changing it up

In the past, I plan at the beginning of end of each year and the beginning of the next what I will be doing with the students. I ask students what they want to do and work around that. It normally is the same each year and although you can innovate on some ideas there are always obstacles in the way. be it a trimester, school sports, special character activity, mid year exams, end of year exams. There seems to be always something that inhibits something.

I feel so far that there has not been the obstacles, Thursday is known as SPIN day, it is almost an obstacle free day. You know that the students will be there barring sickness. 

The one and a half hour sot allows you to focus, and as I have posted previously they do focus.

So far I have done with students, there is no year 9 and year 10 in the class, they are learners, nothing about what they have learnt the year before and building up. The course is structured in a way to help define curriculum levels, and the students work towards different levels based upon ability. I have year 10 students that could be working towards level 8 of the curriculum, and others that are working towards level 4.

Term One

Scratch programming

Webpage design using html5 and css3

Digital Information

Term Two

Python programming x 2

Sketchup

Planning term 3

Programming using hardware

Digital Media
Something special

Term Four,
waiting for student voice

The freedom to change your course up, try new thinks, be innovate, engage and inspire. 

To make this work we are using SOLO rubrics, for Digital technologies they are brought back from NZC level 6, since they do not exist at levels 4 and 5. However I am also working towards the Technology Curriculum at Levels 4 and 5 as well. So I have a skill and a Achievement Objective from Technology that I am covering.

As well as the SPINS that are changing, I am also changing Semesters, Going from an English/Digital technologies mix to a Health and Physical Education/Generic Technology mix. Currently this is still being developed on the HPSS Planning document. Through this I am working towards Brief Development under an Innovation Theme. The second half of the semester I am working with Functional Modelling under a Transformation theme, (I can see flexible filament in a 3d printer being used here) having a context to work under within the technology curriculum is amazing.