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
Reflecting on the Hour of Code – Year 5
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. I, of course, have to celebrate all of our students, staff, and volunteers who participated in last week’s Hour of Code events! The first Hour of Code event that I had an opportunity to plan in MVSD was in December of 2019. Since that time, our events have been held a variety of different ways (thanks Covid)… Read More
#TechTipTuesday – YouTube Shortcuts
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. While not always listed as an #edtech tool, YouTube is a widely valuable educational tool for our staff. One way to increase the accessibility and functionality of this tool is through the understanding and use of the variety of keyboard shortcuts available within the system. While the graphic below highlights some of these options, there are many available! Familiarize yourself with the full suite of options at this LINK or through the video embedded below:
A Willingness To Not Know
On Mondays, I share a different ed tech quote on our Thompson Classroom social media pages for our staff to consider. Last week one of the #TweetTheHalls prompts asked participants to, “Share your favourite tech tip”. This day is a treasure trove of great ideas and I recommend that you explore through the #TweetTheHalls hashtag on X/Twitter to see all of the great sharing happening through the event. It was from here that I pulled this week’s quote. Coming off of Computer Science Education Week, this quote resonated with me greatly. It was one of the driving mindsets of the entire event!… Read More
Follow Friday – Code.org
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. We are officially wrapping up Computer Science Education Week which ran from December 4-8, 2023. This event is an international movement designed to introduce students to the field of computer science, strengthen computational thinking and encourage creativity in the digital space. One way to introduce Computer Science Education Week, and keep the learning going all year long, is through an Hour of Code event! “The Hour of Code is a global movement reaching tens… Read More
#TechTipTuesday – Hour of Code
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. Day 2 of Computer Science Education week is underway and I wanted to highlight Hour of Code as an accessible way to bring coding into your classroom, regardless of if you are a beginner or a pro. Code.Org (who hosts the Hour of Code activities) is no stranger to this blog and yesterday I shared out more of my favourite coding activities, including curriculums for K-12. There are currently over 500 one-hour coding activities, available in 45… Read More
Computer Science Education Week 2023
On Mondays, I share a different ed tech quote on our Thompson Classroom social media pages for our staff to consider. Computer Science Education week is officially here! Running from today through to December 8th, this event is an international movement designed to introduce students to the field of computer science, strengthen computational thinking and encourage creativity in the digital space. I will be spending my week in a variety of MVSD schools doing coding events with over 400 students between Kindergarten to Grade 12. The following include some of my go-to resources for coding with students: Computer Science Fundamentals(Elementary) “Computer science… Read More
#TweetTheHalls 2023
It is officially time for #TweetTheHalls! This is the 4th year of our seasonal event designed to strengthen your educational PLN, practice a variety of ed tech skills, and spread holiday joy in the month of December. Check out the official prompt calendar below: If you haven’t participated in #TweetTheHalls before or are new to X/Twitter check out our #TechTipTuesday post which featured a tutorial. In the mean time, check out the prompt for December 1st and get ready to share!
WOW Wednesday – Barker Builders
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. I am so pleased to see how esports has been growing across Mountain View School Division as we enthusiastically announce a new esports team, the Barker Builders, out of Lt. Col. Barker Elementary! As a K-5 building, this presence has been mirrored off of our widely successful Macneill Gamers team. A subsidiary of their team, the MVSD… Read More
#TechTipTuesday – Joining #TweetTheHalls
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. With #TweetTheHalls starting up on Friday I wanted to make sure that everyone knew exactly how to join in on the fun and ensure that their posts were curated into our pool to get them in the running for some great prizes! Check out the informational video below shared via X (formally Twitter): If you haven’t yet created an X account I recommend this YouTube video: Stay tuned for more information, and the full prompt calendar, being… Read More