“Stop at the curb. Take my hand. Look left, look right and look left again.” Remember this? I remember this as if it was yesterday. Many of you are recalling when you first started teaching your children the rules of the road. I don’t ever recall saying the streets are too full of danger so we…
Tag: staff development
Digital Citizenship is Minimal Requirement – We Need Digital Leaders
Digital citizenship is a topic that is gaining a dizzying momentum. The range of tools and environments continue to pop up at rates that far outstrip our ability to understand the new territory, much less navigate it. It is one thing to be able to orient yourself through a new environment like a holiday drive…
Digital Learning Day – Feb 5
The days of January have been whizzing by, partly due to the start of another term and partly due to our wonderful west coast weather. Having some sun certainly invites a bit more energy in the steps as well as some hopeful signs of spring just around the corner. We are hearing about so many…
Digital Citizenship
Happy new year. Like all new years, it is a time of anticipation and new beginnings. Especially with all the technological changes that our students have at their fingertips. While they may be really comfortable at texting and bouncing from one interchange to another, there is a significant difference when using technologies for organized multiple purposes. Powerful…
Nov-Dec Newsletter Out in the World
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). Or select the tab > News to find all issues. [gview file=”http://blogs.sd41.bc.ca/learningtech/files/2012/11/news_2013_11.pdf”] To find all previous NEWS,…
September Newsletter Off The Presses
September is filled with a mix of “welcome back activities” as well as planning for possibilities. Our September Newsletter is hot off the presses. Click here for your copy. You can also click on the News tab in the navigation bar for an archive of all the newsletters.
A New Year to Explore, Create and Learn
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, more schools were upgraded to the new Active Directory / School Connect structure [replacing…
Learning on a Curve – Learning Tech Inquiry Team
So much to learn – that must have been the thinking bubble of each participant in our Learning Tech Inquiry group. It was a day to use the new technologies (laptops, ipads, software) and get a bit more comfortable. This is what we explored: Start with a bit of brainstorming ideas. We used Padlet (previously known…
December – The Gift of Time
It’s December and most every hour is in high gear, trying to get those last minute projects merged in with winter festivities. And just this weekend, we got our first whiff of snow. Magic is in the air among the smell of gingerbread houses, mandarin oranges and other treats popping up in all locations. Not…
Getting Extra Mileage from Apps
One of the things I find challenging is the inability of the iPad to support multiple open softwares (like my laptop). Try using Side by Side. This allows you to split the screen up to four windows at a time. Read, research, download files and take notes can be integrated into a session. This app…
Learning, Learning Everywhere – Part 2
This is Part 2 of the learning opportunities throughout the year with more details in the Staff Development Calendar. Tech Snacks: This series of learning opportunities are offered as little snacks of possibilities. Come spend a bit of time (30 minutes each) to see and explore a variety of tools, objects, projects and ideas that…
Welcome back September
Welcome back September. And what a spectacular summer it has been – Olympics energy, warm sunny weather, family and friends laughter. Though it’s always great to get away and get recharged, I look forward to the start of each new year. A new year to test out some crazy ideas (yes I’ve read and reread…
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,…
Writers Workshop – Each Step in the Process
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” I was reminded of this quote as we worked through our recent session on ‘Writers Workshop‘. Not only the global concepts of ‘writers workshop’ (lots of time to write and explore, choice and voice, conferring during and not after the fact…) but what this…
Reimagine the Conversations
Many of you have dipped your toes into cyberspace by launching your blogs, whether they are class blogs, specialty group blogs or professional blogs. They all have something in common – a place to gather, connect and have conversation. The key factor being the conversation or communication. The flexibility of the tool is that it allows for…
Latest Webinars to Tickle your Brain
MARCH 9, 2011 – Virtual Brain Seminar (Register Here) Sherelle Walker (CEO, Scientific Learning) and Martha Burns (Speech & Language Pathologist) – This duo session includes concrete, useful strategies for integrating Brain Fitness into schools as well as provide the latest in neuroscience and research. MARCH 18, 2011 – Our Changing Education Landscape (10:00-11:00) (Register…
Kurzweil 3000 – Session 3 Writing on the Calendar
This third session of Kurzweil 3000, which deals with writing supports has been rescheduled on the Staff Development Calendar to Wednesday February 23 (3:30-5:30) at Schou – TLC. Questions such as “How can Kurzweil support students who find written output challenging? What about the writers workshop process of braining, organizing, and drafting?” For more…
Digital Writing – Digital Teaching – Session 1
Digital Writing is… Session One (February 9, 2011): “If we engage students in real writing tasks and we use technology in such a way that it complements their innate need to find purposes and audiences for their work, we can have them engaged in a digital writing process that focuses first on the writer, then…
Powerful Messages Come Alive with Stop Motion Animation
Everyone has a story. The challenge is choosing how to bring it to life and who to share it with. Our Learning Series on Stop Motion Animation started today. Besides the technical “how to’s”, we discussed how to create voice, mood and motion. For example, what role does background music play in setting the tone,…
Words Their Way – Shedding Light on Process
Words Their Way is a program that offers a developmental curriculum for phonics/spelling instruction, reading fluency and vocabulary development. The hands-on activities engage students as they actively categorize their ‘word sorts’ and the assessment inventory provides a clear indicator of where each student is in the process of word development. We’ve been working with a…