EDUC 431 – September 19, 2019 – REFLECTION
Thank you Sandra McAulay from SD54 (Bulkey Valley) for coming to the Prince George UNBC campus to share your knowledge and expertise with my UNBC Teacher Education EDUC 431 class . What can I say? YOU WERE AMAZING!!! I love your enthusiasm, Your love for EdTech to support student learning. and your willingness to share what you know as a learner and educator. This was an incredible learning experience for me and my students. You are a role model of what “good teaching” is. I was so impressed. You kept the class engaged with a beautiful balance between providing information about iPad Apps, their use, and why to use them and having the class use iPads that you have brought in small group to experience the power of EdTech and how it supports student learning.
I love how we both introduced ourselves with photos from when we’ve met face-to-face. This is what I find so amazing about my PLN (Professional Learning Network), as you have mentioned so beautifully during your presentation. First, we would not have known about each other had we not met virtually on Twitter via #bcedchat. Second, I would not have felt the warm welcome to the north had you not reached out to say HELLO and welcome to UNBC. I really appreciated that you had OPENED YOUR ARMS to me and connecting as many times as you could to find opportunities to meet face-to-face. We missed each other in Prince George, ironically, but met face-to-face at NOIIE (Networks of Inquiry and Indigenous Education) Conference in Richmond, BC Core Competencies Ed Camp in Richmond, and in Sechelt at the Lighthouse Pub. Love that tweet that you’ve posted in your presentation… a 5-hour conversation that felt like 50-minutes.
I love our connection!!! I was so happy that you agreed to come visit me and my students face-to-face on campus and you did not disappoint. You were very explicit with what you do with EdTech, your educational journey as a K-12 educator, and your passion for teaching and learning. I loved your many, many messages to our students about how you “landed” on your current position in your school district and that you are a LEARNER. That is so humbling. Being a part of teacher education is only to get to the beginning of this amazing career in education and what’s to come is MORE LEARNING. I really appreciate that your work is all about supporting and celebrating student learning. I think that my students caught your enthusiasm and enjoyed experiencing what it would be like to ACCESS LEARNING and DEMONSTRATING LEARNING using iPads as a viable strategy for inclusion, a mechanism to reconsider formative and summative assessment, and a fun way to learn. In the end, it was a fun-filled 90 minutes.
THANK YOU SANDRA… and we can’t wait for PART 2… coding with SCRATCH.
I was so happy that Ian was able to speak about his experience with portfolios and e-Portfolios as an educator and learner. He spoke about the purpose of e-Portfolios for students and teachers, the value of blogging as a reflective practitioner, and shared parts of his WordPress site and why it’s important to him. My “aha” to relearn from today’s presentation was the IMPLEMENTATION DIP. I first learned about this from my leadership courses from SFU (Simon Fraser University). I am reminded that I AM THERE. I’m in the dip… and the notion that I am trying something new and that there are challenges faced on the way… it always seems like it’s the best time to QUIT or give up when you are in the dip. I don’t think I’m too far in the dip, but as I mention in my last blog on my other WordPress site: “
