Ubiquitous learning and rewindable learning resources

This week started off with a facilitation day at Bay of Islands College, followed by a staff meeting I ran on Manaiakalani's Learn aspect.     This term, we were looking at Ubiquitous learning and rewindable learning resources.   

Visible teaching through a class site allows teachers to make their learning resources available 24/7 which effectively means they are available from anywhere with an internet connection.  I like this idea because it allows learning to continue beyond the school gate and with whanau.  It also means there's a lifeline for students whenever they are away sick and, of course, if we ever have to go into lockdown again.   There should be no barriers to students with visible learning, which is why Manaiakalani recommends all learning is made available through the class site.  It should be the one-stop learning hub.

When it comes to creating rewindable learning resources, teachers nowadays are spoilt for choice.  Screencastify is an extension that sits in the Google Chrome browser bar.  It can record your screen with or without a webcam.  The app recently brought out some new features that allow you to show emojis, which are great for giving feedback to students without interfering with the document.  

There are, of course, other ways teachers can create videos, for example, using their laptop, phone, iPad or film camera.  Audio files embedded into class sites and Google docs are a worthwhile resource and provide extra support for students who may have trouble reading.   

 With rewindable videos, you also have the power to watch a video slower or faster.  

Ubiquitous learning came into its own last year during the Covid Lockdown.  Having everything visible online means our students can learn anytime, anywhere and at any pace.  When students have their own device and their learning has been designed by an effective teacher, students should be having a powerful rich learning experience.  

Let's not forget the powerful workforce in the classroom as well.  Students are excellent teachers who would gain a lot of confidence by contributing to teaching resources.  With so many young people being YouTube stars with tutorials from how to win in League of Legends to how to apply makeup, I think it's highly likely students could see themselves contributing to their peers' learning.  

   

T-shaped literacy in high schools

In our Secondary Connect, we were very lucky to have Associate Professor Aaron Wilson with us from The University of Auckland talk about how we can develop T-Shaped literacy across our secondary school subjects.   Here are some of the key takeaways for me.   

It's important that students are able to understand the purpose of texts and importantly how authors have framed texts.  Encouraging students to determine who an authors' intended audience might be, helps readers connect with the purpose of specific.  

Students need to understand the purpose of reading specific texts,  not only for their own understanding but also to elucidate an author's perspective.   Knowing the purpose of a text is very closely linked to motivation and necessary for high-level thinking

The kinds of questions we could be prompting students with include 

• What's the viewpoint of the writer?
• What ideas is the author trying to convey?