On Fridays, 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. As we head into Spring Break I want to make sure that Riding the Wave is on your radar because it is a FANTASTIC learning and networking event and a great way to build your ed tech goals in alignment with your plans for the upcoming year. To check out my summary from the 2023 conference click HERE. Situated in beautiful Gimli, Manitoba this conference is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year and, while… Read More
WOW Wednesday – ORS & MMS Students
On Wednesdays, I highlight some of our amazing MVSD staff on our social media pages. Every day 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. In the wake of our Elementary Esports Divisional event, I wanted to make sure we had a dedicated space to highlight and celebrate our student volunteers who helped make that day such a success. During the initial planning of the event, I wanted to showcase student voices and talent as much as possible while working to reduce… Read More
#TechTipTuesday – Out of Office
On Tuesdays, 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. Spring is officially here, despite still having WAY TOO MUCH snow on the ground for my liking! As we wrap up the third week of March I know that students, and teachers, have their eyes toward Spring Break. However, teachers tend to have their, “teacher-brain”, on all the time and sometimes have challenges stepping back and finding time for themselves. Trust me, you will be a better teacher if you take a break for yourself.… Read More
#TechTipTuesday – Esports in MVSD
On Tuesdays, 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 our Elementary Esports Divisionals just a day away I wanted to maintain this theme and share what esports looks like within the context of MVSD. The following table outlines our “formal” esports presence in the division: School Team Name League Affiliation Notes Ecole Macneill “Ecole Macneill Gamers” Minecraft Student Ambassador MVSD Elementary MVSD Elementary Esports Founder 23/24 Minecraft Design Challenge finalists Mackenzie Middle School MS Magic MSEA MY Top 4 23/24 Brawhalla Provincials 2022/23 AAA Rocket League provincial… Read More
More Than Just Play – Elementary Esports Divisionals
On Mondays, I share a different ed tech quote on our Thompson Classroom social media pages for our staff to consider. This week’s primary focus for the ICT Department is our Elementary Esports Divisionals! This event has been a goal of mine for this calendar year and I am thrilled to see it come to fruition. While our middle- and senior-year students have the option of participating in a variety of games, tournaments, and events through the Manitoba School Esports Association (MSEA), our elementary students do not. Modeled after the introductory events our athletic association offers for elementary students, our esports event will… Read More
Follow Friday – Blended Learning Practice MOOC
On Fridays, 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 want to highlight the collaboration between Athabasca University and the Commonwealth of Learning as they relaunch one of their popular MOOCs (Massive Open Online Course). While Manitoba has not experienced a mandated period of remote learning since January of 2022, elements of remote programming that were adopted during that period are here to stay! Most recently, we have experienced almost TEN snow days this winter where busses are not… Read More
#TechTipTuesday – AI-Supported Report Card Comments
On Tuesdays, 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, we have a standardized report card template that communicates attendance, academic achievement, learning behaviours, and includes teacher commentary on individual subjects. Full information about the expectations and format of our provincial report cards is available for review in the Manitoba Provincial Report Card Policy and Guidelines document. When it comes to learner assessment, the formal documentation that takes place as part of required “Teacher Comments” is a time-heavy task. See the policy exert… 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 through our social media pages and divisional website. March 2024 ICT Newsletter by Kirsten Cali
WOW Wednesday – Stacey Penner
On Wednesdays, I highlight some of our amazing MVSD staff on our social media pages. Every day 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. Earlier this month I had an opportunity to connect with Stacey Penner at Henderson Elementary regarding the graphic design software, Canva. Through this work, we started chatting about “I Love To Read Month” and discussing potential connections between literacy and digital integrations. Stacey moved forward with an amazing project that saw students use Canva to create posters… Read More
#TechTipTuesday – Fair Dealing Week
On Tuesdays, 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 26th kicked off Fair Dealing Week 2024 which runs through to March 1st. 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 works and new scholarship. The Supreme Court of Canada increasingly refers to copyright as providing a balance between the… Read More