Today in DFI we began by looking closely at the Manaiakalani kaupapa of Empowerment, the advancing of Rangatiratanga; of taking back control of their own lives.
Thinking about how we use devices and that devices are not "just a tool." It is about overcoming barriers of distance and time (NCZ) We have spent the past 8 weeks unlocking the digital tools required to make learning more engaging to the students.
The things that disempower families and our students; money, rental properties, landlords, health, education etc. All these things are out of our control as teachers, what things can we control to make the difference?
Becoming digital for our families was in a sense giving them the tools to take control and be empowered.
This week we looked very closely at computational thinking. The way we looked at different digital tools made me realise how much scope there is in both literacy and numeracy for student engagement.
I had a play using Lightbot which I can immediately see many benefits in both literacy and numeracy; following or giving instructions, using direction.
Next I used Gamefroot to help create my mihi. I enjoyed this very much, I was able to troubleshoot when the game would not go any further, it was interesting seeing how one tiny mistake could cause the whole game to cease working and to find where I had gone wrong and fix it myself. Troubleshooting as a complete novice gave me a sense of accomplishment that the students would enjoy I think.
Lightbot
Kia ora Irene,
ReplyDeleteYou are right, error detection and debugging can be so satisfying, for teachers and learners especially if it is something new to us. And yes, there are such strong links between literacy, numeracy and computational thinking. Do you think you could tie this in to your programme at all? Your mihi looks great! Ka pai!
Vicki