Every Monday I share a different ed tech quote on our Thompson Classroom social media pages for our staff to consider. Education is under fire across North America as we grapple with developing programming admits another wave in the Covid-19 pandemic; this time fueled through the omicron variant. Educators, parents, students, and community stakeholders are trying to find answers to questions such as: what upgrades can be completed to school ventilation systems? what type of masks are available to staff and students? will school cases be documented and communicated? how will we address widespread absenteeism of students and staff? how do we… Read More
Intentional Planning During Remote Learning
Every Monday I share a different ed tech quote on our Thompson Classroom social media pages for our staff to consider. Today kicks off yet another round of remote learning here in Manitoba. As we near the end of year 2 of the Covid-19 pandemic it is a safe assumption that a majority of our staff and students have experienced some form of remote learning, but not all. For new staff and students this could represent a new experience for them and it is also important to remember that every class is different. In the same way that you never teach a… Read More
January ICT Newsletter
Our staff and students are back and we are ready for a new year! 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. January 2022 ICT Newsletter by Kirsten Cali
Relax & Recharge
Every Monday I share a different ed tech quote on our Thompson Classroom social media pages for our staff to consider. December is always a whirlwind month for educators as they push through fatigue (for both themselves and students), climatize to colder weather and less sunlight, and coordinate a variety of holiday activities, all while maintaining the plethora of regular classroom duties. As we near the 2-year mark of the Covid-19 pandemic, and work to once-again navigate rising case numbers, the risk of feeling overwhelmed is further increased. This quote is one that I shared last year as well simply because I… Read More
The Language of Creativity
Every Monday I share a different ed tech quote on our Thompson Classroom social media pages for our staff to consider. Computer Science Education week is officially here! Running from today through to December 10, this event is an international movement designed to introduce students to the field of computer science, strengthen computational thinking and encourage creativity in the digital space. Last week I shared out one of my favourite coding resources Code.org which is being utilized across the division in a variety of ways. If the idea of coding is new to you, or you are trying to find ways to… Read More
eSports in Manitoba
Every Monday I share a different ed tech quote on our Thompson Classroom social media pages for our staff to consider. On Friday I had an opportunity to hear Melissa Burns speak at our MAETL meeting about her role in the facilitation of eSports in Manitoba and across Canada. My familiarity with Melissa began in 2020 as eSports rose in response to the restrictions placed on activities during the Covid-19 shutdowns. I quickly learned that Manitoba has served as a Canadian leader in eSports for quite some time and that Melissa is your go-to person to learn more! “Melissa is an award-winning… Read More
Technology Failures & Successes
Every Monday I share a different ed tech quote on our Thompson Classroom social media pages for our staff to consider. Last week ManACE hosted their first virtual Ed Tech Talk which saw participants from across Manitoba share their thoughts on the state of ed tech integration as it relates to their practice; this week’s quote has been pulled from this conversation. I find that anytime the conversation of ed tech is brought up, it is natural to dive into the barriers to tech integration (there can be a lot of them!). Research by Johnson et. al. (2016) mirrors educator concerns and… Read More
Digital Access
Every Monday I share a different ed tech quote on our Thompson Classroom social media pages for our staff to consider. Confession time, this is a quote that I have used multiple times over the past year… but considering that digital inequity continues to plague our province I think it is still relevant! On Friday, I shared about the recently-formed Manitoba chapter of the Internet society. Their work includes advocacy during Digital Access Day which took place last year during the second week of November. To continue with that theme I thought that it was important to re-share this quote as advocacy… Read More
Assistive Technology is for Everyone
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: Today marks the first of two divisional professional development days in MVSD. These PD days see all staff, across all positions, coming together to share and learn together (similar to last year, this is occurring virtually via Teams). While there are other PD days through the year, these two are the only ones that reach all staff with a focus on a central theme. This year our morning speaker is Shelley Moore; this is a continuation of… Read More
But Won’t Tech Replace Teachers?
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