Brian's Blog

I cannot recall how many times recently I have heard the saying that we are living in an unprecedented time. While not disagreeing with this statement, as I am aware that with the COVID-19 virus a lot of things have changed, another part of me thinks we everyday is unprecedented as our students do not learn the same way we do any more than their hobbies, interests, or personalities are the same as ours.  So keeping this in mind, the understanding is learning is about movement and growth, regardless of the starting point. Whilst there are some attributes and dispositions in common between us and our students this difference makes us individuals therefore as educators providing equitable education we ought to personalise it to allow the greatest access to learning outcomes. In the online learning world, it is beneficial to consider ways to support all students access the information and learning. Therefore, differentiation can be created based on  Content - what is b...

While remote learning has been a significant paradigm shift for many of us, some of the practices that have assisted both my students and myself to actively engage and continue our learning as recommended by my professional learning network has been: For Students - Providing students with a simple timetable to guide their learning throughout the week. - Daily virtual home groups enabling student connection and pastoral care using video conferencing platforms such as Google Meet. - Each day explicitly going through the work plan and daily expectations so that students can ask questions and seek clarification. - Students complete each day a Google Form check in to mark attendance and indicate their wellbeing, quality of sleep, energy levels, nutrition intake and identifies how they are feeling about relationships around them. This then exports to a Google Sheet. - Open hours where students can drop in to a video meeting and ask questions about their learning. - When students ne...

It has now been a week that I have been working in this new paradigm of remote teaching and learning. I wanted to think of creative ways I could support, engage and encourage my students. One of the ways that I have been reading a lot about from those who have been remote teaching longer than what I have is taking my students on a Virtual Excursion. I have done this previously with my class but not with us all being in distant locations.  The following are a list of some that members of my professional learning network have suggested. This will be updated; however, if you have others please leave the information in the comment section below. Boeing Boston Museum Eagle Cam Experience Polar Bears Food Farm Georgia Aquarium Live Feeds Great Wall of China Google Arts and Culture Google Expeditions Google sheets list of webcams...HUGE list Live cams of almost anything from Explore Louvre Mars Melbourne Zoo Monterey Bay live feeds NASA National P...

As the Covid-19 crisis grows, schools are facing the potential of mass shutdowns across the globe. Students and teachers have been struggling to process what education will look like from a virtual context through remote connections. To make this slightly easier, I thought I would compile a list of edtech companies who have shown generosity and provision during this time of trial. My list has been generated by drawing together many other’s posts and suggestions. I do not claim to have tried all of the following; however, at publishing the links were live to their offerings. Can I also thank all of the people who have been reaching out to me for support and training, it has been a privilege to help you during this transition time. Whatever the outcome, my hope is we will continue to support our students navigate this uncharted territory. If you find others please add them as comments at the bottom. 2Simple   3PLearning ABCMouse/Adventure Academy AdmitHub Adobe ...

Have you ever had one of those experiences that you walk away from knowing it was breathtaking, knowing that the meal you just ate, the view you just saw, the activity you just did, the interaction you just had or the music you just heard was something else? Just thinking about this, my mind takes me back to the moment and I can feel as if I was there again. I can feel just from the thought of that meal the saliva in my mouth watering! Each day we have moments like this, they may not be to the extent of my list but they are glimpses of this encounter. I find often though in my own life I am too busy to stop and be present in that moment and as a result I skim over what could have been. Something that I have noticed is all around us there is beauty, moments of inspiration just waiting to be experienced if I am willing to pause and look. In photography there is a term called "the Golden Hour", this is the hour right before sunset or the hour after sunrise. The sun is low...

Over the last four years, my intentional focus has been the completion of my Masters of Educational Leadership whilst not dropping the ball on either my teaching career or my family life. Now to do this, it has not been easy and slack had to be taken up in other areas of my life. One of these areas that has been affected is my regular reflections I previously made on my blog. This happened because my cognitive load was being diverted into productive academic study rather than systematic reflection. Don't hear me wrong, the reflections I did throughout my course were benefital and job appropriate, though they were a requirement rather than coming from personal searching and an inquisitive nature.  If you are like me and have found it hard to really get into 2020 because of the devastating fires happening around me in Australia or because of a myriad of other reasons, choose to do something that will help you reflect. This could be camping, walking, spending ...