Calling All Teachers and Students: Google Show & Share Webinar

Through the ongoing feedback and ideas from our networks we are evolving the concept of the Google Show and Share and taking it to a new level by including student voice in our May 29th webinar (10:30-11:30 am). We are so excited! Tomorrow three CBE educators and their students will be sharing how they are using Google Apps for Education in their classrooms and schools.

Here is a sneak-a-peak of just some of the "GAFE in action" ideas being shared by students and teachers tomorrow:

• learning through juicy questions
• sharing learning
• formative assessment through Google Forms
• collaboration on group projects
• how Google Drive has impacted the use of iPads
• increasing awareness of learning
• maximizing productivity

We are hosting this webinar during school hours in order to create an opportunity for teachers and students across the CBE to come together to learn and share online. We encourage you to join the webinar with: your students, your colleagues, other classrooms in your school, students in your learning commons. It can be projected on a SmartBoard for a large group to gather round and take part in the learning. There will be opportunities to ask questions throughout the session using the chat feature or your mic. 

Access the webinar room:  http://eduadvisory.adobeconnect.com/iltpl/ 

Support

The session will be hosted using the web conferencing interface, Adobe Connect. 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 access to the webinar room)  
• Attending an Adobe Connect Meeting (2 minute video tutorial on joining a room and the communication tools)
• Audio Setup in Adobe Connect (2 minute video on setting up audio)

Important Notes

• 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 wizard (located under the "meeting" menu when you are in the webinar room)
• For best performance it is recommended you use a hard-wired connection (blue cord) if possible and turn off your wifi connection
• If you think you will ask questions using audio during the session, an external microphone is recommended (questions can also be submitted through the chat interface)
• Please make sure you connect your headset/microphone to your computer prior to entering the webinar room.

Can't Attend? No Problem!

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

• Follow us on Twitter
• Join the ILT Google+ Community
• Follow this blog
• Like us on Facebook

Looking forward to seeing you online tomorrow morning!

Tannis Emann

on behalf of the ILT team

Mobile Learning Show and Share (May 22) - Rescheduled

With the school year winding down and transitions being planned, Spring time can be a busy time for many people.  As a result, we have had to reschedule the Mobile Learning Show and Share originally planned for Thursday May 22 at 4:30 pm at the CTC.  We are hoping to offer this opportunity again in the Fall and will let you know when we've got a date.

There are still a few more Professional Learning opportunities available before school's out. We'd love to see you there.


PLN Networking:
PLN in 3D - May 27 - 4:30 pm - Tom Baines School

Show and Shares:
Google Webinar - May 29 - 10:30 am - online (with students)

Learning Commons:
3D Printing - May 28 - 4:30 pm - CTC
Library to Learning Commons - June 2 - 4:30 pm - CTC

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

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