RVS Guest Author: Doug Sanden, Airdrie Resident – I just learned that the topic of innovation is being taught within Rocky View Schools. As a member of the local community studying the topic of innovation, a few questions popped into my mind: Q1. How long has innovation been taught in RVS (and am I the last person in the region to catch on to this)? Q2. What aspects of the [ Read More ]
Guest Author: Manny Ferreirinha, Director of Organizational Learning – Welcome to Cycle 5 of the Alberta Initiative for School Improvement (AISI)! Rocky View Schools (RVS) is delighted to be involved in the current round of AISI that, in past years, has been an Alberta success and without parallel in the world. We are very excited that Cycle 5 promises to bring together Alberta Education’s transformational agenda with RVS’ Three Year Plan, “The [ Read More ]
Guest author: John Burger, Director of Schools - On August 23-25, 2012 Rocky View Schools (RVS) in cooperation with Thompson Rivers University and the University of Calgary co-hosted a Research Conference on Building Optimal Student Information Systems for Enhanced School and System Educational Leadership. Twenty-four researchers, discussants and panelists were invited to share their research and insights into the design and implementation of more effective student information systems. Nine universities [ Read More ]
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 ]
When I think about innovation in my classroom and the ways in which learning has changed as a result of the new directions education is taking, I really feel that it is about showing a deep and caring connection to our students and their culture….
Guest Blogger – Derek Keenan – If you don’t spend a great deal of time reading educational technology blogs, (not sure who does, other than me) the term mobile learning might strike you with images of doing algebra on a train, or reciting shakespeare while riding a bike. However, mobile learning is far from a mystery for educational researchers who have been working with small, portable devices in education for some time…
Guest author, John Burger – What would a comprehensive and balanced student database look like at school, school system and provincial levels, and how should data be organized to maximize its usefulness? In my second blog I observed that data is scary for many individuals given the anxiety produced when data is used to blame or shame those accountable for the desired results. So, in this third blog, I want [ Read More ]
Guest author, Derek Keenan – More and more we hear in education about project-based learning; having students engage in meaningful, purposeful learning that is related to real-life. Also called inquiry-based learning, it is a subject that Alberta Education has researched in past documents like Focus on Inquiry from 2004. More recently, Alberta Education has used Twitter to link to an Educational Leadership Article on project-based learning. Our students are moving toward a much more open and engaging educational system, and many of them are already living it…
Guest author, Derek Keenan – The first Educational Technology Standard for students from the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) is creativity and innovation. Innovation in education is an interesting concept. After all, haven’t great teachers been innovators all along? Why are we going to shake it up now? Yet when we look at the adoption of technology as innovation for education, it takes a special kind of teacher to make it happen. Teachers who are not afraid to challenge current thinking, and teachers who are willing to learn as they teach. In addition to the right person, the innovation must be supported in order for the experience to be a positive one that leads into more growth.
