I recently read the chapter, Digital Literacies: Virtually Connecting and Collaboratively Building Knowledge, from the book, Literacy Tools in the Classroom, by Richard Beach et al. Here are my thoughts: As members of the future workforce and society, today’s students require guidance and education in order to successfully navigate and utilize the digital world that they were born into. Acknowledging the importance of becoming digitally literate, Beach, Campano, Edmiston, and Borgmann (2010, p. 109) share four literacy skills that students develop through the use of various digital tools. The authors summarize the literacies of multimodality, hyperlinking, connectivity, and… Read More
Consider This….
I was introduced to this video last night during one of my master’s classes. New Literacies for a New Age. (2008). Uploaded to YouTube by Margaret Meijers. Available online at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hs2YPGTEWGU Thoughts?
2016-2017 DREAM Schedule!!
When I first received my position at “S-School” in 2013 I was over-the-moon excited to get a permanent position in a small rural school that was only a ten minute drive from our home. Although my schedule didn’t exactly match my teachable background I was told that my schedule would eventually included those classes as the years went on. Here we are three years later and I am THRILLED to share that my principal has definitely spoiled me and I will be going back to work in the fall to my dream teaching schedule 🙂 I… Read More
SAMR – Tech Integration Series
This post is Part ONE of a four-part series titled Model Mayhem where I am exploring and critiquing different models of tech integration. For each model I will provide a general overview of the model, what it might look like in a classroom setting, and attempt to critique the pedagogical theory and foundations behind the model’s development. The first model of the series is the SAMR model, a four-step model of tech integration designed to improve student outcomes, developed by Dr. Ruben Puentedura . _______________________________________________________ GENERAL OVERVIEW The SAMR Model. (2015). Uploaded by St. Patricks College. Available online… Read More
Magnetic Border – Classroom Decor
OMG I just discovered the coolest thing! If you have followed my blog for a while you know that I LOVE decorating and organizing my classroom. I really enjoy creating a space that feels inviting and comfortable while providing chances to showcase student work and my own personality. (You can revisit my classroom set-ups from 2013 & 2014). Personally, I’ve always felt proud of my classroom because I feel like it differs greatly from some of the more traditional classrooms in the high school setting. One thing that I completed both years was decorating my whiteboards that ran the length… Read More
Model Mayhem – Tech Integration Series
Lets face it, technology is not something that is going away. As technological advances adapt at an increasingly fast rate and the world becomes more interconnected it is our role as educators to provide our students with the necessary skills to be successful in a society that we can really only begin to imagine. We can look amongst our colleagues and, like most aspects of education, we see people at various ends of the spectrum. This discrepancy can be attributed to any number of factors: age, education background, personal interests, comfort level, work experience, and the… Read More
Philosophical & Cognitive Foundations of an ICT Curriculum
One of our projects this semester is to develop components of a curriculum within a group setting. I am very lucky because my partner is not only interested in technology as well but also lives in our area and is already a good friend of mine; lucky me! 🙂 We have been working on a middle-years Digital Literacy curriculum that is designed to be implemented cross-curricularly. If you read my previous post you know that a big chunk of our class has been spent on the theory behind strong curriculum development. As such, this is our theoretical foundations for our… Read More
Digital Literacy/Citizenship Skills That Students Need To Have
I have been doing a lot of work in the areas of digital literacy and citizenship in the past few years through this blog, in my classroom, at conferences I’ve presented at, and the work that I’m doing for my M.Ed; it is something I am passionately interested in and it seems to infuse its way into the various aspects of my professional life. I strongly believe that there is a BIG disconnect between the skills educators have, the skills their students have, the skills that educators assume their students have, and the skills that educators… Read More
#TRSD32 Tweet Challenge of the Week
Ever since our division was encouraged to join Twitter at the end of September I have been trying to keep participation going by posting weekly “Tweet Challenges“. This week’s challenge is: #TRSD32 Tweet Challenge of the Week: share 1 thing you took away from Friday’s PD Day & how you can use it this week. #PD #mbteach — Kirsten Thompson (@MissLwbt) February 29, 2016 – #TRSD32 Tweet Challenge for the Week of Oct 6th – #TRSD32 Tweet Challenge for the Week of Oct 13th – #TRSD32 Tweet Challenge for the Week of Oct 19th – #TRSD32 Tweet Challenge for the Week of Oct… Read More
Building Your Digital Literacy Tickle Trunk – BYTE Conference 2016
Three years after my first presentation at BYTE (with the wonderful Tyler) I was back at it again today sharing about digital literacy and citizenship at the 12th Annual BYTE Conference (which has now moved to Brandon after calling Neepawa home for many years). It was so energizing to be back in a classroom setting after almost 8 months and connecting and sharing with so many enthusiastic and inspiring educators! It was a very busy day but I was happy to reconnect with many of my favourite Tweeps like Andy, John, Zoe, John, and probably many more that… Read More