On Mondays I share a different ed tech quote on our Thompson Classroom social media pages for our staff to consider. Last week I had the privilege of attending the Riding The Wave conference in Gimli, Manitoba which featured David Usher for their keynote presentation! A quote that we have heard for years now is, “the new normal”. While we all shifted in various ways during Covid, many sectors continue to find “normal” as if it is a destination we can arrive at; something that will remain static for us. The fact is that the goal posts are always moving. Whatever “normal”… Read More
Riding the Wave 2023
One of the best parts of May is definitely the Riding the Wave conference running from May 11-12. Situated in beautiful Gimli, Manitoba the 2023 theme is focused on, “unleashing your creative potential”, and will feature keynote David Usher who will be speaking to Creative Thinking: The Power To Navigate Disruption. This year I am presenting during two of the breakout session slots as well being able to serve as a learner while I take in 4 sessions. The following post is a summary of my experiences: Broadcast Your School News Live on YouTube “In the R360 Broadcasting Club, students in Grades 5-12 read… Read More
MAETL President – Round 2!
Today was a super exciting day as I not only attended, but lead, my first in-person AGM as we have been virtual since 2020. Since I joined the team in 2019 I had, unfortunately, never seen an in-person MAETL AGM and WOW; what a day! The morning kicked off with our formal business agenda running from 10am-12pm. One of our primary roles of AGM includes the election of our executive board and I am honoured and humbled to have been elected into the role of president for a second term with my partner-in-crime Troy Sigvaldason continuing to support us in… Read More
The Growing Pains of AI
On Mondays I share a different ed tech quote on our Thompson Classroom social media pages for our staff to consider. Calculators are going to ruin the foundational skills required for mathematics! Search engines are going to ruin the ability for student’s to find information in their libraries! Wikipedia is going to fill the world with misinformation! Are we sensing a theme here…… as we see troves of concerns along the lines of: AI is going to ruin all my assessment plans! In the words of John Finch (circa 2013), “we can either legislate out of the problem or educate out of… Read More
What You Don’t Know About Canva, But Should
This week I was invited to the Manitoba Chamber of Commerce Executive meeting that is held ahead of their AGM in Winnipeg. This group is comprised of Chamber executives from across the province and my first non-educator presentation ever! My involvement in this meeting was to deliver professional development as the kick-off to their multi-day event at the Victoria Inn and Conference Center. This audience is diverse in regard to experience in their positions, organization of their unique Chamber branch, client demographic, and familiarity with technology. Luckily for me, I have a working relationship with our local Parkland Chamber so… Read More
Follow Friday – #ETMOOC2
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. At the beginning of April I joined the #ETMOOC2 community (you can read my introductory post HERE) as a way to learn more about the field of AI. While we are officially half way through our journey, there is still time to jump in! This experience is very much individualized, with learners participating and accessing resources in a variety of ways. For those who are new to the ETMOOC community, this second… Read More
#ETMOOC Session 2 – AI and You: Ethics, Equity, and Accessibility
Session 2 of #ETMOOC2 was held on May 3rd. If you were unable to attend, the recording has been uploaded to YouTube (see embed below) and the slides note notes are available via the Session 2 landing page. Session Notes Unauthorized content generation could be a phrase used to describe academic concerns around AI Equity and the field of AI, it should value and respect diverse cultural backgrounds There is a layer of techno-colonization within this tool There is no integrity in a stance that presumes the worst in our students (re: a ban on AI related to perceived affects… Read More
WOW Wednesday – MMS eSports Champions
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 is an especially exciting WOW Wednesday post to share as we announce that the MMS Blue Magic eSports team are AAA Champions!! You may recall that MMS had a WOW Wednesday highlight in May of 2022 when their team began the planning process on how to integrate eSports into their programming during the 22/23 school year. Fast… Read More
PD on the Potty
Near the end of 2019 I implemented the idea of PD on the Potty following a podcast from Kasey Bell. This alternative method of professional development sees the inclusion of flyers placed in staff washroom facilities. Depending on the month these may include: divisional tech reminders upcoming PD opportunities tips & tricks program reviews social media recommendations and more! Not only do these flyers allow you to have a captive audience but they can provide a bridge for staff members who have technology as a barrier in their practice [for these individuals, emails, social media posts, digital resources, etc are inaccessible]. Here… Read More
#TechTipTuesday – CyberSafe Privacy Prodigy
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. May 1-7 marks Privacy Awareness Week (PAW) which is an annual event to raise awareness within the public sector and the broader community about the importance of protecting and respecting personal information. If you are curious about how to approach this topic with students, I recommend the Mincraft EDU module: CyberSafe – Privacy Prodigy! This module covers the following skills: Keep login information private Discuss real-world cybersecurity problems and how personal information can be protected.… Read More