This week's topic is another thought provoking topic. So time to reflect upon and share in my not so private diary. I will concentrate my blog on how I view teachers provide support for our students. As teachers, I feel it is our job not so much a support that if the support is not there that student may fall, but more of a bridge or guide that hopefully helps one be able to get to where they want to be on their own two feet. This guidance can come in many forms, but ultimately you want a student to make their own choices and become independent. There can be many pitfalls on this journey and that's why bridges need to be formed to help one get to where they need to be. Students can get too reliant or expect support too much that they forget they need to be the drivers of change and feel that things are owed to them. Teachers need to realize that each student's journey is different and helping them can and does require a number of strategies and approaches. Teachers need to keep open minds, be empathetic and build relationships with their students in order to provide the guidance or bridges students may need. However a teacher can't demand a student to be where they need to be nor let the student lean on the teacher to get them through. It is a huge privilege to be in a position where somebody looks to you to help them grow and succeed. It is important that we see ourselves as role models and as such we should always be working on ourselves to be healthy in mind, body, and spirit. It is also a tremendous responsibility that teachers need to reflect on and try to provide the best advice, suggestions, understanding, and decisions we can. Mistakes will be made in the process of provide each student with the tools and abilities to get where they need to go, but that is one of the great joys of teaching when we can back away and watch a student stand on their own two feet full of pride and a sense of accomplishment.
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I have looked at, read, commented on, and have typed up blogs since they have become available. I have submitted articles for various publications but the frequency has been spread out and been a little more formal. I have had students blog in my classroom and have met with a wide range of success in this area. I have reflected on the questions Why Blog? Why Write? I recently read a great blog on this subject http://georgecouros.ca/blog/archives/4793. In this blog, it basically lays out 4 reasons why people don't blog and ideas to change their minds. The reasons outlined were 1) Blogging is Useless, 2) I have no time, 3)I'm a private person and 4) No one cares what I have to say. It was an interesting read for me. I think sharing ideas and resources is important and very useful, we need to make the time and we can, and as teachers we need to reach out to each other but the one reason reason that holds me up sometimes is that does anybody really care what I have to say. I know that sometimes at school I feel a bit like an island unto myself and when I share ideas or resources they don't go to far as many people are doing what they are doing and I don't want to fault them for that or be 'that' guy. So unfortunately, this experience has kept me from sharing thoughts and ideas online as much as I'd like. But when I have gone to conferences with passionate educators or dive into the sea of reflection and sharing that I find on Twitter, I know there is hope and there are a lot of islands out there that together form a powerful mass of passion, growth mindset, and innovation. I want to be part of the growth and advancement of education! When I saw the blogging challenge, as I lurked on Twitter and follow a great bunch of educators on #saskedchat, I kind of hemmed and hawed about accepting this challenge. But I felt this was an opportunity to share, reflect, and gain from ... so here I am (if anybody cares).
OFF (O’Neill Film and Photo Festival) occurred June 16th at Archbishop M.C O’Neill Catholic High School. The festival provides the opportunity to showcase work from our Communication Media and Photography Classes, as well as entries from other school projects and student who just like to make films and photos. Each entry is judged by people in the industry or education and this feedback is shared with each entrant and is used to determine winners in each category. The evening was also complimented by a Photo and AP Art display accompanied by live music courtesy of many talent O’Neill students. The festival is a great night of entertainment, popcorn, and fun. We would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all judges and supporters of this year’s event. We look forward to doing it all again next year. Entries and more information can be found at http://www.oneillcatholic.ca/off
Winning Videos 1 - Morning Routine - Hanz Gaudia (winning Video screen shot below) 2 - Look Behind You - Jamie Stamp 3 - Perceptions - Cam Biletski and Taylor Boychuk Winning Photos 1 - Bonded - Merrick Kowalski (winning photo below) 2 - Aqua Ripples - Laura Githegi 3 - Abandoned Zoom - Nicholas Montenegro The O’Neill/St. Luke Faith Day took place on May 17th. It was a fun, fantastic, and faith-filled event. The day was started by a liturgy lead by O’Neill and St. Luke students. Our keynote speaker Colm Leyne took the stage and shared his life story and positive messages making better decisions. Students then had the opportunity to attend workshops that they sign up beforehand using PD Place (thanks Ms. Genna Rodiquez for all your work on registering over 800 students). There were over 20 sessions to choose from with a wide variety of themes (yoga to adoration to asking the freakin’ deacon to understanding genocide and more) but with each one being tied into growing, expressing, understanding, and sharing our faith. Lunch was served for over 800 people – not quite like Jesus breaking of the loaves and fish but it felt like it. The day was wrapped up with a closing liturgy led by Fr. Meehan, a song written and performed that day by O’Neill/St. Luke students, and an ejournalism video project that showed highlights from the entire day. Overall the O’Neill/St. Luke Faith Day was a great experience. Thanks to the organizing committee and all involved that provided a great faith-filled day. For pictures, videos, tweets and more on O’Neill/St. Luke Faith Day go to - http://www.oneillcatholic.ca/faithday2016
When I was young I enjoyed playing and creating with Lego. Making planes, houses, patterns, you name it … it was fun and I could spend hours with those little plastic blocks. Fast forward a few years and today there is another type of block on the block. It’s not a brick you can feel and stick up your nose … it’s digital and like Lego, but a whole lot more. I’m talking about Minecraft. A simple looking sand box game has evolved and revolutionized how students play and create.
This revolution has gathered a tremendous following. Running around with a pick axe mining, collecting a variety of minerals and other resources, and of course staying safe from creepers and zombies … Minecraft has become a place where kids of all ages can build their own world, make their own rules, and make their own learning. I have watched and played this game with my own kids and I’m constantly amazed with the ideas, problem-solving strategies, and creativity they come up with. Talking with my students at school has also helped solidify my understanding and affection for this game as they have told and shown me worlds they have made themselves and collaborated on with others. It became obvious to me that this tool had great potential to motivate students in a wide range of ages and abilities and redefine how students are taught and show their understanding. I would consider myself an intermediate player at best, but I was not afraid to a risk and implement this tool in the classroom. Over the past few years, I have had students use Minecraft in social class (a cool reconstruction of the Colosseum along with a tour inside for example), math class (creating various structures and calculating the surface area), and in projects like Genius Hour (recreating our school from a school map). I have witnessed many successful student developed projects using this powerful tool. I look forward to improving upon my own understand and utilization of this game-changer. There are many resources out there to help you get started on your Minecraft journey. Check out http://education.minecraft.net/ for updates including a free release of Minecraft: Education Edition coming soon. Here is a sway I created showing how one could use Minecraft in a math classroom (https://sway.com/b8kNs42T8hzJ5DeY) On Twitter, I recommend following @immersiveminds, @jpedrech, and @playcraftlearn for ideas on how to use Minecraft in the classroom. Also talk to your students and many of them will have ideas, suggestions, and projects. So pick up that pick axe and dig into it! One quick plug … I’m facilitating a technology in education workshop this summer for the SPDU on Monday, July 25 come on out … I’d love to share and discuss using in technology in the classroom with you in person(for more info contact me [email protected] or take a look in the summer short course catalog coming out soon). Thanks for your time and feel free to follow me on Twitter @vendi55 and check out my blog at deanvendramin.weebly.com Last day of school … time to shut down and enjoy a well-deserved break. After that initial sigh of relief, there lies tremendous potential. There are many ways to seize the moment and take the opportunity to refresh, rethink, and revitalize. There is one simple yet effective path/tool to achieve your summer time professional development goals … Twitter. Twitter is easy to set up (resource), follow people and topics, and share your ideas quickly and effectively. Here you can start by passively observing shared thoughts and information or get active and dive right in by composing your own tweets and get actively involved with Twitter chat. Microsoft Innovative Experts have created a vibrant, growing, and welcoming presence within the Twitterverse. This community provides resources on a variety of Microsoft Tools, creative and innovative classroom hacks, and a supportive and helpful professional learning community. You would also receive timely information about unique learning and professional development opportunities such as the Microsoft Hack-A- Thon, Skype-A-Thon and Microsoft Innovative Expert applications. A world full of inspiration, resources, and support awaits and all in the comforts of your backyard or at the cottage or on a trip. So grab a lemonade (or other favourite summer-time beverage) and connect … you and your students will be glad you did. Enjoy your summer! CTA – Follow @MIEExperts or #hacktheclassroom When I first applied to become a Microsoft Innovative Expert (MIE), I thought that this would be a great experience if I was fortunate to be selected. The application process itself was an opportunity to reflect upon how I use technology in my classroom and how I would like to expand my skills, knowledge, and personal learning community. When I received the email informing me that had been selected in to the MIE program and that I would be attending the E2 conference in Budapest, Hungary, I felt like I won the lottery. I knew there were many great educators doing great things in their classrooms that put their names forward, so it was a humbling experience to be accepted. The weeks leading up to E2 were ones of anticipation and preparation. I was excited to meet new friends, understand the program, and gain new insights into various tools. The time spent reading through materials, attending webinars, and exploring the process was very much worth it. The moment of truth finally arrived and on a beautiful spring like day in Saskatchewan as I stepped on a plane ready for a journey to Budapest. It was a long and tiring plane ride, but as soon as I got there … the city, the luxurious Hotel Corinthia, and meeting my Canadian cohorts were more than energizing. The next three days were outstanding to say the least from engaging keynotes and panels, creating a hack with wonderful teachers from across the globe, earning my Microsoft Certified Educator certification, sharing ideas and smiles during the marketplace, and experiencing a variety of hands on workshops … E2 had it all. The opportunity to explore the beautiful city of Budapest and meet some locals was appreciated, enjoyable, and educational. The people I met from my Canadian teammates, my hack the classroom group, the outstanding educators from around the world in attendance was the highlight for me. It is an honour and a pleasure to be associated with such amazing individuals. I definitely left the conference a better educator and for that matter person than when I arrived. I met many inspiring people and made some strong connections and new friends in the process. I deepened my knowledge and skills of a variety of Microsoft products, came up with an idea to revolutionize a class I have taught back at my school, shared stories about education from around the world, grew and strengthened my personal learning network, and had a few bowls of Hungarian Goulash (don’t forget the paprika). The E2 experience was a complete success and one I won’t soon forget. Hopefully, I will get a chance to do it all again someday as a fellow. Still the best is yet to come as I now feel part of a global family that’s mission is to provide students all over the world with a quality 21st Century education and eradicate borders and biases. I would and have highly recommended becoming a MIE to anybody doing exceptional things in their classrooms with Microsoft tools. You can get started down this rewarding path today by going online and exploring the Microsoft Innovative Educator website (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/education/educators/miee/default.aspx), take some of the online courses (https://education.microsoft.com/gettrained), and reach out on Twitter (#MIEExpert). Applications to join this amazing community is coming up soon so stay tuned and be ready. The family atmosphere that becoming an MIE presents is second to none and I am fortunate to be a part of such a dedicated and passionate of group educators. Budapest was beautiful in many ways and it is fair to say I was blown away, but this is only a beginning! CTA – Check out the following Sways for more insights My Day In Sway March 8 https://sway.com/ZC6RHwYNPP1pSC7x My Day in Sway March 9 https://sway.com/JBbDD25rw9ATtKMS My Day in Sway March 10 https://sway.com/BDE53Ai6Py5up6i1 Beautiful Budapest https://sway.com/V1DQIG7KxAHsSH5h Using Minecraft In Math https://sway.com/b8kNs42T8hzJ5DeY Hi Everyone,
It’s been a great winter. One to remember for sure. Which brings me to this column’s topic … how do you want your class, your school, our teaching profession to be remembered? We need to get the word out and promote all the positive lessons, events, successes, and happenings at our schools. There is a lot to be proud of and a lot of information to share with all our stakeholders. Here are a few ideas to help you spread the good news.
There are many websites out there that can offer help. Two books you may find useful are: The Power of Branding : Telling Your School’s Story by Tony Sinanis and Joseph Sanfelippo and All Hands on Deck : Tools for Connecting Educators, Parents, and Communities by Brad Currie. Good luck telling your story … it is vital that we do. Please share/connect with me @vendi55 on Twitter. Hi Everyone and Happy New Year, Looking for some ideas for a New Year’s Resolution in your teaching craft. I offer you a few ideas/possibilities to explore.
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AuthorDean Vendramin has been Educator for over 20 years. He is the 21st Century Education Leader at Archbishop M.C. O'Neill Catholic High School. He has a passion for all things in education with emphasis on technology integration, assessment, professional development, and 21 Century Education. Archives
April 2022
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