Good day EC&I 830 and beyond. My name is Brendon Weir, one of your peers or student. I am quite comfortable with computers and technology, and you can see this trickle down into my classroom and daily teaching. I currently teach middle years at Saltcoats School.
This is now my 8th year teaching, and 3rd year in Saltcoats. Previously, I have taught in Yorkton at the Yorkton Regional High School on two occasions, and one year stops in Norquay, Carrot River, and Grenfell. My focus in teaching was high school Math and Physics, but I have taught every Math and Science curriculum from Grades 6 to 12, as well as Phys. Ed/Wellness from Grades 5 to 10, as well as Health curriculums, Life Transitions, and one semester of Land-Based Learning.
Saltcoats School is a typical, small-town Saskatchewan school, with multiple split-grade classrooms. My current teaching load is 6/7 and 7/8 Math, Science, and Phys Ed, as well as 7/8 ELA. I have only taught in Saltcoats for 3 years, I had to learn new curriculums, students, and families in the time of Covid. While I was not alone in learning virtual teaching environments, I have continued an online teaching presence with my classes, especially in Math 6/7 and 7/8. By teaching 2 math curriculums in each room, I took ownership of the learning atmosphere and the one-to-one student-to-device ratio in our middle years and created a blended learning environment. I have also been tabbed as the “tech guy” in our school, which usually looks like me, quickly googling the problem to see if there are quick fixes.
Using Google Classroom as an online platform for assignments, allows students and families to see what is going on in class, submit and see feedback on assignments, as well as an easy way to connect with me, whether it be at school, or at home. I have an android phone, which pushes these notifications to me, and I can easily and quickly respond to any questions.
At this point in my life and teaching career, technology is very much integrated with everything I do, and at this point, I can’t see myself having it any other way.
