Every Monday I share a different ed tech quote on our Thompson Classroom social media pages for our staff to consider. I don’t know about you but AI-assisted content creation programs are ALL over my online feeds this past month. The big one was Chat GPT (which I wrote about last week) and now the Magic Writing feature within Canva. Understandably, the education world is now trying to find where these programs fit within their current model. So what do you need to know? What are AI-Assisted Programs Programs such as Chat GPT, Canva – Magic Writing, Dall E-2, etc can be… Read More
Follow Friday – Seven Oaks Tech Hub
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. This week I want to introduce you to the Tech Hub program from Seven Oaks School Division in Winnipeg. Their program, which operates at two different sites, connects students with industry experts from New Media Manitoba and the University of Winnipeg. Designed for creatives, designers, coders, innovators, and builders, students from Gr 7-12 can explore and stregthen their skills in daily or after-school programs. Their social media pages offer insight into… Read More
What is Chat GPT? What Educators Should Know
Chat GPT, also known as Generative Pretrained Transformer, is a type of artificial intelligence that is able to generate text based on a given prompt. It is based on a neural network model that has been trained on a large amount of data and is able to generate human-like responses to various types of prompts. One of the key benefits of Chat GPT is that it can help teachers to save time by automatically generating responses to common questions or tasks. For example, a teacher could use Chat GPT to create personalized feedback for each student, or to quickly generate… Read More
#TechTipTuesday – Microsoft Designer
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 Mountain View School Division being a Microsoft division operating on the O365 platform I am always looking for updates to their platform that I can share with staff. One comment I get from staff, especially our secretaries who design a lot of material for their schools, is why isn’t Publisher included in O365 updates? While I can’t speak directly to that, I am thinking that the new Microsoft Designer may be the answer! The… Read More
The Online Village
Every Monday I share a different ed tech quote on our Thompson Classroom social media pages for our staff to consider. Over the past two decades, teachers have increasingly turned to social networks to create and grow their professional learning networks (PLN). A professional learning network is a group of educators who come together to share ideas, resources, and support each other in their efforts to improve their teaching and better serve their students. In some schools, teachers have dedicated planning time in their schedule to meet with an in-house PLN that may consist of a teaching partner or grade-group but for… Read More
Follow Friday – Minecraft Student Ambassadors
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 am thrilled to share that our division now has their very own Minecraft Student Ambassdor organization through Ecole Macneill. This group is comprised of students at the elementary level who are interested in the Minecraft program and work under the supervision of a staff member who has completed the Minecraft Student Ambassador sponsor program through Microsoft. Our students, through this program, have: investigated climate change through the Frozen Planet 2… Read More
Programmed Oppression
*This post has been written as part of my journey as a Ph.D student through University of Regina Critical theory, the legacy of the theoretical work of the Frankfurt School, is centered on changing the circumstances of the oppressed. Giroux (2009) explains that critical theory in education, “…enables educators to become more knowledgeable about how teachers, students, and other educational workers become part of the system” that is emphasized through organizational practices, messages, and values; often referred to as the hidden curriculum. In the realm of educational technology, the pervasive school of thought has seen the inclusion of technology in… Read More
EC&I 833 – Summary of Learning
*This post has been written as part of my journey as a Ph.D student through University of Regina This narrative summarizes my learning experience through the course as portrayed through the lens of one of our first readings, 5 Things You Need to Know About Technological Change by Neil Postman. Media Overview: Title slides generated through Canva Narration recorded using a Snowball microphone Video editing completed using WeVideo Stock video clips and audio used through WeVideo Applicable References -Postman, N. (1998). Five things we need to know about technological change. Recuperado de http://www. sdca. org/sermons_ mp3/2012/121229_postman_5Things. pdf. -Zhao, Y., Gaoming,… 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 again as an accessible way to bring coding into your classroom, regardless of if you are a beginner or a pro. On Friday I shared out about Code.Org (who hosts the Hour of Code activities) 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… 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