Starting a new year is always exciting and this year cannot be any different. We’ve done some updates to the blog – please take time to familiarize yourself with the organization (you’ll find new consent templates, Admin section now under Program…). New training sessions (for new sites and any teachers new or nearly new to program)…
Tag: professional_learning
Summer Thoughts
As we go into the summer, a huge ‘thank you’ goes to teachers, students and parents. To the students, you’ve practiced focus and attention and this is no easy feat. It takes hard work to build and exercise an efficient brain. To our parents, you ensured your children had a good night’s sleep and a…
New Beginnings
A huge welcome to our new sites – South Slope, Marlborough, Buckingham, Burnaby South Access Program and Moscrop Access Program. A great time of learning with all teams and we continue to have more gatherings in the near future to continue the conversation of supporting our students. The days of January have been whizzing by,…
App #4 of “10 Apps to Countdown Season”
App #4: “I hate Google Docs!” stated a student in an advanced writing class. The teacher being stunned by this emphatic state turned my way with a “now what!” look. After probing, it became clear that this writer liked the thesaurus dictionary in MSWord. A quick introduction to online visual dictionaries opened a whole different world…
App #3 of “10 Apps to Countdown Season”
App #3: What happens when you bring together an ipad, an app, words, thoughts, and sound? Why Book Creator of course. This app for the ipad is a thing of beauty when it comes to creating ebooks. Images can be drawn or photographed and inserted along with text. As well, audio can enhance both the background environment and…
Nov-Dec Newsletter is Out
Our November-December newsletter is now published. Read what’s new and exciting in our district. As well, you might not have been aware that you can take advantage of purchasing MS Office at home (for only $11). Click here for this edition. Or select the tab > News to find all issues.
A New Year – New Opportunities
Welcome back! It’s been a fabulous summer, especially with the spectacular weather offering lots of opportunities to rest, rejuvenate and re-energize. We anticipate a very exciting year filled with new connections and new ways to look at past practices. This summer, some schools were upgraded to the new Active Directory – School Connect structure [replacing…
Discovery and Relationships
It’s June and I’m really not sure what happened to this year. The ten months prior have whizzed by and here we are again. I wanted to take this moment to share some reflections of the year. Our Fast ForWord teams saw a boost and challenge in the delivery of this Tier 3 intervention program. The move…
iPad/iPod Apps ShootOut – Multisensory Blitz
District Pro-D arrived on February 22nd. Offered at two sites (Byrne Creek and Taylor Park) complete with video feed of our keynote to Taylor Park, it served as a reminder that connection, collaboration, ideas generation happen when we all come together. With over 110 sessions, it was an electrifying event. No small feat for a…
Reading and Adolescent Brain webinar
Sometimes you think … what is happening in that adolescent brain! Even after repeated intervention, there appears a lack of improvement. Dr. Martha Burns of Scientific Learning will be sharing some insights on Tuesday February 5 (12:00pm) via live webinar. Sign up via your Fast ForWord (teacher) link and click in Events.
Hot Off the Presses – January News
It’s blustery and nippy outside. What better time than to dig into our latest newsletter of the year! Filled with hot items, as well as keep you up-to-date with the latest workshops and learning sessions. And who can resist those little tips and tricks that make teaching life both easier and interesting. CLICK HERE for your…
Something to Think About
I came across this article on Edutopia that once again reflected the importance of teachers’ understanding of how the brain works. More specifically, how the brain’s plasticity helps our work in teaching. Things like how memory is enhanced, how stress affects memory construction, or triggers in student behaviours can be eye openers for how we…
Happy New Year – September 2012
Welcome back. This is a very exciting year with the transition to our new online platform. This has allowed us some flexible options in how we deliver the program, how we support more students, and how we engage in deeper conversations about our students’ learning journey. In anticipation of the process, this blog has been…
First Ever iPad Party
Get a group of administrators, teachers and district staff together – add food and boxes and more boxes of brand new iPads. What do you have? Excitement, anticipation, a bit of wonder, “eyes wide open”, tons of chatter and buzz… Last week, we spent the afternoon with a set of goals: introduce the iPad,…
Gaining Insights – Videos
Here are some short videos that you may be interested in seeing: The Human Spark – Brain Matters (pbs) Inside the Teenage Brain (Frontline)