*This post has been written as part of my professional growth plan through my #ISTE20 scholarship. Edtech Coaches Panel: effective strategies to improve teaching & learning Presenters: Kris Amijo, Jason Gay, Stephanie Howell, Amy Hudson Estepp, Brian Seymour, Jeremy Shorr Overview: “A technology integration specialist and coaches panel from a variety of educational settings will share challenges and strategies that contribute to a district’s technology vision, implementing high-quality, job-embedded professional learning opportunities and integrating digital literacy and citizenship.” Main Takeaways: All support roles in a division exist to support teachers in their role with students How can we get teachers to… 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 6 of the conferences (5 years… Read More
WOW Wednesday – DRCSS Staff
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. As we’ve adapted to the ever-changing teaching environments available to us during the Covid-19 pandemic, an emphasis on physical distance has been essential. In order to make this happen our largest high school, Dauphin Regional Comprehensive Secondary School, has operated on a blended schedule this year. This sees students attend two days a week on a Monday/Wednesday… Read More
#TechTipTuesday – Digital Book Reviews
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. February plays host to I Love To Read month in our schools which serve as an opportunity to celebrate all things book-related! With February now being half done I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to mesh ed tech with this celebration. When it comes to providing digital library options, MVSD offers divisional subscriptions to OverDrive for ebooks and audio-books and many schools also utilize platforms such as Epic Books and RAZ Kids. One… Read More
Digital Citizenship
*This post has been written as part of my professional growth plan through my #ISTE20 scholarship. The most important skill of the digital age Presenter: Alan November Overview: “There is overwhelming research that the majority of our students do not have strategies to to validate if online content is true or false.. Come and learn how to design highly creative assignments that cover the curriculum and teach students to be web literate!“ Main Takeaways: URL formats can tell users what type of author is associated with that content .org , .edu , .co , .com punctuation such as ~ , –… Read More
Back To School?
The following is my personal statement I am preparing as part of my application to the University of Regina. I welcome all reviews, critiques, and well wishes! Area of Interest 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!” (Thompson, 2012). If there was ever an example of foreshadowing, this introductory sentence would be it. Little did I know that that start would swell to an 800+ post documentation of my journey from, “… not… Read More
Follow Friday – John Spencer
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. This week I’d like highlight Dr. John Spencer. I first had an opportunity to see Dr. Spencer in action at the 2019 BYTE Conference in which he delivered the keynote address. Dr. Spencer focuses on student empowerment, innovation, creativity, project-based learning, and much more. His online presence, and general personality, is overwhelmingly positive and I always feel inspired from the information he shares out. Check out his work on: Twitter Facebook YouTube… Read More
WOW Wednesday – Ecole Macneill
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. The staff at Ecole Macneill are no strangers to tech integration. From their smart bulb enabled classrooms that provide visual schedules and weather insights to their resident Microsoft Expert, they are willing and eager to showcase tech innovation in their classrooms. The newest addition to their toolbox is a class set of Micro:bits donated by MB Ed… Read More
Safer Internet Day
February 9th serves as Safer Internet Day for 2021. Originating in the UK, Safer Internet Day is now celebrating it’s 18th year in countries around the world. The following description is provided direct from their website: “With a slogan of “Together for a better internet”, Safer Internet Day is a call to action for every stakeholder to contribute to a safer and better internet, especially for its youngest users. The past year has shown us first-hand the importance of ensuring that the largest possible number of children and young people are adequately prepared to handle digital technologies responsibly, respectfully, critically and creatively. Only… Read More
Teacher Education: Part 2
*This post has been written as part of my professional growth plan through my #ISTE20 scholarship. Championing Technology Infusion in Techer Preparation Presenters: Dr. Arlene Borthwick, Dr. Jon Clausen, Dr. Denise Crawford, Dr. Teresa Foulger, Dr. Kevin Graziano, Dr. Liz Kolb, Dr. Michael McVey, Dr. Rob Muller, Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach, Ji Soo Song, Dr. Joseph South, Dr. Debra Sprague, Dr. Jo Williamson Overview: “This session addresses the complexity of technology infusion from a systems perspective, considering the complexity of teacher preparation as an outcome of teacher candidate, faculty, program, field and unit-level participation. The panelists will share their perspectives of the complexity… Read More