Every Monday I share a different ed tech quote on our Thompson Classroom social media pages for our staff to consider. This quote has stuck with me for a few years because I feel that, based on the generational gap between educators and students, that there is sometimes a disconnect between how we view technology. For many educators, it is still considered an “extra” or an “add-on”. For example: for THIS specific project we are summarizing our learning with a PowerPoint so we go to the computer lab for a SPECIAL activity we are adding a tech station as an option during… Read More
Follow Friday – Symbaloo
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. Symbaloo is a curation tool that I have used in my practice for almost 10 years; both as a classroom teacher and during professional development sessions I am facilitating. (I’ve always used the FREE version) I have shared about this visual tool via the Curation page of the MVSD ICT Resources Notebook (linked in the main tabs of the blog) as well! To introduce yourself to this tool and the options it… Read More
#TechTipTuesday – PowerSchool Portal
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. Here in Manitoba we are moving towards spring assessments for our K-8 educators and learners. Component A.3 of our divisional Student Assessment Procedure indicates that: All members of the learning community, students, educators and parents must be actively engaged in assessment, in order to develop a common understanding of the classroom assessment and evaluation process. MVSD Student Assessment Procedure, Section B, Part A.3 One tool that can be used to increase assessment engagement is through… Read More
Technology Is Not Just A Tool
Every Monday I share a different ed tech quote on our Thompson Classroom social media pages for our staff to consider. George Couros is no stranger to this blog and the work that both him and his brother, Alec, do in the field of education have influenced me greatly. While this week’s quote can be interpreted multiple ways (like when discussing social media) but I feel like this 2013 TEDx video clip does a good job at providing an overview of George’s perspective: I tend to gravitate back to this quote when introducing assistive technology with staff and this week is one… Read More
Community ICT Outreach in MVSD
We are set to proceed with the third year of our community outreach program. This program kicked-off in the fall of 2019 with the inclusion of “Tech Tip” informational boards that were displayed during parent-teaching interviews (see Instagram post below): When I entered this position in September of 2019 I was pleasantly surprised to realize that although I didn’t have “my kids” (students) anymore, I now had an extended network of over 4000 new “students” to support. This group includes MVSD students, teachers, admin, support staff, and our MVSD families. Regardless of where you fit into that network, everyone has… Read More
Graphic Desktop Organizers
This week I came across a Reel on Instagram from Spencer (@littlelovelylearners) that showcased how she utilized Canva to give their desktop a total “glow-up” and increase organization. As an established fan of Canva I knew I had to give this a go for myself! One primary difference, however, is that the appearance of my desktop is primarily tailored to others and not myself. This is due to the fact that I use my computer when hosting tech training sessions with staff or other large-scale professional development sessions. (One example of how I personalize my computer for others is through… Read More
March 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. March 2022 ICT Newsletter by Kirsten Cali
Ethics as the Essence of Education
*This post has been written as part of my journey as a Ph.D student through University of Regina The systemic practice of education is, at its core, a conscious effort to move learners from one ethical subjectivity to another and, as such, ethics can be viewed as the essence of education (Bazzul, 2022). While an outside perspective may be clouded by the superficial emphasis of curricular content, subjects, programs, et cetera, education fundamentally focuses on ways of living and being that can be characterized as expansive. This paper will strive to provide an overview of Bazzul’s recent work, An intensive… 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. With February 21-25th playing host to Fair Dealing Week, all of the posts this week will align with that theme. February 21st kicked off Fair Dealing Week 2022 which runs through to February 25th. 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… Read More
Follow Friday – BYTE Conference
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. Being that it is the 3rd Friday in February it can only mean one thing…. it is time for the BYTE Conference! This conference holds a special place in my heart as it was not only the first large ed conference that I attended as a B.Ed student but it was also the start of my presentation experience. Since that time I have been able to attend 7 of the conferences (6 years as a presenter).… Read More