Like many children, my son LOVES to watch Minecraft videos on YouTube. These channels, both adult- and child-ran, include things like: tutorials and tips world tours narrated walk-throughs of challenges, battles, etc This week he asked if he would be able to make his own video and I, of course, said yes! Given the nature of my job and personal interests I feel like we were in a good position to get started with this with a solid foundational understanding. I asked him to clarify what he wanted for his video and I decided to utilize the following platforms: Minecraft… Read More
WOW Wednesday – Fair Dealing Week CONTEST
On Wednesdays I highlight some of our amazing MVSD staff on our social media pages. With it being Fair Dealing Week, I want to encourage staff to familiarize themselves with some of the resources our PD Resource Centre puts out regarding copyright. I want you to sit back….. close your eyes… and visualize your copy room. I know, the perfect destination. Whether you realize it or not, this room most likely plays host to a display about copyright. Thanks to Sharon, at the PD Resource Centre, this information is in all schools to assist with understanding of Fair Dealing, copyright, intellectual… Read More
BYTE 2023
On Friday I spent the day in Portage la Prairie for the 19th annual BYTE conference. I know I say this every year but… this conference is always a highlight of my year as it represents my first ever speaking event and, a full decade later, I am thrilled to still be a part of this fantastic event. If you weren’t able to join the event in person, and even if you did, I recommend scrolling back on Instragram and Twitter as many participants and presenters shared their learing throughout the day. You can find applicable posts by following the… Read More
#TechTipTuesday – Fair Dealing Week
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 20th kicked off Fair Dealing Week 2023 which runs through to February 24th. The Fair Dealing Canada website describes this legislation as follows: “Fair dealing recognizes that certain uses of copyright protected works are beneficial for society. By placing limits on instances where copyright owners can require payment, fair dealing leads innovation, to the creation of new works and new scholarship. The Supreme Court of Canada increasingly refers to copyright as providing a balance between the… Read More
Fair Dealing Week 2023
Every Monday I share a different ed tech quote on our Thompson Classroom social media pages for our staff to consider. February 20th (next week) will kick off Fair Dealing Week 2023 which will run through the week until Friday, February 24th. The Fair Dealing Canada website describes this legislation as follows: “Fair dealing recognizes that certain uses of copyright protected works are beneficial for society. By placing limits on instances where copyright owners can require payment, fair dealing leads innovation, to the creation of new works and new scholarship. The Supreme Court of Canada increasingly refers to copyright as providing a balance… Read More
School. Keep Going. But Not If You Attend the MRLSC
The advent of technology has revolutionized the way we learn and access educational programming. With the rise of remote learning during the Covid-19 pandemic, education systems have been able to cater to the needs of a larger population, making learning accessible to those who may have experienced barriers in accessing traditional face-to-face programs. In January of 2021 the provincial government of Manitoba announced the opening of the Manitoba Remote Learning Support Center (MRLSC) which was designed, in part, “to ensure students across Manitoba can access quality remote learning support when they need it” (Goertzen – MB EELC, 2021). This priority… Read More
Follow Friday – Dorothy Goddard
Every Friday 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 Dorothy when I started attending MAETL meetings in the fall of 2019. Since 2020, Dorothy and I have had the opportunity to work together through various positions on the MAETL executive board with our most recent roles as president and lead of the educational technologies committee. Dorothy, who is based out of Winnipeg School Division, is currently serving in the role of lead for Professional Support… Read More
#TechTipTuesday – Access FREE Coding Workshop
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. This year the BYTE Conference has expanded their offerings to not only include amazing PD for educators who attend the conference but also offer resources for those who are unable to attend and will be in their classrooms with students. Through a partnership with Cobblestone Collective, BYTE is offering a workshop designed to get students and teachers problem solving, using computational thinking, debugging, getting creative and having fun! If you haven’t used CS First before,… Read More
Throwback to BU!
I am very excited to share that tomorrow I will be back at Brandon University (BU) taking part in their pre-service professional development series through the Faculty of Ed. BU holds a special place in my heart as I not only hold my B.A, B.Ed, and M.Ed from here but I also lived and worked on campus for five years from 2007-2012. This will be my 5th formal presentation at BU with previous guest speaking roles taking place as part of the Internet for Ed (#I4Ed) B.Ed class, formally taught by Mike Nantais. I took a quick trip down memory… 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 fliers 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 fliers 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