Wecome Back!

We are all back and looking forward to another year of sharing, collaborating, creating, engaging and participating in new technology learning opportunities. The library computer lab has been updated and we are excited about having the addition of another mobile lab available for classrooms.

On August 31st and September 1st teachers attended workshops by David Warlick titled Leading & Learning in the 21st Century and Cracking the Code. Some of the key points from David’s presentations included:
• Promoting life-long learning
• Preparing students for an unpredictable future
• Learning to live in a culture driven by hyper-connectedness
• Redefining and reinventing what it is to be an educator
• Teaching students ‘how to teach themselves’

Teachers would help me learn better if…

I came across an article last week titled “Hey Teachers: This is How I Learn.” from a blog titled TeachPaperless: Seeking social solution to the mysteries of 21st century teaching and learning. The philosophy behind the blog is to help educators create paperless classroom through integrated technology learning communities. The blog posting reflects on a classroom discussion between one teacher and a class of students.

Ms. Tonhauser

Atlas of Canada: The Olympic Spirit

Natural Resources Canada is providing in-depth resources of the Winter Olympics and Paralympics through historical, statistical, cultural and environmental information. The 2010 map series includes:
• Canadian Olympian places of birth
• Vancouver Olympic geographic regions
• Winter Olympic medallists by Canadian region
• Winter sports participation statistics

Atlas of Canada: The Olympic Spirit

Ms. Tonhauser

Inside the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics with Google Maps

Google Maps is providing great online real time coverage, medal counts, news and event schedules of the Vancouver 2010 Games. See the Olympic venues up close, ride the Alpine slope or check out the statistics on medal winners from around the world.
Get Inside the Games with Google Maps
Google Maps: Choose a Sport

Ms. Tonhauser

Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics

The Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics is right around the corner. With three days…and counting until the Opening Ceremonies, there is a flurry of Olympic research and learning happening here at the school.

We were very fortunate to have an Olympic torch bearer visit Camilla School a couple weeks ago, which in turn sparked more excitement and Canadian pride for the Vancouver games.

Teachers and students have been accessing some of the amazing educational resources available online. Here are a few Olympic sites worth visiting:
With Glowing Hearts
Canadian Olympic Committee
Canadian Olympic School Program
CBC Vancouver Now

Ms. Tonhauser

2010: Continuing Our Tech Odyssey

2010 is hear and we will continue create, collaborate, investigate, motivate and communicate technology learning @Camilla School. Technology continues to evolve rapidly and new trends in education are always an interesting read. Here are a few of the attention-grabbing articles circulating throughout online media sources and social networks. Some predict technology trends will continue to grow in the areas of:
• Interactive whiteboards
• Mobile devices
• eBooks vs textbooks
• Realtime searches
• Educational social networking

Questions about the Next Decade
David Warlick

2020 Vision?
Will Richardson

K-12 Technology Trends for 2010
The Journal: Transforming Education through Technology

Ten Technologies that will Rock 2010
TechCrunch: Ercik Schonfeld

Ms. Tonhauser

Technology Videos Worth Watching

Video sharing sites such as YouTube and TeacherTube offer up a great deal of educational content, consisting of a wide range of appropriate resources for all subject areas and grade levels. Here are a few notable technology/21st century literacy videos worth sharing.

Digital World: Kids Today
The 21st century has created a new digital culture through the use of web tools and technology. Kids today are using new digital literacies to communicate and connect.

Pay Attention
Today’s students can be labeled as digital learners, so why should we pay attention?

A Vision of K-12 Students Today
How did you learn? How do students today learn? A snapshot how best to inspire and engage digital learners today.

Discover Information Literacy
Great introduction to information literacy and how teachers can help students ‘discover’ information literacy:
D Define
I Inquire
S Search
C Collect
O Organize
V Verify
E Express
R Reflect

Ian Jukes: Understanding Digital Kids
Ian is a well-known Canadian educator, author, consultant and keynote speaker. One of his educational missions is to make sure that educators are properly preparing students for the future.

Explanations in Plain English by CommonCraft produces an easy-to-understand video series on emerging online tools such as:
• Blogging
• Podcasting
• Web Search Strategies
• Social Media
• Social Bookmarking
• Social Networking
• Wikis

Ms. Tonhauser

A Year In Review

The school year is quickly coming to an end. There has been a great deal of enthusiasm about technology-infused lessons and learning this year, and it is sure to continue in the fall. Before summer break begins, it is worth reflecting on just a few of our technology highlights from the 2008-2009 school year:
• New wireless mobile lab
• Introduction of document cameras and Promethean boards
• Videoconferencing projects throughout the year
• January 29th PD focused on technology in-servicing for all staff
• Creation of the Camilla School blog
• May 15th PD day included Promethean board demonstrations

Camilla’s technology learning for teachers and students is a work in progress. Teachers will continue to be dedicated to providing cutting-edge learning opportunities through current technologies and 21st century tools.

Have a wonderful summer vacation!

Ms. Tonhauser

Welcome to our Blog!

Camilla has joined the blogosphere! This blog is intended for students, staff, parents and the public to view and comment on technology learning at Camilla School.

What is a blog?
Blog is short for ‘weblog’. Wikipedia defines a blog as:
“A blog is a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order” (2009).

Blogs are usually composed of several entries, however each entry will have its own title along with the date and time it has been published. Blogs show the latest posting first and allow you to scroll down to read archived postings. Basically, a blog is an online journal.