Collaborate - DFI

Multi-modal site

At Panmure Bridge school we use google sites to make our teaching and the students learning transparent. The idea is that everything the students do in a day is made available for students to follow up with at home or for parents to check in and see what their child has learnt that day. This allows for open dialogue between teacher and student, student and parents and teacher and parents. 

One thing I haven't done much thinking on until now is using multi-modal sites as a form of project based learning site. I see a real use for this with one of my high achieving students who has a ILP (Individual learning plan). In the past I have got a selection of books from the senior book room and set tasks / project for her to follow up with. Although this is still an option, multi modal sites allows me to move her learning to a digital platform to allow more independence and more engagement. I can move with her learning, adding or taking things away depending on the route she explores. I could also link EE activities onto the website or encourage her to make her own EE's about her learning.

Another way I thought about using multi-modal sites was on 'holidays' like Waitangi Day, Anzac Day, Christmas, Easter, Valentines Day, Mothers Day, Fathers Day etc. You could create one with a large amount of resources for independent explore time allowing students to determine their own methods of learning. For example you could create a mothers day site with lots of read aloud books or videos on arts and crafts projects. You could have set tasks the students need to complete or for a slightly different subject you could have links to quizzes that serve as a formative assessment to follow up a topic. 

Although creating a google site may seem taxing, with time, practice and improved digital fluency a google site can be put together in an hour and used for a period of 2 weeks+ depending on the topic. It can be used as a 'warm up' into the topic or a chance for students to explore their own interests.