#edchatnz Blogging Meme

Thank you Janna Brewster (@jannabrewsterNZ) for the tag in the #edchatNZ Blogging Meme!

If you get included in the blogging meme: copy/paste the questions and instructions into your own blog then fill out your own answers. Share on Twitter by tagging 5 friends and using #edchatnz. Make sure you send your answers back to whomever tagged you, too!


1. How did you attend the #edchatnz Conference? (Face 2 Face, followed online or didn’t)

I found out about the conference on Twitter of course and was so pleased I went.  I came away feeling really inspired and ready to put some of the ideas into practice.

2. How many others attended from your school or organisation?

Just me unfortunately, a few others would have liked to have come but were busy with the school’s production of Xanadu.

3.How many #edchatnz challenges did you complete?

I wasn’t very good at participating I’m sorry to say, I think I could have done with a visual prompt here and there.

4. Who are 3 people that you connected with and what did you learn from them?

One of the first people I met was Angela Lee @nzleeangela who told me about the Post-Grad Diploma she’s doing with Mindlab .  It sounds like a lot of fun and I’m envious I’m not able to attend.

I also connected with a dear friend and colleague Ros MacEachern @rosmaceachern, whose enthusiasm for teaching is always an inspiration to me.  I attended her workshop and learnt how we can work across departments regardless of our current systems.  Having listened to Ros, I’m really keen to make it happen and feel I may have the wherewithall to do so now.  Ros is a fabulous writer and her blog O Brave new School continues to motivate me and consider what is possible.

I was so impressed with Bron Stuckey’s @BronSt workshop on Cultivating Identity and Community Through Gamification and came away with my head full of ideas of things to try at school.  I especially liked the idea of using gaming to engage teachers into PLD and to use it to help develop relationships between teachers and students.

5. What session are you gutted that you missed?

I’m really sorry I missed the 3D printed workshops and the Solo Taxonomy there were a lot of good things on at the same time Saturday morning.  I hope the google doc agenda stays live because it has some useful links to refer to later on.

6. Who is one person that you would like to have taken to #edchatnz and what key thing would they have learned? 

My neighbour, teacher and long time friend Ria,  she would have been blown away by what some teachers are up to and even for her to see Hobsonville Secondary School would have been such a treat.  Ria is one of those teachers who gets on and does things.   She’s a natural teacher and really makes learning relevant for her students.

7. Is there a person you didn’t get to meet/chat with (F2F/online) that you wished you had? Why?

Yes, I would have loved to have been able to connect with Steve Mouldrey and heard how he creates curiosity amongst his students.  Thank goodness for the web links that continue long after the event has finished.

I would also liked to have touch base with KarenMelhuishSpencer @virtuallykaren just to met her in person.  She gave a fun upbeat presentation with some fascinating statistics, all a bit sad when you look at how many people follow Katy Perry as opposed to the world wild life fund.  There were some really good tips in there for nurturing our students to be globally aware citizens.

8. What is the next book you are going to read and why? 

Sitting beside my bed is Responsive Pedagogy by Margrain, V., and Macfarlane A.H., (2011).  Earlier this year I attended a one day workshop  titled ‘Restorative Justice Practice’ with Margaret Thorsborne.  It was a day well spent and I have used the process many times at my school.  I’m also studying a paper with Canterbury University this year called ‘Leadership for Learning’ and restorative practice was one of the change initiatives that informed my assignment.

9. What is one thing you plan to do to continue the Education Revolution you learned about at #edchatnz?

One thing I’ll be making a conscious effort to do is to stay connected to like minded individuals, I have had a habit of dropping out of the conversation when ‘life’ gets too busy but maybe it’s more about prioritising my time better.    I’m also feeling pretty committed to start integrating what I’ve been learning in the classroom.  I’ve been studying towards my Masters with Canterbury for the past four years on a part-time basis and now feel ready to gear up a level.

10. Will you take a risk and hand your students a blank canvas?

This is music to my ears, but making it work well puts me in a bit of a spin, which is why I’ve got to stay connected to hear and learn from other’s.  I have tried a number of times to stand aside and let the students instigate their own learning and while some students have ran with the idea many have been left floundering and not really knowing what to do.  It’s those ones that I need to support well.

I tag:

@belldogc

@rosmaceachern 

@virtuallykaren 

@nzleeangela 

@MissDtheTeacher