DL the Wave of the Future

Last week all of our teachers at Northern BC Distance Education School attended the DL conference in Vancouver.  We attended many sessions where we learned new teaching strategies and ways to enhance our students' learning.  We had fun putting together this iMovie!

According to Wikipedia, lifelong learning is defined as "all learning activity undertaken throughout life, with the aim of improving knowledge, skills and competencies within a personal, civic, social and/or employment-related perspective".

What have you learned lately?

Reducing Your Footprint

April 22 ~ Every Year More than Six Million 

Canadians Recognize Earth Day 

This is a day to raise environmental awareness about issues concerning Earth as well as Global Citizenship.  There is often much discussion about Reducing, Reusing and Recycling.  As individuals and families we do our best to reduce our environmental footprint by doing such things as: reducing the amount of garbage we create; reusing our cardboard, paper and plastic as containers or art projects; and recycling our materials that are not safe in the landfills.

Link: Earth Day Canada Website

Link: David Suzuki Website

What do you and your family do to decrease your environmental footprint?

What suggestions do you have for others?

Staying Motivated During Spring Fever

As spring has arrived and summer is just around the corner, we often find ourselves restless and wanting to be spending more time outside. The fresh air and outdoor activities are wonderful and healthy for us; however, we must remember to maintain our focus and ensure that we complete our commitments and educational goals. 

We have brainstormed some ideas to help you through 

'Spring Fever'...

1. Stay Organized
• Use of checklists, timelines (some provided by your teacher), Student Learning Plan, etc.
2. Get a Good Night's Sleep
• "Zzzzzzzzzzz"
3. Reward Yourself
• Giving yourself outside breaks when tasks are completed
• One reward may be to find a quiet place to work outside
4. Create Goals
• Review your Student Learning Plan reflecting on what you need to accomplish
5. Stay Healthy
• Food, Rest, Exercise
6. Become Inspired
• Focus on your "end goal" and reflect on how well you are doing, what you have achieved
7. Fight Procrastination
• "Don't think about it, just do it" ...Mind over matter, encourage yourself
8. Find Support
• Your home facilitator, teacher, and peers are great support people
9. Keep a Steady Routine
• Routine helps you maintain consistency, which will enable you to be successful
• You may want to create a new schedule, which includes time outside to get fresh air
10. Be Positive
• "Smile, you are almost done!"
• Positive self talk goes a long way

Share ideas or strategies that you find work well for you.

Easter Eggstravaganza

Easter Holiday can mean different things to many people. 

It can be celebrated in a variety of ways with families and friends.

Looking at the Christian meaning of Easter, it is one of the oldest festivals in the Christian Church, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Easter lasts from Good Friday to Easter Monday.

The celebration often includes the Easter bunny coming on the eve on Easter Sunday to spread holiday cheer and excitement for many people. 

To many, the key is enjoying special moments with loved ones and sharing the holiday together.

Share your Easter stories and traditions that you participate in with your families and/or friends.

Hola

We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude. ~ Cynthia Ozick

I recently had the opportunity to spend two weeks traveling with my family in Nicaragua, the second poorest country in Central America.  Similar to past travel experiences, we came home very grateful for what we have, reminded of what we take for granted, yet amazed at how happy the people are with the standard of living they have.

We toured a coffee plantation at Selva Negra and learned about the process from plant to cup.  We tried our hand at picking a few of the coffee berries and concluded we didn’t have the special technique to pick what the average worker managed in a day.  In the picture left, you can see the workers with their sacks of berries getting measured for their pay.  We were told that a picker could pick an average of 10 boxes (25 pounds per box) per day during peak season, and depending on the farm, would be paid approximately $1.25 US per box.  We have a new appreciation for our cup of coffee every morning and the lifestyle we have become accustomed to.

Click here for a video clip of the workers in action.

We made friends with a Nicaraguan fellow who took us to his home of 15 people that he, his wife and daughter share with his parents, sister’s family, sick nephew etc.  When we arrived, his mother (who has a small tortilla business) was making tortillas with his sister that were about to be cooked over the fire.  After this visit, we appreciate all space and amenities we have in our own homes.  

We visited a preschool and elementary school, and while some things are similar, the rooms were quite bare compared to our classrooms.  There were few obvious manipulatvies, resources or storybooks in the classroom, and the playgrounds had little equipment.  It was our understanding that only the high schools have internet access with a computer lab.  We learned that some families try to save extra money to send their children to private school to help them learn English from a young age to help give them more opportunities when they are finished school.  Private school only cost $10 per month, but was out of reach for most families.  Once again, I felt very fortunate as a teacher and for my students to have so many supplies and resources available.

Our two weeks were packed with many experiences.  We climbed active and inactive volcanoes, sand boarded down the Cerro Negro volcano, learned about the history and political instability, admired the beautiful architecture, kayaked around isletas, ziplined through the canopy, visited a cacao factory, scuba dived, watched pottery being made, fished, enjoyed the beautiful weather… just to name a few!  After returning home and reflecting on our trip, we felt that despite how poor the people we came in contact with, they seemed content and happy with what they had.  What a great lesson for my family to have!

     

Share a travel experience that has made an impact on you!

Stop Bullying

February 25 was Pink Shirt Day to promote anti-bullying.  

We were going to make this post last week, however we decided to post about our Google experience while we were at the conference. 

NBCDES staff all wore pink t-shirts on February 25 to recognize and support this cause.  

Bullying comes in many different forms such as physical, emotional and cyber.  Anyone can be a victim of bullying.  It is important to take action if you are a bystander.

Erasebullying.ca states that "Research shows that bystanders can effectively stop bullying within 10 seconds of an intervention - so, what are you waiting for?"

Ways to take action if you are a bystander:
- make it clear to your friends that you will not participate in bullying behavior
- never stand by and watch or encourage someone being bullied
- don't harass tease or gossip about others (this includes on internet and social media)
- never forward or respond to message of photos that may be offensive or hurtful
- support the person who is being bullied to ask for help (find a trusted adult)
- be a friend
- report bullying to someone you trust

View To This Day Project - Shane Koyczan 

Achieving Together: Becoming Google Goorus

Achieving Together: Becoming Google Goorus



http://www.redjumper.net/bookcreator/



https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/touchcounts/id897302197?mt=8

Becoming Google Goorus

Google Summit Conference 2015

Many of our NBCDES Staff are attending the Google Summit Conference in Edmonton this week. The conference is tailored for using Google in Education. 

As a staff, we are bringing our own experiences into the learning sessions and increasing our knowledge in order to enhance our instructional practices. We are participating in a variety of useful sessions, as we continue to hear the importance of integrating technology into educaiton 

(as a learning tool, along with promoting collaboration), digital citizenship, students demonstrating their understanding in a variety of ways, teaching others, and so forth.

Your Digital Footprint

Digitial Citizenship

...students learn to use technology in a responsible manner

...students learn that they are in control of their message

One session by K. Smith highlighted the benefits of students, parents, 

and teachers blogging together.

Tomorrow is a new day and even more sessions. 

We are looking forward to continuing to learn!!

The More Places You'll Go ~ Read Today!

Why Your Child Should Read 

for 20 minutes Every Day

“Why can’t I skip my 20 minutes of reading tonight?”

Let’s figure it out – mathematically!

Student A reads 20 minutes five nights of every week;

Student B reads only 4 minutes a night… or not at all!

Step 1: Multiply minutes a night x 5 times each week.

Student A reads 20 minutes x 5 times a week = 100 minutes/week.

Student B reads 4 minutes x 5 times a week = 20 minutes/week.

Step 2: Multiply minutes a week x 4 weeks each month.

Student A reads 400 minutes a month.

Student B reads 80 minutes a month.

Step 3: Multiply minutes a month x 9 months/school year.

Student A reads 3600 minutes in a school year.

Student B reads 720 minutes in a school year.

Student A practices reading the equivalent of 10 whole school days a year.

Student B gets the equivalent of 2 school days of reading practice.

By the end of 6^th grade, if Student A and Student B maintain these same reading habits,

• Student A will have read the equivalent of 60 whole school days.
• Student B will have read the equivalent of only 12 school days.

Some questions to ponder:

Which student would you expect to read better?  Which student would you expect to know more?

Which student would you expect to write better?  Which student would you expect to have a better vocabulary?  Which student would you expect to be more successful in school… and in life?

Why read to your child 30 minutes a day?

*If daily reading begins in infancy, by the time the child is five years old, he or she has been fed roughly 900 hours of brain food!

*Reduce that experience to just 30 minutes a week, and the child’s hungry mind loses 770 hours of nursery rhymes, fairy tales and stories.

*A kindergarten student who has not been read aloud to could enter school with less than 60 hours of literacy nutrition.  No teacher, no matter how talented, can make up for those lost hours of mental nourishment.

PLEASE READ TO YOUR CHILD AND HAVE YOUR CHILD READ TO YOU TODAY

Recommend a good book or series that you have read lately.

Tales From Our Family Day

In British Columbia, Family Day was last Monday, February 9th. 
For many others, Family Day is celebrated today, February 16th.

Family Day is a time to stop and spend time with your loved ones. It is great to take a break from the everyday routines and share in special activities that we sometimes don't have the time for, such as: playing games, watching movies, tobogganing, skiing, going for walks, and so much more.

Family can mean different things to many people. Family isn't always blood relatives. It can be the people in your life, who share their life with you; the ones who would do anything to see you smile and love you no matter what...

What does family mean to you and your loved ones?

Share something special that you and your family have done to celebrate this occasion. 

Learning Through Life Experiences

As we go through life, we come across a variety of experiences; daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, and so forth. With these experiences, we have a number of opportunities to learn something new. We can stop and reflect on what happened during the experience, what we have learned, how it has changed our life, and what we can do with this knowledge to make future decisions.

Share an experience that has some impact on your life. 

An experience that you stopped and reflected on, or had an "Ahha" moment because of.

Activate Your Mathematical Mind

Here is a fun little Math problem...

Our goal for our students is to engage in critical thinking. There are essential compontents we encourage students to be touching on, to develop higher level of thinking: analyzing, connecting, problem solving, reasoning, visualizing, applying, and communicating.

Share your thoughts on this problem. 

Solve it and explain your thinking to us.