Reflections on Ribble’s Nine Elements, Two Trials and One Triumph
When I became a teacher, I was prepared to wear many hats – mentor, manager, motivator, counsellor, coach, and even social liaison (the list seems infinite). Technology was rapidly evolving; Smartboards were the latest “must-have” Edtech, and elite schools flaunted their solitary laptop cart. Despite my interest in these advancements, I had yet to acknowledge…
Let’s Do the Time Warp Again: Why We Must Look Back to Move Forward
Do schools really need to change? Reading the first of this week’s prompts, I found myself shouting “Yes!” at the screen. But what would that change look like, and who (besides Miss Cleo) could accurately predict the new educational systems and policies needed in a world that is still struggling with issues like book banning and…
Goldilocks and the “Just Right” Technotopia
Techno-optimist, realist, or neo-Luddite? As an Xennial, I often struggle to find my place on the spectrum of tech adoption or resistance. I’m old enough to remember the joy of receiving a Nintendo at Christmas, travelling (and dying) on the Oregon Trail in school, and my life before it was purchased by social media. Yet…
Summary of Learning: Kipp’s Masterpiece Theatre Presents: Cato’s Journey
Okay, “masterpiece” is an epic exaggeration, but I thoroughly enjoyed creating this ebook using Bookcreator.com (highly recommend using it with students, too). Cato’s fantastical learning journey – with an easily identifiable (but unnamed) philosophical guide – mirrors my key learnings from this semester. Thank you, Dr. Katia and classmates, for the discussions, blogs, research, and…
Immersive Technology: The Sword of Damocles and Pandora’s Box Combined
Between Cicero’s sword of Damocles and Hesiod’s Pandora’s box/jar, mythology centered on hidden danger and untethered evil figures prominently in this week’s topic. “Hope is the only good god remaining among mankind; the others have left and gone . . . Trust, a mighty god has gone, Restraint has gone from men, and the Graces, my…
Leaping Over Coding Gatekeepers and Other Hurdles
In Retrospect In a decade, my coding identity has run the gamut from disinterested secondary English teacher to invested facilitator. Cue flashback (because Xennials love saying “back in my day”)… Picture it: Wilkie, SK (middle of agricultural nowhere); the year is 2012. “Coding” is about to enter my lexicon. I teach Grade 8/9 English with…
A Villain’s Tale: The Monetization of Assistive Technology and Other Barriers
On a Professional Level In my third year as a teacher, I transferred from teaching A.P. Grade 12 English to teaching SUCCESS, an elementary inclusivity program for students with special needs. One of my students had Stage 5: profound hearing loss. With no prior experience addressing this need, I asked my new administrator what accommodations…
Pear Deck: Test-Driven by a Fangirl
Will reiterating my love for Pear Deck sound like a broken record? I had nearly forgotten this love when Tuesday’s class reignited the spark. Kudos to Group 5! In my previous life as an Online Learning Consultant, I completed the Pear Deck Institute training to guide divisional implementation in the classroom and online. It was…
The Bluebird of Doom’s Social Dilemma
The year is 1999 and I am a digitally naïve 16-year-old about to experience my first web-based dopamine hit. My friend has dial-up on his family’s computer, we’re having a sleepover, and he introduces me to the uncensored, anonymous world of Java chat rooms. Anything goes. Anything can be said. Everything is said. Who’s to…
O Online Learning, Parting Was NOT Sweet Sorrow
This week’s topic – tools for distance and online learning – strikes a personal cord. Memories of my last 2.5 years as an online learning consultant cause an odd mixture of melancholy, anxiety, aversion, and pride to roll through my chest. Anyone in education over the last 3 years might feel a similar twinge. Love…