2019 Pause to PLAY Challenge

YRDSB Mathematics Supports for Students and Parents

Did you know that the YRDSB offers many excellent resources and supports in Mathematics for both students and parents to access?  These resources can be found at the links below and can also be translated into many different languages.  

Programs & Services available for Parents and Students on the board site:

Mathematics: 

http://www.yrdsb.ca/Programs/Math/Pages/default.aspx

Elementary Math Learning Overview (according to grade level): 

http://www.yrdsb.ca/Programs/Math/Pages/Elementary-Math-Learning-Overview.aspx

Transitioning to High School Session @ DSPS

David Suzuki Public School is proud to offer an event for parents and students in grades 6, 7 & 8 on Thursday, November 22, 2018 from 6:00-7:30 pm in our gymnasium. This session, entitled 'Transitioning to High School', is intended to support families as they transition from the elementary grades to high school. Our Elementary Itinerant Transition/Guidance Teacher, Alison Campbell, will be available to answer questions from parents and students, along with former students from various high schools. Discussion will focus on, but not be limited to, decision making skills in our children, resiliency, and the differences between Academic versus Applied courses. We look forward to supporting our families as they embark on the next chapter of their educational journey!

YRDSB December Parent Night - Raising Innovators & Entrepreneurs

http://bit.ly/Dec13RaisingInnovators

Tamil Parents and Guardians Network Information Sessions

PEN Workshops

The Alliance of Educators for Black Students (AEBS)

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfePJdeNkzmFG_HLmGvcUx7jLhzKlMCf5CvLbtE9KYouS3ohQ/viewform

L@S Changes

Literacy@School (L@S) has ended and Learning@School (L@S) is beginning. Check out the new site for more information about the program, connections to the teachers and visit booking process.
http://goo.gl/L1ku5C

Moodle Updates

Welcome back to a new school year!  Hope you're having a great first day!

Some of you may have noticed that the YRDSB's Moodle has been updated over the summer and the interface looks a little different that what you're used to as icons have been updated.  You can find a description of many of the major changes here.

One of the most exciting part of the update is that it is now much easier to add pictures to the course page - you can just "drag and drop".

If you're looking to develop your knowledge of using Moodle in the classroom, you might consider the "Teaching with Moodle" Massively Open Online Course available at http://learn.moodle.net/.  It just started on September 1, and you can preview the course here.

As always, if you'd like to get some assistance with your Moodle, feel free to contact your area Digital Resource Teacher.  You can also visit the YRDSB Moodle resources page at http://moodle2.yrdsb.ca/course/view.php?id=32.

Digital Literacy needs to go beyond traditional literacies...

Hi all,

Please check out the connections below if you get a chance… First item re: "coding"… We need to bring this issue front and center into the YRDSB KSA's (Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes) (not currently evident) and maybe make some waves in our schools to help address problems and solutions. I think this starts in Kindergarten and all of our teachers need to be prepared to work with kids on these new literacies. We continue to think about computers/technology as a way to help students become literate and numerate in old world values and so we may make them better readers, writers and rithmetic-ers  but perhaps we fail them in relation to their emerging world… Coding scares people but it's not coding to me…. It is object oriented storytelling and making them literate in an amazing new language that is the communication model of the future. It also means jobs.  

These are all examples of direction being set outside our public school domain.  We need to bring some of this thinking inside. Perhaps there is something we can do at Digital Literacy Work Team to explore this further.

1. Working to fill the gap in programmers that looms!!!!! 

http://www.zdnet.com/code-org-solving-our-cs-shortage-1-teacher-1-student-at-a-time-7000011841/?s_cid=rCOMBINED

5 minute version of the video http://www.code.org/

2. And once you check out the video, check out the link to a company in Great Britain that is hiring with the intent to turn the world of education upside down. Video clip is interesting. Careers they offer also interesting. Anyone want a job in England?

http://sparx.co.uk/default.asp

3. And then check out the Big History project… We have a few History teachers looking at these resources and concepts and I am trying to get Microsoft Partners in Learning program people interested in a supporting a Canadian iteration of the concepts

https://course.bighistoryproject.com/en/Sign-In

Overall, these things point to an opportunity for innovation and rethinking some of our approaches and some of our direction in relation to students. We can wait for the ministry to catch up in terms of Curriculum development or we can start forging into these areas in an effort to influence that direction.  

Innovation Commons is a place where we can begin some exploration and discussion. DLWT is a group that can wrestle with some issues. TCC is a place that can help make some changes happen!  Can we say "progressive"? Pass these links on if you know of people who might be able to contribute to the conversation. This is what happens when I get a snow day and meetings get cancelled. Bring on more snow…

Todd