Digital Innovation
Deciding on the Innovation
On my previous post I talked about the challenges of using digital technologies within a new entrants class. Teaching them how to use the technology can be time consuming when there is limited time available within our programme, so much of our programme has to be focused on the basics to give them a good foundation for their later learning. The novelty of the technology can also be distracting. We are also limited by the number and type of devices available with some potential innovations only working on certain platforms or devices. This meant that the first challenge I faced was deciding on an innovation that would be manageable within our learning environment. As part of our course was focused on growing collaboration within our classrooms, I also wanted to find way to incorporate a collaborative element within the innovation. I decided that I would use my innovation to grow collaboration and communication between school and home.
Within our school we use the Seesaw platform to share learning with whanau, but the logistics of setting the students accounts up means that often it can take months before new students have an account. As my class is exclusively new students to school I am unable to make use of this platform. I therefore decided to try and find an alternative way of sharing learning with whanau that would encourage conversations about learning at home as well. I settled on the idea of using ebooks as a way of recording learning and providing those opportunities for conversations and further learning at home. It will also provide an audience for the children's work given an added purpose and meaning to them. Most of the iPads in our learning team already have the Book Creator app loaded onto them so this is the platform that I decided to use. This was mainly due to the logistics of how long it takes to get new apps placed on the iPads as well as budget limitations. It also has the advantage of being relatively easy to use which will hopefully allow the students to be more involved in content creations as we move on with this innovation and books can be kept private so that the book is only available to those who are given the code to access it.
On my previous post I talked about the challenges of using digital technologies within a new entrants class. Teaching them how to use the technology can be time consuming when there is limited time available within our programme, so much of our programme has to be focused on the basics to give them a good foundation for their later learning. The novelty of the technology can also be distracting. We are also limited by the number and type of devices available with some potential innovations only working on certain platforms or devices. This meant that the first challenge I faced was deciding on an innovation that would be manageable within our learning environment. As part of our course was focused on growing collaboration within our classrooms, I also wanted to find way to incorporate a collaborative element within the innovation. I decided that I would use my innovation to grow collaboration and communication between school and home.
Within our school we use the Seesaw platform to share learning with whanau, but the logistics of setting the students accounts up means that often it can take months before new students have an account. As my class is exclusively new students to school I am unable to make use of this platform. I therefore decided to try and find an alternative way of sharing learning with whanau that would encourage conversations about learning at home as well. I settled on the idea of using ebooks as a way of recording learning and providing those opportunities for conversations and further learning at home. It will also provide an audience for the children's work given an added purpose and meaning to them. Most of the iPads in our learning team already have the Book Creator app loaded onto them so this is the platform that I decided to use. This was mainly due to the logistics of how long it takes to get new apps placed on the iPads as well as budget limitations. It also has the advantage of being relatively easy to use which will hopefully allow the students to be more involved in content creations as we move on with this innovation and books can be kept private so that the book is only available to those who are given the code to access it.
Implementation
I had planned a maths unit that used the context of planning and holding a birthday party for a visiting teddy bear and decided this was the perfect opportunity to trial my innovation. My plan was to create a story ebook that detailed our learning with pictures and words that the students could then read with their parents at home. All of my students love reading and so I knew that this was something that they would get enjoyment from. Throughout the unit of work I took pictures and recorded the students ideas so that these could form the content of the book. I kept the words simple so that the work load on myself wasn't too onerous. Moving forward I hope that the students will be more involved in the producing of our ebooks.During the unit of work I shared the book as a work in progress with the students and we talked about what else needed to go into it. As well as giving the students ownership of the project and creating excitement for the finished book, it also provided an opportunity to review the learning that had happened. Once the unit was completed, I finished the book, published it, and then sent the QR code home to families so that they were able to access it at home.
Click on the link below to see the finished book (this version has had faces covered to protect privacy).
During the unit of work I shared the book as a work in progress with the students and we talked about what else needed to go into it. As well as giving the students ownership of the project and creating excitement for the finished book, it also provided an opportunity to review the learning that had happened. Once the unit was completed, I finished the book, published it, and then sent the QR code home to families so that they were able to access it at home.
Click on the link below to see the finished book (this version has had faces covered to protect privacy).
Reception
I placed a copy of the code up in the classroom and it was wonderful to see the parents and children sharing the book during the morning drop off. The parents have been very positive about the book and have reported that the students have enjoyed reading through the book with them and talking about what happened during the unit. The students also enjoyed seeing themselves in the book, with excited squeals of "that's me" as we looked through it together in class. Reading through the book together in class a number of times has also provided an opportunity to review and cement the learning that took place. My next task is to print a copy of the book in order to allow them to read it in class as we do not have devices available all the time for them to access it digitally.
I placed a copy of the code up in the classroom and it was wonderful to see the parents and children sharing the book during the morning drop off. The parents have been very positive about the book and have reported that the students have enjoyed reading through the book with them and talking about what happened during the unit. The students also enjoyed seeing themselves in the book, with excited squeals of "that's me" as we looked through it together in class. Reading through the book together in class a number of times has also provided an opportunity to review and cement the learning that took place. My next task is to print a copy of the book in order to allow them to read it in class as we do not have devices available all the time for them to access it digitally.
Next Steps with the innovation
The reaction to this first attempt has been overwhelmingly positive and therefore I plan to continue and develop this innovation. The students involvement in the actual creation of this book was limited due to time constraints and the logistics of device availability but moving forward I want to make their involvement greater. I have already planned a second ebook based on creating Manu taratahi and I have included an attempt to allow the students to capture images of their completed kites and potentially record them talking about them. Moving forward I will teach the students a new skill that they can use each time in order to slowly hand over more control of the creative process to them and by doing so give them more ownership and encourage more and more collaboration between the students.
I have also spoken to one of the year 5-6 teachers about the possibility of utilising their students as mentors who will be able to support the students with creating their own content, I am hoping to make this happen in term three. These students already work with the year 1 students during the week, supporting them with their reading and so it will be wonderful to provide another opportunity to grow this tuakana/teina relationship.
As the students become more confident I would like to create books of their stories and illustrations which then also includes a recording of them reading the story as well. From their reaction to the first book I am hopeful that this will provided added purpose to their writing and foster the image of themselves as a writer.
The reaction to this first attempt has been overwhelmingly positive and therefore I plan to continue and develop this innovation. The students involvement in the actual creation of this book was limited due to time constraints and the logistics of device availability but moving forward I want to make their involvement greater. I have already planned a second ebook based on creating Manu taratahi and I have included an attempt to allow the students to capture images of their completed kites and potentially record them talking about them. Moving forward I will teach the students a new skill that they can use each time in order to slowly hand over more control of the creative process to them and by doing so give them more ownership and encourage more and more collaboration between the students.
I have also spoken to one of the year 5-6 teachers about the possibility of utilising their students as mentors who will be able to support the students with creating their own content, I am hoping to make this happen in term three. These students already work with the year 1 students during the week, supporting them with their reading and so it will be wonderful to provide another opportunity to grow this tuakana/teina relationship.
As the students become more confident I would like to create books of their stories and illustrations which then also includes a recording of them reading the story as well. From their reaction to the first book I am hopeful that this will provided added purpose to their writing and foster the image of themselves as a writer.
Sustainability
The learning that happened during Ted's party planning was sustainable because it was a context that was engaging and meaningful for the students. Parties are an important part of their lives and something they have experience of, they can then use this experience and knowledge as the foundation for their learning. The students were able to see that their work was having an impact on the outcome of the unit of work and this was then celebrated through the party at the end of the unit.
The use of ebooks and digital artefacts allows the students the opportunity to become authors and to see themselves as creators and sharers of knowledge. The excitement that I saw through the sharing of the first book will make the learning contained within these ebooks sustainable. All of the students in my class are excited about learning to read in particular and so this is something that I want to harness.
The learning that happened during Ted's party planning was sustainable because it was a context that was engaging and meaningful for the students. Parties are an important part of their lives and something they have experience of, they can then use this experience and knowledge as the foundation for their learning. The students were able to see that their work was having an impact on the outcome of the unit of work and this was then celebrated through the party at the end of the unit.
The use of ebooks and digital artefacts allows the students the opportunity to become authors and to see themselves as creators and sharers of knowledge. The excitement that I saw through the sharing of the first book will make the learning contained within these ebooks sustainable. All of the students in my class are excited about learning to read in particular and so this is something that I want to harness.
Developing Collaborative Learning in General
As I talked about it my previous post, the students that I teach are just starting out on their learning journey and so are very much just starting to learn the skills they need to successfully collaborate. On a daily basis I am teaching them these skills through formal learning and informally during opportunities to play and connect. This will continue to be a large part of my practice. Planning and trialling this innovation has given me the confidence to try using digital technology for collaboration in future. This will be a slow process as the students will need to learn how to use the technology as well as learning the skills needed to collaborate.
In order to facilitate this process, as I mentioned above, I will utilise the skills of the older students within the school. This will this take the pressure off myself by giving the students more one on one support and, I suspect, knowledge that I do not have as often I have found the students know more about a softwares capability than myself.
It has been pleasing to hear the positive comments from the students whanau regarding the first ebook. I know from personal experience that it can be difficult to get children to explain what they have been learning at school and so I am a big advocate for finding ways to communicate our learning with home to allow learning conversations to continue outside of the classroom. Parents are perfectly positioned to really make the learning relevant to the students own lives, increasing the sustainability of the learning.
As I talked about it my previous post, the students that I teach are just starting out on their learning journey and so are very much just starting to learn the skills they need to successfully collaborate. On a daily basis I am teaching them these skills through formal learning and informally during opportunities to play and connect. This will continue to be a large part of my practice. Planning and trialling this innovation has given me the confidence to try using digital technology for collaboration in future. This will be a slow process as the students will need to learn how to use the technology as well as learning the skills needed to collaborate.
In order to facilitate this process, as I mentioned above, I will utilise the skills of the older students within the school. This will this take the pressure off myself by giving the students more one on one support and, I suspect, knowledge that I do not have as often I have found the students know more about a softwares capability than myself.
It has been pleasing to hear the positive comments from the students whanau regarding the first ebook. I know from personal experience that it can be difficult to get children to explain what they have been learning at school and so I am a big advocate for finding ways to communicate our learning with home to allow learning conversations to continue outside of the classroom. Parents are perfectly positioned to really make the learning relevant to the students own lives, increasing the sustainability of the learning.
Final Thoughts
I am excited to continue the journey that I have begun through undertaking this course and I am looking forward to exploring and trialling the use of technology more within a new entrants setting. I know that this will be challenging at times with a lot of logistics and additional learning to consider to make this successful. It is only by trying that I will figure out what is possible.
I am excited to continue the journey that I have begun through undertaking this course and I am looking forward to exploring and trialling the use of technology more within a new entrants setting. I know that this will be challenging at times with a lot of logistics and additional learning to consider to make this successful. It is only by trying that I will figure out what is possible.
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