2014 Update

This year I have been seconded by the Manaiakalani Trust to be a Facilitator to the Ako Hiko cluster in Mt Roskill Auckland. I will also be working as a facilitator for the Manaiakalani Cluster. I have not resigned from my current job nor school. I will be facilitating at Panmure Bridge School twice a week. So the Joy has not left the building. I look forward to inspiring teachers and students with my knowledge, skills and love for digital teaching and learning. This blog has been running for five years and it has achieved what it has envisaged to do which is: celebrating students learning, capturing the moment whether it is an argument on Should we wear a school uniform? visiting the Auckland Museum, photographing our artwork, sharing our Maths thinking and reflecting on our production item. We have shared the learning with you. At the beginning of 2009 Creative Voice was born. It focused on learning at year 2 level and celebrated the lives of six and seven year olds. As I was new to junior school teaching I wanted to prove that junior level students can be part of the digital learning process and that they are just as good at it as senior level students. I wanted to put student voice out there. I did this by recording students reading out their writing. The recordings were made into podcasts. We had a lot of fun during those two years in the junior school. A highlight was having our chocolate brown labrador dog Toddy visit us and watching him grow over time. Lots of writing and conversations evolved from this.

 In 2011, I decided to move up to the senior level which was teaching Years 5 & 6 students. At this level, the students published their learning onto their own individual blogs. Most Sunday mornings over three years I would publish ten blog posts a week from the student blogs. There was a smorgasbord of learning which made it hard choosing at times, but I did my best to ensure everyones learning was up on the class blog throughout the year.

This blog has gone full circle, as a lot of the students whom I taught as Year 2's in 2009, were taught by me as Years 5 & 6 students in 2012 & 2013. We've grown together and have been on one amazing learning journey.

I would like to thank you our loyal audience for viewing this blog and for making comments to the students. Your comments brighten up their day and it sure motivates them to put the extra effort into their work. I would also like to thank my colleagues for visiting this blog and for using it to get ideas to assist them with their practise. We can all learn from each other and this blog has celebrates this.

This year I will be on a whole new learning journey and it will be shared with you. Come and follow me on my exciting journey as a facilitator for the Ako Hiko cluster. Click on the blog link below:

http://joypelearning.blogspot.co.nz/