I’m kicking off my Spring Break with a roadtrip to Regina to take in the Teach & Learn in a Digital World Conference! Hosted by the University of Regina Faculty of Education, this 3-day hybrid event is designed to, “equip you with the knowledge, skills and confidence to implement digital skills in your classroom.” I am attending as both a participant and presenter and want to extend my thanks to Dr. Ehsan Akbari for asking me to join! The following post is a summary of my experiences: Masters of Makerspaces: Perspectives from Teachers in the Field “Join us for a… Read More
The Online Village
Every Monday I share a different ed tech quote on our Thompson Classroom social media pages for our staff to consider. Over the past two decades, teachers have increasingly turned to social networks to create and grow their professional learning networks (PLN). A professional learning network is a group of educators who come together to share ideas, resources, and support each other in their efforts to improve their teaching and better serve their students. In some schools, teachers have dedicated planning time in their schedule to meet with an in-house PLN that may consist of a teaching partner or grade-group but for… Read More
How Are Using Social Networks?
On Mondays I share a different ed tech quote on our Thompson Classroom social media pages for our staff to consider. I went back and forth quite a bit on which quote to include this week. With the onset of #TweetTheHalls starting on Thursday I wanted something that spoke to the fact that the connections that can be made in the online space can be immensely valuable. Yes, Twitter is an example of a social network but it is so much more than just a place to share out posts and find resources. I joined Twitter in 2012 and I have befriended… Read More
Are You Part of the 33 Million?
On Mondays I share a different ed tech quote on our Thompson Classroom social media pages for our staff to consider. As we get closer to our first formal reporting period in Manitoba it is also an important time to reflect on the communication strategy you are utilizing at a school or classroom level. Schools are working to share their plans for parent-teacher conferences and important upcoming dates such as: report card deliveries meeting times winter concerts While traditional strategies such as school newsletters, student agendas, and email groups continue to be utilized. New additions such as social media can also play… Read More
The Irony of Discussing the Social Dilema via Social Media
*This post has been written as part of my journey as a Ph.D student through University of Regina “If you have access, watch The Social Dilemma on Netflix and comment on how Web 2.0 (the social web) has influenced our lives in positive and negative ways and how this might implicate (or has implicated) our schools and society” I had watched The Social Dilema in 2020 but did need to rewatch it for the purpose of this assignment; spoiler-alert, it was worth a rewatch. The following are some of the primary* themes that are outlined within the documentary in terms… Read More
Follow Friday – GP Trojans
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. Gilbert Plains Collegiate has been active on social media via Twitter for many years but has recently given their online presence a refresh with a new Facebook page. Their new Facebook page, GP Trojans, is being used to highlight school events like: field trips extracurricular activities school updates examples of student programming community outreach events like fundraisers Their page allows them to reach a new group of stakeholders; I encourage you to follow… Read More
WOW Wednesday – Whitmore Social Media
On Wednesdays 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. With the 22/23 school year in full swing I am always so pleased when I happen to see one of our school accounts come back across my social media feed after a summer break! Whitmore School is an excellent example of this as they maintain a Facebook account to connect and share with caregivers and the broader community.… Read More
Follow Friday – School Board Trustees
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. Manitoba is entering into a round of elections for school boards and the past and current members of the MVSD board have decided to harness the power of social media to share about this opportunity. During the last election of 2018 MVSD had just started their journey on Twitter but this continues to be a relatively under-utilized platform among our stakeholder groups. However, I was fortunate enough to work with out board… Read More
EC&I 833 – Introduction Post
*This post has been written as part of my journey as a Ph.D student through University of Regina. Welcome to all of my peers joining as part of our journey in EC&I 833. My name is Kirsten Thompson and I serve as the divisional Coordinator of ICT for the Mountain View School Division; overseeing technology programming and purchasing for approximately 3000 stakeholders. I am a Microsoft Education Trainer as well as a Level 1 Google Certified Educator with over 200 hours of combined professional development on how to assist educators in the use of these tools. Prior to this, I… Read More
House of Ed Tech – Episode 207
Earlier this month I had the pleasure of chatting with Chris Nesi from the House of Ed Tech podcast. If you’ve been a follower of this blog for a while you know that Chris’ podcast has been a part of my accessible PD plan for a number of years and his work appeared as part of our Follow Friday series twice: Education Podcast Network Christopher Nesi After being a listener of the podcast for so long it was kind of surreal to be able to see Chris “in-person” (via video call) and put a face to the name. We chatted… Read More