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…
Mid-Year Milestone
It’s February. Congratulations everyone – You’ve reached the mid-year point! Those of you who started this journey in October are now well underway. We’ve had some huge challenges with the full conversion to the online platform. Much of it was technical – thank you for all your patience through the growing pains as we continue…
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…
Accessible Reading and Writing with iPad Apps
For those of you with access to iPads, you might wish to consider using the following free apps. Reading text online is just as challenging as reading a book if your students struggle with reading. Try Voice Dream Reader Lite. This handy app reads online webpages, documents, pdf, text, powerpoint, ebooks, Pocket, using text- to -speech…
Quick Markers As Evidence Along the Way
We all understand that having current information about a student’s learning help in guiding our ongoing practice. When there are so many things that compete for time in our day, sometimes it’s difficult to get to those formative assessments. And it’s in these times that I find efficiency and speed is my friend. Even though…
Sharing Stories…Modeling Strategies…
Sometimes locating just the right book to share or use as a piece of mentor text appears impossible to find. Or have you ever wanted to expand opportunities for your students to read at home? We now have access to TumbleBooks and TumbleBookCloud. [See links under Resources.] These online resources provide a fabulous array of e-texts for all…
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…
In a Networked Community of Learners
It’s summer and the warm weather has certainly given us more chances to sit back and ponder over the year. And what I’m reminded over and over is that WE have great people in each of our school sites doing great things to support our students. Funny how sitting on a log, listening to the waves…
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)
Choice Words
Things happen when you return from a conference. New ideas attach with old ones and a host of “how does this all connect” is sifted through a lens of “what if…”. At FETC, keynote speaker Michael Wesch (watch TED talk) talked about the fast rise of the new technologies (Youtube 2005; Twitter 2006) resulting in a new culture of…
Growing Readers
I just finished rereading A Corner of the Universe (A. Martin), an intermediate novel for Literature Circles next term. I was reminded once again how meaning can be taken to a whole new level just by the manipulation of words. What happens when there are monstrous barriers that make words impossible to decipher? Make no…
Happy Holidays
This week it’s great to get a chance to visit so many schools in the middle of all the festivities and sing-a-longs. Lots of excitement and plans. We’d like to take this time to wish everyone a safe and rest-filled holiday and see you in 2012.