2016 EdBlogNZ Challenge

The 2016 EdBlogNZ Challenge is a part of Connected Educator New Zealand 2016 (#cenz16).

A blogging challenge will be set on the first Monday of every month (except January which is out on the second Monday). You have the whole month in which to complete it.

Each challenge will be listed on this page.

Write you blog post and share it on Twitter using #EdBlogNZ and #cenz16.


Challenges

December - You've done it! The last #EdBlogNZ challenge is here! It's that time of the year when we do a lot of reflecting. Reflect back on your year, and particularly on your #oneword2016 goal, if you set one in January as a part of this challenge. How have you gone? What are the highlights from your year? What things might you consider doing differently next year? Any thoughts on 2017 goals?

Don't forget to share your blog on twitter with #EdBlogNZ and #cenz16


November - There's one month of spring left. The weather is beginning to warm up. Take a moment to get outside. Take your camera and snap some pictures to use as inspiration for November's post. This might be at your school, at the beach, up a mountain, at your recharging spot. Enjoy nature, reflect on it and blog!

Tag with #EdBlogNZ and #cenz16 on Twitter.


October - How have you grown/developed as a connected educator during 2016?

Write a blog post about how you have connected with other educators to learn, to collaborate, to grow professionally online (and offline) throughout 2016. How have you developed? What does it mean to you to be a connected educator? How has your development as a connected educator impacted on your students?

Don't forget to share on Twitter using #EdBlogNZ and #cenz16.



September - Write a blog post on "Why do you assess?"

This challenge comes courtesy of Claire (@msbeenz).

Don't forget to share it on Twitter using #EdBlogNZ and #cenz16.



August - A fun challenge for this month suggested by Barry Munro.

Write a blog post about teacher/staff room quirks! Share the funny side of teaching.

Remember you can take these challenges in any direction you wish. Just remember to be professional! :-)

Don't forget to share it on Twitter using #EdBlogNZ and #cenz16.

Enjoy!



July - July includes Te Wiki o te Reo Māori (Māori language week) at the start of the month (July 4-10), so this month's challenge has to include te reo Māori.
The theme for this year is ākina to reo – behind you all the way which is about using te reo Māori to support people, to inspire and to cheer on.
The challenge is quite open. You might like to blog about what your class is doing for Māori language week. How are you and your students using te reo Māori to support each other?

You might like to challenge yourself to learn and use a new (to you) phrase each week in the classroom or perhaps at home.

There are a number of resources linked from the Te Wiki o te Reo Māori page but also check out NZC online for more.

Ka taea e koutou!



June - A nice easy challenge this month!

Your challenge is to write a blog post on a topic of your choice! That is... Just blog! It could be a reflection; it could be something you've been pondering; an interesting thing that has happened to you recently... Anything at all!

But there's a second part to the challenge. You need to comment on at least one blog post that has been shared using #EdBlogNZ

And of course... don't forget to include the #EdBlogNZ and #cenz16 tags on twitter.




May - Write a blog about what collaboration and innovation look like in your classroom. How do you collaborate with students, parents/whānau, other teachers? How are you innovating? Remember that innovation can look very different in different contexts. What seems small to some can be very innovative to others.

Make sure you read some other blog posts and leave comments.




April - This challenge was suggested by @kaiakowilson. Thanks for the challenge!

THE LOVE-HATE RESOURCE: Re-evaluate an old resource in your subject area. For what reason is it still there? What could be its replacement? How easily can you introduce new resources into your department? Eg Ditch textbook purchases and go Kindle or take a virtual classroom trip.

Describe the process you went through (or are going through) in a blog post. Perhaps you're stuck and want some ideas of where to go with it. Ask questions in your post and ask for comments/suggestions.

Don't forget to read others and be inspired, write comments and share!

If you're not currently teaching, adapt the challenge to suit you. The challenges are to encourage blogging.



March - This challenge is inspired by Paula Hay (@heymrshay) of WellyED, who at the recent EducampWelly challenged us to think about our Dream School.

So this is your chance to, "dream big New Zealand" (sorry), and blog about what your dream school would look like, function like, be like. What would be its purpose, its vision? 

You might like to consider how you present your ideas. You could consider: writing, drawing, mind mapping, videoing, audio recording, interviewing students/colleagues etc. 

Read what other people are writing about their dream schools. Steal their ideas (but attribute them too of course) and maybe go back to your post and add to it, change it, update it. Can we combine our thoughts and ideas to come up with the ultimate Kiwi school?

Don't forget to add the #EdBlogNZ and #cenz16 hashtags... and maybe add another for this post #nzdreamschool.


BONUS: Leap Day Challenge -- 29 February

It comes around only once every 4 years. On February 29 an bonus EdBlogNZ challenge has been set. It's time to take a LEAP. It's time to stretch yourself and create an audio or video post about a passion of yours. You can upload a video to YouTube (or similar) or create an audio post using SoundCloud (or similar) and embed it into a blog post. Take the extra step of adding a transcription of the audio/video to make it more accessible.

Don't forget to share it on Twitter with the hashtags... #EdBlogNZ #cenz16.

You can then copy and paste the image above onto your blog to show you participated in the Leap Day Challenge.




February - Create a photo or video tour of your classroom/learning space. Why have you got things set up like you do? What do you like best about your set up and why? What would you do differently (if anything) if there were no barriers and why? Dream big! You might like to include student voice in your blog post (with their/their parents permission especially if using photos/video). If you're not currently in a classroom, consider what you might like in your learning space and why. Is there research to back you up? Or perhaps share how your own personal learning space works for you (this could be your office, your couch, that special get away spot you have etc).

Remember to check out the other #EdBlogNZ challenge posts - you might be inspired to do something different! Don't forget the hashtags #EdBlogNZ and #cenz16.




January - We're starting the year with a straight-forward challenge. Blog about you goals/thoughts/plans for 2016. You might want to list your goals and explain how you plan to go about them. You might have a #oneword2016 that you plan to live by or focus on. You might be unsure where you're going at this point and perhaps thinking about what might be. It's up to you. Some of you might have already written a post like this. Then well done! Share it again on Twitter with the hashtags above.

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