EVERYTHING I NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED ON TWITTER.

This is the title of a one hour long workshop which I will presenting at the Tai Tokerau Literacy Association Seminar later this month. The seminar looks great, you can view details here.

I have two twitter accounts @Kar3nlj which is my own account and an account for my class @RumaTahi . The following are some of the things I hope to share with other teachers (assuming of course that anyone comes  to my workshop there are so many really good choices!)

1. The value of building a PLN. 
I don't really know where to start with this one. Joining twitter and building a professsional learning (and sharing ) network has been the best PD I have had. Furthermore it is the PD which keeps on giving and is as big or as small as I choose. It is very common for me to 'eavesdrop' on #edchatnz and other twitter conversations. This is a phenomenon known as 'lurking.' I have picked up a number of great tips and links by doing this.

It is not unusual for me to tweet a request for help or advice (especially in ICT) and most often I will get the answer I need in the form of a a tweet.
You can view my twitter account here: https://twitter.com/Kar3nlj

2. Sharing our Learning 
My classroom twitter account (@RumaTahi)  is used to share our learning. Students tweet about their learning and also photos of their work. You can view our account here:  https://twitter.com/RumaTahi

My aim is to grow this and encourage the class to use the account not just to share our work but also to engage with others. A good way to do this is through kidsedchatnz. You can find out more about it here. http://kidsedchatnz.blogspot.co.nz  Unfortunately, due to school timetabling it doesn't work for me this year.

3. Flubaroo
I first heard of flubaroo on twitter and wondered what it was, by clicking the links I soon found out and now it is my new favourite thing.

Basically flubaroo allows me to create a quiz or test for formative (or summative) assessment purposes, marks it for me and identifies the students who may need some more support. It also shows which questions students found difficult, and then (if I choose) it emails the students their personalised results.

It sounds complicated when I write it all in a short paragraph like that, but really it's not! I use google drive create forms to make the multi-choice test and I finish up with a beautiful, detailed spreadsheet of personalised results. I taught myself to use flubaroo after first discovering it on twitter. You can do the same, check it out here:

http://www.flubaroo.com/flubaroo-user-guide

I sometimes link the test to a QR code and give the students a deadline for completion so they can complete it whenever they like on their own device.

4. QR Codes

Of course it was through twitter that I learnt about using QR codes in the classroom too. I just had to tweet a request for some advice and that led me to this brilliant blog from a well known NZ tweep.  Check it out here: http://allanahk.edublogs.org/category/qr-codes/ 

That led me to explore ways of using QR codes in my own classroom. My year 7 students loved the QR Code scavenger hunt in the first week of school and now I mainly use them to link to learning activities. I recently stuck a QR code on my classroom door which links to our class twitter account, (@RumaTahi)  and because I used http://snap.vu for this I can see how many times that code gets scanned.

I have been interested in attaching a QR codes to student learning activities and I am still exploring this.

I imagine classroom displays with QR links to videos of students talking about their learning. The problem has been where to put the video, when you don't want to put it on line.  This problem was recently solved too and the answer came about through a twitter conversation.

You can view the link here: http://jaymelinnjohnson.wordpress.com/2014/05/06/creating-qr-codes-to-share-videos/

YAY!... IT WORKS

 I generally like to use http://www.qrstuff.com to create my own QR codes.

5. Blogging

Shortly after discovering twitter I realised that many teachers have their own, or run a class blog. I'm not sure if I personally have anything particularly useful to share in my own blog but I do it because it makes me reflect on my practice and I find it quite helpful. If anyone comments, or finds anything I have to say useful, well that's just a bonus. I also see blogging as a really valuable way to have some control over my on-line persona.

I had some questions and I needed some help when I first set up my blog, but  I soon found there's always somebody in my PLN happy to give advice. (Thanks @ReidHns1 and @Allanahk )
 I just need to ask twitter. This blog from Allanah is a great place to start http://bling4yrblog.blogspot.co.nz and of course I found this by asking my PLN for some twitter help.

Aside from writing though, reading blogs and finding new blogs through twitter provides enormous learning and professional development. There are some amazing teachers out there who publish excellent posts about all things teaching and learning and through twitter you won't have to search very far to find some.

6. Chatting and not attending conferences.

Twitter is a great way to participate in professional learning conversations and I love that I can do it in my pyjamas! I've learnt a lot from #edchatnz, often by 'lurking', reading the tweets and saving the links.
You can find out more about it here:

#Edchatnz  http://missdtheteacher.blogspot.co.nz/2014/04/starting-little-hashtag-that-could.html

I've also used twitter to virtually attend conferences. I learnt new things from ulearn last year even though I spent the whole day lying on my couch with my computer open and my phone in my hand. (The food wasn't as good, but at least I didn't have to queue for the toilet!)

7. Geocaching

This is a personal one. I had never heard the word 'geocaching' before I noticed it popping up in my twitter stream from time to time. I investigated it further and now I am a keen geocacher and it has become a hobby that I share with my family and friends. Find out more here:  http://www.geocaching.com/guide/

8. Other Cool Stuff

I've explored countless other websites and apps. There's a lot more that I haven't explored, but if you are prepared to do some self directed learning, twitter can provide endless opportunities for professional development.

These are just a few of the other favourite things I've learned about through twitter.

http://www.codecademy.com

http://zombiebothq.com

http://www.literacyshed.com

http://colarapp.com

I can't recommend twitter highly enough as a tool for ongoing learning.

Blogging Meme


This is my first blog post for 2014, thanks to Marnel @1MvdS for tagging me in.

 I confess to being a 'lurker' on twitter, I always feel a bit surprised and flattered when anyone finds anything I have to share interesting or worthwhile. On the other hand twitter has been without doubt the best professional development for me. I have often 'eavesdropped' on your conversations and followed some of the links you provide. So thanks PLN; you've been great, and perhaps this year I could try to contribute more and lurk less.

The blogging task includes:

• Acknowledge the nominating blogger.
• Share 11 random facts about yourself.
• Answer the 11 questions the nominating blogger has created for you.
• List 11 bloggers.
• Post 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate to answer, and let all the bloggers know they have been nominated.  Don't nominate a blogger who has nominated you.

11 random facts about me:

1. I know that some people love to dance - I just don't  'get it.'
2. I wrote a children's picture book. "Elephant Trouble" was published by Reed Publishing in 2007. It is now out of print, but one day I'd like to attempt another.
3. I have lots of twins in my family. I am the mother, the sister and the aunty of twins. 
4. The most boring job I have ever had was working in supported employment. I helped a learning disabled person to gain a position in a hospital kitchen. Helping the disabled is a noble occupation, but supervising my client whilst she sorted cutlery was mind numbingly dull. Still, for all I know she might still be holding down a full time job at the Royal Darwin Hospital.
5. I am a beginning geo-cacher.
6. My first teaching job was at Chisnallwood Intermediate in Christchurch. I worked there for 8 years.
7. Pin-hole photography is a hobby that I share with my class. I transformed a classroom storage cupboard into a darkroom and we take photos using tin can cameras. 
8. I wrote and self published a book about pin-hole photography. You can see it here. 
9. I once found myself completely lost, in the middle of the night, in sub-zero temperatures in Beijing. 
10. I like Mexican food (also Chinese, Indian, Thai, Italian.) I guess I just like food!
11. I recently returned home from a wonderful family holiday in the South Island. I'd love to go back and explore some more.

My answers to Marnel's questions:

1. What Inspires you? Life. Life inspires me and sometimes I find inspiration in the most unexpected places. When I'm inspired to give something a go, I will usually follow it through to some sort of conclusion. (Although I'm still seeking the inspiration to clean the oven!) 
2. What are you reading now? The internet! Also 'The Luminaries'. I'm usually an avid reader, particularly of kids and Y.A books.
3. If you weren't a teacher, what would you do? Something creative. Maybe a potter, sculptor, florist or photographer.
4. If you could change something about the education system, what would it be? More funding. Also maybe insert a magical formula that would ensure that all teachers maintain their passion and motivation for teaching and learning.
5. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper and mailed it? I can't remember, it was a long long time ago. I have sent the occasional card.
6. Android or iPad tablets? Why? Love iPads. I have an android phone which I use all the time, but haven't used android tablets.
7. What do you find hardest to teach your students? Empathy, initiative, selflessness.
8. What will you be doing differently this year? I'm thinking of getting rid of my teacher desk and creating a stand-up desk / station instead. I want to spend more time sitting and working with and alongside the students instead of behind that big barrier.
9. If you could be fluent in any other language, what would it be and why did you choose this language? Chinese (Mandarin) I've been lucky enough to visit China twice. Once on a teacher scholarship where I spent a month with a great group of Kiwi teachers learning the basics of Chinese language and culture at Peking University. The second time was on a 12 day tour with a group of students from my school. I loved China and would go back again in a flash!
10. What is your favourite way to waste time? twitter, the internet, and I admit to having an unhealthy obsession with 'Candy Crush'
11. What is your life motto? Just do it.

I'm a little late getting this post done, so I'm not sure I can find 11 tweeps / bloggers who haven't already been tagged. I was thinking of you, but I'm sure you don't want to be tagged multiple times.

I tag: @HeatherGreaves3 @TaniaTS @missmatich @PiaMcKay @WhaeaKathryn @LifeOfChemistry @curlylines   @BridgetCasse  @cheryl_nichol


My 11 questions for you:

1. Why did you become a teacher?
2. What will you be doing differently this year?
3. What piece of advice would you give to your 16 year old self?
4. How do you like to spend your leisure time?
5. What is the title and author of a book that you like to read aloud to your class?
6. What is one place in the world that you would love to visit?
7. What do you love and / or hate about your job?
8. What is something that you specifically want to learn this year?
9. What fictional character from children's literature  is a bit like you and in what way?
10. What are your favourite kids' movies?
11. Do you really know where the apostrophe goes?


Thanks everyone.  You might like to add your response to this google doc and check out what other tweeps have to share.

To Blog or not to Blog...and why?

Thanks to my recent discovery of  the wonderful world of twitter I am now able to connect with many amazing teachers from around New Zealand and the world. Using twitter as a professional development and collaboration tool is a strategy that I can't recommend highly enough.

Then I noticed that a large number of 'twitter' teachers have amazing class or personal blogs. I  can envisage some of the benefits of creating a blog of professional reflections. (Maybe a class blog too, one day.)

After thinking about it for a while I have finally decided to give it a go.  So here it is...