GAFE Project Plan

Yesterday I attended the second session of the 21st Century PLC. We spent some time getting to know our Chromebooks better, and then dove into developing our own 21st Century Project Framework. This past month I've been thinking about what I might like to do for this project. I knew I wanted to integrate it into the history and language curriculum, but wasn't sure which direction to take. I did know I wanted to use the Thinking Matrix as inspiration for students to think critically about the development of Canada and Confederation. 
After reviewing my school's SIP, I decided to focus on "providing more opportunities for student voice in order to build students sense of belonging, self-esteem, and critical thinking skills." I really liked the Digital Reports students had created about Louis Riel that were part of "Learning is the Work" series from Webcasts for Educators.
After looking at some different apps, I have decided to try WeVideo to help students improve their critical thinking skills and express their student voice. The software will allow students to creatively interpret and represent key ideas and personal perspective on the student generated topic question. Students will use resources found on the internet in combination with their own video and voice recordings to narrate their video. Students will be working as collaborative pairs in a student-centered environment. 
I believe this project has the potential to accomplish all of these goals, but I do recognize that there will be many mistakes and learning along the way. We have such limited computer access at my school, I am concerned with the length of time this project will take. However, I know this is part of the process and I'm looking forward to jumping in with both feet!

21st Century Learning

This past week I was given the opportunity to be a part of my school board's launch of Chromebooks and Google Apps for Education (GAFE). I attended our first PD session with high hopes and I wasn't disappointed. We received our new Chromebooks and began learning how to use them immediately. We were told the rationale and importance of moving in this direction, and began using Google Docs. Teachers presented the amazing work their students were able to achieve using GAFE and I was blown away. I left energized and excited to begin learning and teaching with this incredible tool. The biggest takeaway I had from this session was that this technology is not to be the absolute focus, but rather a means to an end - a way for students to integrate a variety of forms to show their critical thinking skills. We need to encourage risk taking, learning from failure, and "moonshot thinking."
I can't wait to see where this goes!