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…

By Kimberly Kipp September 17, 2023 Off

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…

By Kimberly Kipp December 4, 2022 Off

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…

By Kimberly Kipp November 26, 2022 Off

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…

By Kimberly Kipp November 5, 2022 Off

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…

By Kimberly Kipp October 29, 2022 Off

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…

By Kimberly Kipp October 22, 2022 Off