Dealing with Data – DFI Day 4

Manaiakalani Pedagogy 

Effective teaching goes beyond what happens in the classroom—it’s about harnessing the power of learning, collaboration, and intentional practice. When teachers and leaders use the right tools deliberately and with purpose, real academic shift occurs. By sharing expertise, reflecting on practice, and growing as a community of learners, we add lasting value to student achievement and strengthen the culture of learning across our school.  

My Google Tools Learning Journey 

Today’s focus was all about data—learning to navigate, analyse, use and share it meaningfully. As learners, we had the chance to crawl, walk, and run through a range of Google tools, stumbling occasionally but growing in confidence with each step. I’m reminded how powerful these tools can be when used effectively and how much I admire those who seem to create and share them effortlessly.  The phrase “spray and walk away” really summed up today’s kaupapa: learning the basics, being given time to create, and then sharing with others. I’m not there yet, but with guidance and support from my colleagues, I’m well on the way.

Where to from here? 

Learning is most powerful when it is social—when we connect, share feedback, and encounter different perspectives. Through these interactions, we as learners begin to take greater ownership of our  learning, our understanding deepens, and we grow in our ability to evaluate and build upon others’ ideas. In this way, the collective knowledge of the group advances, and learning becomes not just an individual journey but a shared achievement.   This is the strength of our DFI cohort and as challenging as today’s session was, I look forward to what lies ahead.

What I read I forget, what I see I remember, and what I do I know.

Mauriora.

 

Media – DFI Day 3

Today’s focus was CREATE—a component our Kaikohekohe cluster identified as a key development area for 2026. As practitioners, we know that meaningful creation requires more than intention; it demands deliberate learning and hands-on practice.
Practice Makes Permanent
During our breakout group, a powerful phrase emerged: “Practice Makes Permanent.” This simple truth underpins digital fluency. When I practise using the various media tools available to me, they become intuitive. What once required conscious effort becomes automatic, and from there, genuine proficiency develops. I’m learning that building these skills takes time, repetition, and a willingness to try, fail, and try again.
Leaning on Our Experts
I’m also grateful to have several experts within our kura. The more I learn, the more I realise how important it is to shoulder tap these colleagues more often—to ask for advice, seek guidance, and learn from their experience. Their willingness to share knowledge accelerates my own growth and models a culture of collaborative learning.
Recognising, Amplifying, and Turbocharing Effective Practice
Dorothy’s insight about accessing creativity in various ways really resonated. As we Recognise, Amplify, and Turbocharge effective practice across our kura, providing access to different tools to showcase learning will enable creativity to truly shine. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach; students and kaiako alike need multiple pathways to express understanding.
Today’s Learning Highlights
YouTube & Hapara: Setting up YouTube and understanding Hapara’s Sight, Sound, Motion tool opened new possibilities for capturing and sharing student learning.
Google Drawings: A good reminder of what’s possible with a simple, intuitive tool.
Infographic Creation: This breakout group proved both challenging and illuminating. Barriers to access—like difficulty finding building blocks in Slides—highlighted an important skill: troubleshooting. In the classroom, kaiako constantly face technical hiccups. Knowing how to problem-solve, adapt, and find alternative pathways is just as important as knowing the tools themselves.
Creating with Intention: A Neurodiversity Example
Today, I created a Google Slide (Slide 9) on neurodiversity with deliberate design choices. I was specific about what information to share, used visuals purposefully, limited my palette to 4 colours and 2 text types, and kept language clear. This exercise reminded me that effective creation isn’t about doing everything, it’s about making intentional choices that serve your audience and message.
Looking Forward
As we continue this digital fluency journey, I’m reminded that:
Practice compounds: Small, consistent efforts build lasting competence.
Experts are resources: Our colleagues’ knowledge is a gift to be accessed and shared.
Creativity thrives through tools: When we know how to use the tools available, we unlock new ways to communicate and innovate.
Troubleshooting is a skill: In an ever-changing digital landscape, the ability to problem-solve is as valuable as the tools themselves.
The path to digital fluency isn’t linear, but it’s rich with discovery. Today was proof of that. Have a great term one everybody.
Kia ū ki te pai… uphold all that is good!

 

Workflow Agenda – DFI Day 2

DFI today was all about WORKFLOW and in my role communication and efficient use of the tools that I have access to, make my job a whole lot easier.  The hard part right now is reLEARNing various google tools and then applying the use of these tools so that they become automatic in the mahi that I do.  The learning that we are doing in DFI is so relevant not just for kura, but many other parts of my life.  I hope that I am able to lead by example, walking the talk of our Manaiakalani kaupapa and show my staff how important these tools and skills are in our various roles. 

The biggest challenge today was CREATing a google meet, setting this in our calendar, inviting a friend, reviewing a blog post by a Summer Learning Journey student, identifying key parts of their blog… and recording this conversation with my buddy.  As you can see, I also followed instructions and embedded my video into my blog post… pretty flash alright!  It was great to meet Katy one-to-one to firstly complete the task and also SHARE our whakaaro/thoughts on a student blog post.  A big mihi to Isla at Ohaeawai School who used polyline to create a poster for the “Big Octopus Battle.”  

Here is our google meet conversation, trainer wheels and all!

My goal for Term 1 is to utilise these tools so that they become automatic and inspire others to try them.  Another great day with our DFI online NON CONTACT whānau.

Core Business – DFI Day 1

What did I learn that increased my understanding of Manaiakalani kaupapa and pedagogy?

Manaiakalani has been an influential part of my educational journey for many years.  I have seen the benefits for ākonga and kaiako involved in varying kura within our Kaikohekohe cluster, with Manaiakalani being the hook that is guiding us as we navigate our way each day within our kura.  The Learn, Create, Share kaupapa is so easy to adapt to my own practice.  Today provided an opportunity to LEARN about the tools within google, some time given to CREATE using these tools and to SHARE without judgement in our small group.  Amie has been a great mentor/coach and I look forward to learning more with her expert and understanding support. We’re all at different points in our digital learning journey, and that’s okay. What matters is our shared willingness to keep growing and trying new things. Each time we build our confidence and capability, we move closer to becoming truly fluent in using digital tools — not just efficiently, but creatively and with purpose.

What did I learn that could improve my confidence, capability or workflow as a professional?  

Navigating my way efficiently and effectively using the various platforms in google is the start.  There are many documents and links required in our DFI meetings, so being organised is important, starting with my DFI Sandpit Folder.  My goal over the next few days will be to tidy up my Google Drive, setting up my 2026 folders better and for me, looking at creative examples to guide me in making better use of the tools available to me in google. 

What did I learn that could be used with my learners?

There are so many tips shared today that will be useful for my staff and students.  I will endeavour to incorporate these in the correspondence that I share with staff, so that it is visible and they can see it in action.  Examples like meeting minutes that utilise the SMART CHIPS  and the BUILDING BLOCKS, particularly the email template draft.  So many things to learn, and working through them.  I will work my way through the DFI CREATE USING DOCS activities.

What did I learn that could improve my confidence, capability or workflow in my personal life?

Organising my google drive is one that will benefit me in my day to day personal life.  The LEARN, CREATE, SHARE kaupapa is also one that I can use each day.  As a leader, I hope that I will be able to share what I learn with others. 

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