My Space and My Place

Using VTaL to track Student Achievement in DigiTech

I’ve recently adapted the tracking sheet in my Senior DigiTech class to reflect the credit goals for senior subjects, and to align with the Kamar NCEA Statistics Summary used to discuss student achievement in meetings with the Senior Leadership Team.

The colour codes within the tracking sheet represent the following:

	Standard has been completed, marked, achieved, moderated, published in Kamar
	Standard has been marked, is awaiting final date entries, and moderation
	Standard is not yet complete
	Standard has not been started

The Student Standard Data Update tracking sheet is shared with students.  There are more comprehensive details included in the actual tracking sheet, such as NSN Numbers, Student Names etc.  For this reason, that particular tracking sheet is not fully ‘visible’ and embedded into my subject site.  However, the tracking sheet (including the one linked from the image in this post), includes hyperlinks to Class Task Lists (Tracking Sheets) for each standard, which IS visible in my subject site.

Profiling DigiTech Students

• Multi-Level - The Student Standard Date Update tracking sheet also shows that the class is multi-level; made up of students undertaking NCEA Level 3, NCEA Level 2 and NCEA Level 1.  
• Multi-Ability - As well as being multi-level, students within each level also achieve at various ability levels.  This is why the benefits of being able to differentiate using VTaL is particularly important in terms of meeting the learning needs of all students.  
• Prior Knowledge - Of the twenty two students on the class roll, only three of those students took Senior DigiTech in the previous year.  The greatest cohort of students to join the class without prior knowledge from the previous year, is twelve Level 2 students.  This is why previous years of student exemplars shared in the DigiTech Google+ communities is particularly effective, in terms of helping to guide student learning.  
• Attendance to DigiTech - Eleven students have 90+% attendance per week, five students have 80+% attendance per week, two students have 70+% attendance per week, two students have 60+% attendance per week, and two students have 30+% attendance per week.  In addition to this, three students arrived at different times during the year from overseas, and joined the class.  Student attendance and student start dates impact on student learning and student achievement.

Using VTaL Student Standard Data Updates to Identify Interventions

The Student Standard Data Updates visually shows a snapshot of where students are achieving at.  This information is used in one-to-one conversations between myself and students to identify student needs in terms of progressing forward in the project (and standard).  It is essentially a Formative Assessment Tool, with levels of hyperlinks to progress within a standard, as well as individual student progress.  The students can see how many credits each standard is worth, and a cumulative total of the number of credits achieved and required to gain a minimum number of credits within DigiTech.  This includes a breakdown of the credits offered in class time, and doesn’t include the credits and standards offered through our IT partners, Fusion IT and Techtorium.

Term 4 is going to be crunch time for the students!  Every day counts, every lesson counts.  So does ensuring that formative feedback is turned over quickly, is kept up to date, and accessible to the students!

What does the Google Sites Feedback from Tech Students say?

I delivered this presentation to staff during Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, to outline ways in which staff could apply cultural responsiveness with regards to pronouncing student names correctly.  Whilst the presentation was delivered during Māori Language Week, the concepts around cultural responsiveness apply to students, staff and whānau of any background or ethnicity.

What is the Purpose of a Google Site?

A Snapshot of Visible Teaching and Learning

Visible Learning

What works best for visible learning

Teaching and Learning Audiences

Understanding User Flow

Principles of Design for Websites

• Colour Schemes - The following research materials shows the significance, importance or relevance of colour schemes in a website: https://goo.gl/ciuxJG https://goo.gl/ZUCyBc https://goo.gl/WRpTcA

• Design Features (Background Colours, Shapes, Symbols etc) - The following research materials shows the significance, importance or relevance of design features in a website: https://goo.gl/eKJaa1 https://goo.gl/nvykjv https://goo.gl/pk7t5o

• Dimensions (Size, Layout etc)  - The following research materials shows the significance, importance or relevance of dimensions in a website: https://goo.gl/tiSLnE https://goo.gl/vEmhhQ https://goo.gl/yQiC8Y

• Typography (Font Styles etc) - The following research materials shows the significance, importance or relevance of typography in a website: https://goo.gl/PwL2HD  https://goo.gl/jpf5hx https://goo.gl/iH8YEU

• Digital Features (Links, Buttons, Animations etc) - The following research materials shows the significance, importance or relevance of digital features in a website: https://goo.gl/WoxGcq https://goo.gl/R7RhF1 https://goo.gl/Ym6qAQ

Google Site Development

Issues and Variances with Subject Google Sites

• Sites are not Public and Visible
• Vertical navigation bar instead of horizontal navigation bar
• Year levels combined in the Tabs eg. Junior, Intermediates, Senior etc
• Sites are not identifiable by 'Subject' with 'Teacher Name'
• Pages with absolutely no content in them
• Learning Area landing pads with a variety of different link features that navigates to Subject Sites eg. Tabs (with names), Buttons, Photos or Images
• Navigation tools (tabs, buttons, text) can't actually be read or seen
• Light text on light backgrounds, and, dark text on dark backgrounds
• Subject Site Home Page (landing page) that doesn't include Year Level Tabs
• Embedded Calendars that are not public
• Embedded Calendars that are public but have no information in the calendar
• Embedded documents, sheets, drawings etc that are not public
• Embedded documents, sheets, drawings etc that are public but have no information in them
• Out of date content eg. 2016, 2015 etc
• Links that don't actually redirect to the location that the link says that it will link to
• Sites where the home page is jam packed with so many links, images, buttons, background features etc, that it is actually difficult to know what to click on to navigate anywhere and use the site
• Links that go nowhere
• Name variances in navigation links and/or within website titles eg. Mr Ricky Baker, Ricky Baker, Mr Baker etc
• So many buttons in the navigation bar, that the navigation bar takes up at least half of the home page
• Classic Google Site Design and New Google Site Design, or, a combination of both Site Designs together
• No actual teaching and learning resources within the site

Future Focus

• Authentic Feedback of Subject Sites (within learning areas and across learning areas eg. Peer Review, and with other authentic audiences)

• Consultation with Students and Student Feedback to see which websites are easiest to navigate and use

• Consultation with Parents to see what they consider to be user-friendly attributes within Subject Sites.  Perhaps forming a 'Think Tank' based on the parent base who provided feedback from the Student Parent Conferences, and offering incentives to these parents for their participation in the consultation process

• Consult with Staff to gain an understanding of why staff are developing Subject Sites in the way in which they are.  Identify solutions that enables consistent website design to be applied across the entire school, and integrating teaching and learning resources within effective web design guidelines

• Consult with Expert Web Designers to gain advice on appropriate web design methodology

• Consultation within Leadership of the desired web design attributes for all Subject Sites.  

• Subject Site Template to make redevelopment easier for staff who are struggling to meet the Google Site Baseline Expectations

• Develop a Google Site Framework that is the overarching design of the entire structure of the Subject Sites, starting from the entry point via the school's website, through to the Class/Subject Area Websites home page.

2017 Parent Survey

Recently I had discussions with some Tamaki College Parents at the Subject Pathways Evening and Student Parent Conference Days, about accessing their child's learning online.  The following photos are of one of our parents, Melisa Vili, in conversation with me about VTaL Visible Teaching and Learning.

Survey Findings

Next Steps

I had the pleasure of meeting with Natasha Taylor, parent of Lukis Taylor in Year 9, at the Student Parent Conferences.  Natasha wanted to know what Lukis's progress looked like in DigiTech, and so we had the discussion based on information that was available in my DigiTech with Ms Anderson subject site for Year 9 Student Academic Progress.



Natasha was delighted to see what Luki's progress looks like in class so far.  Here are a few comments about what Natasha had to say:

"OMG he's doing work".
"It's nice having good feedback from teachers".
"The colours are so clear.  It's pretty obvious what the colours mean.  Green means he's doing work.  Red means students haven't done anything.  Kind of like how marking is always done in red pen, so you know something isn't right".

As a teacher, it is really enlightening to see how transparent and useful the colour codes are in the tracking sheets and class lists for parents and students.  Natasha was really keen to catch up with Lukis and commend him on the information she'd just learnt about his progress in class.