Design Thinking | Fibre Tech and Wearables

What a pleasure to work with such an engaged group - and so willing to all pitch in and support each other. I'm so honoured to have been part of this event and look forward to what comes next!! (Kathleen Long, birchblanket@shaw.ca)

The second session in our Design Series was a huge hit! Participants had the opportunity to learn how to make a Rainbow Loom bracelet, how to create using felt and how to make a light-up badge!

We opened the session talking about Design Thinking, and some resources that have inspired the design thinking series.  Most notable is the book, Invent to Learn by Sylvia Libow Martinez & Gary Stager. We told the story of Caine's Arcade, about a young man who invented an arcade out of cardboard boxes and inspired a documentary.





Shannon Hoover inspired us to get involved in the wearable technology revolution with a presentation on the future of wearable technology.  He shared some of the creations presented at the recent Make Fashion Gala.

We have created a list of resources to share, and we'd love to add more! 

Please join the conversation on twitter @CBEILT, #yycbe, #cbectf, #designthinking, and at our Google Plus Community. Let us know how you are "designing for learning" in your classroom!

What does flying a drone have to do with school tech planning?

I had the opportunity to work with the Principal and staff of King George School around school technology planning (STT).  It just so happened that one of the parents at the school shared this awesome video with us prior to our engagement and we used it as a provocation to talk about how expressive activities lead to expressive outcomes (Eisner, 1979). Expressive activities precede outcomes and don't necessarily have any precise objectives.  The video below is an example of an expressive activity.  The parent decided to take his children outside to build and fly a consumer available drone. The drone came with a high-definition camera built in and they captured spectacular footage of the school yard.  He didn't plan the activity with objectives in mind. He simply wanted to have his children play.

Drone Kids at King George

So what's the connection between the STT and the conversation around expressive activities and outcomes? How do the two fit together? 

What came out of this was a rich conversation around all the possible outcomes these "Drone Kids at King George" might have experienced during and after this activity.  Teachers talked about possible scientific investigations they could engage in and the exciting narratives that could be written. They shared examples of expressive activities they experienced with students in the past and the learning that came out of it. They spoke about the need to offer opportunities for students to play and explore while designing appropriate learning tasks. 

Teachers also talked about the need to examine their digital learning environment.  How can the infrastructure support this type of learning?  What network capacity do they have?  What ed tech do they currently have in their school that can be used in different ways? Do they need additional ed tech to support their school development goals, and what would that look like?

After the conversation, teachers had an opportunity to play in the teacher studio at the Career and Technology Center at Lord Shaughnessy High School.  They explored Arduino's and Makey Makeys, built with lego and circuit boards, and dived into the world of mobile apps.

There are so many possibilities for learning.  As we are all architects in this landscape, what are your possibilities?  

Thanks to the students at King George School, Forrest and Meadow (future student) and their dad, Trevor Shaw.

Eisner, Elliot W. The Educational Imagination: On the Design and Evaluation of School Programs. New York: Macmillan, 1979. Print.

Shafina Dharamsi
Learning Specialist, Learning Innovation
@shafinad

Keep on Moving!

PLN's are growing! The networks are sharing and we are very excited about all the opportunities that lie ahead.  Just to give you some perspective, in two months we have had over:

• 4000 views on this blog
• 160 educators join the Google+ community
• 270 followers on the @cbeilt Twitter community

We've been following, responding, and listening attentively to what CBE educators have to say. Here are just a few ed tech transactions that have taken place in the G+ community:

• All things Maker
• Maker Kits are being piloted in some CBE schools in the hopes of being offered to all schools in the near future. Brian Simmon's at Twelve Mile Coulee has shared some of his experiences with Maker Kits in the Classroom.
• Maker Stations are popping up everywhere and Mike MacKenzie at Keeler School is on it.  He shares his school's Learning Commons story and explains how students come to build when the tools are offered.
• Google Apps
• Lots of hype around Google Classroom
• Learning Google Basics
• 64 Days of Learning
• CBE 182
• Using social media to connect with the world
• Skype Opens the Classroom to the World

There is so much more learning ahead and that's why ILT will be offering more PLN sessions in May and June.  

PLN Networking:
May 8 and 27 at 4:30

Show and Shares:
Mobile Learning on May 22
Google on May 29 (with students)

CORE:
Student Moderation on May 13
CIA Networking on May 14

Learning Commons:
3D Printing on May 28
Library to Learning Commons on June 2

To register for any of these sessions, please look at the calendar widget on the right and view the description details. 

Shafina Dharamsi 
on behalf of the ILT team

Cancelled: April 30 Face-to-Face Networking Session

Due to low enrollment we are canceling the April 30th ILT face-to-face networking session at Lester B. Pearson. As the session was centered around connecting with colleagues and learning with and from others, we want to ensure there are enough participants to make the time valuable and the experience rich. 

We still have 3 other networking sessions planned and there is still time to register:

May 8: Harold Panabaker School (4:30-6:00)

May 27: Tom Baines School (4:30-6:00)

During these sessions you will have time to:

• connect with your colleagues and grow your existing network
• explore your questions, wonderings, challenges, experiments and ideas around leveraging educational technology for learning
• share resources, ideas, strategies, tips and sources of inspiration
• learn with and from each other
• explore your next steps: How can ILT support your work? What questions do you have for the networks? How can you stay connected to your network?

To register for one or more networking sessions, please click here.

We look forward to connecting and learning with you!

Tannis
on behalf of the ILT team

Keep the Conversation & Learning Going

Monday, April 22 was a system-wide non-instructional day at the Calgary Board of Education. Whether you were at the EdcampYYC un-conference or part of the multitude of professional development experiences taking place at schools all across the district, the questions often asked afterwards are:

• How do I find time to connect, learn, and share outside of these days?
• How do I find others who are passionate about the same topics as I am?
• How can I maintain and grow the connections I made? 
• How can I build on the momentum from today and extend it for my ongoing professional learning?

We believe that networks are a crucial part of the answer to these common questions. Through a networked professional learning approach, educators can take charge of their own learning by accessing it on an ongoing basis whenever and wherever it is convenient for them while focussing on topics of interest, relevance, and importance to them. Networked learning also supports a culture of openness and sharing. In networks people are generous with their support, ideas, resources, and solutions. We are free to ask questions, wonder about, and wrestle with the challenges we face, and through the process of opening this up to others in a network we benefit from the rich lived experiences and collective knowledge of others. 

To support networked learning and the fostering of connections, Innovation and Learning Technology is hosting 4 face-to-face professional learning sessions in April and May:

• Cancelled April 30: Lester B. Pearson School (4:30-6:00) 
• May 8: Harold Panabaker School (4:30-6:00)
• Cancelled May 12: Nose Creek School (4:30-6:00)
• May 27: Tom Baines School (4:30-6:00)

At these sessions you will have time to:

• connect with your colleagues and grow your existing network
• explore your questions, wonderings, challenges, experiments and ideas around leveraging educational technology for learning
• share resources, ideas, strategies, tips and sources of inspiration
• learn with and from each other
• explore your next steps: How can ILT support your work? What questions do you have for the networks? How can you stay connected to your network?

Register here for one or more of these sessions. We look forward to connecting with you!

In addition to networking face-to-face, there are a variety of ways to connect and learn with other educators any time and any place. Choose the one that works for you!

Follow ILT on Twitter @cbeilt where we share resources, ideas and professional learning opportunities and where countless other educators are sharing, learning and exploring together.

Join the ILT Google+ Community www.bit.ly/googleilt where over 150 educators (and growing!) come together in an online space to ask questions, explore options, discuss ed tech topics from mobile learning to GAFE to design thinking and beyond, share examples of ed tech in action in their schools and classrooms, and much more.

Follow this ILT blog cbeilt.blogspot.ca. We'd love to have you share your ed tech in action stories on the ILT blog. Please fill out the quick form on the right hand widget in this blog and blog with us!

Like us on Facebook www.bit.ly/iltfbook where you will receive all our tweets, blog posts, and more on your Facebook wall.

Follow CORE on Twitter @core4learning and the CORE blog for CORE updates, professional learning opportunities, resource highlights,  and more.

Tannis Emann, Specialist
on behalf of the Innovation and Learning Technology team

Today's Webinar: Getting Started with Google Apps for Education (GAFE)

Join us today at 4:30-5:30 for a webinar in which we will share tips for getting started with Google Apps for Education (GAFE) for you and your students, and explore the collaborative elements of Google Drive.

The session will be hosted using the web conferencing interface, Adobe Connect. To access the webinar room, click on the following link: http://eduadvisory.adobeconnect.com/iltpl/ 

If you have never attended an Adobe Connect webinar before, the following resources may be helpful:

• Test your connection beforehand (allows you to test your connection but does not give you access to the webinar room): http://eduadvisory.adobeconnect.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm
• Attending an Adobe Connect Meeting (2 minute video tutorial on joining a room and the communication tools) http://www.connectusers.com/tutorials/2010/11/c8_attending_a_meeting/index.php
• Audio Setup in Adobe Connect 9 (2 minute video on setting up audio) http://youtu.be/EAJ88K9xWIM 

If possible, please access the webinar room at least 15 minutes before the start of the session to provide time to go through the audio set-up before the session begins.

For best performance it is recommended that you use a hard-wired connection (blue cord) if possible and turn off your wifi connection. It is also recommended to have a headset with microphone if you think you may ask questions using audio during the session. Questions and comments can also be contributed by typing into the chat interface. Also please make sure to connect your headset to your computer prior to entering the webinar room.

If you are unable to attend this session the recording will be available later in CORE. We have a variety of ways for you to stay connected and to find out when resources are available. Choose the one(s) that work for you!

• Follow us on Twitter @cbeilt 
• Join the ILT Google+ Community www.bit.ly/googleilt 
• Follow the ILT blog http://cbeilt.blogspot.ca/ 
• Like us on Facebook www.bit.ly/iltfbook 

Tell a friend – we still have space left for the webinar so please spread the word and pass this blog post along to others.

We look forward to you joining us today at 4:30pm!

The Networks Have Spoken

On February 20th we officially launched our networked approach for professional learning in Innovation and Learning Technology (ILT). Since then we have been excited to be a part of the sharing, discussions, and connections that are taking place between educators online and face-to-face from all across the CBE. 

The ILT Google+ community (bit.ly/googleilt) has become an ever-growing hub for questioning, sharing, and conversing around many ed tech related ideas and concepts. Just some of the engaging topics currently being discussed in this community include: iPads in the classroom, growing your professional learning network (PLN), design thinking, Google Apps for Education (GAFE) in action in the classroom, and the flipped classroom model. 

During our first face-to-face networking session educators from across the system came together to share ideas and artifacts, meet others with similar interests, wonders and passions, and be inspired by the work of their colleagues. Conversations during this face-to-face session ranged from building a learning commons to GAFE for collaboration to ed tech in the K-3 classroom and beyond.

In response to all the richness that is occurring in the networks, we have created additional professional learning sessions to both meet the requests for additional face to face networking sessions as well as topic specific sessions. Please see below for a listing of our upcoming offerings.

Connect in 3D with You Ed Tech PLN: Face-to-Face Networking Sessions

Are you looking for:

• face to face time with educators
• a chance to share and connect around topics of interest to you
• a session close to where you teach and/or live

Then the face-to-face networking sessions are for you!

Professional Learning Networking Sessions:

Thursday May 8 4:30 - 6:00
Harold Panabaker School

Tuesday May 27 4:30-6:00
Tom Baines School

Register here for the above sessions

The Google Series

Are you looking for:

• tips for getting started with Google Apps for Education (GAFE) for you and your students
• opportunities to build understanding around the collaborative elements of Google Drive
• ways to connect with others in an online environment
• examples of GAFE in action in schools and classrooms shared by fellow colleagues

Then the two upcoming GAFE webinars are for you!

Tuesday April 15 4:30 - 5:30

Webinar: Getting Started with Google

Tuesday April 29 4:30 - 5:30

Webinar: Google Show and Share

Register here for the above sessions

Living the Learning Commons

Are you looking for:

• ways to develop your learning commons
• ideas for how to introduce makerspaces into a learning commons
• time to explore using task design to help students learn to be innovative
• hands-on discovery of 3D printing and rapid prototyping

Then the following sessions are for you!

Tuesday, April 22 4:30-5:30

Transforming Your Library: Building Community Through Making with Sue Considine

Webinar

Register

Wednesday May 14 4:30 - 7:30

Designing for Learning: 4 Rapid Prototyping and 3D Printing

Career and Technology Center

Register

Stay connected with Innovation and Learning Technology:

Google+ Community

Twitter @cbeilt

iltatthecbe@gmail.com