Guest author: Greg Bass, Superintendent of Schools – It is time to tell Rocky View Schools’ story. Many conversations over the last six months with all stakeholders, both internal and external to our system, reveal that some people are struggling existentially with what the transformation is all about. What do 21st C classrooms look like? What are we aspiring to achieve? What is different? In RVS, and specifically in my [ Read More ]
Guest Author: Nancy Lake
I thought that as the subject of this blog is about mobile technology, I really should write it from a mobile device. I am on a bus trip with our PeeWee hockey team driving back to Airdrie from Regina, and my approximate location is somewhere in Saskatchewan, on the #1 highway between Swift Current and Medicine Hat. But one look at my cell phone, and I can see my exact coordinates on Google Maps. I know how far it is to the next city, and if I’m looking for the nearest Tim Horton’s, I just type it in the search field and I get directions, along with an ETA. I am writing this on a laptop, but I could also choose to write it from my iPad or iPhone…
Guest Author – Andrew Doyle There is lots to be said about social media and its uses, advantages and vices. I myself have recently been added to the addicted to twitter list. I have been on facebook for years with varying levels of interest and I engage in the ‘always connected’ lifestyle without a second thought to it. When talking to colleagues about simple things such as email I hear [ Read More ]
Guest Author – Jen Friske: While reading Sam Sherratt’s blog on International Mindedness I came across something he said that really struck close to home for me. Sam states, “…I am confronted by the dilemma of how much should be shared with elementary students. But then I ask myself whether our job as educators is to actually educate children or to delude them into thinking the world is a wonderful, [ Read More ]
Guest Author, Don Thomas – Twenty first century learning and our kids’ use of technology has appeared to monopolize interest in recent times. But last night at a School Council meeting we discussed the idea of whether the ability to swim is a twenty first century skill. For my money there is no question; it was a twentieth century skill, first of course, but just as vital today as a [ Read More ]
Guest Author – Andrew Doyle With the abundance of choices in technology to integrate and utilize in the classroom it is hard to reflect and determine if we are using these technologies effectively for student learning. When I refer to technology in this post, it is all inclusive of things we use in our classrooms (websites, SmartBoard, Cameras, software, internet, etc.). The goal of integrated technology is to not only [ Read More ]
Guest Author- Lauren Curry – A motley group of 30 teens, some wired, some waning, have just strolled back into the classroom from a hall break. The break has not been nearly long enough to exchange news of the latest drama that has unfolded that day. A chatter accompanies them as they enter. I transition into class-time by simply hitting play on my computer screen: a public service announcement from [ Read More ]
Guest Author – Andrew Doyle Recently I was asked by a colleague to describe the 21st century learner in one,catch all word. I would like to say that my answer was ground breaking, thesis worthy and inspiring, but sadly it was not. After hearing some of the responses from other teachers (not all positive of course) it made me wonder if the learners are all that different or is it [ Read More ]
Guest author, Josh Hill – When I started this blog one poignant commenter called for exemplars that would illustrate what authentic instruction actually looks like in the classroom….and what would a blog about “real world” learning be without some real world projects. The video below showcases a robotics inquiry project embarked upon by grade 8 students at Langdon School. The striking part about this project for me is the work [ Read More ]
Guest Author, Jen Friske – Rocky View Schools Portrait of of a 21st Century Leaner states, “To succeed in in our global community, I will need to be globally aware and civically engaged.” Of course, these are only 2 of the 10 tenets set out by RVS in their vision for our students’ future. However, these are the 2 that have stood out for me in my grade three classroom [ Read More ]
