Every Monday I share a different ed tech quote on our Thompson Classroom social media pages for our staff to consider. This week’s Mantra is: This quote is one that I have shared out multiple times over the past 5 years (this number actually shocked me as I didn’t think it had been this long). In 2017, I shared out that my mindset towards the role of technology in the classroom had shifted from that of a hierarchy model to an ecosystem model. In this stance we see both technology and educator filling unique niches within the classroom, each serving a distinct… Read More
Constructing The Echo Chamber: Constructivism in Social Media Use
*This post has been written as part of my journey as a Ph.D student through University of Regina As we enter the third school year under the presence of the Covid-19 global pandemic there is a narrative of acclimating to a “new reality”. What has been overlooked by some administrators is that, for many of their staff and students, their life has been operating in a new reality for much longer than they may realize; the self-constructed reality as developed by social media. Michael Crotty (1998) defines constructionism as the stance in which knowledge is constructed by the interactions between… Read More
WOW Wednesday – Chelsea Hockridge
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. Chelsea is no stranger to this blog . As a fellow ed-tech advocate her and I have worked collaboratively on projects together as we completed our M.Ed, she participated in our 2020 social media takeover with a feature on Minecraft, and she has been highlighted in a WOW Wednesday post previously. She has now taken on a… Read More
#TechTipTuesday – Location Based Reminders
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 my role I am shared between 16 schools in 7 different communities. It is quite common that many of my school-based enquires aren’t necessarily urgent enough for a planned meeting so I often get the phrase, “can you pop in and check on this with me next time you’re at my school?”. As such, at any given time I have a list of potential conversations on the go and I want to ensure that… Read More
The New Normal
Every Monday I share a different ed tech quote on our Thompson Classroom social media pages for our staff to consider. This week’s Mantra is: As we enter our 3rd school year in the presence of a global pandemic our “new normal” has been established. How are you using tech differently compared to 2019? I purposefully selected this quotation to not only encourage reflection on the role that technology plays in your classroom but also because it aligns with the wording of a fantastic Manitoba PD that is taking place this week! The New Normal School is a half-day virtual event on… Read More
Objecting the Subjective: Manitoba Education’s Positivism Reform
*This post has been written as part of my journey as a Ph.D student through University of Regina Manitoba sits at a crossroad in their quest for educational reform. After 3 years of external consultation and widespread planning the current Progressive Conservative party has backtracked on their Better Education Starts Today (BEST) strategy. Interim premier, Kelvin Goertzen, who oversaw this campaign in his role as Minister of Education, announced on September 1, 2021, that he would be pulling the associated Bill 64 legislation from the fall docket (Gowriluk & Bernhardt, 2021). While the future of what public education looks like… Read More
Follow Friday – ManACE
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. ManACE is a provincial organization that I have been involved with since 2013 when I was invited to join as a board member. Over the past 8 years I have been involved with a variety of ManACE initiatives and am honoured to now be serving in the capacity of president. To learn more about who ManACE is as a group, check out the infographic below: To keep up-to-date with ManACE… Read More
#TechTipTuesday – Disinfecting Technology
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 prepare to welcome staff and students back into our buildings in the coming weeks our ICT Department has been working to help ensure that the use of shared digital devices is as safe as possible. From our perspective we want to help make sure that anyone who uses one of our shared devices can do so as safe as possible while ensuring appropriate disinfection practices are occuring that won’t damage our devices. What… Read More
September ICT Newsletter
September is here and this week will see all of our divisional students and staff back in our buildings. 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. September 2021 ICT Newsletter by Kirsten Cali
Starting My Ph.D Journey!
In February of this year I hesitantly shared out my personal statement as part of my application to the University of Regina. After graduating with my M.Ed in the spring of 2018 I was sitting on my largest absence from formal education and I knew that I needed a change. Prior to this jump I had explored the idea of pursuing a second M.Ed as the requirement for first year residency for a Ph.D seemed unattainable for me due to the age of my children and our proximity to institutions. However, the Covid-19 pandemic had resulted in online classes which… Read More