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Welcome to the TVO TeachOntario Coding and Computational Thinking in the Classroom Hub. We are excited to serve as the guest hosts for this hub, as we showcase coding and computational thinking ideas, research, activities and practices from educators around the province. This hub is meant to serve as a collaborative place where we can all develop our understanding surrounding innovative practices related to coding and computational thinking. We also hope that it can serve as a responsive, ever-changing resource that meets the ...

"People of all ages struggle to evaluate the integrity of the digital information that rains down with every web search and social media scroll. When the Stanford History Education Group released findings showing that most students couldn't tell sponsored ads from real articles, among other miscues, it intensified the scramble for tools and strategies to help students discern better. But a more recent study by Stanford's Sam Wineburg and Sarah McGrew suggests that many of the techniques that students and teachers employ - which include checklists and other practices most recommended for digital literacy - are often misleading. A better solution for navigating our cluttered online environment, they say, can be found in the practices of professional fact-checkers. Their approach, which harnesses the power of the web to determine trustworthiness, is more likely to expose dubious information. The following guidelines for interrogating online information, inspired by the fact-checkers' techniques, will increase students' odds of determining unreliable sources (and consuming reliable ones)."

"NCTE's Definition of Literacy in a Digital Age makes it clear that the continued evolution of curriculum, assessment, and teaching practice itself is necessary. Literacy has always been a collection of communicative and sociocultural practices shared among communities. As society and technology change, so does literacy. "

To ensure reflective practice is more than an activity added to our schedule, we need to take a reflective stance. Too often, reflection becomes the thing we do at the end of a task or the end of the day. We look back and contemplate what was, and with that in mind, we look forward to what we might do differently next time. It is in this way a very reactionary process. By all means, this form of reflection has its place, and it can be a powerful strategy to deploy as we seek to learn from experience. If we value reflective practice, we will be sure to set aside time for this form of reflection on a routine basis. By engaging in reflection habitually, we ensure that it is a routine part of our day. But adopting a reflective stance can make this more powerful.

"Between school closures, learning loss, intensified educator burnout, widespread staff shortages and increased stressors at home, it's been hard not to focus on the negatives in education this year. In fact, it's human nature to get caught up in what went wrong-an innate survival mechanism called "negativity bias" vigilantly draws our attention to worries and risks so we can better remember and avoid threats. While I'm appreciative that my ancestors were wary folks, in 2021, I often saw myself and others trapped in this negative mindset, always tallying the losses and waiting for the next bad thing to happen. However, in my work with educators this year, I began to notice that some were able to metabolize this negativity and keep themselves and their classrooms positive and adaptive despite the obvious hindrances. Interviews with elementary classroom teachers spanning a variety of settings and grade levels revealed that these resilient educators utilized a common strategy: they practiced gratitude in their everyday lives."

"A while ago I reviewed iTooch Elementary School app by EduPad. I was very excited to see such a comprehensive app matching school curriculum. Today I am sharing iTooch Middle School. Similar to iTooch Elementary School, this is a very comprehensive learning app for Grades 6 to 8. For each grade, there are Math and Language Art, plus Health for Grade 6. The iTooch Middle School App serves as a shell app, hosting the 7 titles. It is helpful to know that each of the 7 titles can act as an app by itself without the shell app. "