Kate is the kaiako for a Year 0 class at Manaia View School who achieved her Level 1 Google Educator certification during lockdown. She tells us how she adapted her teaching to keep her young students engaged while learning from home:
How did lockdown impact your teaching?
Lockdown was really hard on teaching a new entrance classroom, students weren’t fully able to hold a conversation over the phone.
I had to get over my fear of being recorded (which I’m sure most teachers did) when making my YouTube clips for the students. The parents have told me that the videos with my face on them made the learning more real for the students.
Making the YouTube clips gave me a chance to educate the students and they were able to respond by sending back photos of the work they had done.
Did it affect the students’ learning at all?
Student learning took a hit over lockdown as they were not used to being taught by family members.
I found some great educational apps for iPads what would send me emails on how the students were doing.
Any learnings for you from the experience?
Becoming a Google-certified Level 1 Educator helped with learning and understanding some of the different features you can use on YouTube and other Google applications. I made a Google Slide each week with the students’ learning on it so they knew what to do each day.
Over lockdown I discovered a range of apps* and had to learn how to use each of them so I could educate parents and students on how to use them.
What is your advice to other teachers, new to online learning, on continuing post-lockdown?
Having a good support system really helps when you need to ask others how to do certain things.
I was lucky enough to have Taitokerau Education Trust’s facilitator Beth Lamb and my fellow teachers. I used my team leader’s Powerpoint slides from the trust’s Digital Immersion Programme and got ideas from other teachers during Zoom meetings. I also used Pinterest for ideas.
I’ve incorporated online learning into my everyday classroom teaching since being back, it meant that the learning they had done during lockdown (andhow to use the apps) didn’t go to waste. Using iPads has been incorporated into our reading and maths rotations.
Becoming Google Level 1-trained is super helpful. I’ve learned new and faster ways to do a range of online tasks.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Lockdown has taught me that we don’t need to spend our whole weekend doing work.
*Some of the programmes and apps Kate uses include:
About Taitokerau Education Trust
We work to bridge the digital divide by giving students in a cluster of Northland schools equal access to online learning. This is done by making sure personal-use devices are affordable for every participant.
We also know that access alone is not enough for students to succeed, and believe a student’s combined learning environment shapes their ability. This is why our programme utilises a three-pronged approach that encourages students, their whānau and their educators to work in collaboration. Our students are successful because they are supported by a core learning network of people who participate, collaborate and engage fully with the curriculum – at home and at school.
