Do you know your alphabet?

I bet that if you set this alphabet in front of any kid, he or she would be able to identify each of these brands. I dare any grown-up to try this ...

Full-Day Kindergarten Kinda Makes Sense...

I'm not entirely sold on Ontario's premier. I am, however, liking his idea to make kindergarten a full day more and more. He was recently quote as having said, "In a highly competitive, global knowledge-based economy it's absolutely essential that we invest in the younger generation to ensure that we build a powerful workforce that can compete and win against the best anywhere on this planet." I think he makes a good point. Research also shows that kids who attend full-day programs before grade one have better-developed social and academic (especially literacy and vocabulary) skills. In Ontario, kids get access to these kinds of programs if their parents can afford it. Full day kindergarten will level the playing field in terms of what young children have access to in their formative years.

I have to admit, this is tres gutsy, given the current economic climate. Anyone who is willing to present taxpayers with an annual bill for $1.5 billion has got my respect.

When Faith Meets Pedagogy 2009

This was the power point presenation that accompanied the workshop I gave at When Faith Meets Pedagogy.

When Faith Meets Pedagogy 2009

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The Cross Walk

I love this. I was emailed these images and I turned them into a power point, which I have used in a number of different contexts. I love this because it shows the power of images to convey messages as powerfully as words can.

The Cross Walk

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iPods in Education ... iLike!

Skeptics of the world, hear me out... I know what you're all thinking. We don't need to give our kids yet another excuse not to pay attention in class. I know that this idea will take a little getting used to be it actually makes so much sense.

When I was at When Faith Meets Pedagogy on Friday, I attended a session called iTouch, iLearn. It was hosted by Rob Policicchio of Apple Canada. The focus of the presentation was how to incorporate iPods in education. He has been working with a number of schools who are using the various iPod products for a whole host of different reasons. Here are a few:

-audio books
-uploading tests with audio files for Special Ed. students to follow along
-video books
-podcasts - both teacher- and student-created
-assessing fluency in reading

If you think about it, the combination of viewing text and hearing increases retention and understanding. That's useful to ALL students, not just those who struggle at school.

Rob pointed out that iTunes (a free to download software), is loaded with free downloads for educators and has a wealth of audio books and podcasts that are appropriate for the classroom at both the elementary and secondary level. As well, there is a lot material for professional development for teachers (e.g. podcasts on how to podcast - I thought this was funny, but after further research, I learned that the number topic in podcasts in education is podcasts in education...).

Apple Canada is not paying me for this endorsement, but I couldn't help but add my two cents worth about this worth while opportunity that I think can be afforded to students.

Skill First, Content Second

This is me with another dear friend, Pat Chiarella (and that's Dave eating in background...). Pat teaches geography. Kids love her to pieces. She's one of the best teachers I know, but it has nothing to do with her popularity.



Without question, Pat knows her stuff. Any question of a geographic nature, she can handle it with information that is current and precise. I've had the fortune of being in her class a number of times while she's been teaching and it never ceases to amaze how ahead of the times she has always been.

I think, in all the research and reading that I have done on the subject, that if there is one thing I can emphasize as critical for 21st century teaching is the importance of teaching SKILL, not content. In this day and age, knowledge is no longer static, especially in disciplines like the social sciences. We need to impart our students with a skill set that will do them well in a multitude of subject areas so that they can deal with the ever-changing nature of knowledge and knowledge construction. That's why my friend Pat inspired this posting. At the centre of what she does is the skill - whether is mapping, graphing, note-taking or reading (yes, she is a geography teacher and she teaches reading in her subject area...), the content is never the star of the show. The beauty thing about this approach is that those kids are more likely to remember the skill more than the content when they take history the following year, and that's just fine because they'll be successful in their ability to learn the content through the invaluable skills they acquired the year before. I'm not saying that content no longer matters to 21st century learners, because it still does. Teachers are called to use their professional judgement, in conjunction with the Ministry documents to decide what content is truly essential to meet the overall expectations of a given course. In doing so, we stop teaching courses, and the focus turns to teaching students.

Maybe one day, this will be reflected in our curriculum documents. I mean, the newly revised Arts document is on its way to being THE quintessential 21st century document. The strands were re-named and re-ordered and Creating and Presentation is now the first strand in all of the areas of Arts. It's a small but significant change. It places the construction of demonstration of new knowledge literally at the forefront of every course of study, which means that the acquisition of a specific skill set is crucial. If this was done in every discipline, Ontario would be on its way to catching up with the times, and Pat's geography class. For now, I can be content with this being done one document at a time.

Jesus the Blogger?

First off, I mean no offense by this image. I thought it was hilarious that I could actually find something like this, so I suppose nothing is impossible with Google...

Yesterday, I presented at When Faith Meets Pedagogy. I held a workshop on the Literacy Prism and it went so well. I can't emphasize enough how relieved I was. When it was all over, I was completely wiped out but so satisfied. But that's not what this posting is about. I got to attend some breakout sessions. I was thoroughly intrigued by the title of an offering called "What would Jesus blog?" I thought it was an absolute hoot! Turns out that it was right up my alley. The gist of this session was that all the technology that is available today is a gift and we as Catholics have a responsibility to use this technology ethically for the benefit of others, for the common good. EVEN THE VATICAN GETS THIS!!! This is so ironic isn't it... The Church has been slow to move on many an issue, but of all the popes in history, Benedict XVI is challenging his priests to get in touch with their followers using this technology. Boggles the mind, I know. The session was run by Michael Redfearn, IT Consultant with the Waterloo Catholic District School Board. He showed participants Pope 2 You - a website that contains links to a Facebook profile and a wiki set up by the Vatican. I strongly encourage people to read the message that prefaces the whole existance of this website, "New Technologies, New Relationships: Promoting a Culture of Respect, Dialogue and Friendship." It emphasizes that technology is a gift and it acknowledges that the generation that the Church is trying to reach most communicates in a new way. It was so refreshing to read:

The accessibility of mobile telephones and computers, combined with the global reach and penetration of the internet, has opened up a range of means of communication that permit the almost instantaneous communication of words and images across enormous distances and to some of the most isolated corners of the world; something that would have been unthinkable for previous generations. Young people, in particular, have grasped the enormous capacity of the new media to foster connectedness, communication and understanding between individuals and communities, and they are turning to them as means of communicating with existing friends, of meeting new friends, of forming communities and networks, of seeking information and news, and of sharing their ideas and opinions. Many benefits flow from this new culture of communication: families are able to maintain contact across great distances; students and researchers have more immediate and easier access to documents, sources and scientific discoveries, hence they can work collaboratively from different locations; moreover, the interactive nature of many of the new media facilitates more dynamic forms of learning and communication, thereby contributing to social progress.

The words of the Pope, people! I'll be honest that I didn't have a whole lot of faith in the pope after the passing of John Paul II, but I have to say that I'm pleasantly surprised to say the least. All this said, however, the message also includes that Catholics are obligated to use this new technology responsibily to promote the common good.

So while I was sitting in this session, I began to wonder. Has Jesus been on earth in human form today, would he have used technology to get across his Good News? I couldn't help but think that he would have. Back in the day, he walked. That's what people did. Could you imagine how much more quickly and effectively his message of love and peace could have been disseminated had he had access to the Internet? Imagine, using the Web for good instead of evil... So we as Catholic educators do have an obligation to our students to teach them the ethical use of technology. I know people are afraid of it. I understand, but it's time to get our heads out of the proverbial sand. Technology doesn't ever go away. It only becomes more sophisticated and those who choose to ignore it only fall further and further behind.

Take a look to your left... I've added a poll. What do you think Jesus would have blogged about? (I give full credit to Michael Redfearn for this. He did the same poll on Twitter, and I'm curious to see what responses I get.)