A VIU: Learning Community

This is a terrific tool to select apps for non-LMS build

I am so glad I happened across this. In preparation for next week I am revisiting my bookmarked links and came across all of your awesome links Avi! Thank-you!

Thank-you Avi for this link.

A very interesting tool to view numbers of searches of various topics. I compared searches for education and sports in Canada and found the information quite revealing.

E-learning 2.0 BY STEPHEN DOWNES / OCTOBER 2005

Digital literacy blog about using google advanced search as a way to teach kids to use the basic google search tool. A valuable brief for anyone who uses the internet.

For our Principles of Education course, we were given a reading on digital literacy by Alan November. In it, this blog is referenced. The reading and this blog really opened my eyes to the way that search engines work. I realized that in order to teach students to be digitally literate, I need to become much more digitally literate myself. A very insightful read.

Website with a good blog with strategies for teachers to make learning fun and for teaching creative and critical thinking skills. "While that is still an important piece, it has blossomed into so much more. At this point, about 3/4 of the posts here are written by guest bloggers in the field of education. This has resulted in Minds in Bloom becoming an amazing resource for teachers, tutors, and homeschoolers, as well as counselors, and other professionals who work with children. In addition to posts about teaching strategies and classroom management, you will also find plenty of freebies and an occasional giveaway."

I have found a number of interesting and useful articles on the blog at Minds in Bloom. In particular, the guest posts by occupational therapist Loren Shlaes offer ideas about things I wouldn't have thought of otherwise. How children sit, affects their brains and abilities to focus. Asking kids to sit still harms, rather than helps learning!

Hul'q'umi'num' / Halq'eméylem / hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ Resources Community Identified Resources A list of educational resources from and identified by the Hul'q'umi'num' / Halq'eméylem / hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ speaking Nations.

The Learning Circle: Classroom Activities on First Nations in Canada, Ages 8 to 11 Researched and written by Harvey McCue and Associates for Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, from 2006. Special thanks to: The First Nations Confederacy of Cultural Education Centres The National Association of Friendship Centres

This is a learning research from the Ministry of Northern and Indigenous Affairs (from 2006). It has learning and lesson activities related to topics relevant to First Nations in Canada today. The activities will not apply to all First Nations and should be adapted to appropriately reflect the knowledge and cultures of the local First Nations where you live and work. I like that this resource encourages a focus on contemporary First Nations communities and reserves. It also has a section on First Nations heroes and a section on critically examining stereotypes in media about First Nations people.

SpaceEngine is realistic virtual Universe in your computer. You can travel from star to star and from galaxy to galaxy, landing on any planets, moons and asteroids and explore alien landscapes, you can change the speed of time flow and observe celestial phenomena. This resource would work great during a space unit to stimulate creativity, and create a magical atmosphere. It could be used for creative writing inspiration as well as math (distance in space).

I love this site. It's hosted by the University of Berkeley and has a ton of great information for educators in the sciences. Not only does it have some really great resources for science education from kindergarten through to grade 12 (and actually even into undergraduate), but is also has lessons for teachers who may need a little refreshing on the topic.

Here is a site containing links to a number of resources regarding Aboriginal education, hosted by the BC ministry of education. This could ask as a great starting point when looking for ideas on how to integrate Aboriginal themes an lessons into your classroom.

I just found this nice little collection of resources while looking for project ideas. The site is Canadian and has resources for grades K-12. The subjects are also broken down into science, english, social studies and math (and it's further broken down within each of these). There are a number of activities and lesson plans available for teachers and the topics covered are all very current and I'm sure they would engage today's student. One of the especially nice things on this site is that they also have resources for parents and students. I think this is key, as so much learning takes place outside of the classroom.

With the continued inclusion and emphasis of Indigenous teachings and culture in the new BC curriculum, I thought I would share the School District 79's Aboriginal Resource website. This resource is specific to the Cowichan nation, however, it includes information on how to teach Hul'q'umi'num' which is spoken in various Coast Salish Nations. It also includes printables of other Coast Salish traditions such as bentwood boxes. There is also information on how to contact cultural presenters to come to your classroom.

I stumbled upon this website while working on an assignment for another class. The site is self-described as "A comprehensive website and online community that increases knowledge, sharing, and adoption of what works in K-12 education. We emphasize core strategies: project-based learning, comprehensive assessment, integrated studies, social and emotional learning, educational leadership and teacher development, and technology integration." If you click on "Topics," they have some especially interesting material. Earlier I researched classroom management strategies, but there is everything from cross-curricular teaching to apps you might integrate into a classroom setting.

I thought this was a really cool set of resources directly from NASA. Most of it is aimed at educators from a K-12 level. There is some really interesting stuff here, especially for educators in the science and technology fields. It even breaks down what audiences resources are appropriate for. I think the fact that NASA is involved could be a built-in way to grad student attention, right off the bat (I would love to check out a NASA webinar as a secondary student)

I'm reposting this from VIU Faculty of Education's Facebook page. It contains very useful information about deciding whether you can use materials in your practicum, classroom lessons, presentations, etc. from VIU Professor Julia Hengstler. Evidently, BC Teachers must be aware of the intellectual property clauses in their contracts.

Cursive writing has been all but eliminated from the classroom. Good thing or bad? Well... according to this piece in the Economist... not so good.