Now you're talking my language

I am here and this is where I am and I wouldn't trade it for anything. It seems this term has been a rediscovery journey of sorts. Last week I attended the workshop on writing report card comments. Our presenter Bruce Lyons from Manitoba Education (great p.d.) asked the group to write down a comment that they remembered receiving in a report card. I could not recall anything... it was a lifetime ago for me. I wanted to know what my report cards did have though so I dug out the box. I remembered there was one year where I had perfect attendance - I had the merit badge to prove it. What the report revealed though is amusing so here it is: How does one go from an A in the first term, to a B in the second term, to a D in the third term of Social Studies with perfect attendance? Well don't think about it too hard, Social Studies back then was quite a dry subject. I probably caught up on some sleep because of reading too late into the night after lights out with a flashlight under the comforter.
The bigger throw-back for me last week was getting to attend my colleagues' introduction of 'Sphero' to the early year's cohort of ICT. 'Sphero' is the great-great-great-grandchild of my childhood idol R2D2 remote control! Awesome. You will have to stay tuned for the ICT Theatre Premier of the EY cohort learning to use computer coding for their future students. It was fun to be a part of! Thank You!

Other takeaways from this week's classes, reading of chapters 4 and 14 of Education and technology: Manitoba action and reflection and exploring of the WWW:
The nature of learning is getting closer to the outcomes than ever before, this is a good thing (ch.4).
The teacher is not the 'sage on the stage' or even the 'guide on the side'. The teacher is the activator for learning across disciplinary boundaries. http://npdl.global/npdlconnect/
Robert Frost said: "I am not a teacher but an awakener".
After reading several blogs, it is apparent that the music in the gym and classrooms is something that hit a nerve with many. I have a suggestion: play french music! It supports learning and it's cross-curricular! You're welcome;-) To get you started, search 'top french songs 2017'.
Speaking of French, there is limitless access to resources that I could not live without. There is of course Google translate (not great on its own) but used in conjunction with Bonpatron.com it is quite passable. There is the modern version of pen pals: Skype, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook that can connect teachers and classrooms far and wide. Classes can ask and answer each other's questions, collaborate on research, and this connection to classrooms around the world can make the learning inside the classroom or school more authentic.
A search of Smart Notebook lessons will generate a bank of resources that you can use to accompany your lessons. Be sure to examine the whole lesson to ensure accuracy and appropriateness for your particular curricular outcomes. Explore the many uses of Smart Boards, they are not just a projector screen or version of a whiteboard.
Finally, in reading chapter 14, one cautionary reaction I have when reading "with great knowledge comes great responsibility (and maybe some wisdom.)" (p.124). I will try to ensure that in my classrooms that this increase in responsibility is not the cause of increased anxiety in the students. I do however wholeheartedly endorse the responsibility and awareness of the process of producing the devices from design to the final stage of recycling. The digital graveyard is something that has always been on my mind and part of many discussions in my household. At last, I am reassured there is some meaningful dialogue about it in Chapter 14. Design, Mineral Sourcing, Manufacturing, Consumption, Energy, Recycling, and Cost do not have to be facets of technology that carry guilt. Instead, this is where personal contact can afford opportunities to make a difference. Collecting good information and giving students opportunities to act responsibly will avoid guilt. Chapter 14 also outlines a great idea to explore that is cross-curricular as well. It suggests 1-2 weeks of breaking your "normal life" reading, watching, and listening habits and go to the feeds that you would normally avoid. You are not expected to change your mind, but perhaps to have a better understanding of how and why some people think differently than you. I think this is great because in the school system you come across coworkers and parents with lots of different backgrounds and beliefs and I have found it to be more productive to be understanding around those whose views do not necessarily match my own. I believe that dialogue and understanding are the antidotes to polarizing and alienating.

The remote control 'robot' needed batteries for the remote plus for the R2D2. It could go forwards and turn. It was the best!