I went into Sra Flor’s grade 2 class to read with the students in February. I don’t speak Spanish, but I can help with technology integration. Sra Flor and her students were learning how to create a class book using a word document. The lesson did not go as planned, however; Sra Flor then had the chance to show me all the amazing student created videos and digital stories that the students had created. She asked me how she could share them more efficiently with parents in D2L. I had given her a copy of Kathy Cassidy’s book, Connected from the Start: Global Learning in the Primary Grades and Sra Flor showed me, through digital examples, that she had read and examined the book in detail. As a parent, you can’t be more touched when a teacher actually appreciates a gift - and applies it to her own class, which includes my son.
I encouraged Dalhousie teachers to consider some of the CBE PD opportunities that encourage authentic integration of technology - and a bunch of them took the challenge!
Since that day, I attended #EdCampYYC, where I was able to learn with a variety of teachers from Dalhousie as well as with teachers from around the district. I sat in sessions with my son’s teachers and was so proud to be in the room as we engaged in a critical examination of how we teach, learn and engage with our students. I have also helped the school with some Google Apps for Education training as the school transitions into the Google world.
What I learned that day in February, when one technology lesson did not go as planned - is that my child really benefits and learns from watching the perseverance and risk taking of his teacher. I was just lucky that I was included in one of their learning paths this year. Sra Flor's grit and determination is evident every time I am lucky enough to be in the classroom. I truly appreciate her patience and willingness to be transparent in including me in her learning in order to provide opportunities for her students. How many parents can say that they learn with their child’s teacher?
The story does not end as the year ends….next year I will continue to support the school in its new technology adventures, and I look forward to watching Sra Flor and the other teachers support each other to provide choice for CBE students and each other.