DFI Week 9

Today was the last day of my  DFI journey, what an absolute privilege it has been to be apart of this course. (Thank you Grey High and especially the English Department that allowed me one day a week for nine weeks to attend)  

Each week we broke off into smaller bubble groups and we started our day sharing what had worked well for us and also what we needed more help with going forward, my bubble buddies were Anna, Paul, Deb, Irene, Gabrielle, and our incredibly talented and very patient facilitator Vicki.  This group allowed me to learn at a pace that suited me.  I now have confidence in my ability to engage in a range of digital tools that Google suite offers.  I am so grateful for the rewindable learning that is readily available for future reference.

Vicki spoke to us about the structure of the exam and gave us a few hints - eg: the time frame for answering each question and to read each question carefully and follow the instructions ( I think I spent too much time reading the questions!) I was a bit uncomfortable sitting the exam but figured 'what have I got to lose' for me this course was learning about Google suites and how to use my chrome book more efficiently so that I can then help students.

Going forward I plan to use my new skills as often as I can and to complete my unfinished tasks from the 9-week course. I have set a goal for myself to try and blog weekly about the week that has been ( no pressure of course, as life, can often upset best-laid plans)  I also am going to look out for more courses that can help me help our amazing Grey High Students.

DFI Week 8

Exploring Coding

The above games were part of my create day..I used a site called Scratch (another first!!)  It was fun trying to create the above games but also a challenge.  Not sure if I have my instructions right - but at least I have managed to embed something!  Will continue to play around with this one until I feel comfortable in coding.  We started by picking our background, selecting our sprites (characters), then creating a maze by using lines.  The next part was to assign the codes..this is where I still need more work!!

Computational Thinking

Today was all about Computational thinking - concentrating on Empowerment (learners, teachers, and Whanau.) I for one fully understand the concept of feeling empowered - before doing this DFI course - I had very little knowledge of using google..I may not have fully grasped it all - but I certainly have learned enough to be able to encourage the learners I work with.  It made me realise that computational thinking is in everything we do - from buttering our toast in the morning to brushing our teeth at night before bed!..

Moral Machine

The hardest part of today was looking at scenaros of driverless cars and the .possible outcomes through choices.  I personally don't like making such black /white decisions (even if they are only scenaros!!)

I certainly hope I never have to make such decisions in real life!!