearing about the Manaikalani story, and each of the LCS pillars, the big picture is gaining clarity and I am beginning to see where the smaller pieces of the puzzle go. I have a slight feeling of  remiss as I ponder the implications of what I have learned today...

This global sharing opportunity largely started with the birth of You Tube in 2005, where people could watch a wide range of videos created by others. It responded to that urge in humans to connect and share with others, to feel included, and for those who felt they were in social band that didn't reflect the 'norm', came the realisation that they could create and share content for others like themselves. This brought along an explosion of creators, and then the development of other social media platforms that provided a smorgasboard of options for people to share, share and share.

They ranged from the narcissism and mindless insanity of the Kardashians, who shared way more of themselves than many wanted to see or hear, to The Rock, who is a savvy business man, promoting himself and his products in a friendly I'm one of the family manner. It doesn't hurt that he is not hard to look at or to listen to either.

The power of sharing is endlessly exponential, and has the ability to catapult learners into a world where they can experience huge levels of success on their own terms, in a global environment where every thing is all about clicks, likes and shares. This is not without its own hurdles that need to be navigated, but it is about giving all learners the potential to reach AND exceed their potential. I shall contemplate the wonders of that over the weekend and into the coming weeks. A good excuse for a girls night in with some wine, as we ponder, contemplate and cogitate.

And a nod to our current Ako Hiko facilitator, who has been very patient with me and although he is very, very expert and levels above me, he is also a teacher, and I benefitted from his knowledge of how to work with those who are still learners. 

All in all, despite the hectic pace and intensity of DF, I am really, really enjoying having my mind opened to what feels almost like a whole other world when it comes to digital technology. 

It took me just over 2 hours to get home after yesterdays session so I had lots of time in the car to reflect on the learning...and to do a little more cussing.

PS Dorothy please note the highlighted and NOT underlined text! No penances this week.