doug — off the record

just a place to share some thoughts


This Week in Ontario Edublogs

Yet another great week of post from Ontario Edubloggers.  Here’s some of the reading that I tucked away for this week’s post.

It’s About Character

Aviva Dunsiger’s post about Track and Field Day brought some perspective to me.  At a secondary school, typically track and field is a competitive event, exclusive to those who have made the team.  I really like the way that she described how their event was inclusive to all students.  There’s a lot to be learned from this.

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Saying Goodbye

Unless you’ve been in education, you probably can’t fully appreciate what it means to leave a school that you’re a part of.  Yes, we’ve all said goodbye to jobs, people, friends, and family and it is tough.  When you work at a school, it’s goodbye to hundreds of students, colleagues, and ultimately the culture of the school.  I’ve been in many schools and no two are the same.  In his post, David doesn’t say where he’s going but I’m sure that we all wish him the best.  Perhaps even a move to the big office?  I’m sure that will come in the future but for now, it’s very important for him to focus on Tweedsmuir.

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Building a Community

Jenni Van Rees describes a classroom changing activity about community building.  This time, it was about the physical community.  Her planning and delivery sounds like a very engaging experience for her students.  I wonder if the same activity would work as well with an online community?

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A Bit of Fear Can Be a Great Motivator

The title of Colleen’s post drew me in and the content kept me.  I was intrigued by her assertion that “technology appeals to introverted people”.  I remember thinking that teaching was such a great profession but you never really understand the implications until you stand up in front of a group of students and realize that you’re it!  Later as a consultant, standing in front of a group of colleagues…same feeling!  During that session, my superintendent was there to see how bad or good I was going to be.  I remember debriefing with him and my comment that I didn’t think an introvert like me could do this.  He explained that I was probably a closet extrovert.  Does that describe us?  Fear can indeed be a great motivator.  I think of some of the big name speakers that I’ve heard and there are a few who obviously feel no fear and, quite frankly, they’re bad.  I now avoid them.  I think that fear or at least nerves can be really helpful.

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A Day in the Life of a Connected Classroom

This is a long post.  It sheds a great deal of light about what might happen in a Connected Classroom.  Make sure you read all the way to the bottom and then you’ll understand why teachers are so tired at the end of the day!

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I hope that you’ll agree that these are some great thoughts shared.  Please support the authors by visiting the blog posts at the links provided and see what else they’re sharing!  The blogs and other Ontario Edublogs can be found at any time here.

If you’re an Ontario Edublogger and not on the list, complete the form and you soon will be!



4 responses to “This Week in Ontario Edublogs”

  1. Thanks for including my blog post here, Doug! Even though my experience with Track and Field has always been in an elementary school, I still thought that it was all about being “the best.” Competition was paramount. Until this year, Track and Field Day for me was always a headache (or so it seemed) because the primary schedule got mixed up and the students reacted badly. Track and Field Day was my LEAST favourite day of the year. That changed this year though when I saw the true benefit for students. This almost becomes like an exercise in “point of view.” 🙂

    On another note, thanks for sharing all of these blog posts each week! I always learn about a new blogger or find another interesting post when I read this “Week in Ontario Edublogs.” I look forward to this column every week.

    Aviva
    http://www.weinspirefutures.com

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    1. Thanks, Aviva. I really like the diversity and great content that I read on a daily basis from Ontario bloggers.

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  2. […] This Week in Ontario Edublogs (dougpete.wordpress.com) […]

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