What PINK SHIRT DAY really means to me

PINK SHIRT DAY is today across BC, and really across Canada and the world at this point. It is an important day to highlight the very serious issue facing people of all ages–bullying, harassment, cyber-bullying, and people just.not.being.kind. To me, it means something a little bit different.

PINK SHIRT DAY was a grassroots movement started in 2007 by a 17 year old boy in eastern Canada–all in support of another student who was harassed for wearing a pink shirt to school. By recognizing, organizing and executing the first “pink shirt day” to take a stand of the injustice of bullying, this student is just one example of how young people CAN make a HUGE difference in society and their communities.

To often we forget that students like this young boy were the “firestarters” for change in their communities, as movements like PINK SHIRT DAY become more commercialized and take on a life of their own. PINK SHIRT DAY is just one of many examples of how students (OUR STUDENTS!) want to have the opportunity to change the world, whether it be through social activism, entrepreneurship or even a mix of both. The question is, how can we promote and support students in a way that helps them make these big ideas into reality?

(wait for it…)

CAPSTONE, FOLKS! We have been given the ultimate GIFT by our curriculum, with Career Life Education, Career Life Connections and CAPSTONE. Through these courses and the CAPSTONE requirement for graduation, we are given students the opportunity (and for some, the excuse) to jumpstart their big ideas, to move forward with their plans to change the world. Some great examples are the Youth Philanthropy Initiative, the Socialpreneurship Project, STEM, project-based learning, MakerSpaces. School-based programs, such as the partnership and trades programs, IB, leadership, social justice–there are too many to name. They are all opportunities to connect into CAPSTONE, and leverage students into PINK SHIRT DAY territory.

So, remember–PINK SHIRT DAY has its own special message; however, never forget it all start out with some kid who wanted to make a difference.

Parent Connections

With the world of today, parents are finding it increasingly more difficult to connect with the school community and classroom teachers. One would think that with the increased usage of technology, parents would feel more connected vs. less. Although some parents may receive upwards of 3-5 emails per week from their student’s teacher–others feel left in the dark in regards to how their child is faring. Obviously, there are significant differences in parent communication when you look across the span of different age groups (elementary, middle and secondary)–with a notable drop in parent involvement as students draw nearer to graduation. So, what is the answer? To determine the answer, we first must identify the end goal.

Is it to have more parents present in the building (PAC, events, etc.)?

Is it to have parents feel more involved, nay, BE more involved in daily classroom learning (via home checks, emails, etc.)?

I would argue that both goals are important, at all levels of education. There are certainly more opportunities at the younger grades for parents to be involved than at the secondary level; however, that doesn’t necessarily mean it is impossible. Taking the time to invite parents to interact with the school is the first step in creating bridges between classroom and home; however, inviting multiple times is often required for parents who are busy and have limited options for school participation.

Three key ways to encourage parent involvement:

Keep them informed. How can a parent be involved if they are not informed of what is happening around school? If a child isn’t overly forthcoming with school-related news, parents should have another access point for important dates, going-ons, etc. For some schools, a weekly newsletter or blog has been useful for keeping parents “in the loop,” especially when items such as report cards, field trips or assemblies is concerned.
Offer multiple opportunities to get them in the building. While parent-teacher interviews are a standard way for parents to be included in student learning, there are many other avenues to have parents visit a school, even a secondary school! First, hold events at times that are typically available for working parents, such as open house evenings, performances, etc. Second, offer more than the typical events that parent attend (sports, theatre, band), such as Fine Art/Applied Skill open houses, Social Studies project presentations or family-friendly language plays are just a few suggestions!
Keep inviting them. If turn out is lower than expected, keep inviting parents. If they can’t attend the first event, it doesn’t mean they won’t or can’t attend the next. Making sure parents really know schools want them to be a part of their child’s education is vital to seeing more participation and presence at the school.

Overall, having parents feel included in their child’s education will lead to them being more involved, more invested and more likely to encourage their student to be more engaged with their learning. School community should be a symbiotic triad between staff, students and parents. All three working together leads to better education for students, and that is of course, what we are here for.

Learning Technology: What Kids Should Know

Every vocation is different, and each requires its own unique training, whether you are a doctor or plumber, teacher or graphic designer. Not every career requires coding skills, or skills related to difficult computer technology usage. Not every career requires typing skills or research skills. Daily life; however, is a little different. Lately, colleagues and I have entered into conversation surrounding what students REALLY need to know when it comes to computers, once they leave our academic nest to the next step of their lives.

A lot of discussion about students and technology seems to be geared towards what skills they required when they enter the workforce, but I would argue that any and every job
(for the most part) will and should offer specific training for the technology required of its skilled workers. Universities and colleges offer beginner computers courses, and other introductory courses that are vital to specific careers. I don’t believe that we need to necessarily prepare students for specific careers in the K-12 system (unless of course they are enrolled in those amazing apprenticeship programs!), but rather prepare them for a lifetime of learning, of critical and creative thinking, and of social responsibility. I feel strongly that BC’s new curriculum, specifically the Core Competencies, truly embody what a BC graduate should have in their toolkit when they leave our system for the workforce or into post-secondary training. Should students know how to use technology? Absolutely. They should know how to use it responsibly, how not to spend 20 hours a day playing games, how to be respectful, how to be appropriate.

Students should also know how to use storage programs, like Google Docs, or iCloud…or, as simple as it seems: adding an attachment to an email. Students don’t need to know Photoshop, or how to make games. They don’t need to know Minecraft, or how to make websites. They need to know how to critical examine content found online, how to cull through the millions of hits from Google for real, factual information. They don’t need to know how to code robots, they need to know how to express their opinions and be good digital citizens. I am not saying that students SHOULDN’T be using photoshop, or making games, or learning robotics–I’m saying that it’s important not to get caught up in those things without considering what real skills our graduates should be leaving our doors with.

Coding, Curriculum and the Classroom

1108_classroom_tech_630x420 Have you heard the news about “coding in the classroom” as a part of British Columbia’s new curriculum? If you are a parent or a teacher of a student in K-12, this news should have caught your attention. As a Computer Science teacher, I want to reassure everyone that coding, at any grade-level, is possible (even without years and years of teacher training!).

Coding is different than programming. Programming is intensive, time-consuming and tedious. It is infinitely more complex than coding. Coding is about having an understanding of how certain programming languages function, and then using those languages to create something, be it a game, function or otherwise. The great news is that there are TONS of awesome resources available for a variety of age groups to help them learn to code. ALL of these resources require technology, which unfortunately is not readily available to every student, in every classroom.

(Unless, of course, we are all going to be the subjects of some technology windfall!)

This is what you need to know about teaching coding: coding is all about “cause and effect,” and about “variables.” For example, if A happens, then B happens. If I press this button, the light goes on. Variables work the same way, but with more options. Choices are A and B, and depending on what option is selected, either C or D will occur. You don’t need to have a computer or iPad to teach these ideas to students. Coding is also about critical and creative thinking. Students who know how to code should also know how to be innovative and how to problem solve.

Coding is also cross-curricular. It can be used to demonstrate mathematic concepts, to teach storytelling, even for physical education purposes (my students and their robots get a lot of exercise!). In British Columbia’s new curriculum model, there is a place for coding. It is by far one of the most powerful 21st century learning/teaching tools we have available–as intimidating as it might seem–and it is time to learn how to use it for the sake of our students.

Want to hear the good news? It won’t be nearly as complicated as programming the VCR.

In the next few weeks, I will take the time to post resources and options for teachers interested in learning more about coding in their classrooms, with a variety of platforms, to demonstrate that coding can be accessible to all classrooms, despite whatever technologies are available to utilize.

In the Trenches of Digital Literacy

I am not someone who is unfamiliar with technology, nor do I shy away from anything new or, as my retired mother likes to call it, “fancy.” Like many people in our technology-forward society, I own all the standard toys, including a laptop, an iPad, iPhone, and a Digital Box (AppleTV) for my television. As someone well trained in technology, I’ve gained the ability to utilize each of my devices for work, play and academic pursuits; and I’ve come to understand that this ability is not always present in others, especially students. Using technology for more than its social use doesn’t come easily to students, and it is up to us as teachers to help them find ways to see beyond what they’ve typically used technology for in the past.

This past week I had the privilege of attending Will Richardson at the Langley Events Centre, where those in attendance had the opportunity to flush out key roadblocks that we are or will face in the future of education. For those of you who don’t know, Will Richardson is an educator from the U.S. who has spent a good portion of his career writing and sharing about the connection between social learning networks and education. From books to TED Talks, Will has made it his mission to help guide educators towards the future. From Friday’s Pro-D, I left with a number of key takeaways, including:

Kids have passion, can find purpose and want to participate within this new realm of technology and networks but need access. As their teachers, we need to get them that access.
Our roles in education have changed as traditional education is overturned by modern education, where learning becomes “discovery” over “delivery” and “just in time” instead of “just in case.”
The “one path” to the future approach is no long relevant, and if you are still preparing students for one path, you aren’t preparing them.

Overall, the entire session took us into discussions surrounding “what’s next,” not only for our classroom, but also for our schools and for the future of education. It really fits into the idea that the future of education is going to include some aspects and devices that our students are already familiar with; yet it will be us as teachers who guide them. It can be noted that in BC and Alberta, we are lucky to be on our way to seeing changes to education that embrace modern learning—to an extent—and so it’s left in our hands to decide whether or not the “status quo” is to be over-turned. My challenge for you this week is to take a look at some vision documents from BC and Alberta, and think about how that vision can practically translate into something different in your own classroom.

*this post was original published at the Digital Literacy Coaches’ blog, located at:

http://heres-how.weebly.com/dlcoach-blog.html