Week 30- Professional Online Social Networks

Week 30- Professional Online Social Networks
Activity 6: Using social online networks in teaching and/or Professional Development

1. What are some key features of social media that are beneficial for teaching and learning? Why?
2. What are potential challenges that teachers need to be aware of when integrating social networking platforms into teaching activities? Why?
3. What social media platform do you feel best supports engagement with your professional development? Why?
4. How do/would you use social media to enhance your professional development? Why?

I have kind of answered all of these questions below!!!

Social Media in Teaching. . . 
I am in two minds about the use of social media in teaching, particularly with primary and intermediate age students. I complete agree with the pattern that emerged in the survey done by Seaman and Tinti-Kane (2013) where they noticed that staff were"much more willing to embrace social media in their personal lives than they are to use it for professional or teaching purposes." I believe that the same goes for students. They are using Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to share and communicate with their friends, so many would feel that using these for educational purposes is crossing a line that they would be reluctant to cross. In saying that, in previous years, I have had a teacher Facebook page which I used to share important information and events coming up etc, but that wasn't a huge success and I felt I was seeing things on there from my students that wasn't meant for my eyes, and therefore I was struggling to know where my place was. Out of all the social media avenues available, Twitter is one of the more informative and teaching friendly apps as users can follow influential and informative people that can give students information and open up opportunities for research. In saying that, I think it is aimed more at older students, my 11/12/13 year old students in my class are not really using Twitter as they are still more about sharing photos etc, hence Instagram is a popular platform. I have considered using Instagram as a way to share photos from our class, but again that would mean that students would follow me and then I would have access to their accounts and once again I would have the ethical issue of seeing things that are not fit for teacher eyeballs!

Social Media in Professional Development. . . 
Using social media as a professional development arena is something that I use frequently to support and advance my professional practice. The NZ Primary Teachers Facebook page for example is a fantastic resource that allows passionate, like minded educators to share resources and ideas, as well as ask professional questions. What makes this Facebook page so successful is that it is used by teachers across the country, in various positions from grade A teachers through to principals and across all primary and intermediate levels. this allows many different perspectives to be available when advice, clarification or ideas are needed. Twitter is also used in this way, allowing professionals to follow experts and people around the world who are doing great things. Again it is for sharing and asking questions- growing the ability to be collaborative with other educational professionals.

References:
Seaman, J., & Tinti-Kane, H. (2013). Social media for teaching and learning. Retrieved from http://www.pearsonlearningsolutions.com/assets/downloads/reports/social-media-for-teaching-and-learning-2013-report.pdf#view=FitH,0

Week 29- Law and Ethics on Professional Practice

Week 29- Law and Ethics on Professional Practice

Personal vs. Professional Ethics- Where is the line?

I think the line between personal and professional ethics is a very blurry one, for me they are one in the same. I have been an intermediate teacher for 4 years, so my past students are now year 12 at high school, however if they try to add me on Facebook or Instagram, I still that it is crossing the line from professional to personal that I am not willing to do. I love my students and think that having a great relationship with them is vital, but I am not a teacher to 'make friends' and therefore don't feel that 'friending' students on social media is appropriate or necessary. There are however a number of teachers that do cross this line on social media and for them it seems to work fine. It is an opportunity for them to see what their past students are up to and how they are growing up etc.

When it comes to our Code of Ethics as teachers, I think they are absolutely vital for the safety and well being of students. I often think about my year 8 students and how 'worldly' they seem to be. They know so much more than kids their age did 10-15 years ago and that is thanks to the internet and the accessibility of information that is now available. Therefore, having strict ethical boundaries is important for teachers to ensure we know where that line is and when we are getting too close to it. I have found myself in this situation a couple of times where I have almost forgotten how old these kids are and almost crossed the boundary of what is appropriate to be discussing at their age.

Reading through the Code of Ethics, they give the following four areas as priorities- "The public expects teachers in schools and early childhood centres to treat people fairly, respect their autonomy, exercise responsible care towards those they teach, and be truthful not only in what they say but also in what they teach."

• Autonomy to treat people with rights that are to be honoured and defended
• Justice to share power and prevent the abuse of power
• Responsible care to do good and minimise harm to others
• Truth to be honest with others and self."

For me the truth area of the code of ethics is a fuzzy one. I feel that sometimes when we need o be honest with students and parents, we are told to hold back and think about a way to "lighten" the way we go about this. Obviously as professionals working with children, we need to be thoughtful and purposeful about the way in which information is given to students, however I feel that it has got to the point where we are too scared to give the truth, and therefore dull it down too much. Therefore have we done a disservice by not being truthful enough and therefore behaviours and attitudes will not change as the severity has not been identified? 

https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=teacher+parent+interview+comic&safe=strict&espv=2&biw=1517&bih=714&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi44tvDqKjNAhViL6YKHZnnDrQQsAQIGQ&dpr=0.9#imgrc=4_qF7297yaDBzM%3A

Activity 5: Legal and ethical contexts in my digital practice

The digital dilemma that I faced involved two students, one from my class and one from another, insulting one another online. The difficulty of the situation was that this behavior started at home through Facebook, and then it was brought into school as the girls began using their school email to attack each other. The dilemma here was whether or not it was my place to interfere or whether I was to simply notify the parents of the students and let them deal with it. If it had simply continued at home through Facebook then possibly this is what I would have done, however being that it was now an issue at school also, I knew it was now my responsibility to put an end to this all. At my school, every student and their caregiver is required to sign a "Cyber Safety Agreement Form" in which it clearly outlines their use of the internet at our school and their responsibilities as online citizens. Having this agreement on hand allowed me to refer to this as back up and clarity as to the actions of the students and the consequences. We are really lucky also that one of our technology classes is Adolescent Health, and as part of this program the students do a unit on cyber safety. Therefore, I asked that this teacher, who knows the ins and outs of cyber safety and cyber bullying, to speak with both girls together. This worked well as they both had a relationship with this teacher and were able to engaged in this discussion and see that their actions were far more serious than either student had initially realised. The outcome was then shared back to myself and the other classroom teacher where we were able to keep an eye out for future issues relating to these girls. However, nothing ever happened since. I believe that a number of factors were part of this solution- the cyber safety agreement form, the Adolescent Health program and the teacher relationship with both students.

References:

• Education Council. (nd). Code of Ethics for Certificated Teachers. Retrieved from https://educationcouncil.org.nz/content/code-of-ethics-certificated-teachers-0
• Hall, A. (2001). What ought I to do, all things considered? An approach to the exploration of ethical problems by teachers. Paper presented at the IIPE Conference, Brisbane. Retrieved from http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Culture/Developing-leaders/What-Ought-I-to-Do-All-Things-Considered-An-Approach-to-the-Exploration-of-Ethical-Problems-by-Teachers
• [Untitled image of parent interviews]. (n..d.) Retrieved June 15, 2016, from https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=teacher+parent+interview+comic&safe=strict&espv=2&biw=1517&bih=714&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi44tvDqKjNAhViL6YKHZnnDrQQsAQIGQ&dpr=0.9#imgrc=4_qF7297yaDBzM%3A

Week 28- Indigenous knowledge & Cultural responsiveness

Week 28- Indigenous Knowledge and Cultural Responsiveness

Reading through Unitech's Poutama model (Unitech, n.d.) enabled me to look at the different areas within cultural pedagogy to really analyse where we sit as a school. I think it is a model that schools should use as a reflective tool to see their next steps to become the most culturally aware and responsive they can be. 

Self Analysis of our school using the Poutama Model-

Wairua/Relationships- I think our school is currently sitting between the demonstrating and the modelling steps of this area. W have worked hard ro build relationships and have a great support network offered, however we are still working towards having stronger, active reciprocal relationships with staff and community

Assessment- In this area I believe we are sitting at the learning step of the model as we use diverse approaches to assessment and are somewhat responsive to students pedagogy needs, however maori knowledge concepts are not part of these assessments, therefore this is where we need to be heading.

Pedagogy- In terms of being inclusive, reflective and responsive, are program definitly have these element ingrained in them, however I dont believe that evey class have maori knowledge concepts incorportaed into their prrams and therefore we are sitting on the first step for this section.

Course Content- I believe we are at the know stage of course content, we use our maori staff to help support and develop areas, however as mentioned above, we don't have constant cultural aspects in all programs.

Te Reo- Te Reo is definitely present at a basic level in all classes throughout our school. We have a schol wide expectation rubric which include karakia, haka and waiata, but there is still more that needs to go into our programs, and therefore we are sitting at the mohio step of this section.

Community- Engaging with our community is an area we have really focused on in the past 4 years which is why I think we sit between the consultation and intrinsic steps.

Reading through the work that Cowie, Otrel-Cass, Glynn, Kara, Anderson, Doyle, Parkinson and Te Kiri (2011), it has changed my understanding of what 'culturally responsive pedagogy' means. Initially I took the concept quite literally and thought it meant having maori elements in all things within the classroom, however it's more around student responsiveness- ensuring that we allow students to follow their curiosities, connect with their whanau and community and assessments that allow students to express their ideas and knowledge.

Activity 4 : Indigenous knowledge and cultural responsiveness in my practice

Strength: Vision, Mission and Core Values

We are really lucky in Rotorua to have such a supportive and education focused iwi that backs the local schools by providing professional development for teachers around our local culture, curriculum initiatives such as Math Whizz and House of Science. With this support, our school has had the opportunity to see how we could become more connected to our community and culturally responsive to our maori students and whanau. With consultation with our iwi, we have changed our team names to names of Ngati Whakaue koromatua. This change alone has enabled students and their whanau to make connections with their wider whanau and ancestors to create a real feeling of belonging. This has become a huge part of our school vision, mission and core values and is why we have also introduced whanau days where we engage in a range of activities that allow students diverse opportunities to demonstrate their learning throughout a range of experiences as well as encouraging community experts to be part of these experineces; tapping into these experts is not something we have done well in the past but soemthing we are actively working on doin more.

Weakness: Resources

I think if we want to be more culturally responsive and improve in the areas of poutama as mentioned above, we need more resources available to teachers to make incorporating te reo, tikanga and culture into our programs and assessment easier. For many teachers, knowledge and understanding of the maori culture and the way in which maori learners prefer to learn is an area of minimal understanding. Therefore more basic resources are needed to support teachers in a way that doesn't seem like more work for them. PD in this area is also needed. In terms of assessment, our bilingual teacher is having difficulties getting her head around assessing her students as there seems to be a real lack of te reo based assessments. Therefore, the students who have a background in full immersion at primary school, are not getting the opportunity to be assessed in their strength area, and thus their testing is not culturally responsive. 

References:

• Cowie, B., Otrel-Cass, K., Glynn, T., & Kara, H., et al.(2011).Culturally responsive pedagogy and assessment in primary science classrooms: Whakamana tamariki. Wellington: Teaching Learning Research Initiative. Retrieved from http://www.tlri.org.nz/sites/default/files/projects/9268_cowie-summaryreport.pdf
• Unitec. (n.d). Unitec Learning and Teaching Booklet. http://www.unitec.ac.nz/ahimura/publications/U008817%20Learning%20and%20Teaching%20Booklet.pdf

Week 27- Broader Professional Context

Week 27- Broader Professional Context 

In general, the context in which we teach has grown exponentially! The learning that goes on is no longer limited to the wall of our classroom thanks to the internet. The internet has allowed us to broaden where we get our information from, how fast we can access this information and who and where we share our understanding. We have social media which connects us to people around the globe, apps such as Skype with allow us to communicate face to face with people, and Google and other search engines which allow us constant and ultra fast connection to the answers we seek.

The Voice of the Active Learner - Education From a Digital Native's Perspective

Activity 3

Issue 1: Testing and National Standards 

According to the Education Review Office (2012), NZ needs to focus on these 3 areas; i) students-centered learning, ii) responsive and rich curriculum, and iii) assessment used for students’ learning. I find this really interesting, especially the focus on assessment. After watching Bryan Bruce's documentary on TV3, Inside NZ- World Class Education, it put a different spin on our education system by comparing it with that of other countries. Finland for example, doesn't assess until much later on in a students life, allowing young children time to play and learn through doing. They also have one of the most effective education systems in the world, therefore why are we not taking a leaf out of their book? Harris and Brown undertook a study on NZ teachers, looking at assessment and how teachers use assessment in their teaching. They discuss the need for "balancing the needs of the society, the school, and the pupil." I understand that society is important to any school and that the success of schools needs to be publicised in order to keep students coming in the years that follow, however I feel like sometimes the push for 'bums on seats' out weighs the push for students progress and achievement. If we focus on the students we currently have within out classes, then the progress and achievement will be better. Isn't that our priority? 

The Ministry of Education have brought in National Standards to put all students under one umbrella, to put a scale to their achievement and to make it 'easier' for teachers to know where their students are at. What effect does it have on the students? Telling students that they are still well below national standards even though they have made huge progress is heartbreaking! For a number of students in our schools, they will continue to 'fail' according to national standards for their entire schooling, tainting their experience and creating students who no longer want to try because they cannot see the point. However, making progress is never a failure, and therefore we should be focusing on and celebrating the progress that students are making, rather than reaching some point that has been created by a small group of adults.

Issue 2: Showing Evidence

The work load of teachers is massive and seems to be growing constantly. It feels like we are either preparing students for testing, testing, or reporting on students progress based on their testing. Yes we make OTJ's which take into consideration our observations and other formative evaluations, however since when do assessments help somebody to learn? The rest of the time it feels as though we are ensuring we have 'evidence' to prove that we are doing our job to the best of our ability. However, I find myself asking. . . "am I actually doing my job to the best of my ability when I am stressed and focused on getting the paper work done, making sure all the 'boxes are ticked'?" According to the Meriam Webster online dictionary, the definition of a teacher is "a person or thing that teaches something; especially a person whose job it is to teach students about certain subjects." The key word in this definition is 'teach'. How can we do the best job of teaching the students in our class if we have so many other administration obligations we need to complete? Coming up with rich, engaging and relevant activities for our students requires time, and if we lack the time then our kids are going to lack these experiences. How sad is that!

If I had the power to make a change, we would report once a year, around the end of term 2, allowing change to happen and ensures parents and caregivers have an idea of where how their child is doing, their next steps and how they can help to support their child's learning. We would test less and have focused learning discussions more, allowing us time to listen to the students and see how they can articulate their learning in a positive, low pressure manner. I feel this would give teachers a much better insight into our students and allow them to establish learning experiences that fit with their students, not necessarily their ability, but their learning style. 

References:

• Blackboard Inc. (2012, August 7). The Voice of the Active Learner - Education From a Digital Native's Perspective [video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ5Vy9BgSeY 
• Bruce, B. (producer). (2016) World Class: Inside NZ Education: A Special Report [Television Documentary]. New Zealand
• Education Review Office. (2012). Evaluation at a Glance: Priority Learners in New Zealand Schools. Retrieved 18 May 2016, from http://www.ero.govt.nz/About-Us/News-Media-Releases2/The-three-most-pressing-issues-for-N
• Harris, L.R. and G.T.L. Brown (2009) The complexity of teachers's conceptions of assessment: tensions between the needs of schools and students. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy and Practice, 16(3), pp 365-381
• Miriam-Webster Dictionary (1982) Definition of a Teacher. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/teacher