It is hard to believe that I am wrapping up my fourth year here at MVSD as Coordinator of ICT. I strongly feel that, after 3 years affected by Covid-19, I finally hit my stride this year and am feeling much more confident in the role as a whole. My enjoyment in this role has a lot to do with the team that I get to work with. With a combined experience of over 80 years within MVSD, our team is the ONLY department in the entire division that did not see any position changes through the Covid-19 upheaval and… Read More
WOW Wednesday – Gilbert Plains Elementary
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. I am very excited to share that Gilbert Plains Elementary has expanded their Minecraft EDU deployment! Minecraft is now available in their dedicated lab space, as well as on student laptops and compatible tablets. Exploration with Minecraft EDU has been lead by Megan Porter and allows for: student choice for creation and assessment options, as well as during… Read More
WOW Wednesday – Gilbert Plains Collegiate
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. This week I am pleased to highlight the community at Gilbert Plains Collegiate who recently hosted a presentation from Valerie Caldwell on the topic of Social Media Safety. (see poster below for full presentation details) If you have not yet had an opportunity to attend one of these sessions, the following context can shed light on the presentation:… Read More
WOW Wednesday – Laura Joss
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. This week I am excited to showcase Laura Joss from Ochre River School. Laura, who would self-identify as “not techy”, actually models an excellent integration of purposeful technology at the K-2 level. One example of this is their use of the Learning A to Z (RAZ Kids) platform. This program is one tool in their traditional literacy programming… Read More
WOW Wednesday – Candice Taylor
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. Earlier this spring I shared out information from LogicsAcademy regarding their MyFIT program which not only assists teachers and students with their ICT skills but also brings FREE devices into our classrooms! LogicsAcademy had been on my radar as Mike Washburn had visited our January MAETL meeting to share about their offerings so I was excited to push… Read More
WOW Wednesday – MMS eSports Champions
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. This is an especially exciting WOW Wednesday post to share as we announce that the MMS Blue Magic eSports team are AAA Champions!! You may recall that MMS had a WOW Wednesday highlight in May of 2022 when their team began the planning process on how to integrate eSports into their programming during the 22/23 school year. Fast… Read More
WOW Wednesday – Jodi Campbell & Yvette Bailes
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. At the start of February I put out a call for staff who were interested in participating in the spring coaching cycle. MVSD schools can sign up to participate in spring coaching cycles to empower students and teachers in their use of educational technology to support programming. Cycles can focus on educator training, student sessions and/or community outreach.… Read More
WOW Wednesday – Mandy Arnold
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. Earlier in the year I had an opportunity to visit Mackenzie Middle School to discuss their tech-related goals for the year. One of which was to integrate student-run video announcements into their school communication plan. The supervising teacher, Mandy, had operated a similar program at a previous school and had a solid understanding of what was required. To… Read More
WOW Wednesday – Fair Dealing Week CONTEST
On Wednesdays I highlight some of our amazing MVSD staff on our social media pages. With it being Fair Dealing Week, I want to encourage staff to familiarize themselves with some of the resources our PD Resource Centre puts out regarding copyright. I want you to sit back….. close your eyes… and visualize your copy room. I know, the perfect destination. Whether you realize it or not, this room most likely plays host to a display about copyright. Thanks to Sharon, at the PD Resource Centre, this information is in all schools to assist with understanding of Fair Dealing, copyright, intellectual… Read More
WOW Wednesday – Podcasting in the Classroom
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. In MVSD we have three podcasting kits that are available for loan to any staff member or student. They include a Snowball USB Microphone, high quality headphones, and supplementary resources to support classroom use. One example of these kits in action comes from Megan out of Ethelbert School who used the podcasting kits with her Grade 11 and… Read More