Mindlab relfection: Innovation 2

 Innovation 2 Assignment: Implementing innovation in educational practice

Entry 5: Critically evaluate the successes and challenges you have encountered so far while implementing your innovation

My group and I decided to utilize technology to create an interactive tour of the school setting and made this tour bilingual to engage more of our community. Engaging children and communities using their home language is important and should be included in school interactions and programs. During the process of creating and implementing this innovation, we were faced with many successes and many setbacks. 

The New Zealand Technology Curriculum (Ministry of Education, 2018) highlights the importance of teaching our students to become avid users of digital tools to enable them to participate as active members of society. My group and I were guided by this document when implementing our innovation. We wanted our innovation to encourage our learners to broaden their knowledge of and familiarity with different digital technologies. Our innovation allowed us to introduce our learners to newfound knowledge, expanding their knowledge of digital tools. 

I would say the collaboration was a success during the implementation of our innovation. As a group, we spent a long time collaborating and discussing what our students need, and the challenges the community is facing with COVID-19. We did our best to set a time limit, stay on topic, and encouraged a safe environment where we could put forward our ideas no matter how outrageous they may have seemed (GP Practice, 2021). We understood our student's and families' challenges and that digital technology in school is emerging. We agreed our innovation needs to encourage the development of all of the key competencies of thinking, managing self, participating and contributing, relating to others, and using language, symbols, and texts (Ministry of Education, 2014). Working together as a group enabled us to interact with one another in order to develop our innovation and achieve our end goal(Panitz, 1999).

We understood that digital technology in school is emerging. According to Google's "Future of the Classroom: Emerging Trends in K-12 Education" report (New Zealand Edition), 8 in 10 New Zealand principals say that digital technologies are positively impacting student achievement, but 72% report that professional development among staff presents either a “major barrier” or “somewhat of a barrier” to the use of digital technologies in schools (Google for Education, n.d). Although we had amazing ideas, we didn’t know where to start with implementing this into our classes, school, and the wider community. An interactive tour was the idea we all agreed on but were unsure of where to start to create a prototype. We had to create a floor plan that included outlines of the schools, an understanding how to implement languages into it, and virtual reality. It can’t say it was a “major barrier” but it was “somewhat of a barrier”.  

Culture and Identity are important for our students and families which is why our group has decided to create our 3D Virtual tours in Te Reo Māori and Pasifika languages. We wanted to ensure that our communities will be able to take part in the innovation. Reaching out to our communities and various networks, to get input, ideas, and data wasn’t the easiest task. We needed family and community input and also on board, as it is important to involve whanau in learning conversations. We have worked hard to establish and maintain strong relationships with whanau, however, there are some who we rarely hear from or get hold of. This issue is one of our biggest challenges, engaging and getting in contact with our families,  and it isn't one that is going to be removed any time soon. We initially wanted to work collectively together with our families to help us translate and write up subtitles so they too can be a part of it. I understand that we may not be able to get in contact with many families, but without the support of our whanau our innovation has its limits. We will continue to reflect upon how we can help these students and their whanau. We are realistic about the fact that, regardless of where we teach, or what community our students are from, there will always be some families who are harder to connect with than others.

The learning theory that our innovation relates to and is guided by is connectivism. Connectivism challenges the old-age idea that teachers hold all of the knowledge, and looks at the new world of learning that holds new and exciting opportunities for learners as they can access and gather information from and share information with the rest of the world (Siemens, 2005) & (Downes, 2010). Seeing our innovation into action will provide great opportunities for our learners to connect with each other, seeking and sharing, as well as looking into issues and perspectives from all over the world. This is a success in my eyes and surely the rest of my group would agree.

References

Google for Education. (n.d). Future of the Classroom: Emerging Trends in K-12 Education NZ  Edition. http://services.google.com/fh/files/misc/new_zealand_future_of_the_classroom_country_report.pdf

GP Strategies (2021). Webinar Design Thinking: Empathize. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91ujUV4juf0

Mercier, O. R., McFadgen, B., & Rata, A. (2017). Keep teaching this! Engaging Māori Studies students with digital cultural mapping tools. In H. Whaanga, T. Keegan & M. Apperley (Eds). He Whare Hangarau Māori- Language, culture & technology, (pp. 97-101). University of Waikato.

Ministry of Education. (2014). New Zealand Curriculum. Key Competencies. 

Retrieved from: https://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/Key-competencies

Ministry of Education. (2018). NZC. Technology in the New Zealand Curriculum Insert Web. Wellington, New Zealand.  Retrieved from: http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/The-New-Zealand-Curriculum/Technology

Panitz, T. (1999). Collaborative versus Cooperative Learning: A Comparison of the Two Concepts Which Will Help Us Understand the Underlying Nature of Interactive Learning. ERIC. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED448443

Siemens, G., 2005. Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 2(1), pp.3-10.

Entry 6: Critically reflect leadership during the implementation of your digital and collaborative innovation

Leadership during the implementation of my group's innovation varied in some ways and not. Before beginning the planning and thinking stages of the group innovation, I wanted to adopt a leadership style that steered towards the Agile leadership. To be a leader that accepts that change is inevitable, think creatively, envision a successful outcome, and be able to articulate that vision and the process to achieve it (Herrmann, 2016). To create and implement our innovation, agile leadership was the way to go. 

During the beginning of our discussions around the challenges of our students, I quickly fell into the realm of Servant leadership. Focussing on the other members of the group, letting them know that their ideas and thoughts were heard. Gotsis & Grimani state that for servant leadership to be effective it needs  “inclusive behaviors stemming from inclusive mindsets” (Gotsis & Grimani, 2016, pg.17). When we started brain dumping ideas, I ensured everyone's ideas were thought out and discussed so nobody felt unappreciated. I wanted to create a positive environment and ensure everyone felt good to be a part of a collaborative working group, and ensure everyone felt supported and motivated to work for the success of our innovation (Franciosi, 2012). I felt that servant leadership contributed to our group, as it helped to create a safe space for sharing ideas and working together without the feeling of the need to withhold ideas that may or may not be beneficial to our overall goal. 

There are clear links between Servant and Agile Leadership. Beck and Andres (2004) see Servant Leadership as a key component of leading agile teams. The agile leader should: Facilitate, remove obstacles, encourage reflection, be a servant leader, create a safe environment and allow teams to self-organize. The one I feel clearly represents me during our group meetings was “be a servant leader”. The two key points that I struggled with were facilitating and removing obstacles. I played the role of listening and understanding everyone in my group really well, which gave the opportunity to facilitate and action our plan difficult for me. I took a step back from it and was more of the lending hand, rather than the frontman. This was an obstacle that I couldn’t remove for myself, the fear of messing up and getting it wrong. In order for me to be an agile leader, I need to be able to do these two things. These were my goals further into the implementation of our prototype. Although I couldn’t do this in the beginning, it was something I wanted to improve on, and slowly but surely I did. I was able to step forward and facilitate communication networks to connect with our families and communities and help come up with different ways to connect with our whanau.

Franciosi(2012, p.g 5) states that transformational leadership “emphasizes the quality of relationships between leader and follower through ethical role-modeling, motivation, and care for individual needs”. As our group continued to find networks and build relationships with our whanau and families, we were finding it hard to make these connections. During this time it was crucial to be flexible, and empower and guide my group members. I made zoom meetings more interactive, and shared pallets and notes about our readings in case some of us missed them. We all had a clear idea of what we wanted for our group, so more motivation and encouragement will lead us to achieve our goal for our innovation. It was clear to me that my goal of becoming more of a transformational leader was achievable, it may not be achievable now but it’s the beginning of something.

References

Beck, K. & Andres, C. (2004), Extreme Programming Explained (2nd Ed.) Addison-Wesley. Schwaber, K. & Beedle, M. (2001). Agile Software Development with Scrum. Pearson.

Franciosi, S. J. (2012). Transformational leadership for education in a digital culture. Digital Culture & Education, 4:2, 235-247.

Gotsis, G., & Grimani, K. (2016). The role of servant leadership in fostering inclusive organizations. Journal of Management Development, 35(8), 985–1010. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMD-07-2015-0095 

Herrmann, D. (2016). Agile Leadership. Leadership Excellence, 33(6), 25.

Entry 7: Critically reflect on what kaupapa Māori principles informed opportunities for digital and collaborative innovation you will be passionate about focusing on in the future

Kaupapa Maori principles informed our design thinking process in numerous ways. Rangahau (d.u) talks of the Māori principle Āta which is explained as the principle relating to building and nurturing relationships. Knowing that I work in predominantly Māori and Pasifika schools, being aware of the principle āta when initiating, building, and maintaining genuine relationships with our students and their whanau are part of culturally responsive practice (Tapasā, 2018). The principle Rangahau (n.d) explains that in kaupapa Māori the principle of whānau sits at the absolute core of kaupapa Māori, and acknowledges the importance of whānau engagement.

The well-being of our learners and whanau has been impacted in various ways, this has also caused challenges for students who have had to transition back into a foreign school setting that is constantly changing. Rangahau (d.u)  explains the principle of Whanau acknowledges the relationships that Māori have with one another and with the world around them. It’s important to strengthen our relationships with families to better support our learners. The well-being of our students and their whanau is important, by allowing our whanau to be at the forefront of our innovation and by using their voices in the virtual tour will contribute to our learner's well-being and their whanau. Rangahau (d.u) talk of the Whanau principle acknowledges the responsibility and obligations of the researcher to nurture and care for these relationships and also the intrinsic connection between the researcher, the researcher, and the research. This meant Kia whakaute, kia whakamānawa i te tangata - respecting and showing gratitude towards people (Smith, 1999) knowing that we were handling our community intellectual property, kaua e takahia te mana o te tangata - not trampling over the mana of people (Smith, 1999) By supporting our whanau and learners and providing opportunities for our whanau to be involved and be the center will contribute to their overall well-being. This also relates to the principle of Ata - The Principle of Growing Respectful Relationships, which is a transformative approach relating specifically to the building and nurturing of relationships.

Learners will be empowered through the Kaupapa Māori principle of Tino Rangatiratanga - The Principle of Self-determination as the way we are expecting our tamariki to work promotes control, self-determination, and independence. By facilitating students with the right resources and knowledge, they will be able to work independently and be self-determined to use their digital skills to create their own virtual tours of landmarks, or places we could visit if we go into lockdown again. The overall goal is to provide students with the knowledge to become digital citizens. The notion of Tino Rangatiratanga asserts the goal of Kaupapa Māori initiatives, to control their own culture, aspirations, and destiny. This provides the platform for teaching and learning practices that are inherent and unique to each individual (including our Maori learners). Our students are used to the expectations of teachers, families, and peers. Through the principle of Tino Rangatiratanga, they will be at the center of their own learning rather than performing to someone's expectation of them. This innovation is the beginning which is to reconnect with our whanau and community to better interact with them. Our next steps and the overall goal is to support our learners and give them a sense of control over their own learning, culture, aspirations, and destiny (Rangahau, d.u). 

References

Rangahua. (n.d.). Kaupapa Māori Derived Methods. Retrieved from

 http://www.rangahau.co.nz/research-idea/27/ 

Smith, L. T. (1999). Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and indigenous peoples. Zed Books.

Tapasa (2017). Cultural Competencies framework for teachers of Pacific learners. Retrieved from 

https://tapasa.s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/public/files/Tapasa-Cultural-Competencies-Framework-for-Teachers-of-Pacific-Learners-2019.pdf#page=10

Entry 8: Critically reflect on how you could lead future change in the digital and collaborative learning context taking account of your learning experiences on the DCL program

During the Mindlab program course, I’ve gained insight into what digital and collaborative learning really is. It’s been a full-on journey, but the growth in knowledge and as a teacher has been worth the effort. I start this journey with a not-so-clear understanding of what I wanted to change in my practice, like Osterman, K.F., & Kettkamp, R.B. (2015) describes, I wanted to improve my practice but was unsure of the actions I needed to take to be more successful, for the most part, I would quickly move to solutions rather than focussing on problems. I realized that the issue wasn't that I understood there were gaps in my knowledge, but that I wasn’t seeing it as a critical problem to my teaching nor understanding the processes required to improve my practice. 

Digital responsibility is a way I will be leading future change in DCL. Digital responsibility is one of the emerging trends that educators have been addressing is how to teach our learners to have d healthy relationships with technology and to be safe and confident explorers of the digital world. It is important that we educate our learners on how to be safe when using digital tools. I firmly believe that it is beneficial to learners if we teach them how to manage themselves online, and what to do if they are in an unfamiliar situation. I’ll be honest, I have yet to do this and will be implementing this into my classroom.

Student agency is also how I will be leading future change in DCL Prior to Mindlab, I understand student agency as independence, to do learning tasks provided independently and taking learning into their own hands. As I attended the Mindlab classes, I realized students' agency is more than that. A classroom focused interpretation of agency ‘emphasizes students’ active engagement within richly furnished curricular settings with the support of teachers who encourage student risk-taking and active, self-directed experimentation with the alternative possibilities available in such settings” (Martin, 2004, p. 144). Student agency builds lifelong learners, and prepares learners for life not just in school but beyond it. 

I understand that digital devices impact humans and society change over time." (Ministry of Education, 2018). Our learners need to know 21st century skills. The Mindlab program involved new learning and some concepts I have heard about before were flipped learning, blended learning and familiar digital technologies. This new way of learning shifts the responsibility to learners, which isn’t the traditional way. I believe that utilizing these concepts like flipped learning into our classrooms is beneficial for our learners, it gives them the opportunity to create on their own and learn at their own pace. Hipkins (2021) claims that “Familiar pedagogies from industrial-age schooling often work against the development of a disposition to understand the world in complexity terms. They are typically underpinned by linear models of cause-and-effect thinking, and may not make space for the sorts of critical/creative conversations that complexity thinking demands.” (p. 38). These concepts that I have learnt through Mindlab will be used in my classrooms, so they become digital citizens equipped with 21st century skills.

I was a technology consumer rather than a creator. During the Mindlab session, I began to shift away from being a consumer and utilizing technology to create. I also learnt that leadership in teaching isn’t just those in positions of leadership, I will be a leader that supports and strengthens those around me, so that my students are equipped to take part in society as informed citizens and develop broad technological knowledge (Ministry of Education, 2018). Mindlab has given me the skills and knowledge to justify change, innovation and engage students in meaningful learning experiences.

References

Hipkins, R. (2021). Teaching for Complex Thinking. NZCER Press.

Martin, J. (2004). Self-Regulated Learning, Social Cognitive Theory, and Agency. Educational Psychologist, 39(2), 135-145.

Ministry of Education. (2018). NZC. Technology in the New Zealand Curriculum Insert Web. Wellington, New Zealand.  Retrieved from: http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/The-New-Zealand-Curriculum/Technology

Osterman, K. & Kottkamp, R.(1993). Reflective practice for educators.California:Corwin Press, Inc. Retrieved from http://www.itslifejimbutnotasweknowit.org.uk/files/RefPract/Osterman_Kottkamp_extract.pdf