Better learning experiences, not better lecturing

 Came across this line while viewing a video. It happens to be my current teaching maxim, too, as evidenced by my decreasing PPT time, and increasing use of microlearning units in a class session.

Is true inclusion possible in Hong Kong?

 Two days ago, I posted about the experience of a teacher friend who recently switched from mainstream school teaching to serving in a special school. Two former education students, who are now teachers in Canada, responded with their experience in teaching in Canadian schools. One of them mentioned the inclusion model that Canada adopts, whereby students with special needs go to the same schools as other students. 

I have heard a little about that. And in a way, I'm not taken aback, because in my impression , Canada is an egalitarian society which values social equity. (The only 2 places in Canada I have set foot in are Vancouver and Victoria, as a tourist.) A place's education system is an epitome of its people's ethics and values. Extensive inclusion is difficult to implement in HK because, let's face it, we are a much more competitive, and even elitist to some extent, society. If our own children are academically successful, or if we belong to the middle or upper class, we don't want (our children) to mix with the disadvantaged or the 'losers'. 

Which has started me contemplating: How did this egalitarian culture and tradition begin in Canada?

A wake-up question

 Yesterday, I posted the story of Daisy, who by chance switched from teaching in the mainstream system to teaching in a special school. I then followed up by asking Daisy in what ways her life has changed. This is her reply: 

"I will feel happy more easily compared to the past. The students here always remind me of 知足常樂 as they are true and simple.

And the school environment makes me feel more relaxed."

Of course, this is not to say that teaching at a special school is 'easier', or definitely more satisfying, than teaching at a mainstream school. It has a lot to do with one's values and disposition, especially what one is after in life. 

I remember that after teaching for 5 years at my first teaching school, I began to feel a lack of job satisfaction, as I thought my students were not paying me back with equal effort. Out of impulse, I applied to a special school, and was quickly offered a teaching post. At the very last moment, the principal asked: "Do you think you're really prepared to go into special education?" That was a truly wake-up question. I realised I just wanted a change; I was not prepared for that switch. I turned down the offer, and continued in my original school. I then changed my mindset: Instead of expecting my students to reciprocate with equal effort, I concentrated on what I myself could do to bring out their best. 

And I guess that's why while I revere people who find satisfaction and devotion in special education, I will also avoid romanticising working in the special ed sector to my education students. For me, the first questions to ask are: Who am I? What are my life values? What am I after in life? What kind of person am I? .......

生命教育寶貴的一課

 教師Daisy在因緣際會下,由主流學校轉到一所照顧身體弱能及傷病學童的特殊學校任教，起初還是抱着試試的心情，萬萬想不到這轉變完全改變了她對教育的目的，師生關係，甚至生命價值的看法。

首先，她得以重新拾回教學的樂趣，以前她教的是地區名校，為了催谷學生的成績，她需要給予大量的功課，然後是永遠完不了的批改，覺得自己只是一部改簿機器，但在這所特殊學校，沒有追逐成績的可能，結果反而將目標放在如何盡量發展每一個學生的潛能，再加上每班人數少，需要批改的功課不多，結果Daisy 可以將時間主要放在備課上，現在她課餘時間，不是花在無盡的批改，而是設計教學活動，製作教材，這令她重燃教學的動力，重新享受教學的專業感。

這不是說課室教學容易，相反，由於學生有限的學習能力，Daisy  要不斷嘗試不同的教學策略，要有超级的耐性和堅毅，幸好學校以人為本，沒有預設的學習成績目標，只求引導每一學生發揮其最大潛能。

這以人為本的氛圍，亦展現於每天下午放學後的工作會議，老師、職業治療師、物理治療師、言語治療師坐在一起，討論每一個學生的情況和所需要的支援，最令 Daisy感動的，是這些不是形式化交差式的會議，而是專業和實在的溝通，而且出席的同事，都是本着關懷每一個學生的成長而提出意見和想法。

這個以人為本的氛圍，還體現在學校上下一心對學生的照顧， Daisy 觀察到學校無論是教師、教學助理、各種治療師、校工,和校車司機，都對學生有發自內心的關懷，我問 Daisy 這團隊精神從何而來，Daisy一時間也想不出，還敘述了很多實例，看到老師和教學助理如何為了學生學得更好，做了大量的額外教學準備和活動。

我想在特殊學校任教，會否令教職員傾向沉鬱，相反，Daisy 說同事都是樂觀，活潑，和團結的一羣。

在這所特殊學校任教，還令Daisy學會珍惜生命，和與學生所處的時光。學生中有一些是嚴重身體問題的，如果病發，可以在很短時間內離開這個世界。我自己也有不只一個前學生早逝，當然明白這種哀痛。  現在，Daisy更知道幸福並不必然，更珍惜她的學生。

我問Daisy 會否從此留在特殊教育工作，她說她也不知道，總之這次的因缘際會，令她上了生命教育寶貴的一課。

I experienced Murphy's Law again this morning

This morning, I experienced Murphy’s Law again.

Earlier on, I had invited Miss Angel Yu to join this morning’s Zoom class session to share her experience in flipped learning with the teachers enrolled in my Master’s course. I had sent Angel the Zoom link and password three days before, scheduled her sharing to start at 11:15 this morning, and was assuming that she would be able to join my Zoom session at the specified time smoothly.

At 11:10, I still didn’t notice Angel’s request to join the Zoom session. I checked my Messenger and Whatsapp, and was shocked to see that Angel had just texted me urgently, as the Zoom system rejected her entry, on grounds that she was not a registered member of the CUHK Zoom system.

I was caught totally unprepared for that scenario. I literally freaked out as her sharing should start in a couple of minutes, and I absolutely had no idea how to fix the problem. In my confused mental state, I just sent her the Zoom link again, and of course to no avail. I was just totally stranded and couldn’t figure out what to do next clearly.

Luckily, at this point, one teacher in the class suggested that I ask Angel to create her Zoom session and that we should all join her instead. I followed his suggestion, and Angel’s sharing got off the ground, albeit ten minutes later than scheduled.

I’m aware that technical problems may arise when I use technology in my classes, whether online or face-to-face. So I always turn up in the classroom, or open a Zoom meeting, at least 25 minutes before a class starts, to check the technical set-up. But on this occasion, I was still not careful enough, and didn’t do something to ensure that Angel could get access to my Zoom session smoothly.

Hence, this morning’s scenario is a good reminder to me: “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.”

Create safe and distraction-free youtube video links

 Just found a free tool for creating safe (no inappropriate previews of other videos on the right-hand pane), and distraction-free (nothing else but just the video you want to show in class) links to youtube videos to show to students in class. 

https://video.link/

I tried inserting a link created with Video.link into Sutori, and it embeds properly on Sutori!. 

Here's the link I created: 

https://video.link/w/VBePb

I recommend this service to teachers. Furthermore, like some other apps with a similar function, this one is free, and does not impose a limit on the number of links that can be created. 

Undergraduate students vs Postgraduate students

 這幾年都是教碩士班和part~time教育文憑，學員都比較成熟穩重。今學期有機會再教undergraduate, 兼且是二年班，昨天下午步入班房，第一秒已經感受到那青春氣息，他們有些外貌還像中學生呢!他們的活力，一颦一笑，同學之間的親和，所營造出來的classroom vibes,令我也覺得好像年青了一點呢。

Obtained Adobe Creative Educator Level 2 today

 

Livebinders vs Notion vs Google Sites

The three apps serve the purpose of presenting the materials that one has collected in a systematic manner. 

I have tried creating Google Sites and Notion notebooks. Google Sites are now easy to create. The app conveniently integrates with other Google apps. 

Notion looks more like a textbook, or an organised course. I think Notion has more tools available than Google Sites. But Google Sites, like any website, seems to be more versatile and flexible for viewers to find things they may be interested in. Notion, as pointed out above, looks like a textbook. If that is the intended purpose, then Notion trumps Google Sites. 

I haven't tried creating anything with Livebinders yet. It looks like a Google Site, and presents 2 levels (free plan) or 3 levels (paid) of content. The interface is straightforward. A content page can embed another webpage (though some web pages refuse to be embedded), which will show up automatically. This is not the case with Google Sites. 

So far, my impression is that if Livebinders is easy to use, then it may be used for conveniently creating a collection of resources to use with other people. 

http://www.livebinders.com/

Gorilla PD - a noteworthy platform for teacher professional development

 I came across the platform Gorilla PD (https://gorillapd.org/) by chance some time ago. It's a platform for teacher professional development, and there were some features which looked promising. This afternoon, I signed up, and took some time to explore the platform. Below are some quick observations. 

The platform is mainly for online PD. An interested teacher: 

1. signs up for a free account, 

2. browses the units available, 

3. enrolls, and choose a mentor from the provided list, 

4. starts learning working through the materials, self-paced, 

5. produces evidence of learning, 

6. submits it to their mentor for feedback, and

7. completes the course (presumably with endorsement of the mentor). 

==============

Each course is like a learning journey, which consists of: 

- reading materials

- videos (from Youtube, for example)

- tasks

====================

The design of each course reminds me of other apps like: 

- GoConqr

- Loops Education

- or even Google Forms (with Sections)

    However, one major difference is that with Gorilla PD, to get the course 'credits', one needs to work under a mentor. If the mentor approves the work submitted by the mentee teacher, then the teacher will get the official credit. 

    That is the case with the workshops run by the NET section of EDB on this platform. A teacher who completes a NET section course on Gorilla PD with the 'assignment' approved, will get the requisite CPD hours from EDB. 

    This is particularly a useful arrangement as currently, because of the pandemic, few PD workshops can be held face-to-face. 

==============

Currently, there are a few major course providers on Gorilla PD, and the NET section is a very active one. Even if you do not enroll on a course, you can still look through the course content to get some useful materials or ideas. For me, one benefit is of course getting inspirations for designing my own PD workshops for teachers. (But at the moment, the platform is still not 'open' enough as there is no arrangement for non-official course providers to create their own course.)

Fancy Zones in Power Toys

 多謝Bryan Ka Yue Leung介紹Power Toys Fancy Zones，你現在看見的就是五個我開的視窗出現在同一電腦畫面，可以随意進入其中一個視窗及返回這總視窗，不需要逐個視窗resize。是否有利工作暫時未知道，但肯定很好玩。(And theoretically, you can work on all sub-windows on the same overview window.)

Wordwall

 Today there are so many e-learning apps around that there will always be ones that have escaped our attention. I've been using Bookwidgets and Educaplay for creating standalone interactive tasks (matching, pairing, sorting, sequencing, diagram labelling, etc.), and my latest favourite is LearningApps.org. 

But a couple of days ago, former student Margie alerted me to Wordwall, which has immediately become my new love. It can create many types of interactive tasks and games, and it has a very appealing user interface. 

E-learning keeps me humble. 

https://wordwall.net/

Taking stock of my e-learning certifications

Educator certifications I have gained since May this year: 

 

1. Google Certified Educator Level 1

2. Google Certified Educator Level 2

3. Google Certified Trainer

4. Microsoft Certified Educator

5. Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert

6. Apple Teacher

7. Edpuzzle Coach

8. Classcraft Certified Educator Level 1

9. Nearpod Distance Learning Expert

10. CK-12 Certified Educator

11. Book Creator Certified Author 

12. Flipgrid Level 1 Certified Educator

13. Seesaw Pioneer

14. Adobe Creative Educator Level 1

15. Kami Certified Educator

16. Wakelet Community Leader

17. Nearpod Certified Educator

18. Microsoft Innovator Educator

19. Inspearational Educator

20. National Geographic Certified Educator

Becoming a National Geographic Certified Educator

 交了最後一份功課，經過20天焦急的等待，今早打開inbox，终於收到好消息。

最初的意念來自七月中EricSir Chan的FB post, 他剛剛獲得National Geographic Certified Educator認證，那時候正值是我狂熱考e-learning badge的時節，雖然Nat Geo Certification 和e-learning 無直接關係，但我既然鍾情於Reading across the curriculum, 就決定go for 這認證，順道考驗自己，於是報名参加2020 Fall Cohort。

由於這program 的關鍵部分涉及在課室試教自己設計的教案，於是在Facebook呼籲現職教師幫忙，難得舊學生 Heidi Chang立刻回應，讓我可以在她九月開課後到她教的小六班房試教兩堂。

九月初整個National Geographic Certified Educator 課程開始，老實說，所需要的時間多於所有先前我考取的e-learning 認證，當中包括網上課程，然後就着National Geographic 的Learning Framework 和Assessment rubric 兩階段設計教案，然後和其他國際學員互評教學設計，最主要部分是把最後lesson design版本試教，撰寫反思報告，和製作六分鐘的capstone report video。

在11月初在Heidi的學校試教了兩堂60 分鐘的課，我當然盡量利用這機會，於是我的教學設計除了包含National Geographic 要求的Learning framework 和他們的Learning resources 外，還加插了Reading across the curriculum, Flipped Learning, 和Multimodal Literacy 的元素，在此再次多謝Heidi 的幫忙。

試教完之後就是撰寫反思報告，製作capstone video,在program website 给予其他學員feedback, 终於在11 月22日限期前完成所有的功課，然後是焦急的等待結果。

這認證是我自豪的，因它涉及的時間和心血比先前任何一個e-learning badge都要多。但我又確實得益良多，既從National Geographic 這個program 中獲得攪teacher development 的靈感，又學會了一些地理知識，又增加了RaC, Flipped Learning, 和Multimodal Literacy 的實戰經驗。

而且在感情上，National Geographic 是我年青時經常閱讀的雜誌，這次重新和它結缘!至於National Geographic Certified Educator 剛巧是我五月以來第20 個Educator 認證，就更加是美妙的巧合了。

「我是一個好老師嗎?」

「我是一個好老師嗎?」

我已經看過這視頻好幾次了，但今早以它完結PEDU6112，和學員一齊觀看，看後我仍然觸動得哽咽起來，幾秒鐘說不出話。

今天要做一個好老師，本着初心和專業良知去教好學生，實在很不容易，學校管理層可能只管公開試成績，家長又可能有各自的要求，甚至學生也不一定會欣賞你的努力。要應付各持份者不同的要求而不能本着專業良知去教學，結果愈好的老師愈懷疑自己是否仍是一個好老師。

當然當老師的可以選擇麻木自己，就當教書純然是一份謀生的職業算了，但求無過，額外的工作避得就避，教學法十年如一日.....這樣便不需要面對自己是否是一個好老師的自省了。

只是，真正的好老師可以這樣自處嗎？結果是他們要日復一日地面對這最難的一堂課:「我如何可以不妥協，不放棄，以專業的精神堅持做一個好老師?」

向好老師致敬。

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=335105797125454

A highly memorable group

 轉眼間，這學期的PEDU6112 Language Awareness 明早便是最後一課了，亦是這semester 我最後的一課。這一組碩士班，由此至终都只能在網上相見，但是這一屆的43位學員，卻是最難得的，學習態度非常認真，每一課的兩個半小時中都積極和投入，上課的準時度更是undergraduate 望塵莫及；如果因工作而要缺席或遲到，也會預先通知我，雖然我沒要求他們這樣做。

雖然始終也沒有機會面對面上課，但他們給我的滿足感卻是豐盛的，也為我在這中大教學的第三十年，留下了美好的回憶。

L and T Expo postponed for the first time

 能夠在L&T Expo 2020 做Main Stage speaker, 我是很雀躍的，昨晚還漏夜交了final PPT, 如今不能如期舉行，的確有點失望，但安全要緊。唯望將來補辦時，仍然叫L&T Expo 2020這個特別的年份。

Google Drawings vs Lucidchart

 Lucidchart is certainly more sophisticated. For example, you can easily create a floor plan (for an interior design company) simply by dragging the built-in shapes into your canva. 

The available shapes are lined up on the left-hand panel. So you just choose the shape you need and drag it into the canva. That's why it is fast. 

But if you are simply using the common shapes, then you can almost do the same things using Google Drawings. It is a bit slower since you need to open the 'shapes' tabs first. 

But the upside is that you can make unlimited drawings, while Lucidchart only allows for 3 free diagrams. 

If you have a diagram which you will be using again and again, the Lucidchart is the choice. You can insert your Lucidcharts into other Google applications like Google Slides. 

Talking about Google Slides, actually, most of the things you can do with Google Drawings, can also be done inside Google Slides! The only difference is that with Google Drawings, you can create standalone diagrams. With Google Slides, your diagrams will be among the slides in a slide deck. 

Benefitting from lesson observations

 這陣子忙於因着賽馬會Flipped Learning pilot project 而觀課，雖然理論上是我對project teachers給予教學意見，但實際上project teachers大多是有教學經驗，而同時又喜歡鑽研教學法的老師，結果我經常觀課時從他們的教學得到新靈感，和學到新點子，成為觀課最大的受益人。

例如今早其中一課，令我察覺面授課也可以用Zoom 進行分組討論，一來可以保持social distance,二來可以隨機分組但省卻移動學生和枱椅的時間。還有我今早才知道，原來教師可以將學生submit 往Padlet wall 的card 隨意改動顏色，以方便歸納…

Live happy vs Live happily

 If "feel happy" and "look sad" represent <Linking verb + Adj> , and "arrive late" and "work hard" exemplify <Action verb + Adv>, how should we analyze expressions like "Think big", "Live green", or even "Live happy" (Cityplaza slogan)?

And what does "Eat naked" mean? (Warning: Don't overthink.)

See my language awareness article in today's Ming Pao .

https://news.mingpao.com/pns/%e8%8b%b1%e6%96%87/article/20201124/s00017/1606155658150/%e8%8b%b1%e8%aa%9eguide-eat-healthy-or-eat-healthily-arrive-safe-or-arrive-safely