Extending the Extension Class

I teach all of Year 10 Health for the Jumpstart programme, and then will do in 2017, so I have 6 classes I teach the same lesson. However, the ideas, knowledge and critical thinking levels of each class is always very different. Check out some of the cool things the extension class blew me away with, and my challenge going forward... 

Coding to Game

This morning's task was to create a game through the website Code.org, a non-profit organisation which encourages people to develop their own games through coding. This is called The Hour of Code.

There are various options available for people from all ability levels, from a simple drag and drop box, to more complex jargon such as Javascript. This would be great for students interested in coding and gaming! Prior to creating games, there are various steps to complete to scaffold the learner, as well as an intro in the jargon. There is a great sense of accomplishment when you achieve the tasks set!

I was disappointed when Google Sites took away the option to HTML code, as I enjoyed manipulating the code to produce a site page/interface, so maybe this could be the way I get my coding fix!

Unfortunately, my field does not align very heavily with this application, so I am unsure of the opportunities I may have to use it. However, I do wonder whether I could create something related to the body. For instance, my Seniors are completing and evaluating training programmes, so I may be able to use a training programme through a game sense to teach acute and chronic responses to exercise by creating a body the user interacts with.

I am interested to think and explore further with this idea for the future!

Water Safety Update

I have been super busy as of late with six million things, as I am sure every teacher can appreciate! But I still have water safety at the back of my mind and the unit development for Term 4. Please ignore my "ums" and the internet dropping out etc, this was just supposed to be an intro/update to how I envisage the unit to look. 

I did not mention that in addition to the use of the site, there will be in pool sessions. After a theory lesson around one of the topics, there will be a pool session to put what the students learn into practice. I hope this will increase student confidence of how to be safe, and how to keep others safe in, near and around the water.

Check out my site here, and let me know if you want/need any more information. I will upload my lesson plans for the theory and pool sessions later in the year!

Sharing What I See

This morning I have created my first screencast, focusing on my site in Year 9 Social Studies. A screencast is a useful way to communicate and share ideas, presentations and so on. For teachers, screencasting can be useful to share tools, lessons, units and activities other teachers have created for their learners. 

The main component of our screencast was to share with the world how we incorporate the Manaiakalani pedagogy of visible learning to create strong learner agency, through Learn, Create, Share. This is helpful for others to gain an understanding of the Manaiakalani framework, and demonstrates how it is embedded within classrooms. 

Other teachers from MDTA use their sites more frequently with their hubs, learning spaces, syndicates and so on, so if you want to learn more I would suggest visiting some of their blogs to watch their screencasts (see links on the left column of my blog).

I am busy this week developing my Water Safety unit for Term 4, and look forward to using my new knowledge of how to screencast through QuickTime Player, to share my creation. 

To learn more about screencasting, visit the Manaiakalani Digital Immersion site.