DFI Day 5 - Sites

Halfway there! Session five of the Digital Fluency Intensive was all about Google Sites.

Now, I’ve built a few sites before, but if there’s one thing the DFI has taught me, it’s that technology never sits still. Even though I felt like I knew my way around, I was amazed at how much has evolved since I last put on my "web designer" hat.

The "Not-So-Intuitive" Suite Member

I’ll be the first to admit it: while I’m becoming a fan of Sheets and I live in Docs, Google Sites has always felt like the slightly quirky cousin of the Google family. It’s not always as intuitive as the rest of the workspace, and because most of us don't build websites every single day, those skills can get a little rusty!

That’s why this session was so incredibly valuable. It served as the perfect "refresher" to:

Navigate the updated interface.

Remember where all those handy embedding tools are hidden.

Explore new layout options that weren't there a couple of years ago.

Making an Impact: Our School Site

The best part of today wasn't just learning—it was doing. I was able to take everything we discussed and apply it immediately to our own school site.

It felt so productive to spend time making actual improvements and meaningful additions that our staff, students, and community will see. It’s one thing to practice on a "test" site, but it’s much more rewarding to improve a resource that supports our daily mahi.

My Key Takeaways:

Don't assume you know it: Even if you've used a tool before, the "new" version probably has a few tricks up its sleeve.

Consistency is key: Revisiting these less-frequent tools keeps us digitally fluent.

Purposeful Design: A website is a living thing—it needs regular love and updates to stay useful!

I'm feeling much more confident in my web-building abilities now. It’s all about keeping those "life-long learner" gears turning! 

DFI Day 4 - Dealing with Data

 

They say knowledge is power, but in the teaching world, data is the fuel that powers our knowledge! Session four of the Digital Fluency Intensive was aptly titled "Dealing with Data," and it couldn't have come at a better time!

Being in a Leadership role means numbers, spreadsheets, and student outcomes constantly surround me. The challenge isn't just collecting the data; it’s being able to:

• Classify information quickly.
• Interrogate the numbers to find the "why."
• Identify trends across different year groups.
• Analyse findings in the most efficient way possible.

Let’s be honest: as teachers, we are notoriously time-poor. We need the shortest, easiest route to the answers so we can get back to what matters most - supporting our tamariki and staff!

The "Docs vs. Sheets" Confession

I have a little confession to make. Historically, I’ve never felt truly comfortable using Google Sheets. Whenever I had a choice, I would default to Google Docs for almost everything. Docs felt safe, linear, and familiar. Sheets? Well, Sheets felt like a giant grid of potential mistakes and frustration!

However, today was a massive turning point. I’ve realised that by avoiding Sheets, I’ve actually been making my mahi (work) harder. Sheets isn't just for math geniuses; it's a powerful assistant designed to do the heavy lifting for us.

My New Goal: Perseverance!

Like every other skill we teach our students, I know that practice makes easier. I’ve decided to stop hiding in the comfort of Google Docs and start embracing the power of the spreadsheet.

My goal moving forward is to:

Persevere through the initial "I don't know how to format this" phase.

Learn the functions that will automate my leadership reporting.

Support my mahi by letting technology save me time rather than causing me stress.

It might take some time to feel like a "Sheets Pro," but I’m committed to the journey. After all, if we want our students to be brave learners, we have to lead by example!

Onward to more data-driven discoveries!

DFI Day 2: Conquering Calendar & Google Meet (with a few laughs along the way!)

What a whirlwind DFI Day 2 was! We dived deep into optimising Google Calendar and, excitingly, learned how to create and record a Google Meet. I always love mastering tools that make our teaching lives smoother, and these are definitely high on that list.

Optimising Calendar was fantastic – there are so many clever little tricks to make it work even harder for you, keeping everything organised and accessible. But the real adventure began with our Google Meet recording challenge!

Angela and I set up our practice meet, had a great chat, and I confidently hit "record." Then came the waiting game. And waiting. And waiting some more. I started to think I'd done something terribly wrong! Was my internet playing up? Did I click the wrong button? All sorts of doubts crept in as I watched my inbox, expecting that recording to magically appear.

As it turns out, I had done something wrong... or rather, I hadn't done something essential! My big "aha!" moment (and definitely a chuckle-worthy learning experience) was realising I hadn't actually ended the Google Meet after our conversation. So, while Angela and I wrapped up our chat, the Meet kept right on recording for an extra 25 minutes! 😅

When the recording finally landed in my inbox, it was a whopping 25 minutes long, with a good chunk of it being completely irrelevant post-conversation footage. While it was a funny mistake, it also highlighted another learning point: the need to know how to trim and edit recordings! Since I wasn't sure how to snip off those extra minutes, I've opted not to upload this particular recording. But rest assured, the next Google Meet I record will be perfectly polished!

It just goes to show, even when you think you know a tool, there's always something new to learn. And sometimes, those "oops" moments are the best teachers of all! Onwards and upwards to DFI Day 3!