Some Opportunities....

via Ms. Burnside at the SVSD Office....(I'll check to make sure that the links work...):

photo credit:http://www.flickr.com/photos/physio/299473273/

The following links are being provided for your information concerning some upcoming professional development and student learning opportunities that are taking place in Winnipeg in November 2007. The focus of these events is Aboriginal education and perspectives, so it would probably be of interest to people in your school division who work with Aboriginal Academic Achievement (AAA) grant initiatives, or other aspects of Aboriginal education:

A FESTIVAL FOR ALL NATIONS (November 1 & 2) – https://mail.svsd.ca/owa/redir.aspx?URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.manitoahbee.com%2feducationday.html

2ND ANNUAL ABORIGINAL EDUCATOR AWARDS BANQUET (November 22 & 23) – https://mail.svsd.ca/owa/redir.aspx?URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.aboriginalcircleofeducators.ca%2fnews_and_events_details.php%3fnews_id%3d4

ABORIGINAL STRATEGIES FOR TODAY’S TEACHERS (November 23) –
Contact Info: Ana Dias, Ph# 204-775-3276; or Sheila Spooner, Ph# 204-283-1768, Email: sspooner@shaw.ca
SHARING OUR SUCCESS (November 23 & 24) –

https://mail.svsd.ca/owa/redir.aspx?URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.saee.ca%2fsuccessconference%2findex.html

Thank you for sharing the information with others who may benefit from attending.
Marilyn Robinson
Consultant
Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth
Learning Support and Technology Unit
E140 – 1970 Ness Ave.
Winnipeg MB R3J 0Y9
(204) 945-6875
marilyn.robinson@gov.mb.ca

Things To Think About Lately...

photo credit © 2004-2006 Charles M. Kozierok. All Rights Reserved.

Hey everyone...only a matter of days until K12 online gets underway, and for anyone who has web access and a PC but no interest in expending time or resources travelling, this is a truly first class opportunity. Link to the conference homepage here.

I hope to see you there!

RM

...But October is coming soon!!!

...via the convenors of the conference, several of whose blogs I read...K12 Online Conference is a 'go' again this year, and as someone who participated on the periphery of the 'get-together', I'm going to have to highly recommend attendance if you're interested in this whole education connectedness via the web idea. Dates for this year are "October 15-19 and October 22-26 of 2007, and will include a preconference keynote during the week of October 8. This year’s conference theme is “Playing with Boundaries.” " (copied from the conference blog)

Here's some reasons to think about attending this year's conference...

Call them the top 5 reasons (I couldn't think of 10 quickly)....

5. You can wear your pajamas to the keynote presentations.

4. ...or better yet, do what I did last year and download them to your PC or your mp3 or video player to view/listen whenever you like.

3. No mileage to incur, nor wear and tear on your vehicle.

2. You can participate in the chats (or just listen); you can leave (and read) comments about the conference; you can network with other teachers and education-types from across the globe, literally.

and the number one reason (since teachers sometimes have a reputation involving frugality?)...

1. It's free!!!

Here's the link again, and the call for proposals is currently on now, so maybe some interested folks from the Valley will be presenting, who knows?

RM

November is a Long Time From Now...

But, as Lorne Henkelman recently pointed out, via ManACE (Manitoba's Special Area Group 'Association of Computing Educators' ), I think the acronym stands for...there will be some local opportunities here in the Swan River Valley for those teachers/administrators interested in some technology sessions.

Here's the lineup, in no particular order:

1. Make 'n Take Digital Story with Janet Martin and Rob McDonald

2. Web 2.0 Collaboration; An ‘Un’-Presentation with Tracy Maksymchuk and Ryan Maksymchuk

3. 3D Modeling Made Easy with Google Sketch-up with George van der Walt

4. Creating Your Personal Learning Environment with Derek Henkelman and Lorne Henkelman

Date for SAG is set at November 23, 2007, and details from ManACE about registration will be forthcoming in the fall publication as always. If anyone knows about any other sessions being offered, please forward them to me or to your school's PD committee rep. for uploading to this blog. Thanks, Lorne!

[photo credit: http://www.ethelbertmb.com/rec.html]

Laptop Schools in the States

I find myself teaching mathematics in a laptop-enabled lab....and more and more teachers are carrying/using portable notebook computers. There was an article in the New York Times last Friday that has stirred up a bit of a hornet's nest in "the blogosphere". In particular, a gentleman named David Warlick (who writes a blog called 2 cents worth) has weighed in on the discussion, and the comments left on the post of his blog are really worth reading. Check out the post and comments here.

***Sorry for the late addition, but the idea here (and why I posted this on a PD blog) is either Warlick's or someone commenting, that in a lot of cases, PD is a 'professional responsibility' and the teachers in New York encouraging their districts to 'go back to how it used to be' maybe aren't being terribly realistic (or responsible)? My words...no one else's....

Differentiating Instruction Session

Dr. Debbie Silver, various locations, closest is Winnipeg on 24 October, 2007 or Saskatoon 26 October, 2007...."Going Outside The Lines To Reach Every Learner" around $200...check out www.creedseminars.com. Audience is instructors of reluctant learners...so K-12?