rewindable learning

These ponderings are about a keynote at a 'learning @school' conference e by American Kevin Honeycutt... check it out here... I  liked Kevin's discussion about 'rewindable learning'. Through a series of stories about himself, his students and of his own son, Kevin talks about the value of technology in enabling a much more personalised approach to learning. He cited his own experience in learning the guitar, having to hide it from his father, and of learning it one note at a time as he memorised music in sections from the sheet music in the music store – eventually teaching himself to play Les Zepplin's Stairway to Heaven. He then told of his son who wanted to learn to play the guitar, but declined to have his father 'teach' him. Instead he locked himself away in his bedroom and learned the same tune from a 6 year old who had posted his videos on YouTube. The key to this learning here was being able to re-wind the learning, to watch the one piece over and over, with no criticism or judgement, until mastery is achieved.  Once teachers ( and for us programme highlights ) are rewindable, children can make decisions to be involved in the 'rewindable experience'   and by so doing get as many chances to learn as they need.


He calls himself a 'digital dumpster diver'  as he sifts and sorts and decides on useful ICT tools  to help teach children - and isn't a techy- telling us he is a '12 o'clock flasher'  ( sounds dodgy!) - which means all the technology in his house is flashing '12' over and over because he can't set it.  But he is keen to emphasize that learners for the now need to be able to learn, unlearn and relearn.... not what we did which was learn once and perhaps know because knowledge and jobs wouldn't change for a really long time.

....................................rewindable learning is something I have seen time and time again in ece where the ICT set up is accessible to children and they have agency over the equipment ( within reason!). Not at the whim of  teacher who can get the computer out of the office during the day at times suitable to them...... the amount of children who ( for example) have revisited a favorite story using digital clips to supply soundtrack and visual cues as well as props to support this investigation such as puppets and books.... over and over until they are satisfied and have explored using a whole range of strategies! I've also seen it at home when I found three of my four sons lined up in front of you tube reminding themselves step by step how to tie a tie for a formal family occasion....! :)

Below is an article written by Ann Hatherly- the leader of the research project investigating the use of ICT in ECE. This was made public for download on the Ministry Website. I find it pivotal to the 'heart' of the matter'. I've seen lots of techy oriented people who don't 'get it'. The people wielding these neutral tools ( ict) need to be teachers. Not only teachers but GOOD teachers.  The tools have 'seductive qualities' ( Hatherly) and are tailor made for ece as they are highly visual and oral... potentially.  They rely on the teacher 'getting' what the interest is for the child ( or group of children) and being responsive. So what sort of ICT you use doesn't mean that with the biggest 'bling' factor... just that which will be likely to communicate the best - or bring the gap.

Technology+ +a+Teacher+Mind.+Ann+H

moving with the times

Okay- I'm not suggesting we are all as good as Joe Sabia at manipulating our machinery- but its a bit of a comment on how different generations of learners tell the same sorts of stories in very different ways.  It's our job to get on board with their learning experiences and styles to keep them excited and engaged in their learning. Joe uses an ipad as a tool to  tell his story.

Moving with the times...

Kaitiaki o kaupapa Maori

Huge thanks to the lovely Lou (our Kaitiaki o kaupapa Maori for the association) for helping me site this project comfortably within our Biculturally oriented national world view. She shared with me with some concepts that link the project's essence and aspirations with appropriate kaupapa Maori. This helps me finish the logo for the project and add these whakaaro to our vision. "ICT is used to capture the moment in whatever program you use. So, He whakamīharo ngā mahi a te tamariki.The works of children are wonderful". " He hao te takitaro .......Capture the moment!" Thanks Lou for your contribution!

Snowing in Wellington

Ok- old news now. But as I moved from Kindergarten to Kindergarten last year - Everyone had documented something about the snow. It captured the teacher's sense of wonder and this communicated itself to children and was fed by families. It should have been a case in point to us in ECE circles how using wonder to drive a project or support a teachable moment can work. I might be slightly biased on this front ( having co written an article on wonder in ece ) but also am speculative about what happened next - did the teams capture this rare moment of shared understanding and run with it? Here's a clip from Wellington that encapsulates wonder in the snow.

Capturing wonder...

The Day It Snowed In Wellington from Ro Tierney on Vimeo.

Connecting with families

I've been chatting with a team of teachers today about ways to make group planning visible and accessible- often a topic of discussion these days in Kindergarten circles! Below I've posted a video from the Ministry of Education's website from the ECEICTPL project around using the technology to connect with families... hmmm food for thought

Connecting with the learning community....