Jogging Digistore

I have been organising web content for upcoming PD sessions and remembered this useful web tool JOG THE WEB which I discovered last year and used to create the following tour. With JOG THE WEB you are able to group and organise web content plus include comments and feedback.

If you are new to Digistore this tour created in JOG THE WEB  is designed to highlight some of the key features and support material to get started.

Click to view Digistore Jog

Tāngo Whakaahua

 Tāngo Whakaahua– Creating a visual collaborative metaphor in response to our mārae noho through the medium of digital photography.

Photo: Cheryl Harvey

Facilitators from Team Solutions had the privilege of staying at Motatau Mārae in April. Motatau is located in the far north of New Zealand approximately 3 hours drive from Auckland (View Google Map). The mārae was built in the 1920s  and, as we learned, has contributed significantly to the history of the area and New Zealand.

After the powhiri, that included a waiāta from Motatau Primary, many of us were drawn to the images that line the walls of the wharenui. They hinted at what we were to hear later that evening when we gathered for a more detailed history from local whanau.

Motatau Mārae was built in the 1920s  to honour 
Northern Maori Member of Parliament Tau Henarae 

Much of the history of Motatau Mārae is also recorded through significant carvings inside the wharenui. It was fascinating to learn about the connection Motatau has with the meeting house, Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Built in the grounds of the Treaty House at Waitangi, the meeting house commemorates the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi.



The wood used for carvings for Te Tiriti o Waitangi was sourced from the forests around Motatau and were also initially carved at Motatau Mārae before being transported to Waitangi.
Digistore Learning Path: Te Tiriti o Waitangi

On the second day of our mārae noho facilitators were able to choose from a range of sessions, Te Ara Hikoitanga, opportunities to explore "Maori Achieving Education Success as Maori". 
  
Cheryl Harvey and I were invited to collaborate on a session and with our mutual interest in things digital we developed Tāngo Whakaahua. 

Our planning for the session has been shared on this Google doc. The link to the Google doc was shared with participants a few days before the Marae noho. This provided the group with an opportunity to think about their participation and responses before the actual workshop on the second day of our visit.

Anō te ataahua (a time to view creations and experiences from Te Ara Hikoitanga sessions) provided us with an opportunity to share our visual collaboration and also individual slide shows from each of the Tāngo Whakaahua participants.  I have uploaded our collaborative response below. Ka nui te mihi to facilitators who contributed and to tamariki from Motatau Primary School for the waiata.



Digistore Learning Path - Marae noho
I have also shared this learning path created to support further thinking and learning opportunities in response to the mārae noho. The learning path includes:

• digital resources from Digistore and other digital collections
• primary source analysis tools for students
• online resources and support for Mārae noho
• Te Tiriti o Waitangi - primary sources and links to further digital collections and historic articles and information.

Motatau Mārae taken using 360 Panorama app for iPhone (click to enlarge)

Exploring the "Raw Materials of History"

Exploring primary sources or the "raw materials of history" provides students with an opportunity to examine the past free from the interpretations of others.  

(Library of Congress)

The following Google presentation has been created to explore strategies and resources for teaching and learning with primary sources. It also includes:

• strategies to support students to analyse primary sources 
• support for using analysis tools and Google docs for collaboration
• links to Google research and search tools for locating and organising data and information 
• support for creating and integrating Learning Paths in Digistore

The intention is to revisit and add to this resource in response to feedback and the evolution of further resources and web tools.



Click the 'open in a new window' icon above to view a full screen version

Can Digistore contribute to sustaining e-learning in your school?

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

In a recent Interface article David Kinane makes valuable recommendations for school leaders to consider if they are to develop sustainable e-learning models for their schools.

David specifically refers to the impact of teacher turnover and subsequent loss of knowledge suggesting that "ICT knowledge and skills should be actively collected and accumulated not randomly swapped."

"...good skill sets and a wealth of IP just walk out of the door" (David Kinane)

We have been exploring the possibilities within Digistore to create collaborative learning spaces. These include functions that can enable schools to develop and share resources and strategies both in and across schools. Using their school's current Digistore school login, teachers can develop Learning Paths that can also be shared publicly. The single sign in for educators (coming soon*) will also enable teachers to share resources between their school and their individual Digistore account. Consequently when a teacher leaves a school resources that have been developed are not lost to either the school or the individual teacher.

Harnessing tools for collaboration and sharing can also provide valuable opportunities for educators when planning and reflecting on their practice. This includes opportunities to model effective e-learning integration and develop sustainable procedures within schools that can lessen the impact of staff turn over.

These functions in Digistore include:
Learning Paths
A collection or sequence of learning content interwoven with teacher comments and descriptions. Learning Paths can be created and shared between schools, and publicly. This functionality enables educators to develop resources collaboratively and share within and across schools. Read more about Learning Paths on the Digistore wiki.
(see the Digistore User Guide, p.30)

Star Rating and Comments
Share knowledge on the value of Digistore content in relation to the New Zealand Curriculum. Rating content and sharing comments will support others to identify and select digital content more effectively. This will enable a collaborative understanding of the pedagogical value of content to grow both in and across schools.
Tags
Add your own tags to content to improve searches and highlight specific keywords and phrases relevant for use across the curriculum.
(see the Digistore User Guide, p.24-28)

*Watch the Digistore website and subscribe to the Diginews for updates on single sign in

Artefacts of Assination & Tweet Preservation*

At ISTE10 I targetted a number of breakouts focussing on the use of primary sources. Fascinating to spend time exploring "the raw materials of history" and considering potential to guide students towards higher-order thinking.

Identified a number of resources and strategies with possibilities to support the effective use of digital content relevant to the development of Digistore. Rocky and I will share further on the Digistore wiki in the coming months.

Until then here are a few primary source taonga (treasures) worthwhile exploring. Most of these sites also include useful guidelines for teaching with primary sources:

• The Library of Congress: A variety of useful resources for teachers. I have highlighted and saved to my Delicious Links with descriptions.
  
• DocsTeach an educational tool from the US National Archives Experience that includes support for using primary source documents.
• NASA eClips short, relevant educational video segments.
• C-SPAN Classroom Free primary source materials covering government proceedings and public affairs programming.
• Digital Vaults: Explore the US National Archives collection, using the media rich version of this site browse through hundreds of photographs, documents, and film clips. Register and create your own collection of records, create pathway challenges, posters and films to share. Also see example Creating Student Sleuths: Primary Source Investigation
• World Digital Library Home primary materials from countries and cultures around the world in multilingual format.

What are primary sources? Check out these two extremes...

Artefacts of Assassination and Tweet Preservation*

Math Snacks...yum!

We had a great conversation with some of the Math Snacks team on Wednesday, Debbie Michels and Milos Savic. Math Snacks are short animations and mini–games, each presenting a mathematical concept and designed to help learners "get it".

Each snack can be used and integrated much the same way as we use Digistore content and can be saved on mobile devices (from iTunesU) for students to revisit. They are also supported by both student and teacher guides, available for download.

Debbie shared examples of student outcomes from the use of Math Snacks and very kindly agreed to an on the spot, impromptu, reflection on the benefits of integrating Math Snacks in combination with other relevant digital content and learning experiences. The following was filmed on my iPhone in a very busy open space @ ISTE 2010 (~3:30min). Debbie makes useful connections to the key messages about when digital content is most effective.




Debbie on the purpose of Mathsnacks..."can students develop enough of a conceptual understanding to give greater meaning to their learning?"

Digistore's Golden Egg

Since the release of Digistore v2.0 we have been exploring, what Rocky refers to as Digistore's Golden Egg....learning paths.

I have created and shared two learning paths below to support He Reo Kōmanawa one of a group of resources for teachers of te reo Māori. Using the He Reo Komanawa teaching and learning framework and the key messages about effective use of digital content these learning paths are for teachers and include strategies and links to further resources. They could also be copied and re-purposed for students.

These learning paths support specific steps in the He Reo Komanawa framework. However the design and selection of digital content from both Digistore and other sources, is guided by the kinds of teaching approaches that promote student learning (NZC, 2007; MToA, 2008). The intention is that they might also support further thinking around developing learning paths in other learning areas.

While the learning context is te reo Maori, the thinking around the selection and integration of the digital content in relation to the key messages about effective use of digital content could be applied to other learning areas.

The next step is to hopefully collaborate with teacher/s to trial these. Let me know if that might be you or if you are interested in developing learning paths to support a current focus in any learning area.

More support for learning paths and examples from other learning areas can be accessed from the Digistore wiki or please contact us directly.

Click the links below to view these learning paths in Digistore

He Reo Komanawa: Viewing Image/Discussion

Developed to support steps 1 and 2 of the framework for using He Reo Komanawa, viewing of image and pre-reading discussion. Initial viewing of the image provides students with both visual information and stimulus for participation.

He Reo Komanawa: Mind Map and Inquiry

Developed to support steps 6, 7 and 8 of the framework for using He Reo Komanawa, group mind mapping of discussion points and opportunities for inquiry.

Whakanuia Te Wiki o te Reo Māori

Te Mahi Kai

A collection of images reflecting theme Te Mahi Kai - The Language of Food. Includes tools to support students to analyse photographs.

Exploring Artefacts

A collection of images of primary source Maori artefacts for comparison and exploration.

Re-thinking Digistore: new opportunities to create collaborative, interactive learning spaces for your students.

Accessing learning through the Read/Write Web has changed teaching and learning for many of us. The freedom and flexibility to organise and access content for a specific purpose is having a significant impact on teaching approaches and learning design. With the launch of Digistore 2.0 we have been considering how some of the new functions might operate with existing online environments and tools. While we have been hyperlinking and embedding Digistore content successfully for some time using social bookmarking, Moodle, wikis and blogs...

...do we need to start thinking differently about how we organise and access digital content?

An exciting new feature of Digistore 2.0 is the ability to create Learning Paths, a collection or sequence of learning content interwoven with teacher comments and descriptions that can be created for a particular audience eg: Students, Teachers, parents or as a personal collection. View a Learning Path that has been created and shared on Digistore

Does our use of Digistore content change when we can select, organise and then share from within Digistore itself?

Questions we might consider at the planning and design stage:

• When is creating a Learning Path vs linking or embedding digital content a more effective option?
• What are the benefits to the learning process?
• How can I re-purpose content and what are the possible opportunities for shared learning?
• How do my decisions reflect the key messages about when digital content is most effective?
• Will this save time?

Read more about Learning Paths on the Digistore wiki

Digistore... 'from catalog to community'*

On the coat tails of Rocky's recent post The New and Improved Digistore, we have been enjoying exploring the possibilities and receiving the feedback as Digistore evolves from a "catalog to a community."*

Features such as the learning paths and tagging, plus tools for users to rate and comment, mean that the boundaries for use of Digistore content can be pushed. While content is easier to search and find using the advanced search features, browse topics and filters the potential for teachers and students to recommend content, reflects the concept of 'community' verses 'catalog'.

Because content can be now categorised by the community the possibilities for users to share and explore strategies for selection and integration has increased. Key messages that support the effective use of digital content remain a priority and are explored further through the development of the Digistore wiki. This wiki will include examples of how digital content has been embedded into existing programmes of learning and links to other relevant digital content and learning experiences. Like Digistore, it will continue to evolve as we develop our capacity to effectively integrate digital resources to improve learning outcomes.

We have also posted resources, strategies and links from our breakouts at the Learning@School Conference. The content was designed to scaffold dialogue and understanding as we explored the key messages that support the effective use of digital content.

We hope that the ideas and strategies can be used and adapted by school leaders and cluster facilitators to reflect the needs of learners in your schools.

* Concept shared by CORE Education Ltd 2009 for Software for Learning

iThink

I am loving this series of digital resources available through digiStore on TKI. Schools will need to register to access here.

iThink is a series of animated short features that include the unscripted voices of some engaging groups of children discussing their ideas on a range of topics from rubbish to relationships. The style is similar to that of the documation creations by The Simmonds Brothers and the UKTV series Creature Comforts.
I can see these being used with students in a variety of ways:

• To model and promote dialogue between groups of students
• Explore concepts in a real life context students will find engaging and can relate too
• Demonstrate the use of animation to communicate thinking and new understandings
• Students may develop their own iThink style animations to reflect on their learning.