Apple released its first iPhone in June of 2007, a tech milestone that was overshadowed for me by my graduation from high school. I had no K-12 classroom experience with a smartphone, although my trusty Samsung SCH-A670 was always close at hand. In fact, I was seven months shy of completing my SECOND university degree before I was able to afford my first smartphone (this moment was actually documented on this blog). And while I do not have experience as a youth-learner with a smartphone, I do have experience teaching in the K-12 system with students who have smartphones, experience… Read More
School. Keep Going. But Not If You Attend the MRLSC
The advent of technology has revolutionized the way we learn and access educational programming. With the rise of remote learning during the Covid-19 pandemic, education systems have been able to cater to the needs of a larger population, making learning accessible to those who may have experienced barriers in accessing traditional face-to-face programs. In January of 2021 the provincial government of Manitoba announced the opening of the Manitoba Remote Learning Support Center (MRLSC) which was designed, in part, “to ensure students across Manitoba can access quality remote learning support when they need it” (Goertzen – MB EELC, 2021). This priority… Read More
#215Children
MVSD Response To learn more about the steps MVSD is taking to move towards reconciliation I invite you to check out the work of our Indigenous Steering Committee.
Educate, Don’t Legislate
Today is the day Manitobans will be able to view the long-awaited Ed Review. Originally scheduled to be shared in March of 2020, this framework was delayed as the world shifted gears in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the new education minister, Cliff Cullen, has now stated that the review is ready to be made public (although there is no indication if the contents of this document were altered in response to the pandemic). If you have read my blog for some time you know that I don’t align with our province’s current leadership and I have previously shared… Read More
MB Students A Product of Their Society, Not Their Schools
Yesterday the Manitoba funding announcement for the 2021-2022 school year was released which will see a 1.56% increase for a total of $1.35 billion; the highest in the history of our province. However, this marks the fifth year in a row in which the funding allocation has failed to meet the rate of inflation or account for the increasing needs of our provinces’ students. What is perhaps more upsetting for those involved in education is that this announcement was coupled with critiques from the newly appointed education minister, Cliff Cullen, who voiced his displeasure over the academic achievement, or lack… Read More
Follow Friday – MB Remote Learning Support Centre
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. Given that much of the province of MB has started off 2021 in a Remote Learning environment I felt that it was fitting for this week’s Follow Friday post to share more about the MB Remote Learning Support Centre. While it remains a “work-in progress”, with new resources/projects/features added through January, the MB Remote Learning Support Centre has established a presence with a website and social media accounts. They currently offer: Professional… Read More
WOW Wednesday – Katrina Mitchell
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. For the first WOW Wednesday post of 2021 I would like to highlight Katrina Mitchell! Katrina has previously taught at MMS in Dauphin but was selected this year as one of our local teachers to work full-time supporting students with medical accomodations via the Westman Remote Learning Consortia. While many of our staff are reacquainting themselves with… Read More
What I Learned As A Remote Student
On Friday 1000s of Manitoba teachers took part in #MTSPDDay which was primarily hosted via distance and online methods. It is my hope that we all use this opportunity to not only take back new content understanding to our practice but to also reflect on what it is like to be a distance student. I have personally been a distance student since September of 2013 when I started by M.Ed program through Brandon University. While this stage of my learning journey concluded with my graduation in 2018, I have continued to spend time as a distance student as I completed… Read More
Assistive Learning Technologies
Yesterday I had the opportunity to share and learn with a fantastic group of clinicians to discuss assistive learning technologies. This group included speech-language pathologists, school psychologists, social workers, and physiotherapists who work to support learners and families within the Parkland-region: Mountain View School Division Frontier School Division Swan Valley School Division Turtle River School Division Parkwest School Division Prairie Mountain Health Manitoba Education As my background is as a classroom teacher, and my M.Ed focus was on educational technology, I developed a presentation based on my skill-set. Our Coordinator of Student Services, Jeane Mischuk, was then kind enough to… Read More
Have You Joined MAPLE?
Have you joined MAPLE yet? MBs professional learning environment is available for all K-12 MB educators & has recently added a new group – Online & Unplugged: Supporting Student Learning During COVID-19 Check out the following steps for access: