Every Tuesday I share a Tech Tip on our social media pages to assist our staff in their use of technology as it relates to their role. February is famously, “I Love to Read” month in schools and I try to spend this month connecting literacy support with digital resources for our staff. When it comes to divisional- and school-based literacy goals, something that I see as a strategy in multiple situations involves high-interest texts. However, this implementation relies on access to these resources. While some schools have access to a variety of text sets, that is not always the case. We… Read More
February ICT Newsletter
With the start of a new month comes a new monthly ICT newsletter. These newsletters are designed to serve as an outreach to all MVSD staff and provide: These newsletters are sent out to staff via our divisional email but are also shared through our social media pages and divisional website. February 2025 ICT Newsletter by Kirsten Cali
#TechTipTuesday – Online Presence
Every Tuesday I share a Tech Tip on our social media pages to assist our staff in their use of technology as it relates to their role. January is recognized as Clean Up Your Computer Month and all of this month’s tips will be dedicated to this topic! Check out our previous posts: While the posts shared earlier this month covered how to clean, organize, and maintain your physical computer, the personal/professional network you create online, also called your digital footprint, extends well beyond these elements. Chances are that you have dozens, if not more, of online services where you have created accounts/profiles. These include social… Read More
Data as a Pollution Problem
On Mondays, I share a different ed tech quote on our Thompson Classroom social media pages for our staff to consider. This week, January 28th-31st, plays host to Data Privacy Day and this entire week is dedicated to Data Privacy Awareness. The last year has seen increasing attacks on the data of educational institutions, including local situations affecting the University of Winnipeg, Pembina Trails School Division, and the wide-spread issues with PowerSchool. While I recognize that there are multiple facets of data privacy, with many components being far removed from teachers and students, I wanted to start this week with an open discussion and… Read More
Follow Friday – Matt Miller
On Fridays, I share what I believe to be a notable person/organization/school on our social media pages to assist our staff in the development of their online Personal Learning Network. Earlier this month I shared about February’s upcoming BYTE Conference but one thing that I failed to mention was the fantastic keynote: Matt Miller! Matt has been a part of my PLN for many years via social media , I have used their books as part my personal and divisional book studies, and closely followed their recent work on AI. Next month will be my first opportunity seeing Matt present in-person and… Read More
WOW Wednesday – Smith-Jackson Social Media
On Wednesdays, I highlight some of our amazing MVSD staff on our social media pages. Every day our staff are using tech in new and exciting ways, are learning new skills, and are sharing ways in which ed tech is assisting them in their practice. I am always so pleased when I happen to see one of our school accounts come across my social media feed! Smith-Jackson School is an excellent example of this as they recently launched a Facebook account to connect and share with caregivers and the broader community. Their feed provides a window into the school as they are sharing: We know our… Read More
#TechTipTuesday – Disinfecting Technology
Every Tuesday I share a Tech Tip on our social media pages to assist our staff in their use of technology as it relates to their role. January is recognized as Clean Up Your Computer Month and all of this month’s tips will be dedicated to this topic! Check out our previous posts: Given that we have now been back to work for two weeks, during peak cold/flu season (with multiple indoor recess days at close-quarters), it is time to physically clean your computer itself! I don’t know about you, but the illnesses in Manitoba this season seem to be so strong. Our household… Read More
Technology and Blue Monday
On Mondays, I share a different ed tech quote on our Thompson Classroom social media pages for our staff to consider. Today, the third Monday of January, is known as “Blue Monday” and is widely referred to as “the most depressing day of the year”. Waking up to temperatures around -44C this morning, coupled with the unknown impacts of today’s inauguration to the south… it is definitely an odd day. While the “depressing” statistic has been disproved as pseudoscience, many people continue to utilize this time of year to bring awareness to mental health and wellbeing. I find that there can be… Read More
#TechTipTuesday – Naming Files
Every Tuesday I share a Tech Tip on our social media pages to assist our staff in their use of technology as it relates to their role. January is recognized as Clean Up Your Computer Month and all of this month’s tips will be dedicated to this topic! Check out last week’s post: Last week we started off the month with a checklist of items to get your computer clean-up started. Now that your computer files are, hopefully, updated and relevant, let’s focus on getting them organized! When I was in the classroom I worked with Grades 7-12 in the areas of social studies, science, math,… Read More
Don’t Stop Accommodations at Exams
On Mondays, I share a different ed tech quote on our Thompson Classroom social media pages for our staff to consider. Semester one is coming to a close and our high schools are in the midst of final assessments. For some, this looks like the completion of final projects and observations while for others this means final exams or provincial exams. I don’t want to pick on high schools but I find that when it comes to “final exams” there continues to be an unspoken routine stepped in tradition where these summative assessments are: Even in the absence of provincial exams or… Read More