With a growing esports presence within Mountain View School Division, I set a goal for myself to help grow opportunities for this type of programming. While our middle- and senior-year students have the option of participating in a variety of games, tournaments, and events through the Manitoba School Esports Association (MSEA), our elementary students do not. I am very much in the introductory stages of this event but I wanted to share the process as we progress for those who are thinking about planning an event of their own. At the current time, our planning includes: Location We have three… Read More
#TechTipTuesday – Naming Files
On Tuesdays, 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! 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, and sometimes areas… 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. When I sat down to write this post I was genuinely shocked that Matt has not yet appeared on the blog as I feel that I have been connected with them online and using their resources FOREVER. I have shared links to some of their resources but it has only been in passing. Regardless, I would like to officially highlight Matt Miller on the blog today for Follow Friday! Matt is a… Read More
WOW Wednesday – SJS Minecraft Club
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. MVSD is on a roll when it comes to esports and I am thrilled to share our newest addition, the SJS Minecraft Club out of Smith Jackson Ukrainian Bilingual School. In a similar fashion to our other elementary esports teams, the SJS Club is using the Minecraft EDU platform to participate in both school- and division-based build… Read More
#TechTipTuesday – 7 Tips to Clean Up Your Computer
On Tuesdays, 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! A new year calls for a fresh start and what better way than ensuring that the tech in your life is running optimally? This checklist of tips is designed to get you started in a way that ensures your tech is clean (physically) and organized in a way that works for you. Let’s get started!… Read More
January ICT Newsletter
Happy New Year! 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: general ICT updates (software changes, divisional ICT timelines, tech-themed holidays) upcoming PD for the month tech tips divisional highlights These newsletters are sent out to staff via our divisional email but are also shared through our social media pages and divisional website. Janaury 2024 ICT Newsletter by Kirsten Cali
#TweetTheHalls 2023 Winners
Today is the LAST day of school of 2023 which also means that our annual #TweetTheHalls event has come to a close. Over the course of 15 days we had over _____ participating Tweets from ___ provincial school divisions (and beyond)! This morning we used a random number generator to randomly select our last weekly prize winner as well as our six GRAND PRIZES from all eligible participants. As we wrap up our 4th year of #TweetTheHalls I want to extend a HUGE thank you to: all of the #TweetTheHalls participants ManACE for sponsoring our weekly wellness prizes MAETL for the generous sponsorship of $500 Ed… Read More
#TechTipTuesday – Out of Office
On Tuesdays, 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. We are only a few days away from the end of 2023 (we are in buildings until the end of the day on Friday) and a well-deserved winter break for those involved in education. Teachers tend to have their, “teacher-brain”, on all the time and sometimes have challenges stepping back and finding time for themselves. Trust me, you will be a better teacher if you take a break for yourself. Relax, recharge, and engage in… Read More
It Doesn’t Go Away
On Mondays, I share a different ed tech quote on our Thompson Classroom social media pages for our staff to consider. Reactive versus proactive… what would you prefer? Is it dependent on the context? During December, I find that many of the staff (and students) I work with are SO ready for a break. They are tired and need a change of pace, especially with how busy some schools are this month as they build in many holiday-themed events. For our staff, self-care can be placed on the back-burner and, unfortunately, I feel like most of our staff end up reactively caring… Read More
Thoughts on AI-Generated Photo Manipulation
The Winnipeg Free Press recently reported on an incident related to “explicitly altered” images at a Louis Riel School Division school (story embedded below or found HERE). The images in question involved faces of under-age students that were manipulated using AI. My heart goes out to both the victims of these images but also those who created the images without a potential understanding of their impact. I am seeing a lot of comments in the online space surrounding the role of AI in this situation. The following are some of my initial thoughts: Technical Education I believe that society, students… Read More