uLead 2019

Even if you aren’t re-designing your learning spaces with new construction or new furniture, this workshop will take you through a human-centered process of design to develop vision and empathy, and explore how innovative pedagogy drives design that will help any teacher set up purpose-driven learning spaces. You’ll learn how to use a simple, powerful resource to support this process.

In the session I plan to give a description of Eymennt, edcamps and a network of six schools in Iceland that focuse on use and development of technology in schools. The Eymennt project will then be analyzed based on theories of professional learning communities and the role of school leaders in motivating and building up a sustainable culture of a learning community.

Have you heard the term OER? Are you curious to know the history of #GoOpen and the changes occurring due to Creative Commons licensing, the 5Rs and participatory technologies? This presentation will cover a brief history of Open Educational Resources, its definition, and relationship to Creative Commons licensing. The United States Department of Education #GoOpen initiative and its OER legacy, with an examination of Open Washington and this state’s commitment to open pedagogy will provide examples of OER within K-12. Both the benefits and challenges of OER will be presented, including the financial and pedagogical. Because contextualizing is an integral principle to OER and open practices, audience members will be asked to further identify benefits and challenges from their perspective as innovative, instructional leaders. By looking to the past and present history and development of K-12 OER, how can educational leaders thoughtfully proceed in this age of participatory technologies and a digital pedagogy?

"Today's teachers and students have in their hands the most powerful assessment tools for improving student learning: tablets and Smartphones. Used wisely and appropriately, these digital devices enable teachers and students to collect dynamic evidence of developing skills and competencies, as well as evidence of students' growing conceptual understanding. And these same devices enable this evidence to be communicated to students and parents instantly. The VOCAL online, professional learning program, when coupled withFreshGrade, is an ideal strategy designed to support leaders and teachers as they integrate digital evidence of learning into both classroom and district assessment practice.

Join this collaborative, interactive workshop and learn about 22 capabilities that influence the results schools get from their learning technologies. As part of this session, you’ll reflect on your school system’s EdTech capability and receive a personalized profile based on your self-evaluation.

Start by completing your self-evaluation at bit.ly/2J7hvxu.

A synthesis of EdTech practices from around the world identified 22 capabilities that factor into schools’ ability to leverage technology effectively. Understanding your EdTech capability can help you plan and prioritize technology strategies for greater impact.

In the workshop, you’ll learn how to use your EdTech capability profile for more effective, data-driven planning. You’ll learn how the 22 capabilities draw on insights from the Friday Institute, Naace, ISTE, the OECD and many others to provide an actionable model for:

• Strategic technology planning
• Integrating technology in teaching and learning
• Professional development
• Technology and infrastructure management

In Spring 2014, one of Said El Majdani's students at Westwood Community High School in Fort McMurray asked him with some after-school tutoring support to learn C++. He was quickly joined by his other student friends. Soon, Said had more than 15 students asking for help learning to code. The unofficial coding club started with four old computers, which the students had sourced and fixed themselves. Now, Westwood has three labs dedicated to computer sciences and robotics, which include 3D printers, augmented reality devices, virtual reality devices, phone applications, a dedicated server for students to learn information security protocols on, and more. As they learned, the students started sharing their learning with others, and began teaching STEM to other elementary and college-level students. Westwood students have now given workshops at Keyano College about web design, python, open computer vision, and artificial intelligence. Many have taken on paid contracts from local businesses, and are working with local governments to build apps for them. And several of Said's students have been accepted into University of Waterloo engineering programs, with one winning a $100,000 scholarship to attend. In this session, Said will describe the progression of STEM interest in his school, where nearly half of the student population has now signed up for optional computing courses. What is the secret to Westwood's success, and how can it be replicated in other schools? NB an article about our program : https://www.cybera.ca/news-and-events/tech-radar/forging-computational-superstars-the-fort-mcmurray-success-story/ an interview in Huffington Post Canada about Automation challenge and preparing the students: https://www.msn.com/en-ca/video/news/said-el-mejdani-prepares-next-generation-oil-sands-workers-for-automation/vi-BBPMSlp?ocid=mailsignout

The massive and evolving changes in the world require the educational system to reflect seriously on developing competencies needed in this modern society. Also, industries have transformed their physical spaces and processes nurturing communication, collaboration and problem solves the challenge of innovations. This research, conducted in a school in New Brunswick, Canada, examines the link between the characteristics of the learning space and the development of competencies. Starting with the research question: How does a learning space contribute to the process of computational thinking, this study aims to explicitly explain the process of computational thinking and to identify the characteristics of the learning space contributing to the process.

Attendees to this session will learn how, in only its 3rd year, St Luke's Catholic College in Australia is leading the way by redesigning the 'new normal' for preschool to post school learning. In doing so, there has been a constant and ongoing need to review the leadership requirements to enable a thriving learning community where students deeply know who they are, what they can do and what their purpose is. This provides each student with the opportunity to become a creative contributor and innovative problems solver for a changing world.

Join me in discovering how to incorporate photography in your classroom, at your school or in your organization to tell the story of student learning. Pedagogical documentation through photography plays an important role in my grade one classroom and in the wider school community at Mayfield Elementary. In my classroom, I use photographs to: 1) document student learning, as well as my own learning, 2) build visual literacy skills, and 3) develop verbal and written storytelling proficiency by highlighting big ideas such as characters, setting, and sequence. When students are active participants in documentation, they come to learn more about their own thinking and the added bonus is a visual story to share with families. Please bring your camera, a tablet or a smartphone (you shoot with what you have!) Together we will be building on basic documentary photography skills to help you create authentic learning stories.