"Leaders become great, not because of their power, but because of their ability to empower others" -John Maxwell.

Week 7: Mind lab post grad studies 

Ata Marie. This morning we kicked the lesson off by looking at this question. Is there such a thing as a digital tattoo? How does it affect students and teachers?
(Social Media)

We also looked at:
Is there a difference between digital citizenship and cyber safety?
Digital Citizenship: A digital citizen refers to a person utilizing information technology (IT) in order to engage in society, politics, and government participation

Cyber Safety: Cyber safety is the safe and responsible use of information and communication technology. It is about keeping information safe and secure, but also about being responsible with that information, being respectful of other people online, and using good 'netiquette' (internet etiquette).

We then went onto discussion about what tools we can use to facilitate online discussions. Here are some that we came up with in class as per below:

1. Second life
2. edmodom 
3. facebook, 
4. world warcraft in schools.
5.  G+
6. todaysmeet
7.  Blogger.
8. google docs,
9.  Disqus.

Some of these tools were new to me as I had not used them before, but am looking forward to trialing them out.

We then talked about Why would you want to lead an online discussion? Some of the ideas that came up in class regarding this topic were:

-Saves record of  your discussion.
-If you are not confident in speaking face to face then you are more comfortable in sharing your ideas and thoughts online.
-You get more hits about a topic online through people.

Some other information that I found regarding this topic while exploring and researching were:

1. Students are more likely to utilize critical thinking skills

Students to read other perspectives and carefully consider a response.

 • Online interaction allows for further discussion of a topic. It also provides students with “think time” to reflect on course material and post more thought-out comments to the discussion board.

 • Students and instructors often think of comments or questions after the lecture and can post them and discuss these inquiries online. •

 Students expand their personal knowledge-base through the back-and-forth engagement and interaction with other classmates sharing insights, perspectives, points-of-view, as well as their personally held information and knowledge. 

• Effective forum topics are open-ended and designed to encourage students to take a position on issues. To respond to a forum topic requires organized thought and synthesis of concepts introduced in class. If a student's views were challenged, he or she typically adds carefully considered reasons to back up previous comments. 

• Because the forum discussions occur completely online, students have the flexibility to add their input when they are prepared. Some choose to answer questions immediately, while others prefer to consider the responses of others first. Undergraduate students are often much more comfortable discussing topics online after reading the viewpoints of the more experienced students. Students are encouraged to revisit past topics during the course, as their opinions changed.

• Students participate more regularly and in a more thoughtful manner than they would normally do in a face to-face instructional setting, especially in large-enrollment classes.
• Students develop a stronger class community.
• Students are more likely to cite research and class readings
• Students achieve greater cognitive and exploratory learning.
• Students benefits from more individualized learning without instructors having to provide individualized instruction.
• Students have a greater sense of race and gender-based equality.

(from http://www.marquette.edu/ctl/_documents/Reasons-to-Use-Online-Discussions.pdf)

We then went onto leading online discussions. Here are some aspects that we came up with:

• Set guidelines
• Make connections
• Challenge students to think critically
• Encourage participation. 
• Praise discussion posts. 
• Guide conversations back to the question at hand. 
• Use real world experiences. 
• Hesitate before interjecting.

We then looked at what is a wicked problem?

A Wicked problem is a problem that is difficult or impossible to solve.

We then went onto a collaborative task that we did in groups. We looked at what is a wicked problem that we have encountered in our practice? We were then asked to create a mess map on a sheet of A4 paper regarding this topic.  Here is our groups messy map that we created together.
We had some fantastic and deep critical discussions regarding our wicked problem.  Our wicked problem was on Mobility (movement) in terms of target children's achievements in education.



We then looked at Distributed leadership-What are the key aspects of Distributed leadership. Below I have included a couple of images that represent what distributed leadership is.

My understanding of what distributed leadership is that Distributed leadership is primarily concerned with the practice of leadership rather than specific leadership roles or responsibilities. It equates with shared, collective and extended leadership practice that builds the capacity for change and improvement. The emphasis is upon interdependent interaction and practice rather than individual and independent actions associated with those with formal leadership roles or responsibilities. So in summary, it is about collaboration. It is where groups work together rather than having one central leader. 
Google work blog

We then went onto looking at Flipped classroom and what is involves. This was very interesting to myself as again this term was new to me so it was very interesting to find out what a flipped classroom is all about.  I have included a video below about what this involves.

Here is a blog on a flipped classroom.
blog on flipped classroom . In this blog it talks about WSQ tool. This means, Watch, Summarize and Question.  This tool helps teachers to;

1. Organize content and materials.
2. Hold students accountable for actually watching. 
3. Give structured processing time. 
4. Gather feedback from students. 
5. Prepare for and facilitate discussion among students during class time. 

It gives teaching and learning more meaning and also makes it more purposeful. As students are NOT just watching a video, they are critically thinking and deep learning is taking place. I cant wait to use this in my classroom. 

We then went onto the blended learning task. 

Blended Task 1 

1. In small groups, briefly explore the 4 rotation models
2. What are the relative benefits and constraints of each type of rotation?
3. Select one of the models to use next.
4. Before moving on, we will share our insights into our chosen models. 

Blended task #3

Create an amazing blended lesson using your digital lesson tool (blend space, TED-ED, EDpuzzle , or another similar tool) appropriate for your rotational model.

We looked at blended learning tools which were new to me and was very exciting to explore. I can really see the children in my class engaged in their learning using these tools.

I have included an example of a lesson on Empathy using EDPuzzle which was done with Jane, my colleague from Mind lab.
 Lesson on Empathy using EDpuzzle. -Click on the link to view the lesson.

I also went home that day and thought I would explore these blended learning tools more and so I designed a lesson plan using another tool called Tes teach on the water cycle. I honestly. had a lot of fun creating these lessons and I know my children would really enjoy working through them as they are meaningful, interactive and purposeful.

Here is the link to my water cycle lesson plan-Click on the link and view my lesson plan on the water cycle.

Overall, I found week 7 of the mind lab session very very useful and I felt that I have learnt a lot that I can take back to my classroom and implement in my classroom.