In true Manitoba fashion, December started off with a day of bus cancellations due to inclement weather! 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.
#TweetTheHalls 2021
I am so excited because, for the second year in a row, I am helping bring #TweetTheHalls to Manitoba! Inspired last year out of a conversation with Donna Miller Fry, this Twitter event is being run in collaboration between ManACE and #MBEdChat Every week-day from Dec 1-17 there is a different activity prompt that encourages educators to share, learn, and connect while using the #TweetTheHalls and #MBEdChat hashtags. In addition to the joy that comes from your involvement in the challenge, and an increased supportive community, there are also prizes! There are multiple prizes that are still rolling in so… Read More
#TechTipTuesday – MS Teams Whiteboard
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. I first shared about the Microsoft Whiteboard tool back in February 2020 as an option to transform student devices into interactive whiteboards to increase collaboration. Since that time there has been so much that has changed in the world of education and this tool can meet a variety of needs. We are lucky to know have our students face-to-face but that doesn’t mean that we have the same flexibility we once had. The integration of… Read More
eSports in Manitoba
Every Monday I share a different ed tech quote on our Thompson Classroom social media pages for our staff to consider. On Friday I had an opportunity to hear Melissa Burns speak at our MAETL meeting about her role in the facilitation of eSports in Manitoba and across Canada. My familiarity with Melissa began in 2020 as eSports rose in response to the restrictions placed on activities during the Covid-19 shutdowns. I quickly learned that Manitoba has served as a Canadian leader in eSports for quite some time and that Melissa is your go-to person to learn more! “Melissa is an award-winning… Read More
WOW Wednesday – Sheila Giasson
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. One of our programs that continues to be affected by the Covid-19 pandemic has been our divisional preschool program. Prior to spring of 2020, this program saw community members and their young families visit our school buildings to participate in in-person, hands-on preschool activities as part of our Kindergarten-readiness initiative. Given the ongoing public health restrictions… Read More
#TechTipTuesday – O365 Bookings
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 we approach the season for parent-teacher interviews I like to remind Microsoft users about the O365 Bookings tool. The use of Office 365 Bookings has streamlined our Parent-Teacher Interview Process in multiple ways: our secretarial, admin, and teaching staff are no longer required to manage incoming appointment times our teachers know automatically when their bookings are as they sync to their Outlook calendars Teams video meeting links are autogenerated for every family who requires… Read More
Technology Failures & Successes
Every Monday I share a different ed tech quote on our Thompson Classroom social media pages for our staff to consider. Last week ManACE hosted their first virtual Ed Tech Talk which saw participants from across Manitoba share their thoughts on the state of ed tech integration as it relates to their practice; this week’s quote has been pulled from this conversation. I find that anytime the conversation of ed tech is brought up, it is natural to dive into the barriers to tech integration (there can be a lot of them!). Research by Johnson et. al. (2016) mirrors educator concerns and… Read More
Ed Tech Talk Overview
Last week I shared out the advertising for the ManACE Ed Tech Talk event. It turns out that the arrival of Manitoba winter was the perfect factor for our event as we had a great turn-out this evening (where else could they go!?). This informal professional development session saw participation from across the province including classroom teachers, coaches, and consultants! The results of the conversation have been summarized and can be reviewed as a series of infographics (use the arrows on the side of the image to progress through our focus questions): A HUGE thank-you goes out to everyone who… Read More
#TechTipTuesday – Digital Tools for Student Portfolios
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 Manitoba, November is a whirlwind month for educators. We start off strong with the Halloween candy-hangover, jump right into a time-change, and hit the ground running to complete report cards and book parent-teacher interviews! One of my favourite methods to assist with this is the implementation of student portfolios. Student portfolios can be a fantastic practice in the classroom as they: develop student metacognition selecting exemplars reflecting on their learning journey encourage transparent conversations… Read More
Digital Access
Every Monday I share a different ed tech quote on our Thompson Classroom social media pages for our staff to consider. Confession time, this is a quote that I have used multiple times over the past year… but considering that digital inequity continues to plague our province I think it is still relevant! On Friday, I shared about the recently-formed Manitoba chapter of the Internet society. Their work includes advocacy during Digital Access Day which took place last year during the second week of November. To continue with that theme I thought that it was important to re-share this quote as advocacy… Read More