Learning Project Update 6: Publishing Options & Serendipity
If you’ve been following along on my learning journey, you may recall that this (publishing time!) is usually when I come to a thundering halt in progress! BOOM! BAM! For reference, I have recapped my original plan below: WEEKS 9-10: Great Big, Scary Dive into the Publishing Process Focus: Publishing options….the part of this tale…
CTRL C + CTRL V: One More Time
Watching Kirby Ferguson’s Everything is a Remix, reminded me that – like music, art, and literature – education is a remix. Every lesson taught, curriculum designed, and assessment graded combines past knowledge and pedagogies. For better or worse, I never teach in isolation; my methods are an open dialogue between past, present, and future influences.…
Learning Project Update 5: Community, Feedback, & Revisions
First off, I don’t know if anyone else got the license number of the flu that hit my school and home this last week, but…wow! Now then As a recap, here are some of my original plans for this week: WEEKS 7-8: Research and Build Writing Community Focus: Expand research and find/engage with a writing…
Likes, Lies, and Learning: An Educator’s Approach to Social Media
Like it or lump it, social media doesn’t seem to be going anywhere; unless you believe in the speculated Solar Maximum Internet Apocalypse of ’25. For the Gen Z and Alpha students we teach, Web 2.0 is embedded in how they interact, learn, and view the world. As educators, we can no longer merely acknowledge…
From the Mall to Discord: Our Transforming Third Spaces
“Let’s all go to the mall!” A common refrain in my ’90s childhood. From catching up with my friends at the food court, flipping through racks of CDs, and spending all my change at the arcade, my small-town boredom was often alleviated by strolls through the Frontier Shopping Centre. Fast-forward to the early 2000s: College…
Learning Project: Update 4: Searching for Community
As a recap, below are the goals I set for myself for weeks 5-6 in my original learning project blog: WEEKS 5-6: Character Development and Story Refinement Focus: Improve characterization and storyline Tasks and Resources: Wattpad (Writing Community): Explore online children’s stories for further inspiration and – gulp – share some writing to receive peer feedback. Goodreads…
Learning Project: Update 3: Fresh Eyes, New Edits
As a quick recap, here is the schedule I set for myself in my original learning project post… WEEKS 3-4: Develop Writing Skills and Structure Focus: Storytelling techniques, structure, and drafting format Tasks and Resources: Write! ProWritingAid: The Storyteller’s Toolkit (Editing Tool): Online writing assistant site (initially free) that helps with grammar, readability, and finding…
Learning Project: Update 2: Children’s Writing Foundations 101
Reflection: Returning to that Ol’ Written Word Magic As I’ve been deep-diving into my learning project – writing and maybe (gulp!) publishing a children’s storybook – I’ve felt that old magic return. There’s just something about children’s stories, the simple yet beautiful turns of phrase; the vivid illustrations tapping into boundless imagination. Growing up as…
Phones Down, Heads up: The Duality of Saskatchewan Schools’ Cell Phone Ban
For the last 16 years, I’ve worked for the same small Catholic school division, and during that time, I can’t recall its elementary schools not having a strict cell phone policy. Even before the recent Saskatchewan cell phone ban, my division strictly enforced the same policy: One strike, warning; two strikes, office for the day;…
Learning Project: From Scribbles to Storybooks
Contextual Preamble…and I do love to (r)amble Since I first read the assignment description, my learning project has fluctuated between two choices; thus, this post is less timely than my usual routine. Initially, I was drawn to learning American Sign Language (ASL), something I have dabbled with using the Lingvano app since I unexpectedly woke…