I’m currently experimenting with the ways in which students can ‘share’ and the reasons behind why I would want them to use different methods of sharing. I’m looking at doing this by attempting to keep the workload of ‘sharing’ to a minimum, but also by integrating the ‘share’ concepts together.

The following is a link which includes an explanation of portfolios and how portfolios can be used to share student learning http://elearning.tki.org.nz/Teaching/Assessment/e-Portfolios.

Student Subject Sites

Template sites can be set up at each level for each subject. The subject teacher and/or department, develops a template site that students can use for that particular subject and for that particular year. The site can be as detailed or as general as desired. A detailed site is a site that would have navigational buttons that link to standards or assessments, and within those assessment links, a breakdown of the tasks or evidence associated with that assessment.

Students can make a copy of that template site. Students then make the site public to view and can start embedding work into the site. It helps if the student shares the link with classroom teachers to collate class lists of links into one place, as shown with 2017 DigiTech Portfolios.

This year I have trialled the use of Student Site templates with all year levels, including Year 7 and Year 8 students from Manaiakalani schools who attend Tamaki College for Technology. Here are a couple of examples of Technology Subject Sites used with Year 7 and Year 8 students this year:

Some examples of how and why Student Sites can be used include:

Visually showcasing student work (according to a project or assessment) for the purpose of parent conferences, career conversations
Job interviews or tertiary interviews/scholarship opportunities whereby students need to showcase their work according to a specific industry
External moderation by including evidence of work according to specific assessments or standards

The following is an example of a Level 3 DigiTech Subject Site created by Leroy Pohatu in 2016. Click on the image to navigate to the portfolio, and view his work.

The following is a clip of Ilalio Vai showing us how he has used a Technology Site this year in class.

Student Blogs

Students who have arrived at Tamaki College from primary schools within the Manaiakalani Cluster have been blogging throughout their years at primary school. The students post and blog about different aspects of their learning, and reflect on their learning. Students are able to label their posts according to particular topics, which enables the posts to be grouped and easily located or navigated to within the blog. The posts enable authentic audiences to read and comment on the individual student’s work and learning journey.

Some examples of how and why Student Blogs can be used include:

Students connecting with authentic audiences on particular topics which can be categorised using labels
Students reflecting on their learning, and sharing their reflections with blog readers
Students using their reflections and viewer comments to progress forward with next steps in the learning process
Live feed and total views can be included in the blogs, alongside other gadgets, that enables feedback to be displayed on blog views etc.

Blog for Fraidon Wali from Panmure Bridge School

Blog for Lepote Aholelei from Tamaki College

Google+ Communities

I have posted earlier about Using Sharing and Communities to Motivate Learners. Some examples of how and why Google+ Communities can be used include:

Multiple students posting work into a community portal about the same topic or context
Students locating similar examples of peer work, and using the exemplars to guide their own learning
Students learning from the comments and feedback that they provide to their peers about next steps forward
Students learning from the comments and feedback posted by their peers on either their work, or the work of other students

The following is a clip of Sione Havea and Lisiate Pau'uvale showing us how they use Google+ communities to share and learn from examples of work posted under various categories, as well as the benefit of commenting for students and peers.

Portfolio - The Main Landing Pad

I envisage that a really useful tool, for students, parents, teachers, tertiary providers, employers and other members of the community, is the use of an overall Student Portfolio, that communicates student learning for the benefit of a multitude of different audiences, depending on the purpose.

Currently in Year 9 and Year 10, the students are using a ‘Future Pathway Planning’ site, which includes information about their career aspirations, skills, personal characteristics etc. There is the real potential for a site such as this, to be the main landing pad for Student Sites and the Student Blogs, that digitally captures the learning and reflections throughout their entire secondary and primary education, according to specific career pathways. The possibilities are endless. It is just a case of developing a cohesive and efficient process to enable the 'sharing' to take place at this depth and level.

Integrating the ‘Share’ Process together

Whilst I have given examples of various ways of sharing, based around visually showcasing student work in a website format using Student Sites, connecting with audiences for individual reflection using Student Blogs, connecting with audiences across communities for a broad range and access to exemplars using Google+ Communities, and combining the various 'share' tools into a landing pad, the process by which this occurs needs to be made as efficient as possible, in order for the overall purpose of sharing at this level to be worthwhile and sustainable.

I haven't achieved this yet with my students, but am experimenting with the process myself.

Actions to consider in order to make this work!

There are many tiers to the 'bigger picture' of sharing at this level. Here are some of the actions that would be required in order to make this work:

A shared understanding of the various types of 'share' within this model
Staff buy-in to the 'share' model at this level
Staff capability around developing and using Student Subject Site templates with students; including embedding tasks and ensuring that the site and all tasks are public and visible
Student blogs working properly when students start at Tamaki College in Year 9. In my experience, the barriers that this has caused in terms of enabling blogging to continue when students arrive at Tamaki College, has been hugely problematic
Students being taught appropriate layout styles for sites, including use and choice of fonts, colour schemes, image choices for backgrounds etc
Consistent Subject Site template designs to be used across all subject areas. More so in terms of enabling access to information to be the same regardless of the subject site.
Consistent expectations of the frequency by which 'sharing' takes place across all subjects.

These are just a few actions for consideration. Much to ponder if 'sharing' at this level is going to be put into place to further engage student learning and promote student achievement.

No Comments

In response to a query from Georgia, about the effectiveness of the use of the Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] with students of varying ability levels and behavioural issues, I will attempt to answer the query from experiences that I have had with my own classes. Essentially, if the Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] are set up correctly, and feedback is maintained on a regular basis, the Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] are useful and suitable for ALL students, regardless of ability level.

Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] - Features and Attributes

The usefulness of the Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] comes down to a few important variables:

The information that the tracking sheet is reporting on eg. learning activities, specific criteria etc
The clarity of the information in the Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists]
The frequency by which the Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] are updated
The frequency by which the Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] are referred to throughout lessons
The accessibility of the Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] to students as well as the teacher
How the information in the Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] eg. visual feedback, is being used to enable students to progress onto the next tasks

So, if the Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] include clear information about the criteria or tasks that contribute towards a standard, assessment or task being completed, the Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] are updated regularly (at least once a week is manageable), the Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] are referred to regularly in class (‘regularly’ is debatable as there’s a fine line between not enough and overkill!), the Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] are accessible and ‘visible’, then, the Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] can be set up in a way that enables students to progress forward.

Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] and Colour Codes

I tend to use green (complete), orange (work in progress, or criteria not quite met), and red (task not started) as the colour codes for students to use and track where they are at. At this point I have to be very clear about the fact that a colour coded tracking sheet does not guarantee that students will complete assessments, and finish work. The Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] are a tool that enables teachers and students to make informed decisions about where a student is at, and what needs to happen in order for the student to progress forward.

Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] and other Teaching Strategies

Student motivation over an entire class increases if there are a lot of GREENS displayed across many tasks for a wide range of students. The opposite occurs when there are huge clusters of REDS displayed across the entire class. Student motivation diminishes. Whilst the design of the Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] (in conjunction with other VTaL tools such as Google+ communities, learning activities etc) enables many types of differentiation to occur in class, the colour coded feedback should provide feedback to the classroom teacher that other interventions may be required to assist students to progress forward. For example, I wouldn’t keep progressing forward with learning activities, if I’m loading column after column after column of REDS against particular learning activities. Clearly, other teaching strategies need to be applied to enable the reds to turn to greens. A page of reds is demoralising.

Junior Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] for DigiTech

I approach the design of the junior Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] quite differently to the design of the senior Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists]. This is based on the students needing to complete a Technology project with a DigiTech focus over the course of a semester. In Technology, within the design process, sometimes there are tasks that I can afford to skip in order to progress into the next stage. Therefore, I list the learning activities within the Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] according to their name and stage in the design process, eg. Design Ideas, Conceptual Designs etc. I used to list the tasks according to activity eg. Activity 1, Activity 2, Activity 3 etc. However, if I ended up skipping activities (due to time, and the fact that we could afford to skip that activity in the design process), it would look weird and confusing to students to see Activity 1, Activity 5, Activity 6, Activity 11 etc, in the tracking sheet.

Original Junior Tracking Sheet

Revised Junior Tracking Sheet

Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] and Hyperlinks (also included in Calendar Events, and Project Instructions)

I also include hyperlinks within the Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] to tasks and/or learning activities. The same hyperlinks are also included in the calendar events, learning activities and project instructions. The reason why the hyperlinks appear in multiple locations, is dependant on which resource the student is accessing at the time to progress with their work. You really have to think as a student thinks in order to understand the logic of why the hyperlinks are in so many locations. When the student logs into my site, and accesses the calendar, the hyperlinked learning activity, navigates the student to the task according to today’s date. When the student accesses the tracking sheet and sees that a task needs to be completed because it is in orange, a hyperlink to the learning activity is included at the top of the column. The student doesn’t need to exit the tracking sheet and try to locate the previous task; they just need to click on the hyperlink within the tracking sheet to go back to the work that needs to be completed. If a student is looking at the project instructions to get an overview of the project, there are hyperlinks to the learning activities, according to each instruction.

Level 2 : 25655 Create a Website : Class Task Sheet

DIGT Year 10 Calendar w Hyperlinks to Learning Activities and Class Tasklists

Senior Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] for DigiTech

For Senior DigiTech, students are working through and completing standards; which includes all of the criteria that needs to be met. Some of the activities have multiple criteria that needs to be met. Therefore, the Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] are set up according to activities eg. Activity 1, Activity 2 etc. The students use the standard tracking sheet to see which activities they have completed. However, they use their own checklists, to monitor which criteria they have met within each activity.

Senior DigiTech Project Class Task List

Senior DigiTech Class 2017 - Student Standard Checklists

Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] and Student - Teacher Conversations

In Senior DigiTech, we use the Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] to have student-teacher conversations around next steps in the project. We discuss where the student is at within an activity and particular tasks, what needs to occur to progress forward, and what the student will do next. Essentially, the Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] are guiding the learning process forward, which students find useful in terms of feedback and feedforward.

Senior DigiTech : Student - Teacher Conversations

Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] and Student Collaboration

Something that I had not anticipated, when I started developing the Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] 4-5 years ago, is how students would start using the tracking sheet information. Students started to identify and self-group according to where others were in the class. Students who were on red or orange, and who could see that one of their mates was on green, would start having discussions with that student about what they needed to do in order to progress forward. I did not set the discussion up, students did this themselves. Or, instead of talking to that student, they might just go into the relevant Year Level community, to view the exemplar of what their class mate had completed that met the criteria, and used the exemplar to guide their own learning. I did set up the communities for this purpose, so it was great to see that the communities were and are useful to the students for the intended purpose. Another way that the students were and are using the Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] to self group and collaborate, is by seeing which class mates are at the same or similar level as them in the class. They would then have conversations with their peers, get feedback or guidance from them, and continue working on their particular learning activity.

Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] and Mixed Ability Levels

As mentioned in the previous paragraph, the Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] have a lot of scope in terms of student agency, and also in terms of how teachers use the tracking sheet feedback to apply other teaching strategies and interventions. The Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] are an excellent guide of knowing where each student is at, and where they need to progress to. However, the Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] themselves are just a guide. The Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] are made more powerful, when used in conjunction with other learning tools eg. project instructions, learning activities etc, and that all of the learning tools are visible to both the teacher and the students at all times. If the learning activities are set up for engagement, and to enable students to achieve, then students will be motivated to learn. Linking the learning activities to the tracking sheets is what enables student progress to be communicated back to the students.

Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] - What’s Important?

As mentioned previously, Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] are only useful if they are up to date. I find keeping them up to date on a weekly basis, a manageable process. They are also only useful if they are accessible and visible, which is why embedding the sheets into subject sites is a great idea.

Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] - Tips and Tricks

As mentioned, I hyperlink learning activities into the sheets.
I upload a Student Number into the sheets and email these numbers through to the students. This keeps the student information anonymous to anyone who doesn’t know the student.
Each week I make a duplicate of the sheet eg. Week 1, Week 2 etc. This enables progress to be monitored over a particular timeframe. If a student hasn’t progressed from Week 1 to Week 3, then some pretty interesting discussions need to be had with that student!

Hopefully this information is useful, and hopefully it answers the original questions I was asked.

The Benefits of VTaL Class Task Lists and Tracking Sheets - So what do the Students have to say?

The Benefits of VTaL Class Task Lists and Tracking Sheets - What do Teachers have to say?

No Comments

My Space and My Place

https://youtu.be/m5e3cDP85OU

Visibility and Clarity of Instructions

Who does this Moonshot project involve?

Who are the Who?

Original Stakeholders

NEW Stakeholders

Content for the Tool - Stakeholder Feedback

Tool Design

Next Steps

Connecting

Design Thinking- Experimentation

Ed Tech Summit

Name : Hinerau Anderson

Connecting with Inquiry Frameworks

Student Subject Sites

Student Blogs

Google+ Communities

Portfolio - The Main Landing Pad

Integrating the ‘Share’ Process together

Actions to consider in order to make this work!

Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] - Features and Attributes

Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] and Colour Codes

Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] and other Teaching Strategies

Junior Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] for DigiTech

Original Junior Tracking Sheet

Revised Junior Tracking Sheet

Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] and Hyperlinks (also included in Calendar Events, and Project Instructions)

DIGT Year 10 Calendar w Hyperlinks to Learning Activities and Class Tasklists

Senior Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] for DigiTech

Senior DigiTech Project Class Task List

Senior DigiTech Class 2017 - Student Standard Checklists

Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] and Student - Teacher Conversations

Senior DigiTech : Student - Teacher Conversations

Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] and Student Collaboration

Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] and Mixed Ability Levels

Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] - What’s Important?

Tracking Sheets [Class Task Lists] - Tips and Tricks

The Benefits of VTaL Class Task Lists and Tracking Sheets - So what do the Students have to say?

The Benefits of VTaL Class Task Lists and Tracking Sheets - What do Teachers have to say?

About Me

recent posts

Blog Archive

VTaL

Presentations

Inquiry

Manaiakalani

Tamaki College

Practicing Teacher Criteria

General

Contact Form

Total Pageviews