Ngā Matapakinga | Discussion

If you like Jeremy Kubica's blog and his three books, you may also enjoy Linda Liukas' Hello Ruby or Carlos Bueno's Lauren Ipsum. They are all fantasy stories for young people that contain metaphors or allusions to concepts from computer science.

I did this the same way as Tessa. I hadn't heard this waiata before so I followed the numbers on the code, 66,44,66  then mirrored the next pattern by changing it to 71, 69, 71. It sounded better this way but I wasn't sure if I was right or not.

Nice observations @James.Robson, I agree a video worth sharing for so many reasons.

Sometimes an authentic context comes together so well and really works and other times we're stuck for good ideas...somewhere in there sharing great ideas for authentic contexts is also going to help with integrating DDDO and CT. After all, that just looks like so much fun!

You're so right @Laura.Butler2 and Clive! I think it's timely to have well-rounded discussions about this space with our kids. Who makes the decisions? Who will they benefit? How do we know if the decisions are moral, ethical, just and fair?  

As we face an increasing amount of global issues/wicked problems, then the effective use of AI may well help the human condition...just like this Microsoft AI advertisement I found myself being drawn to...

This could become part of a localised electric garden project Laura for your juniors - tracking the growth of plants etc.  https://www.electricgarden.nz/about-us/

Long term, interesting to be aware of the potential implications of Artificial Intelligence for education and industry (CORE Education's Ten Trends, p57). What do you think, is this something we can take to the kids

Also, there is this guide to selecting products to support DT & HM on Enabling eLearning which uses the design thinking process as a way of thinking about what you might purchase. It includes:

Empathy

Start by considering your "end users" (teachers and students) and their needs:

• Who will use the product?
• What have they used before?
• What is needed (skills, abilities, prior knowledge) to use it?
• What do we already do in this space?
• Why do we need a product?
• How does it fit with our school’s vision for teaching and learning?

Define

• What do we need our products to do to support DT & HM?
• What programming languages can be used and how appropriate are they for students at various stages?
• What additional resources are available or might be needed?
• How robust do the products need to be?
• Will they work within existing school infrastructure and the types devices already available to us?
• Are they well supported with a community and online resources?
• Consider the choice and costs of peripherals, software, and add-ons that are likely to be needed up-front or in future. Think about:
  • storage
  • batteries/chargers
  • spares if parts are lost or damaged
  • software and hardware needed to program or control the product.

Ideate

• Research possible products and the pros and cons of each.
• Look for examples, experiences, reviews, and recommendations from a variety of sources such as a range of commercial suppliers, other schools, and online communities. To do this you could:
  • talk with teachers and students in other kura or schools that have similar needs and technologies to understand their experiences
  • consider joining the Digital Technology Teachers Aotearoa  and follow the active discussions
  • add a discussion topic to the Technologies section of the Virtual Learning Network  or in other online forums or social networks
  • read online reviews of the technology, ideally about its use in kura or schools.

• Research the level of support available for the product in terms of:
  • the presence and vitality of a community that also use the product
  • the breadth, suitability, and quality of resources provided by the manufacturer and others to assist you in implementing the product into your teaching programmes
  • the after-sales service provided by the reseller and manufacturer.
• See:
  • Coding
  • Robotics
  • Digital technologies and the national curriculum

• Visit Technology Online .
• Read blogposts.
• Filter to narrow down to a few possibilities.

Prototype

• Get hands-on with as many possible products as you think you need to. A variety of products will enable students to be exposed to a range of approaches suitable for their particular stage of development or interests.
• Seek feedback from a range of teachers and students. Are the products fun to use and easy to get started with? This will mean they are likely to be more engaging.
• Test whether the product meets the level of quality that will be suitable for your needs.
• Are the products robust, versatile, open-ended, and able to be used to solve authentic problems rather than narrowly focused on a particular functionality?

Test

• How do the products measure against your criteria?
• Purchase test products for piloting/trialling.

Procurement considerations

Focus on purpose

Be clear about the intended vision and desired approaches to learning. Ensure you are able to justify your procurement in terms of how it will support and improve learning for your students.

Involve others

Take a team approach to procurement. The risks and complexities are too great for one person to be able to determine and manage effectively. Consult with staff and students about what they think their needs and preferences are.  

Overall cost includes time

The purchase cost of digital technologies are just part of the overall cost. Integrating digital technologies takes a lot of time. The time costs include:

• time to get the technologies set up and working
• time for maintenance
• time for professional learning
• time for the end-user as they learn how to use the technology.

The various costs of people’s time are usually greater than the initial purchase cost.

Local versus international suppliers

We now have easy access to overseas online marketplaces such as aliexpress.com. These sites can provide cheaper alternatives to procuring from a local reseller. The Commerce Commission offers the following quick tips for buying online:

• Be savvy: if you have any doubts or the offer seems too good to be true, don’t proceed.
• Know who you’re dealing with: search the seller online, look at their online auction feedback, check review sites, social media, Scamwatch  and similar to see what other customers have experienced. Check where the business is based and that it provides its name, street address, phone, and email details.
• Know what you’re buying: read the description of the goods or services closely, especially any fine print. Read the terms and conditions, including what happens if there’s a problem.
• Work out what it will cost: factor in shipping, exchange rates, insurance, or any applicable extra charges, such as customs duty.
• Shop around: search online and compare prices, terms and conditions.
• Protect yourself: only buy if you are comfortable with the payment method and keep a record of the transaction details. Purchasing by credit card or a secure payment system like PayPal should give you more protection than a cash transfer.

Before purchasing from an international supplier, consider:

• finding out from others if they have used or know about the online provider and what their experiences are
• how easy will it be to return faulty products in future or get other kinds of after-sales service?
• how can you be sure the quality of the products is good enough?
• how easy will the overall transaction be?

Price versus value

The overall costs during the lifetime of the technology need to be determined. Technology that costs more up-front but lasts longer because it is more robust may give better value than something that has a lower initial cost but has a shorter lifetime. Similarly, something may cost more up-front but will have lower running costs, such as consumables like batteries. Also, consider the longevity of your product – how long will it be until the product becomes too out of date to be useful?

I've found that teachers like this poster as it helps them to think about the differences between each aspect and to reflect on what aspects their students are already doing. In most cases, teachers realise that their students are already doing at least some aspects of the new content. It's a great way to think about what more could be done as a next step.

Thanks for sharing these examples. This webinar from edWeb by Jaime Donally from USA  is a good up to date overview of what is available at the moment in the AR/VR realm for schools and provides further examples of what students have created or used.

As usual, I think the gold here is going to be providing students with the tools and skills needed to create (rather than just consume) AR/VR experiences. A key message from the webinar is that this doesn't need to be about complicated, expensive, full-on VR set-ups: a web-browser is all that is need to create content that can be viewed on a tablet, iPad or phone using augmented reality similar to what most people are increasingly familiar with from playing with Snapchat or Pokemon Go.

I love these examples. The sheer enthusiasm and joy that the students express are really inspirational. 

What excites me: now that there is an emphasis of learning about computational thinking and how to design digital outcomes, there are so many possibilities for students to use the opportunities that teachers are going to be giving them to do great things now and in their future. It could be a real game-changer for so many students to shine in ways that were previously not possible.

What concerns me: too many teachers will not consider providing such opportunities as they don't feel they have the time, expertise or resources they think is needed or they don't believe it's important enough to include in their planning. 

The videos were informative and I now have a better understanding of how DT fits into the NZ Curriculum. I'm looking forward to the next toolkit.

I've really enjoyed working through this short Pīkau - making connections between CT ideas from Aotearoa and overseas, because it's helped to clarify new language of computational thinking (where it comes from) as well as the skills/attributes of thinking like a computer scientist.  

New language for me: Logical reasoning, algorithms, decomposition, abstraction, patterns, generalisation - clarified in this 'operational definition':

And the skill set needed for computational thinking.

I also enjoyed the graphic below from Barefoot Computing which would make a great classroom flyer - something to refer to, in any given lesson (reading comprehension to maths problem solving).

In the easy to view videos, Tim Bell has clearly demonstrated these concepts and approaches in the unplugged parallel sorting activity and touched on some great contexts to help clarify the process of sorting in sequence - ie: numbers, musical notes, fractions, stories, life cycles.

Have you used the sorting network activity yet? What contexts for sequencing have you used?

neat alright

Normally Maui but am trying to behave for this as I need to learn. Maui trying to be Mahuika.

@Nicki.Tempero1  I often throw up photos/videos of students in action at facebook.com/techleapnz. Today they had a lot of fun with playdough, microbits and Scratch beta.