At the start of each week I post a list of Resources to Start Off Your Week with at least two new additions that I will add to my favourite websites page (when applicable, resources will also be added in to my Manitoba resources page). I’ve been spending a lot of time in the past 2 weeks developing a blogging program for my students for next year (I posted briefly about it before). In this planning I’ve been creating different blogging prompts to provide direction for my students; one of which included creating a fake social media post from the perspective of… Read More
Resources To Start Off Your Week 85: Remembrance Day
At the start of each week I post a list of Resources to Start Off Your Week with at least two new additions that I will add to my favourite websites page (when applicable, resources will also be added in to my Manitoba resources page). This week we stop to formally honour the servicemen and women who have given themselves to defending our country and those in need of protection. There is no school held on Remembrance Day but schools hold their own services and incorporate activities to learn more about the significance behind this day. Here are some resources to help your students learn about… Read More
Resources To Start Off Your Week 84 – Music Options!
At the start of each week I post a list of Resources to Start Off Your Week with at least two new additions that I will add to my favourite websites page (when applicable, resources will also be added in to my Manitoba resources page). 1 ) Ancient History Paradies by Mr. Nicky – A collection of 5 music videos that use popular (Top 40) music paradies to help students learn and remember information about ancient history – Topics include Greece, Rome, China, Egypt, and Mesopotamia – Perfect for the Manitoba Grade 8 Social Studies curriculum! *Similar idea to the Mr. Parr music videos… Read More
Resources To Start Off Your Week 83
Another weekend has passed and another week has begun! This past Friday saw our province’s teachers participating in multiple professional development sessions through #MTSPDDAY. As such, Twitter was a buzz with all sorts of new resources and ideas! At the start of each week I post a list of Resources to Start Off Your Week with at least two new additions that I will add to my favourite websites page (when applicable, resources will also be added in to my Manitoba resources page). 1 ) Stoodle – Virtual corkboard tool (similar idea to Padlet/Wallwisher) – Allows the creator to share their board through a link and users… Read More
Resources to Start Off Your Week 82
At the start of each week I post a list of Resources to Start Off Your Week with at least two new additions that I will add to my favourite websites page (when applicable, resources will also be added in to my Manitoba resources page). 1 ) Top 10 TED Talks on Digital Lives for Teachers – There are so many different aspects to consider when it comes to teachers and online use, especially social media. This video list covers everything from online filters and Twitter use to gender differences and cognitive surplus. – These videos are an awesome way to begin discussions about… Read More
Resources To Start Off Your Week 81
Today I am bringing back one of my favourite types of posts… one that I haven’t participated in since this time TWO years ago; Resources To Start Off Your Week! Who doesn’t love expanding their list of educational resources?? I know that as soon as I see a list of resources online my mind immediately starts turning on how I can incorporate and use these new and exciting ideas! At the start of each week I will post a list of Resources to Start Off Your Week with at least two new additions that I will add to my favourite websites… Read More
Digital Literacy and the ICT Curriculum
As members of the future workforce and society, today’s students require guidance and education, in order to successfully navigate and utilize the digital world that they were born into. Acknowledging the importance of becoming digitally literate, the provincial and territorial governments of Canada have been developing various forms of information and communication technology (ICT) curricula, which will assist students in their skill development. School-age children have a unique set of experiences awarded to them due to the digital age in which they were born. However, their birth date alone is not sufficient to equip them for navigating the digital world… Read More
The Social Media Debate: Should Schools Be Using Social Media To Connect with the Community?
“The first step in building strong relationships in schools is the first step for building any strong relationships: talk to each other. The more we communicate our hopes, desires, and needs within the school system, the more ideas and solutions we will have to discuss, the more plans we will have to put into action, and the more support and enthusiasm we will have for seeing those plans through.”[1]Communication is essential for building and maintaining relationships with school stakeholders, but how can schools easily communicate information to the masses without it becoming a time-consuming task?… Read More
The Four Critical Digital Skills We Are Failing to Teach Our Students
“… Young people as a whole have enthusiastically integrated a variety of networked media into their daily lives, and can text, upload photos and blog with relative ease. However, using media effortlessly isn’t necessarily the same thing as using it well. Young people are mistakenly considered experts in digital technologies because they’re so highly connected, but they are still lacking many essential digital literacy skills.”[1]Classrooms are now filled with students that, from a generational standpoint, are coined, digital natives; born into the age of digital technology and familiar with computers and the internet from an early age.[2] Does an increase… Read More
Encouraging Student Voice Through Social Media
I am currently working on my Master’s degree in the Curriculum & Planning Stream with a focus on tech integration in the classroom. My first class, Educational Issues, involves the completion of four different assignments: 1 blog post, 1 presentation, and 2 papers.This past Saturday our professor drove up to our community (abut a 2hr drive for him) to watch our presentations. We were each responsible for creating a 15min presentation on a topic of our choice and participated in a Q & A session immediately following. My presentation topic was Encouraging Student Voice Through Social Media and I chose… Read More