Sunday, April 30, 2017

Two Venues, Two Conference Styles & One United Vision of Learning!

As Digital Lead Learners setting up in another location for the day, we were able to check out presentations happening over at the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) via live streaming in the auditorium at the ROM.  Kevin Bradbeer our Senior Manager of Client Relations, kicks off the 2nd annual Unleashing Learning conference with his warmth and sense of humour to a full house at the RCM.  He never looks over the opportunity to thank and appreciate all educators in the spotlight and behind the scenes who make days like this awesome!
Chief Academic Officer Manon Gardner shares her appreciation for all educators continuing to build a professional learning network, building upon passion to support our students.

Keynote speaker TDSB Director of Education John Malloy shares his Vision for Learning with a powerful speech that has several key phrases that stood out:

"Trust is hard to build and easy to lose"
"Relationships are the heart of everything we do!"
"We need to check our privilege and power. Recognize students experiences and voice. Ask, discuss and change in our class, school & system bias we bring in."
"When we look at our students we need to focus on these (in order): Strengths; Interests, Passion and Needs."

I didn’t make it to the Royal Conservatory of Music to attend the awesome selection of breakout sessions offered by a talented group of educators. They were run as an open-session format, first-in first seated, standing or peeking in at the door. I heard wonderful reviews from many educators but there was just too much for me to miss out at the Marketplace over at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM).

 As a Digital Lead Learner (DLL) I had the awesome opportunity throughout the year to work along 120 other TDSB DLLers, as we came together to compose a collection of resources focussing on TDSB’s Vision for Learning, Global Competencies. Each of us sharing our best practices, lessons and assessment. These resources are organized in a way that will provide teachers an entry point to implement, build upon or refine as we bring continued learning opportunities of developing global competency engagement in our class programs.

 I am honoured to be part of the writing team to finalize the resources in preparation to launch at the Unleashing Learning Conference & Marketplace Kate Miles,  Iniyal Hryhorczuk, Chelsea Attwell, Whitney Baker , Marlena Rivett, Kevin Bradbeer, Carlo DiFelice and Shelley Lowry. I can’t think of anything more exciting as an educator than sharing the collaborative work created by teachers for teachers promoting teaching and learning. Showcasing the Google Site, our cool TDSB Vision for Learning logo highlighting the Global Competency categories and having discussions with teachers on reflective practices and how we teach students to be risk-takers, innovators and change agents for the present and future.

I was able to sneak away and visit a few of the surrounding booths with awesome setups. Checking out student samples, teaching pedagogy and extensions for growth. Just to highlight a few BUT oh, so many more showcased throughout the day that you can check out at Unleashing Learning Marketplace hosted by TDSB DLL. Listening to students sharing their learning and making connections with educators across all system levels of TDSB filled me with goosebumps! If you ask students what they are learning and how they will use this learning to move forward as global citizens… and they proudly share their understanding, connections and ideas… well… it doesn’t get any better than that.  Check out Mira Campbell, Diana Hong, Larissa Aradj, Sophie Young, Rupali Rodgers, Renu Mann & Josie Nanfara-Grande !


 I am shamelessly proud and humbled by my students who showcase their Entrepreneurial project with co-teaching partner Kamla Rambaran. The Director of Education and CTO Peter Singh, Superintendent Ian Allison and many other educators, get a tour of their Company Google Site, highlighting how they are building global competency, using the design thinking process & inquiry to delve deeper into understanding the world around them and how they can have an impact as a global citizen.

Shoutout to our @TDSB_IT for bringing the day together for all of us to enjoy with ease.


We wrap up the day the same way we started: back in the auditorium, watching the live streaming of Closing Note speaker Maya Burhanpurkar a young dynamic, learner and leader whose theme was Unleashing Potential in all children. "Raising the bar for students based on passions & interests." She shares the value of the design thinking process, learning from mistakes and iterations. The importance of teachers providing a culture in the classroom that allow mistakes to be made and keep the learning growing.

The drive home was filled with awe, laughter and inspiring discussions about moving forward as a teacher & learner. Thank you all for yet another day of building relationships, reflecting on my teaching practices and providing opportunities for students to share their voice! Want to read more snapsnots of the day, simple go to twitter @TDSB_TLT or using hashtag: #tdsbvision #tdsbdll


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