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. The end of the school year means a very standard routine for educators: time to clean out your classroom! For many of us this includes removal of any unnecessary clutter that has accumulated, archiving and filing, revamping bulletin boards, and perhaps the beginning of an update to certain decor elements. Guess what? This should be happening digitally as well; especially with increased use of digital tools/files! When I taught at Ste Rose our secretary would always provide… Read More
The “Hidden Curriculum” in Tech
On Mondays I share a different ed tech quote on our Thompson Classroom social media pages for our staff to consider. As we enter Pride month I’ve been thinking more and more about equity and how it relates to my role: Many of the prominent programs that our students interact with, including search engines and social media, cater to the lived experiences of the majority population with potential gaps being found in areas such as sexual orientation, class, gender, literacy levels, handedness, and physical disabilities (Friedman and Nissenbaum, p. 343). While digital equity and access to technology continues to be a central… Read More
Follow Friday – Howie Hua
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. Yesterday I shared my ongoing database of TikTok Accounts For You To Follow, in which Howie appeared. However, I like their content so much that I wanted to give them a dedicated space on the blog for this week’s Follow Friday! Howie is a college professor working with pre-service elementary teachers and is an engaging digital content creator working on increasing math competency in a fun way. Their videos first caught my… Read More
TikTok Accounts for You To Follow
The following is a list of TikTok accounts that can be used to share curricular content and expand your PLN. This list will be a working post that is updated as new accounts are found. Not every video on these accounts may be a good fit for your programming. Some creators are using their accounts for multi-purpose so you may need to search to find their educational content. Hashtags and playlists may assist with streamlining their content. Inclusion on this list does not necessarily mean support; screening and professional judgement needs to occur before utilizing these accounts in your practice.… Read More
June 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: 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 out through our social media pages and divisional website. June 2023 ICT Newsletter by Kirsten Cali
WOW Wednesday – Gilbert Plains Collegiate
On Wednesdays I highlight some of our amazing MVSD staff on our social media pages. Everyday 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. This week I am pleased to highlight the community at Gilbert Plains Collegiate who recently hosted a presentation from Valerie Caldwell on the topic of Social Media Safety. (see poster below for full presentation details) If you have not yet had an opportunity to attend one of these sessions, the following context can shed light on the presentation:… Read More
#TechTipTuesday – PhET Simulations
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. One of the most challenging areas of the software side of my position is finding high-quality math and science programs that are aligned with our divisional strategies. When it came to this week’s Tech Tip I was actually shocked that I didn’t have a history of having this resource on the blog because it is actually something I have used extensively over the past decade. In fact, if you scroll through my (now archived) classroom… Read More
AI (Actual Intelligence) Before AI
On Mondays I share a different ed tech quote on our Thompson Classroom social media pages for our staff to consider. During the third session of #ETMOOC2 – AI and You, Krissy Venosdal shared the above quote. Well actually, she shared an aesthetically pleasing version that was created using AI-assisted graphic design (see embedded Tweet below). I think this message is so important. Like anything we see online, work generated by artifical intelligence still requires the user to think critically about what they see and evaluate it against a set of criteria to determine authenticity and suitability. It can be assumed that… Read More
Follow Friday – Richard Roberts
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. I was first introduced to Richard when I started in my MVSD position in the fall of 2019. In fact, it was Richard who first reached out to extend an invitation to join MAETL. Since that time, Richard and I have had the opportunity to work together through various positions on the MAETL executive board: I served as his vice-president and we’ve continued this relationship as he supports me in his role as… Read More
WOW Wednesday – Laura Joss
On Wednesdays I highlight some of our amazing MVSD staff on our social media pages. Everyday 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. This week I am excited to showcase Laura Joss from Ochre River School. Laura, who would self-identify as “not techy”, actually models an excellent integration of purposeful technology at the K-2 level. One example of this is their use of the Learning A to Z (RAZ Kids) platform. This program is one tool in their traditional literacy programming… Read More