DFI Session 8- Computational thinking

It has been quite hard to focus today as I am not feeling 100%. But some really inspiring info today plus registering for the google exam!

Manaiakalani

The link for today was Empowerment.

Empowered learners and teachers.

Being able to understand how our children are learning empowers us as teachers. This whole DFI course has given us the way to be empowered. I feel empowered! In every sense of using google in the classroom.

Now for the google exam to check I can do all of the things we have been learning!

Digital Technology Curriculum

I started learning about the changes in the Technology Curriculum last year at a previous school. I even had to opportunity to attend a PLD course with hands on activities. It still did not make a lot of sense to me what we were actually trying to do. Having a way to see sites with examples and putting the wording straight from the curriculum into an easy to understand version makes so much more sense. I can now see how juniors can be participating in the digital technology curriculum even with out a computer. There have been a few times lately when I had some information about things but then the DFI course has given me more info and more understanding. Empowered!

Google Exam

We were next given information about how to register for the google exam. I hadn't been nervous about it before but hearing this made my stomach drop. It has been a few years since I have been in an exam situation and I think that was where my nerves came from. I am glad we were given lots of information on how to get prepared and I will spend some time refreshing my learning in all the different areas that we have been learning about. I might even make some time to do the exam in the next couple of days instead of waiting until next Tuesday. Then if it doesn't go well I will try again on Tuesday.

Coding

Having a play with some of the coding sites was a lot of fun. My children and I are all home sick at the moment so while I was doing this they had a wee look over my shoulder. They then got it going themselves on their chrome books and have been having a go on the minecraft and kodable programs for most of the day. Lots of fun and I can see that children in my class would greatly enjoy this also. 

Creating

I chose to have a go at creating a Mihi with the mihi maker from gamefroot.com.

It was quite confusing to use and then mine would not play at the end as there was some kind of error. So frustrating. I will have another play with this as I would like to be able to share on my blog. 

It could also be so helpful to try in my class over the last couple of weeks of this term. All children in our school have a pepeha in their languages that parents fill in when children start school. I do not think that children ever use them other then displaying them on the wall. It would be fun for the children to take this information and animate it in this way so that then they can start to learn it as well. I will give it a go.

Finally managed to get my mihi to work. Use the right arrow on your keyboard to navigate through the mihi.

By this time next Tuesday I will have completed the Google exam. Pass or fail, I think it will be a great learning opportunity and am nervously looking forward to it.

In regards to where we are as a school in terms of the Digital Technology Curriculum I am not sure. The senior class are 1-1 digital so I am assuming that means they are using the parts of the technology curriculum that is for this. In my junior class I am not using any of it as I wasn't even aware it was a must happen this year. It is something I will need to find out more about and start implementing with my class. I am glad we have done this session as I think I have some good ideas of places I can start with this.