One of the nicest young men that I’ve met in a while was on the panel that I queried at the OTF Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century Conference. @Jaxson was the Operations Officer of the Ontario Student Trustees’ Association and spoke very eloquently about education and specifically about technology in school, technology in his personal life (he had his “baby”, a MacBook with him), and technology in the lives of his friends and fellow students. If anyone is looking for a reason why technology counts and why it’s so important to have your devices with you for learning, you just need to talk to him.
Before the panel, the two of us had a wonderful discussion about OSTA-AECO and I walked away understanding the passion for education that the group had. I supposed it’s selfish for themselves on one level but they’re genuinely concerned about education in Ontario for all students.
One of the methods that they use to gauge current issues is through surveying the province. The 2012 survey is now active and they’re encouraging participation by students, parents, and educators here. Partnering with Student Vote, People for Education, the Ontario Teachers’ Federation, ScholarshipsCanada.com, the Ontario Principals’ Council, the Ontario Public SChool Boards’ Association and the Ontario Catholic School Trustees Association, the survey asks the same questions to each of the three groups. It’s a very interesting collection of topics being surveyed this year.
I’ll be interested to see the results.
It wouldn’t be fair to post a survey and then not share the results. Also included on the survey page are the results from the 2011 survey. The statistics are presented in a way that easily allows you to compare the attitudes of students and parents from the survey. (There wasn’t a separate Teachers category last year) The survey asked questions about Gay-Straight Alliances, Social Media, Student Fees, and more.
So often, you don’t have a chance to offer your opinions other than around a table at Tim Horton’s having a coffee. This survey is a real opportunity for students, teachers, and parents to have input on current topics. This year’s survey includes school safety, same sex schools, technology and more. I would encourage everyone who is eligible and wants to have their say to take a few minutes and help the cause by completing the survey.
Let’s hope that the decision makers are listening.
This blogpost is cross posted to voicED.ca.
The content of this blog is generated by whatever strikes my fancy at any given point. It might be computers, weather, political, or something else in nature. I experiment and comment a lot on things so don't take anything here too seriously; I might change my mind a day later but what you read is my thought and opinion at the time I wrote it! My formal education includes a Bachelor of Mathematics degree from the University of Waterloo and a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Toronto. Ontario Ministry of Education and Training qualifications are in Data Processing, Computer Science, Accounting, and Mathematics. My personal website is at: http://www.dougpeterson.ca Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/dougpete I'm bookmarking things at: http://www.delicious.com/dougpete
