Every Monday I share a different ed tech quote on our Thompson Classroom social media pages for our staff to consider. Education is under fire across North America as we grapple with developing programming admits another wave in the Covid-19 pandemic; this time fueled through the omicron variant. Educators, parents, students, and community stakeholders are trying to find answers to questions such as: what upgrades can be completed to school ventilation systems? what type of masks are available to staff and students? will school cases be documented and communicated? how will we address widespread absenteeism of students and staff? how do we… Read More
Follow Friday – Jake Miller
Every Friday I share what I believe to be a notable person/organization/school on our social media pages (linked at the top of the blog) to assist our staff in the development of their online Personal Learning Network. This week I’d like to highlight one of my favourite educational podcasters, Jake Miller! Jake records the Educational Duct Tape podcast that I was introduced to in 2019 via Chris Nesi (another great edu-podcaster). Jake describes his work as, “The #EduDuctTape Podcast focuses on viewing #edtech as a tool used to meet goals, address learning standards, and solve problems in the classroom, much… Read More
WOW Wednesday – BLP MOOC Staff Participation
Every Wednesday I highlight some of our amazing MVSD staff on our social media pages. Everyday 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, Myla Krauskopf from Winnipegosis Collegiate has teamed up with myself to provide further information about the Blended Learning Practice (BLP) MOOC that is starting up another round on January 16, 2022. The infographic, shared above, was prepared by Myla and shared out via our social media accounts to help provide context for other educators… Read More
#TechTipTuesday – 7 Tips To Clean Up Your Computer
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. As January is recognized as Clean Up Your Computer Month and, with so much more of our practice being digital during remote learning, all of this month’s tips will be dedicated to this topic! Last year I filmed a series of videos via TikTok that elaborated on each of these 7 tips (see videos embedded below): Which tip will you be starting with this month?
Intentional Planning During Remote Learning
Every Monday I share a different ed tech quote on our Thompson Classroom social media pages for our staff to consider. Today kicks off yet another round of remote learning here in Manitoba. As we near the end of year 2 of the Covid-19 pandemic it is a safe assumption that a majority of our staff and students have experienced some form of remote learning, but not all. For new staff and students this could represent a new experience for them and it is also important to remember that every class is different. In the same way that you never teach a… Read More
Follow Friday – Blended Learning Practice MOOC
Every Friday I share what I believe to be a notable person/organization/school on our social media pages (linked at the top of the blog) to assist our staff in the development of their online Personal Learning Network. This week I want to highlight the collaboration between Athabasca University and the Commonwealth of Learning as they relaunch one of their popular MOOCs. As Manitoba transitions into ANOTHER round of remote learning, it couldn’t be more timely. In the summer of 2020 one of colleagues from Manitoba Ed recommended I participate in the Blended Learning Practice MOOC. This massive open online course is, “an… Read More
January ICT Newsletter
Our staff and students are back and we are ready for a new year! 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. January 2022 ICT Newsletter by Kirsten Cali
Remote & Blended Learning Resources for Educators
As our local Covid-19 situation changes we are seeing further restrictions put in place that impact education and our ability to have our students with us face-to-face. As such, we are seeing an increased need for information on Remote & Blended Learning Resources. While the majority of my blog posts focus on ed and ed tech resources I do a lot of curation that doesn’t necessarily get onto the blog; which is why I also provide a direct link to my curation platform of choice – OneNote. Please see a short video below showcasing how to find this resource in… Read More
10 Year Blogiversary!
In 2012, on the recommendation from a university professor, I started a blog to document my learning journey and connect with other educators. That initial blog post started with, “I will admit that I am not the most tech-savvy person, but it’s a start!”. If there was ever an example of foreshadowing, this introductory sentence would be it. Little did I know that that start would swell to a 900+ post documentation of my journey from, “… not the most tech-savvy person” to the Coordinator of ICT; responsible for the technology programming and purchasing for over 3,000 stakeholders. This journey has been, and continues to be, guided by both an internal motivation to seek out new information as well as… Read More
#TechTipTuesday – Out of Office
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. We are only a few days away from the end of 2021 and a well-deserved winter break for those involved in education. Teacher’s tend to have their, “teacher-brain”, on all the time and sometimes have challenges stepping back and finding time for themselves. Given our current pandemic-environment which sees our teaching scenario changing fairly consistently (especially with rising case numbers during the 4th wave) it can be tempting to feel like you need to take… Read More