EdTechTeam South Africa Summit

After following last year's 2015 South Africa Summit on Twitter, I was thrilled that this year St Peter's gave me the opportunity to attend the 4th Annual EdTechTeam South Africa Summit featuring Google for Education in partnership with Dainfern College and Cloud Ed. The summit was a two-day high-intensity event focused on deploying, integrating and using Google Apps for Education (and other Google tools) to promote student learning.

Let the fun begin... with my colleague and good friend Monique Egbers.

All the presenters were Google for Education Certified Innovators, Google for Education Certified Trainers, Google Employees or teachers with local successful stories. The keynote speakers were:

I was in awe of the wealth of knowledge and experience of these three speakers. By the end of the summit I felt a little like a groupie hanging on to their every word. 

Holly Clark (@HollyClarkEdu) was the opening keynote speaker. Her keynote on "Disrupt Education" was inspirational. She spoke about how various successful companies had disrupted the norm such as Uber disrupting the taxi industry. She challenged us to be the "Uber" in our classrooms. Just as children binge watch television series, we need to get them to binge learn. Unfortunately education values answers not questions - which is absurd... but true. The average four year old asks around 300 questions a day - at five this drops to 50. What happens at five years of age? They start formal education. We need to foster a culture of questioning in our schools. We have to stop being "the comfortable experts and become restless learners". We need to stretch our students "to think, question, pursue and create to take agency and ownership of their learning". I loved her use of the term "combinatorial" - "what you need to teach combined with what kids want to do". 

The Breakout EDU (@breakoutEDU) session was facilitated by Ben Friesen (@benjaminfriesen). What an experience! Breakout EDU games teach critical thinking, teamwork, complex problem solving, and can be used in all content areas. 

We began the game as a group of strangers who all had with something to do with education and ended as a team excited by the possibilities Breakout EDU provides. I am just a tad competitive so I loved the fact that I opened the first lock but the best part of the experience was that the unlocking of each lock was a combined effort.

First lock opened!

One more lock to go.

Success!

We broke out!

Not only were the sessions that Ken Shelton (@k_shelton) presented brilliant, I also thoroughly enjoyed his keynote on "Transformational Teaching and Learning With Technology". He spoke about companies that had transformed their industries. MTV transformed music (the first song and video ever on MTV was "Video killed the Radio Star"). YouTube revolutionised entertainment. Uber is in the process of launching their first "self-driving" cars. The next step is "Skyuber". iPhone and iPad transformed communication because they were more than just a phone. Nokia missed out on learning- it didn't change! We need to be transformational in our teaching - "don't be a first year veteran 30 times... be a 30 year veteran once". 

Ben Friesen (@benjaminfriesen) ended the summit with his keynote, "The Journey". I found my new favourite quote during his keynote that epitomises my life.

I would like to thank everyone involved in the 4th Annual EdTechTeam South Africa Summit. Congratulations to Anthony Egbers and his team for organising a phenominal summit. Hopefully I will be able to attend next year's summit to be held in the Cape. 

My groupie photo with Ken Shelton and Holly Clark.

Parent Tech Talk

On Monday 17th October 2016 I hosted a Parent Tech Talk for the parents of the boys I teach in Grade 3, 4 and 5. The talk was well attended and I was impressed to see how many parents were keen to find out what they needed to know about tech in order to support their sons. At the end of the talk I promised to publish my presentation onto my blog for those at the talk as well as those who were unable to attend. Please click on the link below to view the presentation:

Parent Tech Talk

Kahoot Krazy

As a teacher, you always know when your "kids" have enjoyed a lesson when they ask you at the beginning of every lesson that follows whether they can repeat that lesson. Kahoot is that lesson. Ever since I introduced Kahoot into my Afrikaans classroom at the beginning of the year, every time I enter a Grade 3, 4 or 5 classroom someone is sure to ask, "Can we do a Kahoot today?"

What is a Kahoot? Kahoot is a free game-based learning platform that makes it fun to learn - any subject, in any language, on any device, for all ages. One of the best things about Kahoot is that it encompasses so many aspects of boys best practice:

• competition
• movement
• time limits
• active involvement
• chaos

So how does it work? Firstly, I create a Kahoot which is set of multiple choice questions. A helpful feature is that videos, images and diagrams can be added to the questions to amplify the engagement. There is an option to use an existing Kahoot as is or to edit the questions to suit your needs. As an Afrikaans teacher, I always set my own Kahoots as there are not that many Afrikaans Kahoots and those on the site do not suit my needs.

The next step is to play the game with my class. No sign up is necessary which makes it incredibly easy to play with a class. I log into my account and select the Kahoot I would like the class to play. There are then two options:

I usually select the Classic mode as I am fortunate enough to have access to a full set of iPads so that each boy can work on his own iPad. My boys then type "kahoot.it" into their search bar, type in the game pin (which I have projected on the screen), enter their nickname and they're ready to start.

I recently discovered that a YouTube link can be added to the set of questions so that while the boys are joining the game they can listen to a chosen YouTube link. The actual video plays in the background of the screen. As I use Kahoot when teaching Afrikaans I usually add an Afrikaans music video to the Kahoot. In this way the boys are being exposed to Afrikaans music. It also makes the sign up process far more enjoyable as the boys end up singing along... and dancing too!

I control the game from my computer and all the questions and answers appear on the screen. The boys choose the answer they think is correct and click on the corresponding button on their iPads. When setting the Kahoot I have the ability to decide how much time should be given to answer each question. Once the time is up or all the players have answered the question, the stats for that question appear on the screen showing how many players chose each of the four answers. I can then click onto the next screen which shows the leader board. I then decide whether I want to discuss the question or move onto the next question.

At the end of the game, I always give the players who feature on the leader board a sweet. It still amazes me how hard boys will work to get a little sweet. The boys also get a chance to evaluate the Kahoot they have just played.

I have used Kahoot to consolidate vocabulary as well as to introduce new vocabulary. The best part of using Kahoot in the classroom is that all the boys are actively involved, having fun and learning at the same time!

Quizlet

Quizlet is a free website providing learning tools for students, including flashcards, study and game modes. Last year I introduced Quizlet to the boys in all three of the grades I teach in order to help them prepare for spelling tests in a fun and interactive manner. All of the material is user-generated so each time we cover new vocabulary I create a new study set of words for the boys. With six different activities, the boys can study on their own, compete for high scores and test themselves. The website can be accessed from the browser of any device and there are also free mobile apps for iPhone, iPad and Android devices. 

As many studies have shown boys love competition and this website allows the boys to compete against each other. Up until now the boys have been working anonymously. In order for their efforts to be recorded they need to be logged on to the site. When researching the site I was very pleased to see that the designers have a different setting for children under 13. For members under 13, Quizlet has removed access to social sharing features like Facebook and Twitter. Boys can search for classmates, teachers, and friends by Quizlet username in the search box to find their study materials but their real names will never be used on the site. The website provides many pictures that the boys can use for their profile picture but they cannot upload their own image for their profile picture if they are under 13.

I will be signing the boys up over the next couple of weeks. When the boys' accounts are created, as they are all under 13, Quizlet will ask for a parent's email address. Confirmation emails will be sent to the parents' email addresses and parents will need to confirm the accounts. Once the account has been confirmed parents have the option of tailoring their email preferences. Many parents elect to receive all emails as then they receive notifications each time a new set of words is added to their son's account. Each boy’s safety on the net is of utmost importance to us at St Peter’s and many of the websites are catering for this need. All the boys will be signing up through Google as we use Google Apps for Education. I would like all the boys to use the same format when entering their username:

first name     surname initial     grade     class     year

e.g. davidt5JA2016

In this way the boys will be able to identify each other but no one outside of St Peter’s will know who they are. 

The boys will continue to use the site anonymously until their sign up is completed. There is no need for you to register on the site. If you would like to learn more about Quizlet please click on the link below. 

Quizlet

Spelling Tests with Google Forms

If you watch young children playing school, the highlight of the game is when marking has to be done. In reality this is not the case. Marking can be an arduous task for any teacher. Most marking requires the skill of a teacher as many questions can be interpreted in a number of ways which means that there can be a number of different but correct answers. Spelling, however, is not one of these tasks. In a spelling test the word is either spelled correctly or incorrectly. I have always maintained that a computer could mark spelling tests... and now they can and they do.  

Introducing Google Forms! I love Google Forms. Since I started using Google Forms in June 2015, I have not had to mark any spelling tests by hand. As I teach all three classes in each of the three grades I teach - that translates to 78 spelling tests that I do not have to mark each time I set a spelling test in a grade. Work smarter not harder, is what I always say!

What does the process involve? Firstly I set out the test in Google Forms. I then customise it with my own header image, font and colours. 

I answer the test on the live form which generates a memo. I enable the "Flubaroo" Add-on which ensures that each submission is marked and an email is sent with the results to the boy's St Peter's email address. Each time a boy answers the test his submissions are recorded on a Responses Spreadsheet. This spreadsheet gives me a breakdown of each boy's answers as well as his overall mark. I can also see the low scoring questions and the average. It is essential that auto-capitalisation, auto-correction, spell check and predictive text is turned off when completing the tests. 

Google Classroom

At the beginning of 2015 I joined GEG Dainfern led by Anthony Egbers (@ajegbers) and Pam Macmillan (@Pam_Macmillan). GEG stands for "Google Educator Group" which is a group of teachers who meet on a regular basis to learn, share, inspire and empower each other to meet the needs of their learners through technology. I eagerly await each Saturday workshop which is held every 5 to 6 weeks. We began by learning the basics of using technology for education such as Gmail, Drive and YouTube. Now each time we meet we are introduced to new exciting apps that can be used in the classroom.

It was at the second GEG Dainfern workshop that I was introduced to Google Classroom. Wow! I was blown away by the possibilities this platform opens for teachers. Google Classroom is designed to help teachers create and collect assignments paperlessly. St Peter's is a GAfE School which means that we have registered for free Google Apps for Education and therefore Google Classroom is available to us. 

For the past few months I have been working in Google Classroom with the boys and I have just touched the surface of what can be done using this platform. I am looking forward to sharing what I have already done in Google Classroom as well as what I am planning to do. Here's to the start of an adventure together.

Welcome to "To Learn Twice"

I have always loved technology, especially when it has added to my teaching. My latest exploration into the world of technology is "BLOGGING". I have been researching the benefits of blogging as well as the nuts and bolts of how to blog. I have been reading other educators' blogs. I have been writing posts in my head. Now it's time to "Just Blog It". So here goes...

Why you may ask do I want to blog? There are many reasons why I have decided to write my own personal blog. Firstly, I have always believed that the child, the parents and the teacher form a triangle and without good communication that triangle collapses. I teach boys and I know that when a parent asks their son, "How was school today?" the answer is usually,  "Fine". The follow up question, "What did you do at school today?" usually elicits a, "Nothing!" response. So if we rely on the boys to communicate, parents may never know anything. A blog solves this dilemma as now parents can ask specific questions about what has been done at school where a, "Fine" or "Nothing" response cannot be used.

Secondly, education has changed and is changing on a daily basis. Most parents were educated in a traditional pen and paper manner of instruction. Even if parents use technology in their present jobs, they weren't exposed to it at school and as such often have no idea what is going on in the new technology based classroom. My aim will be to help parents understand what is going on in the classroom and more importantly how they can assist and enjoy the experience together with their children.

Thirdly, our lives are so busy. My husband receives an average of 80 to 160 new emails every day, sometimes more. Nobody has time to read all their emails and the last thing parents need is another email from their son's teacher. A blog gives parents the choice to visit the blog and decide whether they want to read a post or not. Of course, I would love you all to subscribe to my blog but please do not feel obligated to subscribe. If you do subscribe I recommend that you create a "To Learn Twice" folder in your inbox with a rule that all notifications are sent to that folder. In this way "To Learn Twice" emails will not clutter up your inbox and when you have time (ha ha) you can open the folder and choose which post you would like to read. If you do subscribe you will have the opportunity to comment on the posts that are published. If I do publish anything that I would like all parents to read and possibly respond to, I will email that post to all parents from my St Peter's Boys Prep email address.

Lastly, I have decided to blog for a my own personal growth. The name of my blog comes from one of my favourite educational quotes by a French moralist and essayist, Joseph Joubert (1754 - 1824).

I believe that as a teacher I learn just as much from my boys each day as they learn from me. An integral part of being open to this learning involves reflection and this blog will give me the opportunity to reflect on my own teaching practice.

I look forward to reading your comments and hearing your feedback. Here's to learning twice.