Barry H Professional Blog

I agree that it's important that students have opportunities to be innovative designers and creators of digital solutions – moving beyond solely being users and consumers of digital technologies. In Hub Mako this is one of our mantuans - be a creator not a consumer ! To become a creator we must first build our digitally fluence as both teachers and learners.  One thing that has had me thinking is what is a student digital learning object?  “Digital entity or content object using ‘different media modalities (and often interactivity) to represent data, information, reality, concepts and ideas…designed to afford educational reuse" (Churchill, 2007) I was lucky enough to attend a Leaders of Manaiakalani hui this past week. We delved into some learning around digital learning object DLO and Student Design for Learning SDL. If your not sure what these are about please ask your Manaiakalani facilitator they'll be able to put you straight. It was a great session which challenged m

We all know the importance of reflecting the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi in the classroom, but what exactly does this mean and how are we along with Manaiakalani know if we're getting it right? The NZC states: "The Treaty of Waitangi is one of eight principles in the NZC that provide a foundation for schools' decision making. The Treaty of Waitangi principle puts learners at the centre of teaching and learning, asserting that they should experience a curriculum that engages and challenges them, is forward looking and inclusive, and affirms New Zealand's unique identity." Still confused?    Let's unpack the principles...  The three "P's" as they are often referred to, are the principles of partnership , participation , and protection . These underpin the relationship between the Government and Maori under the Treaty of Waitangi. These principles are derived from the underlying tenets of the Treaty. They are used to bridge the gap between