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For the purposes of this course, I have chosen the skill of Knowledge Construction. What I like about this skill is that it is a very inclusive way to encourage learning – and is accessible to all students. The learners don’t need to be experts on the particular topic. The fact that it does require them to interpret, analyse, synthesise and evaluate ensures that they are engaging with the material and learning has taken place.
With such a vast and ever-growing array of information available on the internet, the acquisition of the above skill rather than the knowledge of the topic itself is arguably more valuable. Being able to identify good information sources, validate them and communicate (tell the story) is a key skill for learners.
In my Sway, I outlined the approach taken in developing the above skill which I believe to be key to learning in the 21st century.
Collaboration through Teams has definitely changed the game for a lot of schools. We as a school now use Teams regularly and it has led to more productive interactions with the department. I think the accessible nature of Office 365 (doesn’t matter what device or browser you have) means that everyone can get involved on an equal footing. This has been really helpful as there are many different levels of personal investment in technology in education, so this cuts through all of that and unites the approach.
In the classroom, it can be more challenging at times. Like many schools, we had our first introduction to Teams during the COVID lockdown. This meant that the opportunity to trial and demonstrate its use was curtailed somewhat. It can also be harder to gauge its effectiveness. The opportunities are significant though – and right across the curriculum. We had success using it in Literacy, numeracy and STEM.
The use of digital technology is a game changer in the classroom. The engagement levels go up, the diversity of the individual learning paths increases and the creative juices within each student are stimulated. To top it all off – all of this is contained within the learning platform making it shareable, editable and multi-media in format.
From a SSE standpoint, the benefits of digital technology are many also. We can self-reflect as teachers and record our inputs – in audio, video or written format. We can also collaborate as educators, ensuring that the individual data points gathered are rolled up to give a considered school view of where we are.
Developing our own use of digital technology means that any SSE work we do is easily editable. This may seem small but as a new principal I have been given “the SSE folder” which has printed pages in it and no digital format, which is frustrating.
<span style=”color: #163c42; font-family: ‘Hind Madurai’, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;”>I think that OneNote and OneNote Learning Tools can definitely support and expand deeper learning opportunities for students in our school. I have to say I had little to no knowledge of OneNote before this course. I think that several features stand out for me. The Immersive reader is a powerful tool to have. In our school we have many EAL students and I see Immersive Reader as something that can aid fluency and decoding. We also have children with dyslexia and I think that they will also benefit from using Immersive reader.</span>
From a teaching & learning point of view (in a Primary context), we can create lesson plans through OneNote. It will involve a bit more prep work but the learning outcomes will be far better. In particular, the use of checklists will be a big help as we seek to engage further with the new primary language curriculum.
Collaboration through Teams has definitely changed the game for a lot of schools. We as a school now use Teams regularly and it has led to more productive interactions with the department. I think the accessible nature of Office 365 (doesn’t matter what device or browser you have) means that everyone can get involved on an equal footing.
In the classroom, it can be more challenging at times. Like many schools, we had our first introduction to Teams during the COVID lockdown. This meant that the opportunity to trial and demonstrate its use was curtailed somewhat. It can also be harder to gauge its effectiveness.
For the puposes of SSE, I think that the Sway tool looks very useful. I have used PhotoStory in the (distant) past but this looks even better. Forms I’d be familiar with. There is huge educational potential with even these two applications in the classroom. What I like is that the children can engage on their own unique educational journey – aided by the MS platforms.<br clear=”all” /></span>
The “gathering evidence” part of SSE requires us as educators to gather information and make data-based decisions and both Sway and Forms underpins this process. They can be used by teaching staff, students and parents in our school setting to gather data and make informed decisions.
<div></div>I have to say that the Sway tool looks very good. I have used PhotoStory in the (distant) past but this looks even better. Forms I’d be familiar with. There is huge educational potential with even these two applications in the classroom. What I like is that the children can engage on their own unique educational journey – aided by the MS platforms.
