Prodigy Championship Head to Head Battle

Our TCDSB Prodigy Tournament is finally over. We had our final match live head to head in class. Both contestants battled hard, but we finally have our winner. 

GAFE Innovators Day 1

TCDSB been hosting Innovators series for the past several years. These workshops revolve around the NeXt lesson competencies and focus on creating a rich inquiry-based classroom.
This year the focus was on use of Information Communication Technologies (ICT) specifically Google Apps for Education (GAFE).
Attached is the GAFE slideshow used to for the presentation. The authors include Ben Di Millo, Anita Arpaia and myself.

Google & GAFE

Recently, I wrote my test to obtain my Google Education Certification. Inspired by my board recently becoming a Google board I have been actively researching the power of Google. Below is a small presentation I created to introduce others into the power of Google & Google Apps For Education (GAFE).

TCDSB EDCAMP

Saturday I had the great fortune of facilitating two sessions at the TCDSB EdCamp. As a group we discussed all the wonderful Web apps people were using. You can find the padlet we created as an artifact of your learning and discussions here.
Thank you for everyone who participated and contributed to the discussion. The best learning sometimes comes from the side conversations you have when you are ignoring the person at the front of the room presenting and that is where the genius of EdCamps come from. To find more about what EdCamps are please click here.

Coding

Coding is the latest craze to sweep education. The applications are immense: the logical thinking, problem solving skills, reasoning, abstracting thinking are all so important in learning to code.
For this years Hour of Code, students were able to choose from a variety of options including tablet games, desktop and even offline options. I was able to help organize classes from grade 2 up to grade 8 to successfully participate in the hour of code. It was really rewarding seeing all the options students were given and how nicely activities were scaffolded.
One additional surprise was seeing how some of my more quiet, less tech-friendly girls took to coding. They really enjoyed trying different things and seeing how each little addition to their line of code and such a big impact to the program.
For more coding sites, click here.

21st Century Reading Buddies = Inquiry Buddies

Reading, Writing and Arithmetic means so much more when there is context. With kindergarteners you really see how innate a love of learner is. When do we start to lose that love of learning? When does play become work? One of the themes for this year has been bringing Play-based learning into a junior classroom. My answer has been through rich game-based learning, real world problem solving and inquiry/project-based learning.

With the new full day kindergarten being play/inquiry based, I've been looking at them for insight and learning to foster that love in the junior curriculum. Along with the activities occurring in my class, I've had my students working along side the kindergarteners. In a twist of meta cognition and inquiry, my students and I are learning to understand and develop good learning practices through inquiry. My students have taken on leadership roles and help guide kindergarteners through inquiry projects. 

Below is some of the castles we build together with our inquiry buddies.

                              

Beginning Teachers Conference: Assisted Technology

This past weekend I was asked by OECTA to present at the Beginning Teachers Conference. I presented on Assisted Technology(AT) as a tool for EVERYONE! AT helps students find their entry point no matter the where they are coming from and what they bring with them. Technology is a great vehicle that can help students find their voice (see video) and deliver their message, but it is just a tool. I've shown hundreds of tools and resources, but it is no substitute for good teaching practises.

The message I tried to get across was centred around differentiation. Differentiation of strategies and differentiation of tools. We cannot look at one tool and expect it to solve all our problems, in the same way we cannot look at a student and think one label (special needs identification) sums them up. For information and resources from my presentation please see the below links.

*Presentation                                         *Links                                            *Handout

Science Projects

The students have been working very hard on their projects and this Friday they finally presented all their hard work. It was an ambitious project with a lot of new knowledge construction, but the students did a fantastic job. Great work!
Again, a big Thanks for Paramedic Eladio for coming in to help as a guest judge for the presentations. He provided great feedback for the students... and brought lots of cool stickers, crafts, etc.

Media Movie Club Starting at Spirit

Creating a new idea, developing a voice and delivery a message are essential skills for success. This year Holy Spirit is excited to give grade 5-7 students the opportunity to have their stories told in a new and creative way.

Students do not need to have any background knowledge to join; the only requirement is to have an idea with an enthusiasm to work . The students will be introduced to storyboarding, filming techniques and editing procedures. The club will walk students through each step of the process in creating their vision. Film techniques that will be covered include stop motion animation, live film, digital comics and much more.

Space is limited in the club so students are asked to be prompt when signing up and diligent in attending meetings. Students are expected to keep up in their school work as this club is to promote new learning and not hindering ongoing education. For all students interested in joining this club, a meeting will be held next week in Mr Butler’s class; please listen to the school announcements for more details.

Gadget Drive

Mr Butler’s class is looking to start a pilot program in which students are able to use old donated smartphones and Wi-Fi enabled devices from the community to enhance their learning.

Technology is now seamlessly being integrated into every facet of our lives. With Smartphones students are now able to use photos and film to enhance work, send homework reminders, research, share work, do online readings and submit assignments, online quizzes and significantly reduce the paper trail and our eco-foot print. All this is at our finger tips, but students must be introduced and taught to use online tools responsibly.

Please help by donating any used and old smartphones (Blackberry, Samsung/Android or Iphone) to Mr Butler’s class. Other Internet accessible products such as old ipods, Gameboys, etc are appreciated. These phones do not require a SIM card or any phone plan to work as they can be connected to the school’s Wi-Fi.

Please contact Mr Butler with any questions or concerns.

Mr Butler