Today was my first day of DFI which is going to be run entirely online. Wow! It was pretty daunting to see my screen with 35-odd faces in front of me. I felt more comfortable turning my camera off - sorry! Dorothy began with a slide presentation of the origins of Manaiakalani and its kaupapa and pedagogy learn, create, share. After Venessa's presentation on Google Chrome, we then "slipped" out of the main hangout into our smaller "digital bubble groups" and introduced ourselves. I'm in Makaore's bubble group with Kylie, Kathleen, Pip, Kate and Lenore. I enjoyed these sessions as I am more comfortable asking a question in a smaller setting (less embarrassing).
We delved further into Chrome, setting up Google extensions, Google groups, Google Drive, Google Docs and professional blogging. I learnt some new terms such as "omni box", some effective ways to manage my Drive such as changing the names of folders to different colours and adding an * to my folder names so they are stored at the beginning in order to get quick access to those which I use often. I also learnt that once you allow someone permission to access your doc with the link, you can then drag that folder into another folder and it allows the same permission. I learnt how to access the voice typing tool which I think may be an effective way for students in my class to publish their stories rather than just the usual way with pencil and paper. I also learnt how to use the Explore tool in Docs and I learnt about a good font that helps you to read faster called Lexend (used in my infographic below).
So here's my learn, create, share for Day One! It's my infographic (modelled from Dorothy's one about trees). I was put on the spot and had no ideas what to create. Anyway it wasn't about presenting something pretty, but the purpose of the exercise was to practise the skills we'd been shown. I have gained a lot of new knowledge today which will improve my confidence, capability and workflow as a professional. I look forward to Day Two of DFI next week and exploring how I can further implement my new knowledge into my digital classroom.
Kia ora Michelle
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your blog as it reminded me of what we learnt only last Thursday and that I need to revisit to enforce learning. I have also been using the LEXEND font quite often and sharing with my colleagues the benefits of it as mentioned by Dorothy. I agree that it is great to break off into our smaller bubbles and am looking forward to another full-on day tomorrow. Ka kite, apopo.
Thanks for your lovely feedback on my professional blog, Pip. That is something I am also coming to grips with, sharing my thoughts and learning with others as I am more of a "behind the scenes" person. It was great to meet you (digitally) too.
DeleteKia ora anō Michelle,
ReplyDeleteIt was great to meet you (digitally) during our first DFI last week. Yes, the first online professional development of this size is quite daunting, but I am positive that after the second session it will become quite normal. The Lexend font was new to me as well, so I am now trying to make a conscious effort to use it when I am creating resources.
Ngā mihi nui
Nā Makaore
Kia ora Makaore, great to meet you (digitally) too! Thanks for your feedback on my professional blog. Funny, that Lexend font does not appeal to me AT ALL so I will be having to remind myself to use it. I tend to choose the aesthetically pleasing fonts or the fonts that look like kids' writing.
ReplyDeleteĀe! Lexend isn't the most visually appealing font, and to be honest I have only used it once so far. Lol! But I will continue to make an attempt to use it.
DeleteKia Ora Michelle,
ReplyDeleteYour post is way more comprehensive than my entry and if you do not mind i made a link to your's for any one that needs more information. You summarised our day's journey in a great way. Thanks for sharing. Remember it is all about "Learn,Create Share"