Model Schools for Inner Cities Parent Night

Last night I had the pleasure of meeting a number of Model Schools for Inner City parents at George Webster P.S. who were interested in how to use technology to support their children.

The night started with an overview of the TDSB's website and then the parents did a website exploration to find their local schools, heritage language classes, Continuing Education, Homework policies, and other important information.
After a delicious dinner break, the parents went to 1 of 3 breakout groups: Intro to Computing; Technology at Home; and Internet safety.  It was a great night of getting to know the parents in the model schools community and sharing technology integration.

Gathering in NE1!

On Monday, the MCS teachers in NE1 gathered together to share their year of success with the Mac laptops.  The group started by sharing and networking, then broke into two groups: new MCS teachers  and Year 2 MCS teachers.  The new MCS teachers received the basics on the Macbooks and what they can do, while the Year 2 MCS teachers participated in a 3 part math lesson. Fun was had by all!
Afterwards, the group came back together to explore how to create a digital math storybook using iPhoto. We are looking forward to next year and how the laptops can be integrated into the curriculum.

Sharing in SE 3

Today we were in SE3 celebrating the Mobile Computing Strategy and the presentations were amazing!  In earlier emails, people were reluctant to commit to share, but once the group warmed up they went to the front of the room and projected what their kids had accomplished...and it was fantastic!  From podcasts to capturing images...everyone was excited about the different ways people used the Macs to support the curriculum.
A really interesting project that stands out is the Global Partners in New York. In this year's project, students had to develop a food cart in Google Sketch-up, research different foods from all over the world that they would sell from their cart, and then create a website to advertise their product.  What a great opportunity for kids to research, create and innovate in the real world!

Copyright Canada

This evening I presented a piece on Copyright for Teacher Librarians taking their Part 1 AQ.  The topic always causes a lot of buzz because the laws are not very clear; especially in the digital world.
I always recommend Creative Commons as a place to support the legal use of images and media.  It's also a great place for students to learn how to license their own creations and determine how much they are willing to share.
Yesterday, a news story came out on how the US Senate is considering passing a bill on charging people if they post lip-synced films up on YouTube.  Check out the story here - and just think, if this passes in the US, will it happen here as well?

Stay tuned!

Sharing and Celebrating the Mobile Computing Strategy

Over the week I have been meeting with different Families of Schools to share and celebrate what teachers and students have created with the Mac laptops.
I have been truly overwhelmed by what has been accomplished.  Both teachers and students have been excited to share their work and all of their new learning.
One teacher mentioned how his entire way of teaching has changed since using technology in the classroom this year.  He now uses Edmodo to communicate and collaborate with his students. Another teacher is using Moodle for sharing resources and organization and Voice Thread for oral presentations. I was particularly touched by one teacher who was a Mac beginner at the start of the project but has worked so hard to develop her skills.  She shared imovies her students created to support their poetry unit; the results were breathtaking!
Another teacher, Kristen Thorsley, at Fairmount Jr. P.S. sent in Bitstrips her students created when
finding the area of a triangle and parallelogram.   

Apple - Support for the Mobile Computing Strategy

Today was my last day at Apple Canada in support of the Mobile Computing Strategy (MCS).  Over the past few months I have had the opportunity to work with a number of Apple Distinguished Educators - it's great to learn from the best! Each of them possesses a different area of expertise from Garageband to iMovie - I've learned so much from them all.

If you're interested in Macs and becoming an ADE, click on the link for more information - what a great learning opportunity!
http://www.apple.com/education/apple-distinguished-educator/

So thank you to Apple and all the ADE's who have supported and shared their expertise with the grade 6 MCS teachers.

Use of Electronic Media and Social Networking Sites

The Ontario College of Teachers (OCT) has published an advisory on how to communicate in the digital age.  This is a must read for all educators to make sure they are using digital tools appropriately when communicating with students and parents.

Here are a few pointers to minimize your risks when using electronic communications:

·      Model good behavior

·      Advocate proper use

·      Use established platforms

·      Use appropriate timing - not too late at night:)

·      Don’t exchange personal info with students

·      Decline student friend requests

·      Inform parents

·      Be courteous and professional

I really liked this final thought they left us with....

How does my online presence, that which I control and that which is posted by others – reflect my professionalism, and how does it reflect on the teaching profession?