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Tuesday, 23 September 2025

Goggle Summit - Workshop 3

 Hipster Google

 Tools you Probably Never Heard Of - Eric Curts


For Searching

Search Cards 
Emoji Kitchen - Great for writing prompt - students create and use it to get started - or as the turtle grows
Google Translate -
Google Conversions/
Google Calculator
Roll a dice - with a different-sized die

Communication Tools 

Little Language Lessons - No Te Reo/ Pasifika yet
Google Lens - Best on Phone - it will then tell you about the image - E.g. Flowers/plants, translates signs, also built into Google Chrome - Great for translating graphics
Reading Mode -

Creative Tools 

ChromeOS Flex - Turns old Mac and Hp -test it - if it works, it takes less ROM
Time-lapse (built into Google Earth) goes back to 1984- can go back and see the development of the area/location
Google Fonts site - 1800 fonts available, you can search using various categories.



Time-lapse Papakura using Google Earth - Images in 5-year increments


Autodraw
Whisk - Part of Google Labs - Flow - experimental
Androidify - is back - great for about me
Say what you see - Google Arts and Culture
Odd one out - Google Arts and Culture
AI Quest

Music
Music Lab
Music FX

Albany Senior High School
Deploy Learning, working with Google to run events
The 112 schools/organisations here
Google Staff 
Sponsor Everway (Texthelp)


Google Summit - Workshop 4

 Special Guest Mr AI Chatterbot

Eric Curts

There are many ways to use AI as a Guest in the Classroom. It is not only available for students to use, but it can also be teacher-led, and students understand more appropriate ways to use AI to enhance an experience rather than do the work for them.







Use AI with Students, exposing them to AI. You can tell Gemini how to behave and to come from a certain perspective, used in this situation, AI can be a guest in the class.


Click on the image to view this resource in full.

AI Interview - ask it to be something that it is not, e.g. a historical figure...
Preload/ prior knowledge before reading the text
Eric has created prompt templates to help inform AI of the role they are undertaking. - inform the AI to strive for accuracy and fairness in your responses, avoiding stereotypes or biases. Not 💯 foolproof

Teach them to be critical thinkers - test before you do in class
E.g. Dame Whina Cooper
Gemini will give additional sources and links to show where the information is from

We asked Dame Whina Cooper (Gemini AI)
Where are you from, and who are your parents?
What is your favourite colour?
The answers were detailed and related back to Maori values.

Games you can create using AI

Choose your own Adventure


Taboo
Emoji Kitchen

AI Debate
Marmite vs Vegemite





AI Co-Writing
Take turns with AI to write paragraphs
Albany Senior High School
Deploy Learning, working with Google to run events
The 112 schools/organisations here
Google Staff 
Sponsor Everway (Texthelp)

Google Summit - Workshop 1

 Reading Helper for Every Student

Chris Betcher

Building Literacy with Google Read Along inside Google Classroom
Read to or Read with
Article: suggests Parents don't enjoy reading to children - The Guardian.com


Read-along was originally developed for Android phones with children's books. AI listened to the child read and would help, then moved to a web application

Gamified - level up success jingle - Moved into Google Classroom and therefore can assign books and give feedback, and teachers get analytics



Levelled reading and Decodables - Higgety adding more
Common words struggling with, give a summary of accuracy: correct, got with help, didn't try, and tried but did not get it right. Gives CWPM - correct words per minute
You can create groups










Can use Gemini to create books; they can include words students struggle with, but there are no pictures. Only create text which you can download and copy to other places

Due to copyright restrictions, it is not advisable to add text such as School Journals, but it is available only to your class.

Gemini Gem - storybook gives a storyline and name, and will create with images. Pirates in the backyard. You can also listen to the story in Gemini. These are not downloadable or movable.



For more, check out Chris's YouTube playlist, click on the image.

Albany Senior High School
Deploy Learning, working with Google to run events
The 112 schools/organisations here
Google Staff 
Sponsor Everway (Texthelp)

Google Summit 2025 - KeyNote Speaker


Level Up Every Learner with AI

Key Note Speaker - Eric Curts

Eric spoke about how it is essential to ensure that we are helping our students level up their learning, and they can do so with the use of AI.

Games where you can level up and the sound of achieving - draws people in, E.g. Super Mario, Pokémon, World of Warcraft

As teachers, we want to provide opportunities for students that they may not have otherwise.

When talking about Levelling Up; 
Eric is referring to not just supporting educators but also EMPOWERING STUDENTS using AI:


In the 80s, Bloom investigated the value of moving the bell curve

We want to move the bell curve to the right (2 sigma problem)
Move 2 percentiles if students had their own personal tutor (AI)


Looking at Summative Achievement

Low Curve (Blue) = Conventional Classroom (1:30)
Middle Curve = Mastery Learning (1:30)
Tall Curve (Red) = Having a Personal Tutor/AI (1:1)




Not only using AI to help us as educators, but also to help students directly.
If we don't empower students, they miss out.

Personalised Learning Power Ups

  1. Google Gemini - Using Guided Learning: Gemini can explain the basic information and ask each student questions, bringing them into the discussion and encouraging them to think critically. Using Google Gemini, Teachers can create fun quizzes and games where students want to continue levelling up and provide the opportunity to double-check their knowledge.
  2. NotebookLM - Students can add content to NotebookLM and then generate audio overviews, video overviews, mindmaps, quizzes, and flashcards. Methods that help students in the manner they prefer to process information.









Feedback Power Ups


1. Google Gemini GEMS - premade tools such as the Writing Editor - Students can use it to help write, but Gemini asks for information to encourage students to write for themselves.

2. Snorkl provides instant feedback - You can supply a question for students, and they record their voice and whiteboard work to explain their answer. The AI gives feedback on their answer and reasoning.





Creativity Power Ups



Here are a few of the different places you can use AI to be Creative:
  • AI Experiments
  • Goolge Arts & Culture
  • Google Labs
    • Whisk
    • Flow
  • Art Remix
  • Learning Light
  • Music FX
  • Musical Canvas
  • Gemini Canvas - write code to make a spelling snake game or any type of game you can use to engage and reinforce learning




Accessiblilty




Gemini can have students speak, or they can choose to listen

Gemini Live - on phone - ask it to explain and take a photo of what needs explaining

Google Meet - translation as they speak in their language

Everway - Read Write (we have this) - setting choose voice works on the free version


AI is here to help us like Iron Man; we need to have a person in control


Think back to the teachers you have had. What impact did they have?
- Relationship/Connections, Encouraged and Inspired!


DEMO SLAM

There were many great demonstrations but the best 2 were:
Using Gemini Storybook to create a story with images. 
Eric Curts shared the Gemini AI in Google Classroom, sharing the links and then finding ones we might not know. Click on image to open


Albany Senior High School
Deploy Learning, working with Google to run events
The 112 schools/organisations here
Google Staff 
Sponsor Everway (Texthelp)

Tuesday, 13 May 2025

New Mathematics Curriculum

Dr Craig Hansen


Addressing Royal Society Te Aparangi report 


Use recommendations to

- improve achievement

- create more equitable learning opportunities


Supporting NZ teachers

Recognise the dedication of NZ teachers and aim to support them further 


Providing Clear Guidance for Teaching

Clarify what and how to teach at each level, to achieve better outcomes for all students


Positive Relationship

experiences, encouraged, see patterns and logic

Poor Relationship

Never had the time or chance to understand 

The teacher spoke too fast, and many in the class were unable to do the task

Parents tried to teach and at times confused students


Need to Foster a Positive Relationship with Maths

Students need to know what they need help with  and what they need to learn next

Students' confidence in teaching maths


Understand Know Do

Why the change? Lifting progress in achievement

The learning that matters!

Progress outcome - Understand Know Do (UKD)

UNDERSTAND - stays the same

Know and Do changes - per curiulum area


UKD

What a great maths lesson should look like, from planning to gaining understanding, to using tasks that students can connect to and be challenged by. Creating Light bulb moments!


Make connections to, and for understanding


Real learning for the real world


Not just maths - connections to the real world


Cultural roots are used to make connections


Students having the chance to say I don't get it


Hurdle - students knowing what they are being asked to do


Making links to storybooks


The student is in the middle of symbols, reasoning, and is in a cycle, engaging with learning

The Purpose Statement is the philosophy/vision/ideology statement that drives the UKD


Structure is the out working of the purpose

Retrieval -

Know describes the meaningful and important mathematical and statistical concepts and procedures through which students develop an understanding of the
big ideas.
Do describes the processes that are fundamental to all mathematical and statistical activities and that underpin students’ learning of the big ideas, concepts, and
procedures.
Understanding describes the deep and enduring mathematical and statistical big ideas students develop over phases 1–5.


Definitions
 Conceptual Understanding 
 Procedural Fluency 
Choosing product - Practise Practise Practise Practise

Connections between the Purpose Statement and the Structure of Mathematics and Statistics

In the mathematics and statistics learning area, students learn about
and appreciate the power of symbolic representation, reasoning, and
abstraction.

Students engage with mathematics and statistics through the exploration of problems, patterns, and trends and appreciate the everyday value of this learning in many areas of their lives.

Throughout their learning, students engage with diverse perspectives as they apply their mathematical and statistical understandings. Learning in mathematics and statistics builds literacy by developing students’ skills in oral and written communication, reasoning, and comprehension. The learning area opens pathways into a wide range of industries that rely on mathematical and statistical knowledge and
reasoning.

Each phase has:
› A progress outcome describing what students understand, know, and can do by the end of the phase
› An introduction to the teaching sequence highlighting how to teach during this particular phase
› A year-by-year teaching sequence highlighting what to teach in the phase, along with teaching considerations for particular aspects of content.

Progress Outcomes - Learning objectives - students' experiences of their learning is at the beginning of each phase

Science of Learning

Phase 2 - 
Page 60

Teaching at our year level

Challenges

  • Gaps from previous years

  • Needing to go to phase 1 to find the thread to plug the gaps

  • Teaching 2-year levels

Benefits

  • Exposure to appropriate learning for their year

  • Tuakana Teina opportunities

  • Ability to move, increases the ceiling - extend through rich tasks.

  • Thinking deeply and working with other to solve meaningful problems

PHASE 2 - Teaching Sequence
Four Components - 
Explicit Teaching
Page 61
I do, we do, you do - Interactive - Carefully Sequences
    Warm Up
    Examples to break down - walking around and pulling together opportunities to teach/reteach
    Connect Maths with links across learning
    Plan Ways to consolidate learning

Positive Relationship with Maths and Stats
    Encourage curiosity - 
    Highlight thinking
    
Rich Tasks
    Plan to explore situations that are realteable
    Meaningful problem- solving and investigation experiences, designed to invoke curiosity and engagement
    
Communication in Maths and Stats 


Celebrating Success and those who ask for help

Unpacking the Sequence


Teaching Sequence Statement (Not the Learning Outcomes)
Teaching Considerations - (Tasks) is the floor low enough, and how can I raise the ceiling to challenge others?) - Pitching within the Year level.

Strand is Number Subtrand is Number structure or Operations. There is a thread for each year level.

Rational Numbers = percentages, decimals, fractions

Over the next 2 years, there should be less discrepancy as the curriculum becomes more consistent 

Identify areas of need and then help students catch up fast.
Be the car on the race track, when pulling into the pit stop, filling in the thread they need for that learning! Not all the gaps, as then in the garage for too long and miss out on current content.

This curriculum is asking teachers to expose students to where they need to be, providing them the opportunity to be at their level. 

He waka he eke noa



In our Phase Groups 
How does the phase move through the stages? 
Operations

Thread = Add and subtract two- and three-digit numbers

Phase 1

During the first year:

  • explore addition facts to 10 and corresponding facts in subtractions, doubles and halves, family of facts

During the second year:

  • recall facts up to 10

  • explore add/sub facts to 20 + double and halves, family of facts

During the third year:

  • recall facts to 20

Phase 2

during Year 4:

  • add/sub 2/3 digit numbers

during Year 5:

  • add/sub whole numbers upr to 10 000

during Year 6:

  • add/ subtract any whole numbers

Phase 3

during Year 7: (disappears/ but is practised with)

  • use estimation to solve calculations 


How to you get students to engage - Enablers

Extenders - Used to challenge students 





Monday, 5 May 2025

Printing using FlashForge

Wonderful Partnership Opportunity with Vaka 

Updated Printers and new filament. 

We started with Tinkercad and made a keyring with our name.

Vaka is a STEAM-driven initiative, and they bring a wonderful Pasifika perspective. 

Measina and Taonga Workshops - provided by Vaka help to develop an understanding of the meanings of the shapes and patterns.

We found this helped students with attendance issues; they felt a connection and passion to be at school.

Here is a short video showing how to create in Tinkercad and move your creation into Orca. Orca is the platform that we use to ensure our objects are reading for printing.


Tuesday, 10 September 2024

RPI 9 - Sharing

Green is a strength, so they obviously stayed the same. 
Blue was teaching practice to strengthen and integrate.
Orange is now more confident that it is being integrated into my planning and reading. 

So next year I want to have the ground rules and role prompts, 
from the beginning and be referring to them daily, and then weekly. 

Sharing Kaupapa - Fiona

Authentic Audience is important to have Connected learners willing to share. This then helps to deepen learning and experience with the text they read

 

Edublogs - Holds a record of students learning, reading and other interests

Teachers can gather lots of information from previous years and where students are working at now and previously. We can read alongside and independently to give ongoing feedback.

Share to learn and Share finished learning - not just the finished or polished 

As teachers we can ask - Are you ready to share rather than are you finished?

Participating in Reading Communities

Need to up our game with reading, due to the aim of teaching to the NE, we tend to be in SE quadrant

Include Outside the class to add variety, not just read outside but be creative and act out, use the school grounds, and whanau discussion with students to build a more robust and diverse understanding of what is being read.

Sharing with Audience and Sharing by Collaborating

In Te Mataiaho - Communities - share values/interests - building conversations as communities 

Reach others across motu to make connections and share reading experiences, love of books and comments through Tuhi Mai Tuhi Atu.

The idea of a Blog spot on the group slides - to remind/ indicate what is expected to be blogged that week is wonderful. Along with remembering not everything has to be blogged.

Visible Learning

Blogging has an impact on student learning - engagement, self -expression and higher-order thinking 

Over Summer if students are engaged in reading less slide back as shown in the research from SLJ

Be deliberate about when blogging. - share reading choices, response to text 

Vocabulary task - revisiting enhances learning 

As teachers, we can encourage a peer check to lower the load for us.

Does not have to be finished or perfect - We can add a disclaimer to blogs

Effective descriptive Feedback

We share to reflect on the situation and how it went - 


When we share too often it is hard to receive constructive feedback. Students can pick what they want to receive feedback on, and help the workload.

Students can add a sentence to show they understand Success Criteria, such as I know I will be able to do this when…

These comments and Success Criteria "You looked engaged, stayed in your seat" - are dispositional

We can use Multiple modes of feedback,  

Mahi Tracker - seen, checked dropdown on the comment

Collaboration and Connecting

Reading to (dogs in school) animals non-threatening 

Commenting and Responding in not linear or a neat/clear cycle 


  • “The future is not some place we are going to, but one we are creating. The paths to it are not found, but made; and the activity of making them changes both the maker and the destination.”

  • — Peter Ellyard


Sharing with Whānau

How do we share reading challenges with Whanau - Notice Board 

When using Culturally related text - ask the family if they know about Tafoe or Hoe

Response to text or part of Reading Challenge

Send a map if the library is local

Invite parents to author visit or book a day

Invite whanau to share myths legends

Next Steps

  • Create a space - main kete
  • Checked out a couple one with choice of course- emulate



RPI - Reflection

 We are approaching the end of the RPI, and the best question is:

 How are we going to maintain the RPI Kaupapa?

Like all teachers, I have a dream ...

Currently, to make my life easier I have a set of Vocabulary slides with various activities on and I add this to the Response to text slides, once we have a set of words both teacher selected and student selected I choose an activity that best fits the needs of the students. 

Some groups, I get them to select the slide and they can use it like a template to modify and create their own.
   

 These students will report back to the larger reading group later in the week. My reading groups have around 8 and break into pairs for the reading response activity. 

I also want to do this for the graphic organisers for the Figurative Language, just for quick reference. First, I will need to modify and possibly make them into slides for they fit nicely into response activities. Will see how this could work.

Next Steps

Creating a site with the headings:
  • Vocabulary
  • Summarising
  • Evaluating
  • Main Ideas
  • Making Connections 
  • Inferring
  • Point of View
The site has a range of digital and other activities, that cater to a range of abilities. Allowing everyone to use references. 

Post Grad Pt2: Wk 12 - Responsiblity and Agency

 Digital Responsibility and Agency Whakataukī Hāpaitia te ara tika, pūmau ai te rangatiratanga mō ngā uri whakatipu /  Foster the pathway of...