Balance has been weighing on my mind lately. The MOOC course I joined up, run by the amazing Danielle Myburgh (@MissDtheteacher) from Hobsonville Point Secondary School, took up most of my personal PD time over Term Two. By personal PD time, I mean time at home in the evenings or 'after' school teaching hours, before I left for home. This is something I choose to do and I love doing. My brain usually thrives on the provocation further study brings as I extend and challenge my thinking surrounding education, myself as an educator and my students' well-being.
However, these past two-three weeks there has seemed to be more than the usual juggling game between all the aspects of life. I have a young family, a self-employed husband, an amazing group of classes filled with teenagers whose cortexes are going through renovations (thanks NZATE for the keynotes of Nathan Wallis), and then the school holidays, NZATE conference and the PD I wanted write up as fully as possible as well. Something had to give. This time, it has been the 100% completed badge from the MOOC and the full reflection on each separate week. While I love my job to pieces, in the past couple of week quality family time has been the most crucial, and while part of me feels the need to apologise and make up for that, another part of me goes 'people will get that.'
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| Investing in #familytime #rejuvinating #refresh #Mummylove #Tekapo |
So, while I may not have finished a final full portfolio (and I will, just not in the immediate here and how) here are my thoughts surrounding two key aspects of the course.
The aim of the course:
discuss ideas about education futures, particularly around education reform, revolution and transformation, with much greater depth and complexity. We hope to provide you with more powerful thinking tools to examine schools and your role in them, whether it be as teacher, student, parent, school leader, professor or maybe even as a board member, policy-maker or politician.
One of the biggest aspects of learning in this course for me were the discussions surrounding technology and what the world will look like in terms of technology and education in the future. I wrote in week four:
W4: Technology: I feel a bit worried that I need to keep up with it all so that I am able to provide my own children and my students with up to date knowledge, but then, the internet and their own research probably will do more for them than I can. I think family becomes impacted in that we are starting to create more 'screen free' time deliberately. We notice if any type of 'screen' time happens for longer periods, kids (all under 8) get crabby/cranky with each other. Does this happen in school as well?
I think for smaller schools and rural areas, the impact of technology is going to be the ease of further connections. We can easily participate in things such as #NZreadaloud and self-directed PD is easier without the hassle of travel.
I think for smaller schools and rural areas, the impact of technology is going to be the ease of further connections. We can easily participate in things such as #NZreadaloud and self-directed PD is easier without the hassle of travel.
What do I think now?
I am more confident with allowing my students to use the technology they are confident in. We learn new technologies together. My room has a new set of laptops (AMAZING!!) which are touch-screen and I am in awe of the way the students are swiping their way around them, compared to the older 'clunky' ones. In NCEA assessments I have given students a wider range of options for presenting that have allowed them to access a variety of technologies if they so choose. Several still chose the 'safe' assessment, but some chose to use a new (to me) technology that they were comfortable in. #NZreadaloud was a success in T2, as we had used T1 to become familiar with the technological platform. This use of different platforms etc, it something that needs time to be built into a teaching/flipped classroom programme. Access to the internet is still also a barrier from some rural students.
In terms of technology & family time - my just five-year-old can zoom around Minecraft quicker than a mozzie can find blood, but I think we are aware of balance (and rightly or wrongly, its use as a currency). He is going to grow up with the iPad being the norm - and who knows what he will be using in class in another ten years time. I want him, and my other children (biological or students) to grow in the KC of managing self and thinking about what they are engaging in. For me, this means talking to him about what he's building ... why do you need a boat ramp there? what sort of bricks are you using? how do you know that the fire is going to burn that? what does that building remind you of? can you make a building like that church we visited on Sunday? What shapes do you need to use? These questions can be mirrored in my classroom situations.
The next thing that resonated deeply with me was what the future may or may not look like. I wrote:
Wk7 The future would scare me if I took the time to let all these things sink in. I think I often rush too much through the day, taking only the now into account. My biggest concern for my children is radical inequality. How can I teach my own biological children, along with my 'children' in my classroom to be empathetic, caring, sharing and not just believing everyone is equal, but acting in such a manner?
I then read through the rest of comments from participants but the one that resonated with me the most was from Philippa Nicoll Antipas "The more we understand that we have the power to shape narratives, and not blindly head towards a narrative chosen by others, I believe the better off we are."
Where I am now ...
Inequality is obvious in New Zealand, I don't think anyone would argue about that at all. I do not think we are going to overcome this in a single day; BUT we can and must make a start, especially when we are in the privileged position of working with the young people of the future. If I can work with them to help them realise they can and do have, as Philippa said, the power to shape their future - then I believe the future has the potential to be bright. They will be able to say, as Boy "Welcome to my interesting world."
So, where does that bring me? I am happy in myself to know that I have completed (the majority) of this MOOC to the best of my ability and have used the information learnt for the benefit of my learners. I have appreciated the chance to not only challenge my own thoughts but to read along and see how others interpreted readings and videos. I am in awe of the educators that we have scattered around New Zealand - and am confident these (and others) are doing amazing things with and for our learners. I look forward to continuing to interact with #edchatnz and other NZ educators via twitter & will keep trucking along to find the perfect balance between home and school on the scales.
