Last week we discussed the term ‘computational thinking‘. Tick, Tock – BUT there’s only so many hours in the day! I hear this often – it’s our reality. How do we include ADST so that we’re being efficient and not go crazy? We do what great teachers have always done – tease out the important…
Category: Innovative Teaching & Learning
Mid November Reflections – Voices
It’s mid November and the leaves have displayed their Fall colours (either still hanging onto trees or splashed across the landscape). We truly live in a wonderful part of the world. One of our concentrations is to provide a written voice for every student. Six teams of classroom and LSS/ELL partnerships from six schools launched,…
Welcome back – It’s a New Year
Happy September. Hope your summer was filled with lots of time for family, rejuvenation and fun. Back to another year of learning, connecting with familiar faces and meeting new faces. Whether you’re starting in a new site, new job position or deepening your understanding of the redesigned curriculum, it’s an exciting time. One of the…
Voices as Stories from the Heart
Ever hang out with people who dream up things that make your head spin? While lots of people come up with over-the-top ideas, it’s rare that these come to fruition with powerful lasting impacts. I was fortunate enough to have been a part of a listening circle to see this one unfold. Imagine the months…
Why Blog?
With the many demands on a teacher’s time, what would make a person want to blog? Yes we know all about how a blog or what I prefer to say, “a web presence”, can communicate. That is what a blog can do. However this is too simple of an answer. Here is my current short list…
Student Driven Conversations
Funny thing about data (or I’d like to call them stories) – when students are an intricate part of the conversation, it takes on a whole different meaning. Recently, I was with one of our Joint Teams (LSS/Classroom partners and Learning Technologies) focused on supporting learners with written output challenges. I had shared how we could…
Technologies Amplifies and Changes the Way We Create
Is it “technologies amplifies our ideas and changes the way we create”? Or is it the other way around or both in tandem? Last week our district came together for Pro-D. Aptly named “District Day”, it’s a day dedicated to learning and exploring together – meeting and connecting with friends and colleagues from other schools….
Necessity is … “Making”
A couple of years ago I was working with a teacher doing some audio recording using iPads. The students were creating book trailers to sell their favourite books and were they ever focused in trying to describe their chosen books without really giving anything away. What transpired were constant redo’s as they reviewed their Tellagami‘s…
Updated Top 20 Apps for 2017
Finally rounding off our list of vetted “must have” TOP 20 APPS for 2017. While these are in no order, the apps can be categorized into two areas – student voice/design/creativity and productivity. Stay tuned for future posts on how you might use some of these apps. Design –*Communication, Creative Competencies Pic Collage Kids (elementary), Pic…
Assistive Software and More
There are a number of assistive software or add-ons that may support students with access to learning. Much like i-device apps, this area is constantly changing. A great start is to “know your purpose” when considering the following. (If you need support with these, please contact our Learning Technologies team.) ON THE COMPUTER EASE of…
Must be App Smash Time – List for 2016-2017
Seems like the world of apps is constantly shifting with an abundance of tools that promise just about everything except make coffee. I imagine that will happen soon. Here is our updated list of apps and ‘yes’, we like to keep the list to under 20 (leaving lots of space for saving creations). Again, some…
Know Your “Why”
Recently we had session 2 of our Communicating Learning via ePortfolios Team. When I wrote up this session to post for the team, it struck me that anyone should be able to see this especially at a time when we’re all focused on assessment, report cards and all the things that come with the process. …
Updates on Learning and Thinking
It’s almost November and there’s certainly a bite in the air – you know winter is just around the corner. Two of our larger projects got off the ground with a blast. ImagineerTech Team focuses on exploring the curriculum and ways to integrate learning technologies that include all students. The redesigned curriculum offers opportunities for…
Happy Autumn
Welcome back to another exciting year of connections, relationships and opportunities to be inspired through learning. If you are like me, you’ve been pondering and sparkling with ideas about how to move the Redesigned Curriculum forward. Sometimes a story unpacks the journey better than talking. So we’ve put together some of the stories from our…
Year in Review
Voices count. So our last words for the summer are from two of our teams: ImagineerTech and ePortfolios. Padlet was used to share this wall of reflections. (Year in Review can also be found here.) Created with Padlet
Math, Math and More Math
In partnership with Ron Coleborn (Math consultant), we are pleased to announce two Math softwares available for teachers to apply: Dreambox Learning (Math) Skoolbo (Math and Literacy basic skills) (Canadian version) DreamBox is an online Math resource (K-8) intended to support personalized instruction for students from intervention to enrichment. The ongoing formative assessments within the program…
Moments of Impact – Having Strategic Conversations
Recently, I was thinking about our ePortfolios journey and what stood out in my head was the concept of story – more specifically ‘strategic conversations of story’. These are conversations that matter, not the stuff that hang on fridge doors and then are relegated to the magic box. Strategic conversations engage participants analytically, creatively and…
Outside the Box
Sometimes in our wish to try something new we forget that purpose and pedagogy need to ultimately drive the journey. But dabbling with new technologies and software also has purpose – play. It is through play that we explore what might be possible through new lens. In my last post I shared “change the lens,…
Encouraging Curiosity, Wonder and Creativity
Pro-D is an opportunity to do many things – connect with friends and colleagues from other sites, gather around new venues like the snack/coffee tables, learn new tips and exciting ways to teach a unit or ponder over a big idea. There is an energy to this day that is quite different from the day-to-day….
Digital Footprint & Reputation is April’s Theme
Have you ever walked on a sandy beach or a muddy trail, turned around only to see your footprints clearly left behind? The same thing happens when you enter the web world but the difference is your online activity can leave a permanent trail… a digital footprint that is a reflection of who you are. As…