On Mondays, I share a different ed tech quote on our Thompson Classroom social media pages for our staff to consider. Today’s quote comes from the book, The Digital Citizenship Handbook for School Leaders, by Mike Ribble and Marty Pack. Within MVSD, our schools will spend this week hosting their “parent-teacher” conferences with families and supporting adults. In addition to communication on student learning and well-being, this is a fantastic opportunity to strengthen community understanding on a variety of topics; digital citizenship and technology use being one of them. Marty and Mike argue that before effective guidance from families can occur, they… Read More
The Worst Technology
On Mondays, I share a different ed tech quote on our Thompson Classroom social media pages for our staff to consider. Last week, while at the Cyber Summit conference, the keynote speaker (Brian Aspinall) made a comment that really resonated with me, “Today’s technology is the worst our students will ever use”. The conference theme, artificial intelligence, is arguably currently seen as the “latest and greatest” innovation; why else would we be gathered together and spending multiple days unpacking every aspect of it? But, this innovation is the worst technology our students will ever use. This perspective was a wild reminder for… Read More
The STEM Mindset
On Mondays, I share a different ed tech quote on our Thompson Classroom social media pages for our staff to consider. Tomorrow, November 8th, will play host to STEM Day so I wanted to make sure that I kick off the week with some thoughts to get us started: If you are looking for STEM Resources, Wednesday’s post will be FULL of links to explore! In the meantime, check these out: Coding and Makerspaces in MVSD Engaging Elementary Students in STEM Learning MVSD Tech Kits
You Think Halloween Is Scary?
On Mondays, I share a different ed tech quote on our Thompson Classroom social media pages for our staff to consider. How many Terms of Service agreements do you think you have clicked, “I Accept”, on as part of the requirements of accessing a digital service? How many times did you actually read the full agreement before selecting, “I Accept”. If you did read it all (good for you), did you understand everything? Terms of Service (TOS) agreements are notoriously difficult to understand and, although some platforms have made their information more accessible, most are full of jargon specific to that field. If you are guilty of… Read More
Media Literacy Week 2023
On Mondays I share a different ed tech quote on our Thompson Classroom social media pages for our staff to consider. If you are new to Media Literacy Week, Media Smarts describes it as: “Media Literacy Week is an annual national campaign hosted by MediaSmarts and the Canadian Teachers Federation to promote digital and media literacy, with activities and events taking place in classrooms, libraries, museums and community groups from coast to coast to coast.” Media Literacy Week Resources Break the Fake resources Media Literacy Week newsletter Media Literacy Week Teachers Hub YouTube Channel Connect with MediaSmarts on Facebook, Twitter/X and Instagram Questions? mlw@mediasmarts.ca Crash Course Media Literacy Playlist Read More Digital… Read More
Passwords Are Like Underwear
On Mondays I share a different ed tech quote on our Thompson Classroom social media pages for our staff to consider. As we progress through Cyber Security Awareness month I want to continually remind both staff and students about the importance of strong passwords. If you would like to review this topic I recommend a previous post from earlier this month: #TechTipTuesday – Secure Passwords This post includes some tips/tricks for strong password development as well as a discussion on password habits teachers should break. As I come off of an AI-focused lens at the Convergence conference I thought it would be… Read More
Indigenous Perspective for All Students
On Mondays I share a different ed tech quote on our Thompson Classroom social media pages for our staff to consider. This week, September 30th, plays host to the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation which makes this the perfect time to remind staff of some of the supports available to them. Within our local context, some of the most prevalent supports to assist in this area include: MVSD Indigenous Education Framework Mamàhtawisiwin: The Wonder We Are Born With Within both of these documents, there is discussion on the importance of ensuring that all learners have an opportunity to see examples of Indigenous role… Read More
A Tool Is Only a Tool Until It Is Part Of a Solution
On Mondays I share a different ed tech quote on our Thompson Classroom social media pages for our staff to consider. Today marks the first Monday of the 23/24 school year and our first full week of classes for students and staff across MVSD. Our staff had 2-3 days with students last week and, for most of us, we are ready to swing into full programming mode. The school tours are complete, desks and lockers are organized, back-to-school assemblies have been held, and we will now see regular routines be introduced. When it comes to the role of educational technology in classroom… Read More
Time to Recharge
On Mondays I share a different ed tech quote on our Thompson Classroom social media pages for our staff to consider. Guess what!? Today is the LAST Monday of the 2022/23 school year! This time of year is always chaotic for those in education but this year feels especially heavy. For one, our students are in school full time until the end of the day on Friday, June 30th with no dedicated “admin day” to close out the year. This was in response to calendar changes made around September 30th and Christmas scheduling. Our community has also been in a state of… Read More
Don’t Stop Accommodations at Exams
On Mondays I share a different ed tech quote on our Thompson Classroom social media pages for our staff to consider. Final report cards will be sent out in less than three weeks and, for our high schools, graduation events start as early as next week. With this in mind, our schools are in final assessment mode. For some, this looks like the completion of final projects and observations while for others this means final exams. I don’t want to pick on high schools but I find that when it comes to “final exams” there continues to be an unspoken routine stepped… Read More