Connection, Collaboration, Co-construction - What We Do

Yesterday morning when I woke up, I started to think about what I needed to do for the week ahead. One task was to plan a staff meeting which would move the staff on in their thinking about the power of blogging.
Before I even threw back the sheets, I reached for my smart phone and sent a request out to my PLN: "Collecting wise "whys" about #blogging for staff mtg; with kids, as reflection, as eportfolios. Can you help? Links apprec. Use hashtag & RT."

Tweets came in over the next 24 hours as people read and retweeted. I connected with some great global bloggers. My Twitter connections even sent me their own presentations by Dropbox (@nlouwrens)and email (@BeLchick1) Wow!

Stephanie Thompson then encapsulated my thoughts in a blog post of her own: http://traintheteacher.wordpress.com/2013/08/25/weekly-reflection-the-value-of-connections/

So thanks PLN and thank goodness for the technologies that help me connect.  I can mull over a problem, debate an issue, fill a hole in my knowledge, share a success, share a problem.  And all before I get up in the morning!

Digital Discoveries - A PRT reflective blog at my school

It's great to see a PRT being systematic about her reflection; it shows me up! However we are all akonga, so should learn from each other.

My aim is to tag my blog posts with Registered Teacher Criteria; a good idea I think for blog posts with students where you could tag OTJ evidence. I took a sample lesson for this teacher. I had a detailed WALT - not something I'd do with the kids, but I explained to the PRT that I was showing her the things that she needed to work out about where her students were at. Her blog post includes a list of what I did and the students' reflections:

  http://missdownard.blogspot.co.nz/2013/08/introduction-lesson-for-fractions.html?m=1

Created with Padlet

We've had a debrief now, where we talked about where to next.

• She has given them some snapshot questions to see where they are at on the fraction continuum. 
• We've talked about differentiating learning activities need to be focussed on learning, not just fun. We as learners do not like going over stuff we already feel we're experts at; this young teacher said it herself at last night's staff meeting! 
• Has she thought about that with the activities she's planned for them? 

I'm practising my facilitative questioning - all part of my learning journey too!

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