Blogs Up!

Okay, it's Friday 6th April and the time is 5:58pm.  I am still here at school due to time I have set aside to work with a colleague.  

I guess I should start from the beginning. 

I have taken up a big challenge this year by committing to do a postgraduate certificate in Digital & Collaborative Learning.  I had planned to do this for some time now since another colleague of mine did it two years ago.  This colleague would come back with new exciting ideas of how to get our tamariki excited and engaged with using digital devices as part of their learning.  My colleagues enthusiasm and passion made me curious about this new learning and I started reading over some of the materials.  However, to commit myself to 32 weeks of studying all the way out in Petone and on my own was my excuse for not taking up the opportunity.  Fortunately for me, the course has come to my home town Porirua and I was in guns blazzing!  Okay, it didn't actually happen like that (guns blazzing), but that's how it's feeling already.

Week 1
Followership

Kelley (1998) identifies two ways that people follow: 

1. Do they think for themselves? Are they independent critical thinkers? Or do they look to the leader to do the thinking for them? 
2. Are they actively engaged in creating positive energy for the organization? Or is there negative energy or passive involvement? 

                               

So what do I consider a good leader to be like?
I found this session really interesting especially the conversations over 'What does a follower look like?'  I came to realise through collaboration with others in the Porirua group that I believe a 'follower' should have the same skills and values as a leader, for their role in supporting a leader is invaluable.  So what do I consider a good leader to be like?  A good listener, communicator, the decision maker but fair and considerate of other's ideas and input, a doer...not just a talker, a creative thinker and innovator.  There is always room to do or be better and leading never stops even when something is completed.

What is knowledge?

Wow, talk about throwing us under the bus on the first session.  Funny how you know what you are thinking but you can't find the words to explain this.

The following diagram is adapted from Banks (1993) and shows how these 5 types of knowledge interrelate
                           

My colleague and I (Faye Levanatabua) came up with a creative way of explaining what knowledge looked like for us, using play dough and pipe cleaners.  This was our first digital recording and I thought we did well, when we finally managed to stop laughing at each other and get down to pressing the record button.  When I work out how to link the video to my blog I will post it up.  But for now here are the images of our first models...

You are the centre, knowledge is gained from all sources of life

Same concept as above but with the 5 sources relating to Banks (1993) 5 Types of Knowledge.  The strand left open is knowledge yet gained

I love the whakatauki that is left after every course week and I hope no one is offended that I use it too on my blog...

Naku te rourou nau te rourou ka ora ai te iwi
With your basket and my basket the people will live

References:
Kelley, R. (1988). In praise of followers. Harvard Business Review, 66(6), 142–148.
Banks, J. A. (1993). The canon debate, knowledge construction, and multicultural education. Educational Researcher, 22(5), 4-14. Retrieved from: https://education.uw.edu/sites/default/files/people/faculty/banks/The%20canon%20debate,%20knowledge%20construction,%20and%20multicultural%20education.pdf