Thursday, 5 March 2015
Wednesday, 18 February 2015
BARCELONA MICROSOFT GLOBAL CONFERENCE FROM
14th to 17th MARCH 2014 .Sharing my experience of being MIEE in 2013 and 2014in
two consecutive years!
Becoming MIEE in two consecutive years,
priceless feelings!!!!
In November
2013, when Microsoft announces that I am one of the chosen few
innovative educators, amongst thousands of entries world wide,I did not
understand because I forgot that I uploaded my learning activity and I did not
even thought that my learning activity will be short listed globally because I
knew that there are technology gurus out there who has innovative skills far
much better than me.
On that day, Cheryl Douglas from Bishop
high School in Western Cape sent me a message to say ”Phuti, you and myself are selected to attend Microsoft Global forum
in Barcelona. We are only two from South Africa”. I said: OK!!!. By that time I
was still in the Principals meeting planning for learners final examination.
Late at night I went through the messages again and understand what’s
happening! That’s where I learnt that I m selected globally to present my
learning activity and to attend Microsoft
global forum. I was so excited more especially that it was for the first
time, to fly outside the country. That was one of the most highest moment in my entire life! I have
never flew outside the country.
I took many photos, collaborated with many
educators and learnt more skills on how to use Microsoft resources to enhance
teaching and learning.
One of my highest moment was when Anthony
Salcito gave a key note address. Among other things as he was talking, he said”
Teaching and learning has changed”. That statement is still echoing in my mind!
I was so inspired in such that I told myself that “Come next year, I want to
work hard to be selected again. I DON’T WANT TO MISS CONFERENCE OF THIS CALIBRE” Indeed I worked
hard by workshopping other educators, parents
and learners using the theme” Teaching with technology”.
Here is Anthony Salcito giving key note
address.
My inspiration!!!!
Unforgettable and precious moments in
Barcelona March 2014 during Microsoft global forum!
I made partnership with many educators. But
the most authentic one was with Julie Hembree from Washington, who exhibited
reading books titled” Books for Africa”. We had a very lengthy talk about the
challenges that our that our learners are facing in reading. In conclusion she
agreed to ship some few reading books to my school, Pula Madibogo Primary, to
engage learners to read.
Indeed she shipped two boxes of reading
books and my colleques Vernice and Tinny embraced the idea and start conducting
reading every Wednesday. As time goes on ,I showed them on how to use Microsoft
resources to drive reading. We used mouse mischief for assessment, sticky
sorter for learners to re arrange the story after reading,(logic testing) auto
collage for the images taken when reading and skype to collaborate with Julie
HEMBREE in Washington. That was the most exciting part. Even today the
partnership is still n going on ,it went even further that we plan to engage
learners to write stories that has moral ending by using African animals. Julie
will assist us to publish. The aim is to groom young authors and instil the
love of reading. Here is Julie and my self in Barcelona:
Julie Hembree from Belle Elementary,
Washington and Phuti Ragophala from Pula Madibogo Primary, South Africa
View the blog that Julie created about our school reading project:
Beside Julie, I partnered with Champa Rathnayake from Kandy Model School in Sri Lanka for collaboration of our learners projects
Through translation app, I was able to translate his Chinese speech
into English.
Gala dinner time, was wow! Unforgettable and
precious moments!
My team mates! Mr Phil Mnisi and Mabusane
Tlali from Lesotho
Presenting my
learning activity.
Made many friends!
Team South Africa
in Microsoft global forum in Barcelona! The only black lady, Phuti RAGOPHALA!
DUBAI MICROSOFT
GLOBAL CONFERENCE FROM THE 21st to 24th FEBRUARY 2015
For 2014 -2015 selection as MIEE was not a
surprised because I knew that I worked hard . The following is group of
learners that I worked with . I used various Microsoft resources to convey the
message. Things like animation,sticky sorter,window movie maker,sway,padlet and
songsmith were used to convey the message of the lesson to learners.
I also used
Project based learning approach to put the lesson in practice. The them of the
lesson was inequality and poverty in South Africa and how the government came
up with its own initiatives. I challenges the learners to come with their own
initiatives to solve the challenge of inequality. Through assistance of
various stake holders, they came up with a project of making medicinal herbs
using he green herbs planted at the backyard of the school. Many needy
community members benefitted a lot as they cannot afford professional doctors.
The herb medicine
is marked on line. Log on www.pulaointmnet.wozaonline.co.za
Or get to www.pulamadibogoprimary.co.za
The following is a
group of learners who participated in researching about the project:
The project is
titled” Today’s learners Tomorrow’s great thinkers and scientists!
I conducted many
workshops to inspire and share IT skills with educators, parents and learners.
Sharing the skills
with the reception educators on how to download resources and use them to
enhance teaching and learning in reception class
Teaching learners on how I pad works . They were so excited!
In Conclusion
Lesson learnt from
participating in the two global forums
·
Technology
knowledge is improving every day
·
Meeting
with likeminded educators made my mind sharper than ever
·
Age is
not a limit. I met many educators of my age size,they were doing so well
·
Born
before technology thing, is just a myth! I am a living testimony. Its all about
passion towards work
·
Using
Microsoft resources is free and Microsoft agent are so supportive in every thing
that we request for assistance
·
The
atmosphere that prevails at Microsoft global conference is unforgettable and precious! You attend once,
you are hooked! I am hooked!
I
hope to share and harvest many more skills from Dubai!
I am proud to be associated with MICROSOFT! They really changed my life!
Tuesday, 17 February 2015
My blog post about sway.com
How I used sway.com to drive and publish my
learning activities that are project based.
Teaching and learning that is driven by
technology is always inspiring. Every day I learn a lot of innovative ways to
drive my lessons and make my teaching and learning message well conveyed to
learners. From one of the webinars that I attended on line ,I learnt how sway
can be used to present the learning activity as compared to power point.
Ever since I learnt about it, my sway post
have been over flowing in my face book and other groups like Microsoft partners
for learning time line.
This is how I used it in my learning
activities:
Step 1
I logged on sway.com, sign in and start
creating my sways
Step2
I create it either by using media or
uploaded information .I click on media, choose some of the work in want to put on sway and create. I then click remix to
choose from different and exiting layout
.
Step 3
I then share it with colleques either on
facebook, twitter or any other social media
Step4
You can also sway video, songs or poems
Step5
In my learning activities I put all my
information about my projects on sway.
e.g my presentations, videos, poems,
various resources like window movie maker, animation, stick sorter, songs
smith, mouse mischief and auto collage etc
to view my sway get to
In conclusion, teaching and learning has changed.
Learners enjoy doing work summary using Microsoft resources like window movie
maker or animation. They enjoy creating songs about their lessons, they love
learning poems on U tubes, they get more inspired talking to people outside their world through skype, They get
fulfilled collaborating their lessons with their peers using social media, they
want to take their learning outside beyond the classroom. They create knowledge
and not absorb it in order to reproduce it during examination or assessment
time.
Why can’t we drive curriculum with technology resources to
improve, rejuvenate and enhance quality teaching. We are teaching a mobile
generation that is competent in using the Technology resources.
Its time to transform our way of
teaching. We need to move with the tide, other wise we will find ourselves out
of the ocean being flown away by the tide! Time and tide wait for no one!
Wednesday, 11 February 2015
How I used Window Movie maker to convey the message of my
lessons to learners.
This is one of my innovative project that emerged from my
lesson in class with learners. I am
offering Economics and Management Sciences in grade 7. The theme of the lesson
was poverty and inequality in South Africa. I taught them on how the new
democratic government came up with various projects to alleviate poverty and
bridging the gap between the have and
the have not(Gini Coefficient). After theory I challenged them to think and create
projects that can be used by the local community and learners to
alleviate poverty and bridge inequality. Through the skills from Food and Trees
for Africa, University of Limpopo , various website like Khan Academy, educators
and support staff learners used the backyard garden to plant vegetables and
some green herbs. They harvested and made some herbal medicines through green
herbs as way of benefiting the needy who cannot access professional doctors due
to unemployment.. Through vegetables they learnt on how to dry surplus
vegetables to preserve food for longer use as a way of fighting poverty. My
main objective is not just to teach but to equip learners with the survival
skills that will benefit them and inspire their future career plans. Today’s
generation learn best by doing not by absorbing the knowledge.
http://itandiksproject.blogspot.com/?m=1
From the Microsoft free resources
that I downloaded to beef up , enhance, rejuvenate and transform my lessons I
used an app called Window movie maker. This is one of my favorite app that I en
and learners enjoy so much. This is how it is done:
Step 1
First use your camera, video,
memory sticks, PC/tablets whenever you are facilitating your learning
activities in class
Step 2
Have time with learners to teach
them on how to download the images from camera to PC/tablet. I taught them on
how I download free resources from Microsoft in Partners for learning network.
We downloaded sticky sorter, songsmith, auto collage, shape collage, animation,
window movie maker and many.
Step3
I opened the programmes, clicked
window movie maker and start uploading the images according to how we did our
project step by step according to our project plan time table
Step 4
On the first slides I inserted the
title of the project, participants and role players. On the last slides I
inserted the place where the movie was done and thanked various people who took
part.
Step 5
I recorded my voice through built
n microphone on top of my PC
Step 6
I inserted the words on images so
that when the film roll, the words do the explanation. I saved it and uploaded
in my resources to be published
The lesson I learnt after this
activity
·
Today’s learners
learn by using all their multi sensory organs to make sense of what they learnt
·
They want to
create knowledge and put it down the way they understand
·
Teaching and
learning should not be theory only but should be followed by practical work to
convey the gist of the lesson hence project based learning approach
·
Manual way of
doing things in class should be faced out and give way to a classroom filled
with gadgets for learners to enjoy their schooling
·
“Teaching and
learning has changed” said Anthony Salcito in Barcelona global conference in
March 2014. It is true. I witnessed it
several times in class with my learners.
·
They way they learn is not the way I learnt.”
As educators we need to change our way of teaching” said Phuti Ragophala the principal of Pula Madibogo Primary School
in Limpopo province Polokwane South Africa.
Thursday, 5 February 2015
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