This post features a podcast with Anita Brooks Kirkland, a wonderful friend, colleague and fellow clarinetist. This podcast is the first in a planned series focusing on Canadian School Libraries.
Pour a cup of your favourite brew and enjoy our overview conversation to kick off this topic.
Resources: Canadian School Libraries
~Mark
This podcast features an interview with Ontario principal Derek Rhodenizer where we explore an on the ground action plan for personalizing teacher professional learning.
Grab a cup of your favourite brew (the virtual coffee shop) and soak in the information and perspectives from Derek’s experience.
Take time to reflect on Derek’s journey and planned path forward. You may wish to follow Derek on Twitter .
~Mark
For the past 2 and a half years I have been fortunate to work with the staff and students at Mamawmatawa Holistic Education Centre at Constance Lake First Nation (2 Musko Rd, Ontario P0L 1B0) in a variety of capacities.
Last year I was honoured to team up with Melissa Lavoie with the Walk With Us project and bring together many interesting learning elements together. It was an amazing experience all around and will always be a very special memory for me.
Have a listen to the podcast to learn about Walk with Us and our process, then check out the the student work and elder interviews by clicking the Walk With Us graphic below.
Podcast with Melissa Lavoie
Resources:
CBC news story on Walk With Us
Follow Melissa on Twitter: @MelizzaLavoie
~Mark
This episode of the Virtual Coffee Shop podcast features an interview with Shannon Clark and Stephen Hurley. I hope you enjoy this conversation outlining my happenstance meeting with Shannon, her research and plan to impact health and well being in Canada – adults and students!
With 12 years experience as a physiotherapist working with diabetics, Shannon Clark, owner of ‘4 the Luv of Food’, has developed a tool called the Balance Factor to teach North Americans the nutrient value of food and how to properly balance meals and snacks.
The Balance Factor teaches consumers how to stabilize blood sugar resulting in less insulin use, less body fat and a reduced risk of diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.
Make a cup of your favourite blend of coffee, settle into a comfy chair and enjoy learning about this initiative.
Podcast:
Resources:
Follow Shannon on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter
Shannon’s Web Site: 4theluvoffood.ca
~Mark
I have participated in #OneWordONT in the past. Although I missed last year, it is time to jump back in!
My 2019 #OneWordONT word is: Rebalance.
In many ways, 2018 was a great year with lots of positives. In reflection though, I felt that the various elements of the year required long periods of intensive focus on particular project. These intense periods detracted from other activities in education, music, exercise, family and friends time.
While I look forward to the various goals, project and activities for 2019, I know a better way forward is to be more intentional about achieving success, improvement(s), forward direction through a balanced approach.
Here’s to an awesome, more balance 2019!
~Mark
As excitement builds for first Digital Citizenship Summit Toronto on Saturday October 27th, I look forward to participating, sharing and networking at the event.
Digital Citizenship is an ‘old‘ but important concept – brought to life at the birth of social media. Areas of consideration and discussion included your digital footprint, staying safe online, building and participating in online communications etc. Educators shared ideas and resources regarding approaches to embed Digital Citizenship into the classroom. In the educational context, current work expands to digital leadership, using digital tools to solve problems, expanding understanding (global perspectives) and to move society forward in positive ways.
Context:
I can remember the early adopter days 10-12 years ago. Everyone, at least in my mainly educators circle, was focusing on the potential – new connections, sharing blog posts and resources, kicking the tires on new ideas and approaches, developing your PLN etc. The future looked bright and rosy.
When you consider how things have evolved, the complexity is overwhelming! While I do think the ‘solid base’ I described above is still there, one must contend with Influencers, bots, fake news, the far left, the far right, alternative agendas, promotion of “the negative”, privacy challenges etc. We owe it to today’s youth, our students, to learn to navigate this digital landscape safely and positively with an eye for opportunity and “doing good”.
Check out related blog posts by other conference organizers Jennifer Casa Todd and Tina Zita
If this topic interests you, consider attending the first Digital Citizenship Summit Toronto, this Saturday (October 27th, 2018). I hope to see you there!
~Mark
A highlight of my week was spending a day with Stephen Hurley for great conversation, insights, question asking, music making and of course great food!
One of our conversation stops was taking time to explore the question: “Have we lost the long game?” With our respective backgrounds, an easy place to start was the K-12 educational arena, but this question easily applies to many aspects of society. This particular week, we looked at education and health care.
On the health care front, we wondered about two particular elements: finding a better optimization of health care through remixing best strategies rather than polarizing traditional against alternative. Why is this so often viewed in a polarized one vs the other viewpoint? Why can’t it be easier to blend both approaches? Our other focus was on the idea of achieving greater personalization of services at a faster rate. What are the barriers for faster more impactful change? What are the best questions to ask re change?
In terms of education, we explored what we observe – such as the continued focus on “now”. While improving math scores, literacies etc. are important elements of learning and achievement themselves, we wondered what is being neglected while this narrow focus occupies our collective head space? In 20 years, will it matter if a jurisdictions math scores are up one or two percent? Where are we at with teaching other important disciplines? Say creativity for example. Everything in the world around us is changing so quickly, how do we align a long term path of learning for each student that will addresses finding passion, creativity …
By coincidence, I happened to hear TEDx speaker Lucas Foster of WatchMojo, present a session on the Creative Business Cup at the new Idea Exchange in Cambridge on the weekend. In his presentation he made the case for recognizing the crossroads for change at the go forward/no going back stage. He emphasized the need for creativity as part of the process. He pointed out the importance of how we teach, practice, promote creativity as a core element of moving society forward. In my view, this reinforced elements of the “Have we lost the long game?” discussion.
I am looking forward to more exploration of this idea of the long game, and of course, I am looking forward to my next day with Stephen to explore the long game with deeper thinking and questioning.
~Mark
