Reflection: Workshop on Weblog for Maths (Secondary)

This is a revised version - compared to last year. 2 distinctive differences:

• separate the primary and secondary participants - so this run is solely for participants from secondary schools
• reduce the number of sessions from 3 to 2.

A few areas we could have done better:

• The different uses of blogs in Maths learning - could not quite elicit what we wanted from the participants (unlike last year). I think, it's the illustration that made a difference in the quality of outputs and I think, also the alignment of views between the trainers.
• Implementation of activities - only slightly more than 50% managed to put up something in their blog (for the class); even a smaller number manage to get pupils to participate. However, from those who managed to get pupils to participate, we could surface certain 'concerns' for discussion. We also saw a couple of participants whose practice differ from the rest, hence enable us to share the 'authentic' cases with the class.
• Response to the participants after 1st session was not quickly put up... which I hope to do that earlier...
• Oops! Forget to cover activity 6 (though it's a small activity)

Something that I thought that's done pretty well:

• We managed to complete most of what's planned (except Activity 6 in the 1st session)
• In session 1, manage to build in the 'understanding of dashboards and blogs' quite naturally
• In session 2, it's the first time that we attempt to get participants to help recap what's done in the 1st session through an activity - go round robin to jot down what each could recall one thing they did in Session 1 workshop... then go around the groups, each taking a turn to say out one of the responses they gathered within the group... until it's exhausted... hm... hype up the class a little - they are more relax... for a moment, thought I'm in a game show
• As we continue... another activity where the participants were to surface what are the "can" and "cannot" do in group blogs - it's the first time to divide the class into 2 big groups, and within each big group to think of answers to the assigned question.
• Somehow, find that the participants have been pretty forthcoming in participating in the activities.

Something new that hope to "pick up" from this workshop...

• We are also quite bold in inviting participants to register to participate in the social network. Though almost all signed up however, due to the authentication process, they could not get into the group immediately... anyway, I thought it was a good try.