Wednesday, April 10, 2019

EdTechTeam Ontario Summit 2019

So this post may be a bit late as a reflection but I needed some time to reflect on the intensity and impact of being one of several spotlight speakers at this years EdTechTeam Ontario Summit #ONSummit. BUT I really just needed time to refocus on my family, class community and get some rest. With that mostly in sync, I can now just sit back, review the many tweets shared by educators, take in the feedback provided by guests and appreciate the behind-the-scenes of the Summit as experienced by me.

The Keynote Speakers
I am started here with the beginning and end! Jorge and G had us in tears starting the Summit and
wrapping it up.  Jorge’s @mvsgbarcenas keynote focussed on his growth, struggle “caca” and rebirth;
and the change comes from knowing the story of our students. The connection to This Is Me with
audience participation was wonderfully emotional! As we wiped our tears and embarked into two
days of learning, exploring, playing and building our Professional Learning Network and EDUtribe
we move into the second day Keynote to wrap things up.
The keynote performed by G @gdouglasbundy was heartfelt, emotional and genius! Who’s crying?
Let’s be clear, it’s not about the bus! It’s about creativity, problem solving with opportunities to develop skill and content knowledge through discover and creating. Consider the nature of play, improvisation and empathy in our learning environments indoors and outdoors. 100% of the inventions invented after today haven’t been invented yet - G Bundy.
CSFirst Sessions

People are behind the ideas, innovation and programming for the many of the conveniences or necessities we use today. From the alarm clock on your smart device to the music playlist on your YouTube account to the online shopping options to the programs behind 3D printing prosthetics. Programming or coding is a language used to create!



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Being offered the opportunity to share and represent CSFirst by leading several sessions at the EdTechTeam Ontario Summit was an easy decision and honour to accept. CSFirst is a learning platform that I have embedded within the instructional day with my own students for the past three years. CSFirst provides a supportive, guided environment to learn programming while coding in Scratch. With instructional videos, teacher guided resources and time to code, students learn about the tool. Using CSFirst as a foundation (ISTE Standards alignment and Curriculum Connections) to learning to code and by scaffolding cross-curricular learning; students become creators, problem solvers and innovators themselves.

What might this look like in our class communities with students in Grades 4 - 8?
It would look like students being engaged in guided instructions about a tool that will yield opportunities for students to be creators of their own content for intended audiences within and beyond their class communities. 
EdTechTeam

Now, back to the team! The EdTechTeam made everything look effortless and the day was seamless! But let me tell you, the team worked tirelessly to put together this awesome Summit.  Furthermore, not a moment went by without checking in on each other, sharing giggles and laughter amongst each other in the days leading up to the event, setup before, during and after the Summit.


 This being my first time on the team and as a Spotlight Speaker, I knew going in that I would be surrounded by inspiring educators but being on the team, it was next level as they all collaborated in creating a memorable learning event. Reconnecting and connecting with them and listening to their stories, experiences, family and teaching journey are just real. That’s right, real. As you see them on stage and hear them during sessions, they are real. No act for the sake of the act. They give their all and then some. The tears on stage and shared throughout audience members, were real. What can I say or write, I am honoured and humbled by the opportunity to collaborate with this amazing team of EDU Leaders.



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