The Power of Inclusiveness

Here is my pre-recorded MIT Pecha Kucha from the Manaiakalani Wānanga 2021.

iMovie Experience

Oh my! What an experience...

With the ongoing COVID level changes and Manaiakalani HQ in lockdown our wananga presentations have gone from live face to face in Auckland, to live online from Auckland to pre recorded and shared in our own regional clusters on the 30th November. With the ongoing support from Matt (MIT mentor and digital guru) I created my Pecha Kucha in Google Slides, downloaded as a PNG, uploaded into iMovie, recorded audio, added to iMovie and then edited! Whew!!! 

I will not be giving up my day job any time soon to become a video editor.

After many takes (many, many, many takes...), splits and cuts to remove unnecessary gaps to keep it within the correct time frame and aligning each still shot with the correct video recording, the completed video is done albeit with a few obvious edits.

The biggest challenge now is to sit in the wananga and watch myself on the screen with our Tairawhiti Cluster. 

 

Rarotonga August 2021 - Day 1

 

Kia Orana from Rarotonga.

The Manaiakalani Innovative Teachers cohort for 2020 and 2021 were fortunate enough to go to Rarotonga to present our challenges and Inquires and work with local educators.

After an early start we exited the plane to be met with a gush of warm air, sunshine and the realisation that our adventure was underway.  I met up with my travelling buddies and we made our way through customs and on the Resort. 

I found the rest of the MIT group soaking in the shallows of the warm ocean having a chat, we joined them and as the sun set on the first day I was filled with warmth and in no hurry to return to Aotearoa's winter weather. We then gathered for an evening hui to discuss the next few days mahi. 

Day 1 was great fun. The welcome we had form Apii Te Uki Ou was simply stunning. The performance by the students was beautiful as they shared an official Cook Island welcome. We enjoyed the morning sharing kai with our hosts, partaking in some cultural activities with the students and exploring the school. We visited different stations where we had a go at Pareu Printing, Coconut Husking and Weaving Plates. The senior students that lead us around were full of confidence and shared their culture and knowledge with such pride.

Another highlight was the opportunity to walk around the school, seeing the teachers in action and the students in their element. What a colourful, warm environment with the sound of the waves crashing in the background. What we see as a unique setting is their everyday norm. They face many challenges, especially with connectivity but have so many other rich experiences. For me this experience was so rich and rewarding with so many highlights! Where do I apply!!! Here are a few photos to sum up our day. 

That night was the night many of us were anxiously waiting for. We had to do our Pecha Kucha presentations. Nervous was an understatement! The turn out from local educators and those involved in many Ministry areas from all over the Island was fantastic, although it made it more daunting it was also heartwarming. No matter how far along you are in your journey it's such a special moment to share ideas and relate to educators that face many similar issues in the classroom. The feedback was fantastic and an immense amount of pride followed not only for the accomplishment of my own presentation but watching my fellow colleagues being successful in their presentation. The commandery after the main event was the highlight, connecting with others and sharing different ideas, exchanging emails and building new friendships. It was an amazing experience. 

  

I wonder what day two will bring? 

Pechu Kucha

Pecha Kucha??? when I first heard this word I thought what on earth is this... I had never heard of it before and was unsure even where to begin.  The thought of 20 slides in 20 seconds to deliver a presentation seemed crazy. I can't believe that you could deliver the key information of an inquiry in this time frame. This was going to be interesting learning for me... best place to start was by researching what a Pecha Kucha was and where the idea came from. 

What is discovered ... Pecha Kucha (Japanese for “chit chat”) is the world’s fastest-growing storytelling platform, used by millions around the globe. Pecha Kucha is what “Show and Tell” always dreamed of becoming.

20 slides. 20 seconds of commentary per slide. That’s it. Simple. Engaging. Spurring authentic connections. Pecha Kucha is the ideal tool to share passions and drop some knowledge. Global innovators like to use the Pecha Kucha platform to create powerful, visually-compelling stories that move audiences in less than 7 minutes.

Ok, that sounds easy... I found this task a little daunting and procrastinated about it for days. I guess it's the fear of the unknown which is a great reminder of how our learners may feel when faced with a new task.  

I broke my inquiry to small chunks and added 20 secs of explanation to each slide. It was great to have Matt (MK) to share it with to get feedback. After a few tweaks I felt it was ready. I just need to practice, practice, practice in the lead up to Rarotonga. 

Super exciting... wish me luck!