Practice Story for Unit 4: Professionalism and Work Context

The Dual Professional

Generalist or specialist?
I have predominantly worked in the dance sector and the disability sector, however, I have difficulty defining my specialist area of expertise. I have always considered myself an 'all-rounder', a generalist. I have a strong background in working with people in variety of ways, including:

• coaching
• rehabilitation
• teaching - theory and experiential
• support work
• recreation facilitation
• one on one, and groups

The range of people I have worked with include:

• students in tertiary institutions,
• older people within community based rehabilitation,
• people who have experience historical or recent trauma,
• adults with intellectual disability within recreational programmes and residential support,
• I have worked with people of all ages and abilities within community dance based practice.

The knowledge and skills required for these roles range from specialist knowledge, such as, the techniques of safely using a white cane (for people who are blind), to more generalised skills, such as effective communication, flexibility, self-care and time management.

In my current role, I teach Disability Support and Integrated Practice for the two year two disability specialty students completing their diploma in Social Services. In addition, I am developing the disability speciality into Level 7 so that students can continue this speciality into their third year.

I have found that teaching requires all of the generalised skills outlined above, therefore I have been able transfer these skills quite easily into my teaching role at Polytechnic. I have even been able to utilise some of my specialist knowledge. For instance, this year I taught my students, studying disability support, sighted guide technique (a well developed, respectful and safe way for a sighted person to guide someone who is blind or visually impaired).

One of the main differences between my specialist areas of expertise and my current teaching role is program development. Part of my role is to develop a Level 7 paper for the disability speciality. I have to decide on the aims and learning outcomes of the paper, the content, the delivery and the assessment process. This is a completely new skill for me, as result, I feel lacking in the necessary knowledge and confidence. I had to acknowledge that I needed help with this, and have been able to  working closely with another more experienced staff member.


Teaching in the 21st Century
As part of the learning journey in the Practice Context course we were asked to watch the video '21st Century Education vs 20th Century Education'. The video outlines all of the major differences between the focus, style and direction of education in these two time periods, and concludes by asking the question which option would you choose?

My role as a tertiary educator in the 21st century as indicated in the video is one of facilitator rather than authority. I am there to support active learning and discovery; to learn about my students so that I can deliver the curriculum in ways that will inspire and motivate them. Learning is focused on outcomes, and making connections and learning relevant to the 'real world'.

Much of my learning at high school involved both 20th Century and 21st Century learning as I was in school nearing the end of the 20th century. Having a taste of both, I not only relate more closely to the 21st century views on education but I much prefer them. I really struggled in school when subjects involved passive learning and when exams involved recalling facts from the entire year. Instead, I excelled in subjects where I was actively involved in the learning process and where assessments where made up of many small assignments that involved research, exploration and thinking about my own point of view.


What are the limitations of an 'able-bodied' teacher, teaching 'dissability' studies?

I enjoy learning and teaching about disability but this has not come without personal delimmas...

When I was completing my Masters on dance and disability and now as a teacher in disability studies I have often wondered about the impact of being an non-disabled person working within this field. Deborah Marks (1996) explores such as dilemma, asking, as an able-bodied teacher, teaching disability studies does the course risk slipping into an examination of "others"? Marks (1996) takes a pragmatic approach, by asking what can I do to transform the patronising representations, exclusion and oppression of disabled people? The author explains that their role is two-fold: to be concerned with resisting the exclusion and oppression of disabled people and to critically think about what attracted them to this field in the first place.

Marks (1996) resists exclusion and oppression of disabled people by engaging with disabled educators and writers, involving disabled people in teaching, and identifying any exclusionary practices operating within their institution. I definitely involve people with disabilities in my teaching by inviting guest speakers to share their experience and knowledge with the students. In 2011, I had the opportunity to attend a international conference on disability studies and was able to engage with writers and educators with disabilities. I would love to have this kind of professional development opportunity again. Reading Marks (1996) paper made me realise that I could be more active on campus. A great exercise would be to connect with students and staff with disabilities and find out if/how they are excluded at Otago Polytechnic and what could be done to change such practices.

Marks (1996) explained that through research and reflection they came to understand that the "other" is always a construction. A construction which relies on the fears and fantasies of not only the "other" but the fears of fantasies of ourselves. The first couple of times I engaged with a person with a disability I remember feeling a lot of anxiety and fear.

Philip Patston (2007) describes this fear as dysfuntionphobia, the fear or hatred of losing function, or becoming unable to function independently. This fear stems from our aversion of dependence that we might associate with childhood, old age and vulnerability. I was taken aback by the strong fearful reaction I had when engaging with someone with a disability and this internalised reaction is what first attracted me to the field of disability studies. I was curious about my fears and fantasies of myself and of the 'other'. I can now see the construction of the 'other' quite clearly and feel much more comfortable with the fluidity of human function.

Relating the above point back to my teaching practice I need to think about how I can encourage students to consider their own fears and begin to break down the wall between 'us' and 'them'. There is a strong self-reflective aspect to our course, particularly in the second semester Integrated Practice paper. Using our group supervision and the students reflective journals would be a perfect opportunity to challenge students to consider how dysfuntionphobia has impacted on their own interactions with people with disabilities.


Understanding Your Organisation

The Tertiary Education Strategy 2014 - 2019 (Ministry of Education 2014) signals a need for a strong focus on outcomes: Economic, Environmental and Social.

• Economic outcomes involve employment, high incomes and better access to skilled employees for business.
• Environmental outcomes involves providing individuals with skills and knowledge related to preserving our eco-systems and wisely managing our natural resources.
• Social outcomes involve people gaining the skills to become successful and productive citizens, as well as promote social cohesion and democratic values.
• There is also a focus on Māori educational success.

The document outlines six strategic priorities, including:

1. Delivering skills for industry
2. Getting at-risk young people into a career
3. Boosting achievement for Maori and Pasifika
4. Improving adults literacy and numeracy
5. Strengthening research based institutions
6. Growing international linkages

(Ministry of Education 2014)

 

I can see many links between the priorities set our above and the priorities at Otago Polytechnic, predominantly in the areas of:

• developing values of sustainability within staff and students,
• developing programs that meet industry standards so our students are highly sought after,
• improving achievement for Māori and Pasifika students, and
• becoming research active.

 

The links I made above are evident in the Otago Polytechnic's, 'Architecture for Execellence', located on the Polytechnics 'insite'  intranet. This site contains the Polytechnics stragetic documents and supporting frameworks, and is visualised as a house. The roof contains the over-arching vision and mission statement, and strategic goals:

• Vision: To be recognised nationally and internationally as New Zealand's leading polytechnic.
• Mission: we serve society and out customers by enabling those who desire to learn to connect with the most relevant learning experiences.
• Strategic goals: 1. achieving education excellence; 2. being a resiliant organisation; 3. Collaborating with our communities to make a difference, prioritising Kai Tahu; 4. Making a difference to our environment.

The outer walls of the house (it's a 2D representation) which sheild us from the elements are the strategic frameworks on one side and processes for change on the other:

• Strategic frameworks: 1. research and enterprise; 2. learning and teaching; 3. Sustainability;
  4. Māori.
• Processes for change: continuous improvement, self assessment, self-managing teams, and good to great.

The scaffholding of the house, holding up the roof and walls are the four service pillars: local programmes; destination programmes; open learning programmes and services; and knowledge transfer services.

The floor of the house, the foundation, incorporates our culture and our values that underpin 'how we do things': caring, responsibility, partnership, excellence and sustainability.

 

(Otago Polytechnic, n.d.)

 

I have been encouraged and supported to incorporate the above 'architecture for excellence' into my own teaching practice by the paper coorindators and other team members. This is particularly evident in relation to the four strategic frameworks:

• To work towards becoming research active the Bachelor of Social Services team formed a writing group so that we can support each other as we prepare papers for presentations and publications. 
• In order to fillful the strategic frameworks of learning and teaching and Māori, I have the responsibility as a staff  member to gain qualifications in tertiary teaching and Te Reo Māori and tikaka; and incorporate this knowledge into my own practice framworks.
• There are many ways that sustainability is encouraged in our school, from the availability of recycling bins to discussions on how we can support students to become 'sustainable' practitioners through models of self-care, reflection and supervision.

 

The area that I am least familiar with is the second strategic goal, becoming a resilient organisation, which involves the following goals:

• We are future focussed and highly adaptable
• Our operational processes are sustainable
• Our organisation and management is world class
• We invest in appropriate innovation and development
• We make a consistent annual operating surplus to fund future investment
• We have an outstanding work environment
• We collaborate effectively to achieve our objectives.

(Otago Polytechnic, 2014)

 

 

I have very limited knowledge about how the above goals are realised at Otago Polytechnic and perhaps indicate a need to gain knowledge on the larger operational, managerial and organisational workings of the institution. This is no surprise considering this my first year teaching at Otago Polytechnic. A good place to start would be to throughly read through the links and files on the OP strategy documents and supporting frameworks insite page. Talking with colleagues and attending seminars for staff around such organisational matters would also be beneficial.

 

 

Professional Development Areas:

Through out this practice story I have identified the follow professional development areas in need of further exploration and attention:

• Programme and curriculum development.
• Investigate approaches to teaching that utilise the principals of 21st century teaching.
• As a non-disabled teacher of disability studies become actively involved on campus to identify ways in which staff and students with disabilities are excluded.
• Encourage students studying disability support to engage criticially about why they are studying disability and challenge their notions of 'us' and 'them'.
• Become more proactive in learning about the broader organisational functioning at Otago Polytechnic and gain understanding of how and where I fit into this.

 

 

References

21st Educator (2009). 21st Century Education vs. 20th Century Education [YouTube video]. Accessed 2 November 2014, retrieved from URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiD1UqLPrOg.

Marks, D. (1996). Able-bodied Dilemmas in Teaching and Disability Studies. In: Wilkinson, S. & Kitzinger, C. (ed). Representing the Other: a Feminism Psychology Reader, chapter 7, p64 - 67. SAGE Publications Ltd.

Ministry of Education (2014). Tertiary Education Strategy 2014 - 2019. Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. Accessed 2 November 2014, retrieved from URL: http://www.minedu.govt.nz/~/media/MinEdu/Files/EducationSectors/TertiaryEducation/TertiaryEducationStrategy2014/MOE_TES2014_V9.pdf

 

Otago Polytechnic (2014). Otago Polytechnic Strategic Directions 2015-2017. Accessed 3 November 2014, retrieved from URL: http://insite.op.ac.nz/Pages/OP-Strategy-Doc’s-and-Supporting-Frameworks.aspx

Otago Polytechnic (n.d.). Insite: OP Strategic Doc's and Supporting Frameworks [intranet]. Accessed 3 November 2014, retrieved from URL: http://insite.op.ac.nz/Pages/OP-Strategy-Doc’s-and-Supporting-Frameworks.aspx

 

Patston, P. (2007). Constructive Functional Diversity: a new paradigm beyond disability and impairment. Disability and Rehabilitation, 29(20-21), 1625 - 1633. Accessed 2 November 2014, retrieved from DOI: 10.1080/09638280701618778

 



Practice Story for Unit 3: Biculturalism

Unit 3: Biculturalism, Practice Context, Otago Polytechnic.

Who am I?

Mihi Mihi
Ko Oamaru te papatūwhenua.
Kei te noho au kei Ōtepoti ināianei i raro i te maru o Kai Tahu.
Ko English, ko German, ko Irish, ko Scottish, ko Norwegian kā iwi.
Ko Briggs rātou ko Kippenburger, ko Ford, ko Riddell kā whānau.
Ko Edna Briggs rāua ko Joan Winslade kā taua.
Ko Allen Briggs rātou ko Robort Ford, ko George Winslade kā taua.
Ko Joanne Briggs rāua ko Harry Briggs kā mātua.
Ko au tēnei.
Ko Hahna Briggs tōhoku ikoa.
Ko Gala Hesson tōhoku hoa rakatira.

Reflection of my own cultural identity:
As a queer person I value social justice, and view gender and sexuality as a spectrum as opposed to a binary. I also believe in the importance of acknowledging the privilege we have in our society, the benefits we experience as a result of this privilege and how this impacts on other people who do not experience the same kind of privilege.
I practice western contemporary dance which is one of the cultural dance forms from of my Western-European heritage. Western Contemporary dance is part of a dance theatre tradition in the same grouping as post-modern dance, modern dance, new dance, and the various ballet genres.
As a Pākehā, I value family as being important ongoing support networks in my life but acknowledge that I also highly value independence and being able to make my own decisions without having to consult family members. I place a high value on career and being able to purchase my own home.
In addition to the above I value honesty, friendship, community participation, and diversity.


Cultural Competence

Initial thoughts on cultural competence:
I think cultural competence is being aware of my own understandings and assumptions of culture and how this may impact on student learning. Having respect for diversity and exploring ways of utilising students culture to assist in their learning within the class room environment.


Explore the term cultural competence:

I found a definition of cultural competence below in Wikipedia, online encyclopedia.

"Cultural competence refers to an ability to interact effectively with people of different cultures and socio-economic backgrounds, particularly in the context of human resources, non-profit organizations, and government agencies whose employees work with persons from different cultural/ethnic backgrounds. Cultural competence comprises four components: (a) Awareness of one's own cultural worldview, (b) Attitude towards cultural differences, (c) Knowledge of different cultural practices and worldviews, and (d) Cross-cultural skills." (Wikipedia, 2014).

My understanding of cultural competence aligns quite well with the four components above, however the definition above is broad, whereas my definition is specific to the learning context.

I conducted a Google search and found a lot of information related to cultural competence and health providers. In relation to teaching I found information on Tātaiako, which is New Zealand specific but outlines competencies for early childhood educators. However, I did find an article written by Irish & Scrubb (2012), " Five Competencies for Culturally Competent Teaching and Learning", which appears to be directed at people teaching in higher Education. The five competencies include:

1. Culturally competent teaching and learning facilitates critical reflection. This involves developing the ability of teachers and students to critically analyse there own cultural assumptions and beliefs. Teachers and students will be able to disrupt misconceptions and stereotypes, and avoid misunderstandings.
2. Culturally competent teaching and learning demands respect for others. All students come from diverse cultural backgrounds, therefore learning communities that value different ways of knowing and learning can benefit everyone. Inter-cultural learning respects the needs of all students and allows all voices to be heard.
3. Culturally competent teaching and learning involves accommodating individual learners. Competent teachers posses qualities of compassion, fairness, integrity and respect for diversity. In addition,  teachers with a learner centred approach will naturally involve allowing for individual accommodations. Providing appropriate accommodations for individual students can only be achieved if the teacher takes the time to learn from and about their students.
4. Culturally competent teaching and learning requires the use of intercultural communication skills. Teachers must be willing to learn from their students and recognise the importance of intercultural communication as a means of enhancing learning. Effective communication in cultural diverse learning environments incorporates techniques such as active listening, elaboration, paraphrasing, and restatement.
5. Culturally competent teaching and learning requires focused activities and intentionally structured environments. This competency relates to 'perspective-taking behaviour', which requires an understanding of the values, norms, and traditions of other's worldview and learning behaviour. Teachers may introduce class activities to assist with encouraging perspective-taking behaviours. This can be as simple as intentional groupings of students with others from diverse racial groups, which as shown to have a positive impact on students, 'white' students in particular.

The major difference from the above outlined competencies in comparison to my own initial thoughts on cultural competence is the idea that cultural competency should be part of a teacher's practice framework as well as encouraging students own cultural competency. I like the idea that this can happen simultaneously as teachers and students learn from and about each other.




The New Zealand Context

What do I know about Te Tiriti o Waitangi?

TTe Tiriti o Waitangi was between the Crown of England and Māori people of New Zealand. It came about because England wanted to colonise New Zealand, and as result people from England, UK and other European countries began to immigrant to New Zealand. This caused conflict between the Māori poeple and the immigrants. The treaty was drawn to try and resolve this conflict. However Māori people and the Crown signed the Treaty with two different understandings of what the treaty meant. For instance land ownership means very different things between the two cultures. In addition, the Crown imposed their own socio-political systems onto Māori people and expected them to assimilate. For instance, Māori children were not allowed to speak te reo in school.

Today the crown is slowly attempting to resolve the different interpretations of the treaty and ensure that Māori people receive their entitlements as guardians of the land of Aotearoa, as well as celebrate Māori culture instead of suppress it. The treaty can be viewed as an important document that has the ability to support a growing multi-cultural society.

The treaty is important in my work because it is a mandate that I work within the guidelines of the treaty and treat my Māori students with dignity and respect. In addition, it is important that my students understand the treaty as soon as they enter the work force.

I would like to find out more about Te Tiriti o Waitangi. I participated in bi-cultural training some years ago and would benefit from refreshing my learning in this area to assist with retention of knowledge in relation to this area. As part of my obligations as employee at Polytechnic I will receive training in the Te Tiriti o Waitangi through the certificate in Mata o Māori.


"In 1988 a report was published from the Royal Commission on Social Policy, this popularised the three P’s: Participation, Partnership and Protection in relation to the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi"

How do I enact the principles of Partnership, Participation and Protection in relation to Māori learners and learners that I interact with?

Partnership
The New Zealand curriculum states, in relation to partnership that "… young people who will work to create an Aotearoa New Zealand in which Māori and Pākehā recognise each other as full Treaty partners, and in which all cultures are valued for the contributions they bring" (The Ministry of Education, 2012).

In the curriculum that I teach,that is disability support theory and integrated practice, I have incorporated Māori knowledge, experience and perceptions of disability, including Māori models of health and wellbeing. I like to include discussions of how students can work with people with disabilities from different cultures with dignity and respect. For instance I recently created a Moodle book titled 'Working with Different Cultures' which includes discussion on Māori experience and perceptions of disability, as well as the Te Whare Tapa Whā model. I go on to discuss working with Pacific peoples and people who are Muslim. To view the Moodle book click here.


Participation
The NZ curriculum states, it is the "...young people who will work to create an Aotearoa New Zealand in which Māori and Pākehā recognise each other as full Treaty partners, and in which all cultures are valued for the contributions they bring" (The Ministry of Education, 2012).

In my classes I aim to value the knowledge that all learners bring with them. Rather than stand at the front at talk at people I incorporate discussion where learners can express ideas and experiences. This is particularly important in my paper, Integrated Practice: Disability Support. During this paper learners go on placement within disability support organisations. At the beginning of each class I allow time for students to talk and reflect on their experiences of placement. This is a rich opportunity for shared learning, including myself.

In addition to this I periodically ask guest speakers to come into class and share their knowledge with students. Creating partnerships with the wider community is important so that students hear from a variety of people. I would like to make networks with Māori leaders working in disability support to create a more inclusive and diverse range of guest speakers.


Protection
"The principle of protection is about actively protecting Māori knowledge, interests, values, and other taonga. Identity, language, and culture are important expressions of what it means to be a culturally located learner."  (The Ministry of Education, 2012).

I have personally completed level 4 certificate in Te Ara Reo Māori at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa. This course focused on developing intermediate level conversational skills in te reo and increasing knowledge of tikanga Māori within traditional and modern contexts (Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, n.d.). In addition, I have began to receive training in Māori culture and Te Tiriti o Waitangi as required by the Polytechnic employment agreement. I have attended the first workshop of  this training with Ron Bull (Senior Lecturer Treaty Education), in which I learnt my mihi mihi. I had already learnt a mihi mihi but my new one is specific to Ngai Tahu beliefs about the appropriate format for a Pākehā. Learning Māori language, culture and history is important as this understanding can be utilised in my teaching practice and class room discussion with students.



Applying Te Reo and Tikaka in Practice

My current knowledge of Te Reo and Tikaka has come from a variety of sources. This year I participated in the University of Otago, Caroline Plummer Fellowship in Community Dance. The fellow, Louise Potiki Bryant taught contemporary Māori dance. Through this project I continued to learn Te Reo through waiata and through Louise's incorporation of Te Reo in her teaching practice. For information about the Caroline Plummer Fellowship click here.

I have also continued to learn about Māori tikaka through marae stays. As previously mentioned I have completed a level 4 certificate in Te Ara Reo Māori. However, I participated in a Marae preparation workshop as part of the Bachelor of Social Services planning week and discovered that I had learnt a North Island dialect and Tikanga practices as opposed to the local Ngai Tahu dialect and Tikaka. Therefore, I have more learning than previously thought to be culturally competent within
Otago Polytechnic.

One difference that was very obvious to me during the planning day workshop was my mihi mihi. The polytechnic in partnership with Ngai Tahu have drawn up a mihi mihi template for Pākehā to use during pōwhiri and whakatau. The structure of the mihi mihi is quite different from what I learnt just earlier this year through another institution. For instance, at Te Wanaga o Aotearoa Pākehā were able to include awa (river) and maunga (mountain) as part of our mihi mihi, if we wanted to. However the Ngai Tahu/Polytechnic mihi mihi does not allow for pakeha to include these elements. The reason being that awa and maunga are often named after ancestors therefore identifying a maunga in my mihi mihi is like saying that I am related to that particular ancestor the maunga is named after.

In order to continue to learn about Tikaka in the Otago region I will need to complete the Mata o Māori paper through Polytechnic. The learning for this paper will largely take place on a Marea stay with many of my colleagues and will be based on experiential learning.

I do not currently utilise Tikaka within my classroom, for instance I do not mind when students eat while we are working. In fact, I believe I have done this before. I think this is because I am a new staff member and practising tikaka is not yet ingrained in my everyday work life. I do practise tikaka during meetings because it is enforced and we are often reminded of appropriate behaviour. So far this has not transferred into my own classroom.

Thinking back to when I was a te reo student at Te Wananga o Aotearoa the structure of the class followed tikaka protocols. We always began and ended class with waiata and karakia. We did not eat while we worked but we did stop for at least one food break. We all contributed to the food and we all said karakia before eating. In addition to this after waiata and karakia at the beginning of class we did some relaxation exercises and some warm up exercises to get the mind and body ready for learning. Whanau were more than welcome to join class and were always invited to join our Marae stays that were part of the course. Therefore, the class followed the Māori holistic model of health and well being, Te Whare Tapa Whā. The structure of the class was constructed to help us maintain the balance between our taha Wairua (spirit), taha tinana (body), taha hinengaro (thoughts and feelings) and taha whanau (family). For more information on te Whare Tapa Whā refer to Morice (2006).

Reflecting on the above experience I could try and incorporate Te Whare Tapa Whā principles into my own teaching practice to help encourage the well being of students and ensure they are able to effectively engage in the learning material. This will also role model for my disability speciality students how Te Whare Tapa Whā can be utilised in various contexts.


Te Tauākī: Our Ako Framework

The areas of the Ako Framework I most strongly connect with are Akoranga & whakaakoranga (learning and teaching) and Te Reo. The former involves being learner focused; understanding learner needs; and identifying, encouraging and promoting excellence/emancipatory praxis in teaching (Ako Aotearoa, 2011). The latter involves having respect for te reo, promoting and using te reo, and excellence in the teaching of te reo (Ako Aotearoa, 2011).

As a teacher I aim to be learner focused and strive to understand learner needs. I often ask for student feedback and investigate how to incorporate this feedback into my teaching practice. In addition to this I engage in reflective practice by evaluating most of my lessons, and continuing to develop my plans and resources based on reflections and student feedback.

Incorporating Te Reo in my classes will contribute to a learning environment that celebrates and promotes our bi-cultural heritage. Although I have completed a course in te reo I still get nervous speaking te reo in front of people. This year I have focused on incorporating te reo in my email correspondence and I am now feeling more comfortable with this. The next step is to begin to speak more te reo, beginning with a greeting perhaps and then building on this as my confidence develops.

The area of the framework I feel most unsure about are Whakapapa, which appears to relate to understanding the history or genealogy of the organisation. Origins of the wider organisation and the individuals within it, the organisations place in the sector; but also involves understanding and valuing the whakapapa of knowledge and history, beliefs, values and perceptions of Māori in New Zealand (Ako Aotearoa, 2011). I feel like I have some knowledge of the latter point, but I do not yet have a good grasp of the whakapapa of the organisation (Otago Polytechnic) as a new teacher. I believe this knowledge will grow through participation as a employee, such as, attending staff meetings and planning days.

Applying the framework in my own work environment would result in enhanced inclusiveness of Māori learners, and the acknowledgement and celebration of our bi-cultural heritage. This in turn would create positive role modelling for students to carry with them into their own careers. This framework can become an integral part of my teaching practice and inform how I work with all learners.


Plan for More Learning
In the future I would like to complete the diploma level Te Ara Reo Māori and I am also interested in completing a Māori performing arts course. These are both long term goals as they both require a big commitment. I would like to take advantage of Māori television more as there a couple of Te Reo programmes televised, such as 'Ako' and 'Tōku Reo'.

As I have already stated I have attending an introductory workshop for the certificate in Te Mata o Māori where I learnt my mihi mihi and prepared for a Marae stay. In addition, I have made the commitment to continue my learning of the whakapapa of Otago Polytechnic by participating in staff meetings and planning days.

My own learning will develop as I practice cultural competence in the classroom, where my students and myself can learn from and about each other.

"Mai i te kōpae ki te Urupa, tātou ako tonu ai"

"From the cradle to the grave we are forever learning"

(Mader, 2012)

References:
Ako Aotearoa (2011). Te Tauākī Ako: Our Ako Framework. Our work with Māori educators and learners. Accessed 23 October 2014, retrieved from URL: https://akoaotearoa.ac.nz/ako-hub/our-work-m%C4%81ori-educators-and-learners/resources/pages/te-tau%C4%81k%C4%AB-ako-our-ako-framework

Irish, C. & Scrubb, M. (2012). Five Competencies for Culturally Competent Teaching and Learning. Faculty Focus: Higher Ed Teaching Strategies, Magna Publications. Accessed 15 October 2014. Retreived from URL: http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-and-learning/five-competencies-for-culturally-competent-teaching-and-learning/

Mader, R. (2012). Māori Proverbs [slideshare page]. Accessed 24 October 2014. Retrieved from URL: http://www.slideshare.net/planeta/maoriproverbs.

Morice, M.P. (2006). Te Whare Tapa Wha [Presentation]. MindBody Conference: Trusting the Language of the Body. NZ MindBody Network. Accessed 5 October 2014. Retrieved from URL: http://www.mindbody.org.nz/conference_archives/2006/keynote_speakers.html

Te Wānanga o Aotearoa (n.d.). Te Ara Reo Māori: Certificate in Te Ara Reo Māori: Level 4 [website]. Accessed 24 October, 2014. Retrieved from URL: http://www.twoa.ac.nz/Nga-Akoranga-Our-Programmes/Te-Reo-Maori-Maori-Language/Te-Ara-Reo-Maori-Certificate-in-Te-Ara-Reo-Maori.aspx.

Wikipedia (2014). Cultural Competence [online encyclopedia]. Accessed 15 October 2014. Retrieved from URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_competence

Practice Story for Unit 2: Reflective Practice (Practice Context)

Dempsey (2009) points out that reflection is a normal human activity. We often think about what has just happened and how it affected us. However, reflection is a core competency in teaching and should therefore be more purposeful (Bauer, 2010; Dempsey, 2009). In this practice story I will explore different kinds and frameworks of reflective practice in relation to my own experience as a dance tutor and in lecturer in disability studies.

Reflection in teaching requires thought about why and what I am doing in the classroom? With what impact? How is it working and how can I adjust what I am doing based on feedback that I receive? (Bauer, 2010). In addition, Dempsey points out that reflection is dependent on motivation and moral agency that leads to action, improvement of practice and better consumer outcomes. Motivation and moral agency involve being aware of our own beliefs and values, and understanding the impact of these on our actions (Dempsey, 2009). For instance, when teaching the models of disability I may have clear preference for one over another. I therefore might paint the preferred model in a better light rather than teach the two models objectively. By reflecting on this preference I can plan to teach the benefits and limitations of both models of disabilities.

Donald Schön developed three types of reflection in the 1980's and 1990's that is 'reflection on action', 'reflection in action' and 'reflection for action' (Dempsey, 2009; Atherton, 2005):

Reflection-in-action involves 'thinking on your feet' and happens in the here and now of the activity. This type of reflection gives rise to spontaneous action (Dempsey, 2009; Atherton, 2005). Recently in a dance class I had the class warm up using a parachute activity. The students held onto the edges of the parachute and worked together to lift it high in the air to allow one or two class members to quickly run underneath before it floated back down. I encouraged everyone to have a go, however I noticed some people were holding back. Then and there I made the decision to count people off; then I called out a number so that students ran under the parachute in small groups. I realised that some people in the class were too self-concious to do the activity on their own but felt willing when there was safety in numbers.

Reflection-on-action occurs after the fact and involves thinking through a situation that has occurred in the past. This is used as a means of evaluating the experience and deciding what could have been done differently (Dempsey, 2009; Atherton, 2005). Bauer (2010) encourages reflection-on-action by evaluating the lesson plan after each class. Questions to ask include: how easy was the lesson plan to execute? How did the students respond? What will I continue doing and what would I adjust? In addition to these questions, I have started to consider Gibbs (1988) reflective cycle when evaluating my lesson plans. As a reflective tool, Gibbs offers a model that highlights the continuous cycle of reflection-on-action. The reflective cycles involves:

• Describing what happened,
• The feelings and thoughts I had at the time and afterwards, 
• Evaluating how the class went, were there any issues, were the issues resolved?
• Analysing the class - what sense can be made of the situation?
• Drawing conclusions - what else could have been done?
• Creating an action plan - if the situation occurred again, what would I do?
• Once I had the opportunity to put the action plan into place I would then begin the cycle again, starting a description of what happened.
  (Gibb's 1988 cited by The University of North Hampton, n.d.)

I tend to reflect on most of my lesson plans, but I have never followed a specific model. I naturally followed a process of reflection similar to Gibb's (1988), however I did not reflect so much on feelings and often skipped the analysis phase, going straight to drawing conclusions. The Gibb's (1988) reflective cycle has assisted me to think more deeply and more broadly about my teaching practice and situations in class.

Creating an a plan for future action (the last part of Gibb's reflective cycle) can also involve Reflection-for-action. This is the desired outcome for the first two types of reflection. When preparing for a future action, draw on past experiences of similar situations, and by critically analysing the current situation with a view to making a critical decision about the action to be taken (Dempsey, 2009; Atherton, 2005). Bauer (2010) encourages reflection-for-action by suggesting teachers analyse end of term course evaluations to discover trends and patterns over time. A teacher can ask, what areas do the students perceive they are doing well on? Which topics am I delivering well on?

I'm looking forward to doing receiving end of term course and teacher evaluations so that I can begin to create action plans for next year. This is my first year teaching the Disability Studies course at Polytechnic, therefore gaining perspective on the course as whole and what changes need to be made for the following year will be really valuable. One draw back is that I only three students, therefore finding reliable trends and patterns in the evaluations will be difficult.

Is reflective practice something that you do by yourself or do you need other? Chris Trevitt (2007) offers four useful lenses through which we can practice critically reflective teaching that involves reaching out to our students, our colleagues as well as our own minds:

1. Our autobiographies as learners and teachers (self-review). This lens is about placing our selves in the role of the "other" so that be begin to see our teaching from the perspective of what our students experience. In this lens we become aware of "untested assumptions" that require further analysis (Trevitt, 2007). Recently, I was thinking about the students understanding of certain terminology I often use in my class, such as stereotype, stigma and discrimination. I realised that I have never actually discussed the meaning of these terms, rather, I assumed that my students would have already learnt this at some point. I have come to the conclusion that I need to investigate the possibility of including a session or two on common terminology used in disability studies.
2. Our students’ eyes (student review). When asking for feedback from our students we need to be prepared to listen. At times, we may be reassured by what students have to say, however at other times, we may find that students are interpreting and making meanings of the content beyond what we intended (Trevitt, 2007). I have not asked explicitly for students to feedback on my teaching before. One method that appears to be simple and fun for students is the Stop/Start/Continue exercise. This tool can be used to collect feedback on reading materials, learning activities, teaching methods and the use of technology (Strobino, 1997). To employ this tool, direct students to draw three columns on a piece of paper a label one of each - stop, start, and continue. In the start column students write down any instructional practices, polices and behaviours they would like the teacher to start doing. In the stop column students should write down elements the teacher should stop doing and in the continue column any elements the teacher should continue. The teacher can then collect and summarize results, and feedback to the students in the next class.
3. Our colleagues experiences (peer review). Having conversations with trusted 'critical colleagues' can prove very useful as these conversations can help us to explore new ways of seeing and thinking about our practice (Trevitt, 2007). There is a regular forum for peer review in my role as a dance tutor. The co-ordinator for the course and all of the dance tutors meet once a week to reflect our classes that week, to ask for feedback and ideas from others and discuss our plans for the following week. However, this is not something that is automatically structured into the disability studies course I am teaching at Polytechnic. In the latter context I need to be more proactive about approaching colleagues and engaging in conversations about my teaching practice.
4. Theoretical literature (benchmarking). Continuously reviewing relevant theoretical literature allows us to discover multiple perspectives, and expand our vocabulary and understanding of our practice (Trevitt, 2007). Completing the certificate in tertiary teaching this year has given me the opportunity to review relevant theoretical literature on adult education. Once I have finished this course I need to set myself a goal of continuing to read literature and finding professional development opportunities so that I continue to discover and learn about the multiple perspectives on teaching practice. 

Reflection is an important task in developing as a teacher and ensuring my students receive the best possible education. I have discovered that reflection is more than writing thoughts and ideas down after each lesson, but involves how I reflect and act in the moment, and long term strategies such as analysing course evaluations. Reflection also involves self-review, student-review, peer-review and benchmarking. Limitations in my own reflective practice includes student-review and peer-review and therefore are elements I need to give more consideration and action. 

References
Atherton, J. S. (2005). Learning and Teaching: Reflection and Reflective Practice. Accessed 1st September 2014, retrieved from http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/reflecti.htm

Dempsey, J., French, J., Hillege, S. & Wilson, V. (2009). Fundamentals of Nursing & Midwifery: A Person-Centred Approach to Care. Broadway, NSW, Australia.

PSU World Campus Faculty Development (2010). Become a Reflective Practitioner - Bauer [YouTube]. Accessed 1st September 2014, retrieved from URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWnpsiwmups

Strobino, J. (1997). Building a Better Mousetrap. The Teaching Professor. Accessed 19 September 2014, retrieved from URL: http://sphweb.bumc.bu.edu/otlt/survey_modules/stop-start-continue.pdf.

The University of North Hampton (n.d.). Practising in-depth reflection - Gibbs' Model of Reflection. Resources for Personal Development Planning. Accessed 19 September 2014, retrieved from URL: http://pdp.northampton.ac.uk/PG_Files/pg_reflect3.htm.

Trevitt, C. (2007). What is critically reflective teaching? Oxford Learning Institute, University of Oxford. Accessed 4th September 2014, retrieved from URL: https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7300353051857141819#editor/target=post;postID=3756691672246412604;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=0;src=postname

Practice Story for Unit One: Digital Citizenship

Practice Story for Unit One:
Digital Citizenship

Practice Context, Otago Polytechnic
Hahna Briggs

Wikipedia (2014.b) describes a digital citizen as "a person utilizing/using information technology (IT) in order to engage in society, politics, and government participation". Using information technology has become a vital aspect to participation in higher education for students and staff alike. In this practice story I will reflect on my own digital citizenship as a lecturer, identify areas in need of strengthening and provide a personal development plan. 

There appears to be many writers and organisations offering their views on the key facets of digital citizenship, such as netsafe New Zealand's programme, Learn Guide Protect (netsafe, n.d.) or Mike Ribble's (2008) article 'Passport to Digital Citizenship'. In both articles the elements of digital citizenship range from having the capability to use technologies and using technologies to participate in various activities, through to the laws governing our use of technology, as well as our ethical responsibilities (Ribble, 2008; netsafe, n.d.).

netsafe (n.d.) states that fundamental to digital citizenship is digital literacy. Digital Literacy is concerned with an individuals ability to locate, analyse, critically evaluate, communicate, capture, construct and share information in multiple formats using digital technologies in order to effectively participate in society (Wikipedia, 2014.a; Ministry of Education, British Columbia, 2013; Cornell Information Technologies, 2009; Plunkett, n.d.). Put simply by Anyangwe (2012) "digital literacy = digital tool knowledge + critical thinking + social engagement."

In their article '20 ways of thinking about digital literacy in higher education.' Eliza Anyangwe (2012) offers readers insight into the relevance of digital literacy within higher education. I will reflect on two of the suggestions provided by Anyangwe (2012):

Establish guiding ethical principles:

"What does it mean to behave well as digital professionals, researchers or citizens? How do we act ethically in environments where public and private are blurred?" (Anyangwe, 2012).

There are many considerations when thinking about the ethics of digital literacy in higher education. For instance, I am constantly astonished at the level of abuse and violence directed towards people online, and I feel like a lot of people promote the 'harden up' approach. More and more often students and universities utilise social media as platforms for support and discussion. Students and staff alike need to develop reflective and reflexive skills in order to asks themselves: is this something I would say to a person if they were standing right in front of me? What kind of outcome do I want from posting this kind of comment?  Part of establishing guiding ethical principals is knowing our personal and professional online boundaries. For example, students need to think about what personal information they allow online and the future repercussions, such as applying for jobs. Open access information is becoming more readily available, therefore staff need consider how they use open access resources and ensure they credit others work rather than claim it as their own.

Mid-career is the worst time for academics and professional staff to be up to date with technology: as Anyangwe (2012) states, older and secure academic staff have time to experiment and more readily admit there are skills they need to learn. Having time to experiment and having opportunities for 'peer supported experimentation' are of relevance to me. As a new staff member I am finding lesson planning very time consuming as I am becoming familiar with course content and searching for
up-to-date information. This leaves me little time to experiment. There is also little opportunity for 'peer supported experimentation', however sharing an office with other staff members can spontaneously allow for this. Recently, a staff member asked me a question about 'Moodle Books' and I had to acknowledge that I had no idea what a Moodle Book was. This lead to us having a conversation about Moodle Books, which inspired me to explore this function in Moodle.
 

In addition to thinking about the ethical principals of using digital tools and media, and allowing time for experimentation, I took a number of digital literacy self-assessments in order to discover what my strengths are weaknesses are. I found the North Star Digital Literacy Project (2014) self-assessment more comprehensive and useful compared to the Microsoft Corporation (2013) self-assessment, and so will mainly focus on the results from the former. Except to say that both assessments identified basic keyboarding skills as an area to be improved upon. I do touch type but I discovered there are many keys that I do not use, therefore, it might be a good time to go back to basics.

Identified areas of strength on the North Star self-assessments were: world wide web skills and email. Areas needing improvement related to Windows 7, Mac OS X, and microsoft word skills, however all my scores were relatively high. My lowest score was in Microsoft Excel. I remember completing my undergrad study roughly 15 years ago; it did not seem to matter how many times my brother helped with excel for my regular weekly assignments I just could not get the hang of it. This indicates that I have not been able to effectively learn using Excel through trial and error and would benefit from doing a formal learning course.

As disability lecturer and programme coordinator, I am required to teach the year two disability support papers for the Bachelor in Social Services, develop the third year level disability support course and be research active. In addition to basic keyboarding and Excel skills I have identified a number of other skills directly related to my work roles, by refering to Karback (2012) in their blog '33 digital skills every 21st Century teacher should have':

• Use Social bookmarking to share resources with and between learners
• Use video content to engage learners
• Use infographics to visually stimulate students
• Use social networking sites to connect with colleagues and grow professionally
• Create and deliver asynchronous presentations and training sessions
• Be able to detect plagiarized works in students assignments
• Understand issues related to copyright and fair use of online materials
• Find and evaluate authentic web based content
• Learn about the different ways to use YouTube in your classroom
• Use note taking tools to share interesting content with your students
• Use of screen casting tools to create and share tutorials
• Conduct an effective search query with the minimum time possible
• Conduct A Research Paper Using Digital Tools
• Use file sharing tools to share docs and files with students online

The above list is quite long and daunting, however some things on the list I already do through Moodle, such as 'Use file sharing tools to share docs and files with students online'. Other things are not necessarily a requirement but I think would be a good work skill to have, for instance 'Use social networking sites to connect with colleagues and grow professionally'. Developing my professional online profiles could assist me keep up with what is happening in my field to assure that I am teaching and researching the most contemporary issues and information.

In terms of what areas I feel confident, not many really, actually only one: conduct an effective search query with the minimum time possible. I pride myself on being able to find relevant and interesting information quickly! As a new teacher this skill is vital as I am slowly building up my own personal library of resources.

I am progressively beginning to use Moodle as an online teaching and learning tool. In the first semester I predominantly used Moodle to upload course readings for students to access. This semester I have developed a consistent structure under each topic. I outline the topic objectives, followed by a short e-activity, with the relevant readings and links at the bottom. This way the students can engage with the content at anytime. For instance, one student fractured their leg and could not come to class, but they were able to work from home and participate in the class acivities by completing the e-activities. I am also using the e-activities as a way for learners to share information. As stated above, I have recently discovered how to create a 'book' in Moodle, which appears to be an alternative to power point presentations. I have since created my first 'book' in Moodle.

I have heard through informal conversations, LMS such Moodle and blackbaord refered to as 'filing cabinets' because a lot of teachers use them to simply store course material. In the beginning the year this is certainly how I used Moodle, however I would like to continue to develop my skills using a LMS in order to enhance teaching and learning. To achieve my goal above I have developed a SMART personal development plan. A SMART action plan involves creating goals that are Specifc, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time bound (WorldWork Ltd. 2012).

SMART Personal Development Plan

Goal: To development the level 7 Disabilities Studies paper (Bachelor of Social Services) as an online course available for distant learning students.

Actions
The development of the level 7 Disabilities Studies paper will be complete by 30th November 2014, and approved and ready to teach by January 2016. Below are three steps to begin this process.

The LMS in use at Otago Polytechninc is Moodle. Therefore a good first step is to work through is some Moodle courses on Lynda.com, such as 'Moodle 2.5 Essential Training with Mary Cooch'. Founded in 1995, lynda.com Inc, is an online learning company that helps people learn business, software, technology and creative skills for their personal and professional development (lynda.com, 2014). Although I feel fairly confident using Moodle, completing the 3 hour course, 'Moodle 2.5 Essential Training' will consolidate what I already know and further extend my skills. I will aim to complete this course during the next student holidays, that is to be completed by 29 September 2014.

Another important step is to research and think about how I can apply principals of teaching and learning to an online context. This can achieved by firstly, revising the course content of the Foundations Skills paper I completed in semester one of 2014. I can then utilise the references provided in this course to assist me to research further afield. Again, this step can be achieved during the next student holidays, that is to be completed by 29 September 2014.

Lastly, I will reflect on and evaluate my current use of Moodle, in particular the effectiveness of the layout of my course material and exercises on Moodle and whether my students found the e-activities useful. This can be achieved by evaluating whether students completed the e-activities, what e-activities they completed, what students had to say about the course in their evaluations and whether they passed their courses. I can also have a verbal conversation with my students to get direct feedback. This third step will be completed at the completion of the paper, by 14 November 2014.

Resources
The first two steps require having access to the online resources mentioned above, that is the Moodle 2.5 Essential training course on lynda.com, and the readings, videos and my assessments from the Foundation Skills course. I can work through these resources either at work or from home. The assessments and readings from the Foundations Skills course that are on my work computer can be uploaded to my dropbox account.

I can receive support from more experienced work colleagues who have created online Moodle courses and will make the most of their support by creating a journal of notes and instructions, as I tend to only retain certain actions after repeating them a few times.

The third step will require accessing course and teaching evaluations and encouraging my students to complete them. My students will be able to support me by offering feedback on the various e-activities I have created for them.

The main barrier I will face is time. As a new teacher on this particular course, I spend much of my time becoming familiar with the course content and lesson planning. Time management is important, for instance during the student break I will not be teaching and will have extra time to commit to the first two identified actions.

Evidence
The true test for the successful completion of my goal will be the end of 2016 when I have finished teaching the first year of level 7 disability studies. However, there are milestones, such as completing the development of the paper by the end of November 2014, followed by the paper being approved by the appropriate authorities.



As a digital citizen I utilise information technology to be actively engaged in multiple online communties. An important element of digital citizenship is digital literacy. Within the educational context I reflected on two important aspects of digital literacy, that is, awareness of ethical standards of practice, and allowing time to experiment and learn new skills. Specific areas I identified that require strengthening included basic keyboarding skills, excel skills and using LMS beyond storing files. As result of the latter, I created a personal development plan that will assist me in my quest to create a succssful online course.

The term digital citizen is relatively new to me. Rather than view myself as a visitor or voyeur to the online world, I now view myself as an active and engaged member of this world. This has inspired me to be more proactive in developing necessary digital literacy skills for my lecturing role in higher education.



References

Anyangwe, E. (2012). 20 ways of thinking about digital literacy in higher education. Guardian Professional. Accessed 14th August 2014. Retrieved from URL: http://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/blog/2012/may/15/digital-literacy-in-universities

Cornell Information Technologies (2009). Digital Literacy is … Cornell University [wesbite]. Accessed 28 August 2014, retrieved from URL: http://digitalliteracy.cornell.edu/

Kharbach, M (2012, June). 33 digital skills every 21st Century teacher should have. Retrieved from http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2012/06/33-digital-skills-every-21st-century.html

lynda.com (2014). About Us [website]. Accessed 27 August 2014, retrieved from URL: http://www.lynda.com/aboutus/.

Microsoft Corporation (2013). Digital Literacy: assessment instructions [online self-assessment tool]. Accessed 28 August 2014, retreived from URL: http://www.microsoft.com/about/corporatecitizenship/citizenship/giving/programs/up/digitalliteracy/ASMT/Instructions.aspx?lang=eng&aid=as111a

Ministry of Education, British Columbia [website]. (2013). Digital Literacy Standards. Accessed 28 August 2014, retrieved from URL: http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/dist_learning/dig_lit_standards.htm

Netsafe. (n.d.). What is digital citizenship? MyLPG learn guide protect [website]. Accessed 28 August 2014, retrieved from URL: http://www.mylgp.org.nz/about/what-is-digital-citizenship/

North Star Digital Literacy Project (2014). About the Project [online self-assessment tool]. Accessed 28 August 2014, retrieved from URL: http://www.digitalliteracyassessment.org/index.php

Plunkett, C. (n.d.). What is Digital Literacy? [blog]. Accessed 28 August 2014, retrieved from URL: http://cleach.wordpress.com/what-is-digital-literacy/.

Ribble, M. (2008). Passport to Digital Citiznship: journey towards appropriate technology use at school and at home [online pdf]. Accessed 28 August 2014, retrieved from URL: http://www.digitalcitizenship.net/uploads/LL2008DCArt.pdf.

Wikipedia (2014, a.). Digital Citizen [online encylopedia]. Accessed 28 August 2014, retrieved from URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_citizen.

Wikipedia (2014, b.). Digital Literacy [online encylopedia].  Accessed 28 August 2014, retrieved from URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_literacy.

WorldWork Ltd. (2012). Step 3 - A SMART Action Plan. Personal Development Plan [online pdf form]. Accessed 28 August 2014, retrieved from http://worldwork.biz/legacy/www/downloads/Personal_Development_Plan.pdf

Identifying relevant digital literacy skills required for my job

E-activity1.2  in module three of the Practice Context course is identifying what digital literacy skills are required my for job. My job is disability lecturer for year two of a Bachelor in Social Services. I am required to teach the course, development the third year level course and be research active.

Karback (2012) in their blog '33 digital skills every 21st Century teacher should have' proivdes a lists of skills and links to resources. From this list I have identified the following skills as relevant to
my area:

• Use Social bookmarking to share resources with and between learners
• Use video content to engage learners
• Use infographics to visually stimulate students
• Use social networking sites to connect with colleagues and grow professionally
• Create and deliver asynchronous presentations and training sessions
• Be able to detect plagiarized works in students assignments
• Understand issues related to copyright and fair use of online materials
• Find and evaluate authentic web based content
• Learn about the different ways to use YouTube in your classroom
• Use note taking tools to share interesting content with your students
• Use of screen casting tools to create and share tutorials
• Conduct an effective search query with the minimum time possible
• Conduct A Research Paper Using Digital Tools
• Use file sharing tools to share docs and files with students online

The above list is quite long and little daunting, however some things on the list I already do through Moodle, such as 'Use file sharing tools to share docs and files with students online'. Other things are not necessarily a requirement but I think would be a good work skill to have, for instance 'Use social networking sites to connect with colleagues and grow professionally'. Developing my professional online profiles could assist me keep up with what is happening in my field to assure that I am teaching and researching the most contemporary issues and information.

 In terms of what areas do I feel confident, not many really, actually only one: conduct an effective search query with the minimum time possible. I pride myself on being able to find relevant and interesting information quickly! As a new teacher this skill is vital as I am slowly building up my own library of resources and am finding I need to locate soem good references for each class. Next year I will have those references already saved on my desk top ready to use. Although there will always be the need to continue to up date my resources.

I am slowly beginning to use Moodle as an online teaching and learning tool. In the first semester I predominantly used Moodle to upload course readings for students to access. This semester I have developed a consistent structure under each topic. I outline the topic objectives, followed by a short
e-activity, with the relevant readings and links at the bottom. This way the students can engage with the content at anytime. For instance, one student fractured their leg and could not come to class, but they were able to work from home and participate in the class acivities by completing the
e-activity. I am also using the e-activities as a way for learners to share information.

I have recently discovered how to create a 'book' in Moodle, which is a great alternative to power point presentations. I am currently creating my first 'book' for my next class. I can't tell yet whether a Moodle book is better than a power point presentation.










Reference:
Kharbach, M (2012, June). 33 digital skills every 21st Century teacher should have. Retrieved from http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2012/06/33-digital-skills-every-21st-century.html

Digital Literacy Skills

In Module three we are exploring digital literacy skills and were asked to choose a digital literacy self-assessment, take it and reflect on it. The first one I complete was a Micrsoft digital literacy assessment. I received an 18 out of 21, which is not a pass, and recommended to complete a online workshop on 'Mousing Around' and 'Keyboarding'. I could probably benefit from refreshing my keyboarding and mouse skills. I can touch type (at a medium pace) but I don't use certain keys, such as the 'home' key or the 'end' key.

The second self-assessment was a fun interactive assessment by Northstar Digital Literacy self-assessment:
1. Basic computer skills. I passed this time, with only one area of improvement: 'demonstrate knowledge of keys on a keyboard'. This result is similar to the results in the first test.

2. World Wide Web skills: I scored 33 out of 33, 100%!

3. Windows 7 skills: I scored 26/29. The areas of improvement are: Identify drives on a computer, identify task bar, and open files using appropriate programs. The latter I realised I had clicked on the wrong programme a second after I clicked on it.

4. Mac OS X: I scored 23/25, which was surprising because this is not an operating system I have used very often, but seems to be quite user friendly. The areas of improvement include: demonstrate knowledge of the dashboard and use "spot light" to locate a document. I have no idea what spot light is.

5. Email: I scored 100% Yipee!

6. Microsoft Work: I scored 25/29. Areas of improvement were: Identify the ribbon (I use the ribbon but I never knew what it was called); set single or double spacing; use undo button; copy/cut/paste. The latter three I got wrong because I have always used methods alternative to the ribbon. For example when I cut, copy, paste and I use the ctrl button.

7. Social media: I scored 16/18. Areas of improvement were: Recognise information online or on social media that might a pose a risk to you (I clicked that something was unsafe when it was actually safe) and post, share, like or comment on content. I thought I was pretty good at the latter. I got confused when they asked me to share a website, the usual way I do it was not an option, so perhaps there is a more efficient way of doing this? The self-assessment was very facebook-centric!

8. Microsoft Excel: this was my lowest score, 29/39. Many areas of improvement: identify parts of excel screen (ribbon, formula bar, active cell, name box, column letter, row number); format cells (bold, underline, sixe, merge and centre, wrap text etc); insert and delete rows and columns; enter data in a cell; write a formula in the formula bar; copy and move cell entries, choose page orientation; save and name a workbook; save and close workbook by using the quick access toolbar. I swear I know how to do a lot of this stuff, I don't know what I was doing during the assessment. Although, I'm not surprised by this result as I am not very confident using Excel. I remember doing my undergrad study and it didn't seem to matter how many times my brother helped with excel for assignments I couldn't get the hang of it. This probably indicates that I would benefit from doing a course of using Excel.

What is Digital Citizenship?

Anyangwe, E. (2012). 20 ways of thinking about digital literacy in higher education. Guardian Professional. Accessed 14th August 2014. Retrieved from URL: http://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/blog/2012/may/15/digital-literacy-in-universities


Reflect on the stimulus comments. Reflect on the blog post and consider the following questions:

1. What were the key thoughts and suggestions that had most meaning for you?

• Establish guiding ethical principles:

  I think this is really important, there is a lot of bullying and harressment on social media. I feel like a lot of people take the 'harden up' principal however if some people said the comments they make online to a person face to face they could actually get arrested for sexual harressment or something similar. I am constantly astonished and the level of abuse and violence directed towards people online.  

  Students and staff alike need to develop reflective and reflexive skills in order to asks themselves: is this something I would say to a person if they were standing right in front of me? What kind of outcome do I want from posting this kind of comment?  

  In addition to establishing guiding ethical principals knowing our personal online boundaries is important. Students need to think about what personal information they allow online and the future repercussions, such as applying for jobs.

• Mid-career is the worst time for academics and professional staff to be up to date with technology.

  Having time to experiment and having opportunities for 'peer supported experimentation' are of relevance to me. As a new staff member I am finding lesson planning very time consuming as I am becoming familiar with course content and searching for up-to-date information. This leaves me little time to experiment. There is also little opportunity for 'peer supported experimentation, however sharing an office with other staff members can spontaneously allow for this. Recently, a staff member asked me a question about 'Moodle Books' and I said, 'I don't know what a Moodle Book is?' This lead to us having a conversation about Moodle Books, which lead me to explore this function in Moodle. I will now use an upcoming lesson as a platform for creating my first Moodle Book. 

• 'Digital natives' need a basic understanding of computers as technical platforms, or of coding.

  I like the analogy (or is it a metaphor?) that Anyangwe (2012) makes regarding 'digital natives': "I worry that our computers are becoming like our cars: we are increasingly dependent on them but when we open the hood and don't know what to do." It is just so true! I hear people (ie my girlfriend and my brother) talk about coding this and coding that, and I have a vague idea about what coding is but no knowledge about how it works. Much like I hear people talk about radiators and spark plugs. I know they are important, but what do they actually do? Having a more in depth idea about coding and even being able to write some code will give me a much more holistic understanding of the univerise that is the internet.

• Digital literacy as an important part of transliteracy.

  The concept of transliteracy is refreshing and makes the idea of digital literacy a little less daunting, because it is simply one of many forms of literacy. I am quite literate in number of different areas and there is no reason why I cannot be digital literate. I wonder what kinds of skills transfer across forms of literacy?
• Digital engagement shouldn't be lead by a platform or task-specific agenda.

  When I read this section I immediately thought my use of facebook. I used to read posts that I thought were inappropriate or demeaning in some way. I used to feel angry and often express my concern, which would lead to an online argument with many other people getting involved (often totaly strangers). I thought about why I use facebook and I realised it was a bit of escapism, reading a few interesting articles, looking at some funny images and staying touch with friends. I actually didn't want to spend my down time arguing with people and having that argument to so public. I made the decision to immediately hide any posts I didn't like and move on.  

  I have agency as a user and have the right use this agency. However, there were posts from a page that I thought were abusive and dangerous for those their posts were directed at. So I used my agency to complain in this instance rather than simply hide the posts.

2. What do you consider to be the issues in your work area relating to digital literacy and citizenship ?
Two key issues I view in work area are; how to make courses accessible online as well as in a traditional classroom, face to face style and considerations for allowing my course content and research to be an open access resource.


3. How comfortable and familiar are you with accessing and using digital tools and media?

Depends really, I believe I'm quite good at researching information and using online data bases, such as exploring a range of different key words and filtering information so that I can effeciently find the types of articles I am after. But social media for isntance isn't really something I engage with much, I use facebook and that is about it. If find twitter boring and instagram seems to be a platform to post selfies - there is only so many funny faces I can pull, I mean I'm no Jim Carey! I would love to blog more, and have tried in the past. I tend to keep it up for a while, but I feel like I spend so much experiencing life I have little time to write about. I need my 7 hours of sleep per night!

When I was completing my Masters in Dance Studies, it was like a cruel joke. I was 'locked' away in a tiny dark office writing about dance and not having any time to actually dance. I'm a dancer and I want to dance, writing about dance is definitely not a close second. Although I see the benefit of recording my experiences with workshops, performances and choreographies, because I can go back and reflect on these experiences and use ideas in my present day practice. Is there a piece of technology that can be attached to my brain, and can record experiences as I experience them (there would have to be an off switch cause some experiences need to stay in the past!)?


 4. What are your students expectations around using digital tools and media?
Their expectation is to be able to access course material from Moodle and they know they need to produce some references when they write an essay or a report. I encourage them use a variety of sources including  the mass amounts of free academic data bases at the their fingers tips but generally they stick to websites. I know from experience that using databases can be frustrating and time consuming without the necessary skills. So I guess my question is how can I and/or the institution better support students to engage with academic databases?