Monday, September 2, 2019

It’s not about the Badges


Summer Personal / Professional Development

Summer 2019 has come to an end as we welcome back-to-school tomorrow! It was wonderful to have the opportunity to engage in a different kind of busy with family and friends. But it was not without its sunburns, cold drinks, tasty eats, and choice of professional development.


It's not about the badges… but here they are lined up neatly in a row of all the things that I completed/accomplished that are related to leveraging STEM and technology for my classroom communities. The most valuable badge that is not seen here, nor is rewarded on any particular schedule, are the ones I get when students smile (at present or when they return to share their stories) when they feel safe, heard and not alone. Because this job, done well, with the students as the focus, isn’t done alone. 

There is nothing quite like volunteering with colleagues and friends at the 4th annual MakerEdTO unconference! The original crew and volunteers make the day run smoothly, filled with engaging workshops, sessions, hands-on centres, connecting with vendors and so much more. Really, they make it all look effortless but the behind the scenes organization is wonderfully intense as they seek out guest speakers, organize presenters, set up swag for guests and bringing educators together to share, learn, grow and build our professional learning network. ‘Our best resource is each other’, I don’t know who coined this but I agree with it wholeheartedly. Thank you for inviting me to capture the day; behind the scenes, upfront and tweet it out @makeredto #MakerEdTO. Loving the new badge too! 

I would like to give a shout out to the original crew:
The original crew:
David Hann @TeacherHann              
Tim Cooper @tcoops             
Teresa Allan @allanteresa
Ray Mercer @raycmercer                 
Michael Vaisman @STEMTDSB         
Lewelyn Lee @LewelynLee
Sharon Moskovitz @s_m077
Mark Zochowski @MarkZochowski
Shaun Grant @CanadaGrant

Woohoo! I got myself Google Level 1 and 2 re-certified, thus enabling me to continue proving ‘my proficiency’. Actually, it gives me the opportunity to connect with others in the Google for Education educator community and to support student creativity while leveraging Google Apps. 
I don’t know where to start when it comes to explaining the privilege and honour of being a part of the Indigenous Digital Learning Summer Institute lead by J'net AyAy Qwa Yak Sheelth and Sarah Chu of the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM). We started our morning session with a cleansing just outside the Museum; then we had the privilege of a guided First Peoples Gallery Tour. We engaged in discussions about ancestral objects in the First Peoples Gallery and EduKits, developing digital literacy skills in our class communities and curriculum connections to our grade program. Further discussions were held each day on appreciation of the Indigenous ancestral objects; recognizing intent and impact of how we as educators deliver curriculum when focussing on First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities, avoiding misinformation, misrepresentation and calling out appropriation. Our class community will be partnered with Jessie Jakumeit (Indigenous Knowledge Resource Teacher), Gabbie Pangan (Makerspace Technician) and Kristy Inglese (Indigenous Youth Leader) who will visit bi-weekly to guide discussions and digital literacy support over the next 5 months. I am looking forward to the partnership, learning, growth and reflections for both myself and the students in our class community.

Indigenous Arts Protocols @ONArtsCouncil 

That’s right…. Minecraft!
Not only did I earn the Minecraft  My Journey badge but I also had the opportunity to attend the Minecraft Certified training program! Last school year, my students took the lead to create, build, inspire and guide other students in leveraging Minecraft to design new worlds, engage student learning and problem solve. Being on the sidelines was okay with me as this was a great opportunity to observe student agency at its best. But then, I felt left out… yeah, I did. So, I completed one of many online courses in the Microsoft in Education community and one thing lead to another… I read a message on FaceBook posted by Fair Chance Learning @FCLEdu about the 5 spots left for teachers to attend the Minecraft 2-day Training at their Mississauga Head Office. I’ll say it again, that’s right, Minecraft!!! The business partners, store team leaders and educators from the US and across Canada all coming together to learn, explore and play was simply awesome! I finally understand what an NPC is, how to activate tools and create special blocks and so much more! I can’t wait to share and create with my class community this school year!  NOTE: for teachers seeking accessibility tools, Immersive Reader is part of Minecraft!





I work towards providing students with the opportunity to explore and create in ways that they choose to bring into the class community. This past school year, I felt that I hit a roadblock with some of my teaching with coding in Scratch and using MakeyMakey and MicroBits for students to create interactive experiences. I was stumped and didn’t know how to proceed; or maybe, I didn’t want to admit that the students surpassed my readiness to seek support towards the end of the school year. So, reflecting on that, I was thrilled to be a part of the Picademy Toronto cohort this summer. I learned to code in Python; to customize commands! Consider your students' experiences, needs, curiosity & strengths! Raspberry Pi has it all when it comes to Design Thinking: design, prototype, code, test, repeat! Yes, I earned another badge, but not without the support from everyone in this cohort. I look forward to our continual sharing and guidance as the school year progresses. #picademy 





So grateful to everyone in Toronto District School Board (TDSB) who organized, supported, presented and attended the Beginning Teachers Summer Institute today! Thank you Amanda Keith @AmandaKeithMcMT we totally rocked our session “Creativity: Every Classroom a 'MakerSpace' sharing ways to build a culture of making and that a makerspace isn’t about a place. Today we built drawbots, explored paper circuits, an intro to coding MicroBits & the awesomeness of qr codes for bulletin & display boards, yearbooks, letters and more! #bt_tdsb Proud Mom moment and thank you TDSB IT Services for this photo of Nathan leading one of the breakout sessions (paper circuits and mini books). A shout out to Rukiya Mohamed @MsRukiya for having us reflect and be intentional on how we are unpacking our own identity? How are we involving the students in the content/process of the learning experiences? Just as I didn't think the day could get any better; I was gifted a book and I bought a few more picture and chapter books for my class community. Not only will we enjoy reading them, we will also unpack them together throughout the school year! A Different Booklist Another Story Bookshop





Proud to be a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert (https://education.microsoft.com/Status) with continued access the online courses in the Microsoft in Education community. I look forward to more opportunities to attend sessions guided by Fair Chance Learning and TakingITGlobal #CanCodeToLearn building upon Hack The Classroom events exploring Micro:bits, MakeyMakey and Minecraft support and training for teachers. Thank you Ammar Aquil @mr_aquil1 for your support and guidance; especially your kindness when mentoring students throughout the last school year. The focus being on the student(s) who are provided with varying entry points, and learning experiences to create, and share their own learning/content. 



So, yes I have collected many badges this summer…. it’s not about the badges. It’s about developing my understanding of what I think I know, acknowledging my own bias, recognizing what I need to unlearn and relearn, and that I am not alone. Building a professional learning network near and far has enabled me to continue challenging my learning, taking risks and bringing back to my class community a better version of myself. All this so that I can create learning experiences that are meaningful, relevant and current to the students in my class community, while being honest when acknowledging our past to recognize its impact then and now.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)