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. With this month playing host to National Video Games Day I thought it was only fitting to showcase the Manitoba School eSports Association (MSEA) for this week’s Follow Friday. ” Manitoba School Esports Association is a not-for-profit organization committed to connecting, informing, and supporting competitive gaming in schools across Manitoba. MSEA is an amalgamation of the former MYEMB (Middle Years Esport Manitoba) and MHSeA (Manitoba High School eSports Association). With the expansion of esports in Manitoba, MSEA was developed to… Read More
National Video Games Day
Did you know that Manitoba is a Canadian leader when it comes to eSports? eSports (electronic sports) involves competition using video games and MVSD currently has an eSports presence at 7 of our 16 buildings (hoping to grow to 10 this year). Today’s post has put together a trove of resources including: Why eSports? eSports PD for Educators There are some great PD opportunities coming up over the next 6 weeks! These podcast episodes were specifically curated to showcase the world of eSports within Manitoba schools : Microsoft eSports Teacher Academy (META) “New to esports? Microsoft Esports Teacher Academy (META) teaches… Read More
WOW Wednesday – Melanie Keown
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. This week I would like to highlight Melanie Keown and the Grade 9 ICT class at Goose Lake High in Roblin. They committed to providing formal training to all of the students in the use of Office 365. This training is specifically on how to use these tools to enhance their learning and included: A big thank… Read More
#TechTipTuesday – PowerSchool Resources
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. In MVSD we use PowerSchool as our Student Information System (SIS). This means that this platform is the go-to program for our staff when it comes to student records, assessment reporting, daily attendance, etc. There are many different elements of the program that are applicable depending on your role within the division. While this means that all stakeholders have easy access to the information that is needed for their position, it can also make PD… Read More
Follow Friday – MVSD Accounts
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. One of the projects I was excited to undertake when I took on this role was curating our divisional social media pages. The purpose of this project was: – to help build community– to assist with effective and appropriate use of these platforms– to establish some level of consistency in regard to messaging While our official numbers fluctuate every year due to staffing changes, we are currently over 60 accounts across various social media… Read More
WOW Wednesday – MVSD Staff
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. It is the first day of school with students and we are running at full capacity across the division! Naturally, our first WOW Wednesday has to highlight ALL of our divisional staff. When it comes to the world of ed tech, a big change that affects all of our staff from K-12 is in response to an… 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: 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 is a peek at the new “tissue” hitting stalls this week! With it being the start… Read More
September 2024 ICT Newsletter
Welcome back to school! 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: These newsletters are sent out to staff via our divisional email but are also shared through our social media pages and divisional website. September 2024 ICT Newsletter by Kirsten Cali
MVSD Back-to-School ICT Checklist 2024
Welcome to a new school year! At the start and end of each school year I find it helpful to share out the following checklist that was inspired by a practice from when I was a classroom teacher. This checklist is designed to ensure the effective and professional use of various ICT elements and support your growth in the 2024/2025 school year. Please note that not all checklist elements may apply to you depending on your position within the division. The checklist itself has each task hyperlinked which leads to a tutorial or video providing more information on how to complete the… Read More
Follow Along with the MVSD Coordinator of ICT
August plays host to our prep period at Division Office; a time where we increase our outreach to staff and (re)share the ways in which our portfolios can assist them in their unique teaching context. For myself, that includes sharing the various ways in which I attempt to reach staff, which includes social media. The social media accounts I maintain on behalf of my professional life are designed to be educational and focus on the use of technology in education (at all levels). At a secondary level, they also serve as an example of how an educator may set-up and… Read More