This school year is certainly shaping up, not as we had hoped, but things are going well despite teaching and learning taking place from home.
I spent a lot of time over the summer researching, taking online courses and getting caught up on EdTech changes and enhancements for this school year. I have been busily updating my training website and have been equally as busily updated lessons and trying out new tools to use in our daily online learning.
I was also privileged to participate in a ISTE STEM Spotlight publication.
A few takeaways from the year so far.
Favourite Teaching Apps:
Google Classroom (carried over from previous years)
- Pear Deck (I have come back to it today, after many years)
- Jamboard, Miro (and Mentimeter for presentations and responses)
- Kialo for online debates
The LRC
Everything is now online, all of our clubs, events, and as many books and subscriptions as we can get.
I revamped the entire website over the summer and launched it on a New Google Site. The improvement and growth of which is one of my big projects for the year. We have made interactive, user-friendly access rooms, added all of our online content to it, and are in the process of linking our online activities for the year through a central hub on the website.
We are currently in the process of preparing our Destiny library system for new users so that the community can easily log in and reserve books and we are sorting out our best practices for book quarantine and lending practices in anticipation of a partial or full reopening in January.
It has been very busy, but everyone is doing their very best to make the most of the tools and technologies we have available and working closely with the community to build positive working relationships with all members while helping them to access and navigate all of the provisions we have put in place for them.
Here's to a very different but very successful SY20/21!
