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
May 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. May 2023 ICT Newsletter by Kirsten Cali
Follow Friday – MVSD Strategic Plan
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. Here in MVSD we are completing the second in a series of one-year divisional plans as our last comprehensive plan, which was a 5-year strategic plan, concluded in 2020/21 in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. As is no surprise, the landscape of education has changed drastically in the past 3 years and our Board of Trustees has also experienced a change following the recent election period. With this in mind, it… Read More
#TechTipTuesday – TeachFlix
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. If you are wanting to include videos into your classroom programming but don’t know where to start, I recommend TeachFlix! Organized by Matt Miller and the Ditch That Textbook team, TeachFlix describes itself as: “Ever find a video for your students that’s just right? Perfect even? You show it to them (or they watch it on their own). It engages them. Makes them think. Starts really great conversations. A video can be the right tool… Read More
#ETMOOC2 Session 1 – Chat GPT and Its Implications for Lifelong Learning
Session 1 of #ETMOOC2 was held on April 19th. 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 1 landing page. Identify at least three ways ChatGPT might be of benefit to you and those you serve in your section of our lifelong learning environment Provide a foundation for generalized writing Assist with implementation planning and critique existing plans for gaps Templates for lesson and activity planning Anticipate at least three challenges ChatGPT may pose to you and those you serve We still… Read More
#TechTipTuesday – App Selection Considerations
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. Yesterday I shared the quote that: “77% of apps in the “education” category are unable to provide empirical research that the tool will have a positive effect on learning outcomes” Kolb, L. (2017). Learning First, Technology Second. p. 164 So where does that leave educators who are looking for app options for their classroom? I strongly encourage you to visit yesterday’s post to see some of the research completed on the foundational skills of classroom… Read More
Educational Apps – Challenges
Every Monday I share a different ed tech quote on our Thompson Classroom social media pages for our staff to consider. One unseen benefit of the Covid-19 pandemic is that the use of technology in education has increased at a far higher rate than if our traditional classroom model was still in place (Nantais, M. et al., 2021, p. 34). The switch to remote learning has placed all educators, students, and families in a position where they are required to modify their existing practices and learn how to use digital tools in new ways. However, an increase in the use of online… Read More
30 Tech Tips To Try This Year – MASBO
This week I was invited to the Manitoba Association of School Business Officials (MASBO) NW Regional meeting that is held annually in Russell, Manitoba. This group is comprised of school division employees in the fields of finance, maintenance, transportation, and human resources. My involvement in this meeting was to deliver professional development at their opening evening following a welcome supper. Given that this audience is diverse in the way in which they use technology, and the fact that we had both Google and Microsoft divisions, I was somewhat hesitant on what the best topic might be to ensure it was… Read More
Follow Friday – National Robotics Week
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. As we wrap up the 2023 National Robotics Week I encourage you to keep the learning going all year long by following the #RoboWeek accounts on the platform of your choice! If you didn’t get a chance to join in this week, don’t worry. I would recommend you start off with some of my previous posts: National Robotics Week ’23 #TechTipTuesday – VEX VR Robotic Playground How To Integrate National Robotics… Read More
#ETMOOC2 …. 10 Years Later – An Intro
I can’t begin to describe the nostalgia I experienced when I stumbled across the #ETMOOC hashtag floating around on Twitter again. For those that have been here for a while, you may remember my experience with the first #ETMOOC in 2013 (you can see all the posts HERE) which has been influential in my career and even inspired some of my current projects. During the first #ETMOOC round I was a pre-service teacher in my last year of my B.Ed degree; a lot has changed since then! In this round, #ETMOOC2 is described as: Generative AI in Education” is an… Read More