tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36920675746146537542024-03-18T16:07:13.485-07:00Monday Molly MusingsMZMollyTLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17565896547458451347noreply@blogger.comBlogger804125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692067574614653754.post-7210991067941092982024-03-18T00:00:00.000-07:002024-03-18T00:00:00.136-07:00March Break in Maryland<p> The spring respite from work in the 2020s has been a mixed bag. <a href="https://mondaymollymusings.blogspot.com/2023/03/overseas-visitor-and-defining-your-ed.html" target="_blank">Last year, it was a quiet affair</a> with a visit to Toronto ComiCon thrown in for good measure. <a href="https://mondaymollymusings.blogspot.com/2022/03/march-break-misgivings-and-gaming.html" target="_blank">March of 2020, 2021, and 2022</a> were all times of upheaval and uncertainty. I'm relieved to share that this year's time off was unusual only in that we actually went away. Often, we make it a habit of staying home at this time because it's so short, but this year it was just short enough and just long enough to drive south to visit my husband's side of the family. The last time we were in Maryland was the summer of 2018. My eldest was able to arrange for time off from her jobs and so the entire family was able to travel together. To do the math, it's been six years since we were there.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFXrLAkQVcJHI7wgKnLiXOhY23TW3EbTbyiHV8j7g1WgK-5F3TEXJ3GArH_vyo4KDmuPQuXIknVWUHtI_t5HmOm_qSka7JN-tM-vegDCTdXpbxslkwaVYmz2cmZbZ-HNTr8T9_yPSaooawiYjKWqMBq4md-Djs98yfTmcQynl799-21gC5R5vhzJ4T-m6p/s4032/IMG_6739.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFXrLAkQVcJHI7wgKnLiXOhY23TW3EbTbyiHV8j7g1WgK-5F3TEXJ3GArH_vyo4KDmuPQuXIknVWUHtI_t5HmOm_qSka7JN-tM-vegDCTdXpbxslkwaVYmz2cmZbZ-HNTr8T9_yPSaooawiYjKWqMBq4md-Djs98yfTmcQynl799-21gC5R5vhzJ4T-m6p/s320/IMG_6739.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>(I chose this photo of me with my Over the Rainbow Refresher drink because a. I love the colours, b. I like the expression on my face, c. It reminds me that many things in America are bigger, and d. Despite the gaudy appearance, this was a really tasty drink! It turned my tongue blue but it was delicious!)</p><p>I wasn't sure what "angle" or "theme" I wanted to take with this blog post, but I figured it out as I leafed through the photos I took and the receipts I collected. Ironically enough, it connects to school.</p><p>I teach social studies this year and the Heritage and Identity unit for Grade 2s is all about Traditions and Celebrations. The neat thing about this unit is that it doesn't just focus on the basic details of various holidays, but instead on how traditions and celebrations evolve over time and due to changing circumstances. I looked up the <a href="https://www.dcp.edu.gov.on.ca/en/curriculum/elementary-sshg/grades/g2-ss/overview" target="_blank">revised Social Studies curriculum</a> and it lists these three "big ideas":</p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span class="TextRun SCXW142373238 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" face=""Open Sans", Symbola, sans-serif" lang="EN-CA" style="background-color: white; color: #222426; font-size: 16px;" xml:lang="EN-CA"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW142373238 BCX0">Understanding the diversity that exists among families and within the local community leads to an appreciation of diverse perspectives.</span></span><span class="EOP SCXW142373238 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":200,"335559740":276}" face=""Open Sans", Symbola, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222426; font-size: 16px;"> </span></li><li><span class="EOP SCXW142373238 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":200,"335559740":276}" face=""Open Sans", Symbola, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222426; font-size: 16px;">The traditions that we celebrate today have developed over the generations</span></li><li><span class="EOP SCXW142373238 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":200,"335559740":276}" face=""Open Sans", Symbola, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222426; font-size: 16px;"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW206220040 BCX0">Canada is made up of various communities that have diverse traditions and celebrations.</span><span class="EOP SCXW206220040 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":200,"335559740":276}"> </span></span></li></ol>Things have changed since the last time we visited Baltimore County. The area has changed. We've changed. Our extended family has changed. We knew it was going to be different from the last time we visited. (For perspective, we went to Baltimore regularly every summer from 2003-2007 and then from 2013-2018.) Certain traditions were maintained. Others were altered. New ones were developed. Let me describe it using the "stop / start / continue" headings.<div> </div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Stop</h3><div><br /></div><div>When we first began vacationing in Maryland, our children were very young. During the second phase, they were teens/pre-teens. Now that they are adults, we no longer have to pack as many things. The spend-a-palooza that used to occur is also significantly reduced. (Granted, they are the only grandchildren on both sides of the family, so it comes with the territory.) We no longer drive back with a trunk full of new toys or clothes. I think the customs agent might have been surprised by the low figure I quoted at the border that summed up our purchases. We obtained a few books, some Yankee Candles, a couple of items of clothing and some teacher supplies and board games to use at school from Five Below.</div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Start</h3><div><br /></div><div>Lodging was a big shift for us. In the past, we stayed at my mother-in-law's place. Five years ago, she moved into a senior's villa called Oak Crest. It's gorgeous, and perfect for her, but less than ideal for a family of four to invade. For the first time, we stayed at a hotel. Thankfully, we selected a place that was very close to Oak Crest as well as my husband's childhood neighbourhood, so the amenities and local features were familiar. We were able to walk to The Avenue at White Marsh, a really nice shopping and dining district, and took advantage of the lovely weather. It was our biggest travel expense, but choosing a suite that had room to sit and chill was worth the extra money.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl80lN89lKZPKLSEY70Dmpy_Eb4om0RdPJwpbyIDR7EWdlmZCdisJRjxLIlsCIhKrpgkNTXN2j98NONiulP6ln821VSruE5tgd0z6CktONEf4FY9_rFZgKLYoGL3wvV_kQ_tSm0xbD6cBdoTQdMYX3jSN5oHpVtZtgypfDYlxNCva8tR7RR3bKLgAwvXrX/s4032/IMG_6742.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl80lN89lKZPKLSEY70Dmpy_Eb4om0RdPJwpbyIDR7EWdlmZCdisJRjxLIlsCIhKrpgkNTXN2j98NONiulP6ln821VSruE5tgd0z6CktONEf4FY9_rFZgKLYoGL3wvV_kQ_tSm0xbD6cBdoTQdMYX3jSN5oHpVtZtgypfDYlxNCva8tR7RR3bKLgAwvXrX/s320/IMG_6742.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Continue (with Change)</h3><div><br /></div><div>The main reasons why we drive ten hours are two-fold: we like to visit family and we like to eat Maryland food. This mostly stayed the same with a few shifts. We saw my mother-in-law every day while we were there. We visited my sister-in-law as well as James' maternal uncle and paternal aunt. I was delighted that hubby was able to squeeze in get-togethers with two of his friends from the area. Brad and James went to high school together. James has known Greg since James was in college. We were grateful that his buddies were able to make accommodations and gather on such short notice for dinner.</div><div><br /></div><div>Oh, the dinners and eating in general! Back in 2014, I made a list of <a href="https://mondaymollymusings.blogspot.com/2014/08/canadian-schools-should-be-like.html" target="_blank">all the places we ate</a> during our three-week summer stay. Instead of three weeks in July or August, it was a single week in March, and getting older means that I/we can't consume "out food" as frequently or in large quantities as we might like. (I was very strategic about how I ate, but others in our travel party started to feel quite bloated after a regular diet of restaurant food.) Here was our dining summary, as well as the ways I modified my choices so that I didn't suffer ill results. (I was especially cautious because a couple of weeks before we left, I was popping Tums to calm my irritated insides.)</div><div><br /></div><div><b>March 9</b> = Bob Evans for brunch, TGI Friday's for dinner (and I chose appetizers instead of a full entrée)</div><div><br /></div><div><b>March 10</b> = breakfast at Oak Crest, lunch at my sister-in-law's place (pizza), and dinner at Sonic (and I picked a smaller combo)</div><div><br /></div><div><b>March 11</b> = Olive Garden for lunch and Casa Mia for dinner (and we shared different dishes buffet-style with the group in the evening)</div><div><br /></div><div><b>March 12</b> = lunch at Friendly's and dinner at Red Robin (and I split a supper meal with my son)</div><div><br /></div><div><b>March 13</b> = lunch at Applebee's and dinner at Red Brick Station (and I packed most of my lunch to eat the next day, and selected a lighter dinner option)</div><div><br /></div><div><b>March 14 </b>= dinner at the Double T Diner (and I split dessert with my husband and ate leftovers for breakfast and lunch)</div><div><br /></div><div><b>March 15</b> = "linner" of fish and chips (no need for more than one meal after the feasting!)</div><div><br /></div><div>We had a "first day in Baltimore" restaurant and a "last day in Baltimore" restaurant tradition. We kept the first day location (even though TGI Friday's no longer serves deep fried green beans) and chose a new place for the last day meal. We were happy with the change, since the old place stopped serving many of our favourite dishes, including crab.</div><div><br /></div><div>I was able to squeeze in three meals that included crab. (Thank you Casa Mia, Red Brick Station, and Double T Diner for the yummy crab cakes!) This is a slow evolution. I used to dislike eating crab. It wasn't part of my eating repertoire. I gave it a chance in the 2010s and grew to love fried crab cakes. Toronto is not a great place to get crab, especially the kind of crab I like to eat in Maryland. Eating crab is a tradition I'm glad we were able to continue mostly unchanged.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVfZev4aFjJ3qxXHgmXImuQOJW82eA_a8WoJuwdv70aeHDLCcN066CL8oh7AW0WP3ARYnmMlMZ9JD6fBsCy8O2gFNuv3ThuBA1ln_JKnQj3oZ7ZXv2Z8-JbF5um3-HuAqApyuaK0ZpMJ3UyffmS46eUWO51nrsECjBdiFjScRQBNHZP6jPXJRJFBgzQpu4/s4032/IMG_6729.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVfZev4aFjJ3qxXHgmXImuQOJW82eA_a8WoJuwdv70aeHDLCcN066CL8oh7AW0WP3ARYnmMlMZ9JD6fBsCy8O2gFNuv3ThuBA1ln_JKnQj3oZ7ZXv2Z8-JbF5um3-HuAqApyuaK0ZpMJ3UyffmS46eUWO51nrsECjBdiFjScRQBNHZP6jPXJRJFBgzQpu4/s320/IMG_6729.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Big thanks to all my relatives for welcoming us during a time that was not a holiday for them and fitting us into their schedules. We are very privileged that we have the time to spare for such a visit, as well as the financial and automotive means to afford to go away like this. Now that we've experienced this latest iteration and version of our "down south" trip, we can tweak it even more to make it work for us. Evolving traditions are neither good nor bad; they are just different.<br /><div><span face="Open Sans, Symbola, sans-serif" style="color: #222426;"><br /></span></div><p></p></div>MZMollyTLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17565896547458451347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692067574614653754.post-64992687653738995592024-03-11T00:00:00.000-07:002024-03-11T00:00:00.145-07:00Do You Wanna Dance?<p> Bobby Freeman sang this song, the title of today's blog post, in 1958, but I'm not talking about this rock and roll classic. I'm talking about how reluctant students of a certain age are to dancing.</p><p>I teach dance to the kindergarten students and to a Grade 3-4 class. The kindergarten students have no problem moving to music. It's my other class, filled with 8- and 9-year-olds, that are super timid about dancing. I've tried to investigate what causes this aversion, and embarrassment is a part of the equation. They don't want anyone to look at them or judge them. </p><p>This can get a bit complicated when I need to see them dancing to help me determine a grade, even if it's just a simple participation mark. These are some of the things I've done this year to try and alleviate this "dance anxiety".</p><p><b>Dancing Between the Shelves</b></p><p>I am blessed to have a large school library. After we watched some videos of different kinds of dances, I encouraged students to find a secluded spot somewhere in the library between the book shelves where they could dance while I played the music. (For the record, the two songs we used during this lesson were Gangnam Style and Michael Jackson's Thriller.) I did forewarn them that I had to peek to see if they were participating. They danced a lot more than they did the previous week when we did the Macarena and the Cha Cha Slide more in an open area together.</p><p><b>Consider It a Video Game</b></p><p>My students like video games, and we have a Wii permanently set up in the library. The students expressed interest in using Just Dance as part of their dance curriculum. We established (based on my previous experience doing this with other classes) what the points would mean and I spent time explaining how they had choice in selecting which song they wanted to use and how it worked. </p><p>"What if we don't like to dance? Do we have to?", asked one of the students. (Note that none of them have any cultural or religious beliefs that prevent them from participating in dance class.)</p><p>I replied with a question of my own: would they ever ask their regular classroom teacher if they had to read a book in Language class, or solve a problem in Math class, or answer questions in Social Studies class? I said that they would need to make an attempt. I promised that the whole class could do something else when it came to the point where I was evaluating, but we also needed a chance to see how the dances went. When it came time for them to practice, none of them wanted to try. I volunteered to show them how to do it. They watched (and sang along to Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up") and only a few brave souls copied the actions in the far back of the room. </p><p><b>Other Ways to Demonstrate</b></p><p>I can use other dance expectations to get marks, one where they don't have to dance themselves. They can analyze dances. They can describe dances. They can watch videos and answer questions. Thing is, the easiest way for them to earn points is to just dance. I'm not asking them to perform complex or inappropriate moves. I want them to move and have fun moving.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQfRm-QNZmed85HykyzRVkSiZGeZo_bPgLZy968HgBL3ncV9FjXjo8Zw2cG-rKr3iPTBMiVDJOwGclKRhf6G3RJ0Zvzo6VaUvbP4qqATw2GaMKoT7I1h1LurJulevzA5BitvRJNRQV9qvIDraY2XZTOtQO-ItunrmZ6X4o0wqUhrXxCjOSVEhkTLZRet7d/s640/IMG_6653.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQfRm-QNZmed85HykyzRVkSiZGeZo_bPgLZy968HgBL3ncV9FjXjo8Zw2cG-rKr3iPTBMiVDJOwGclKRhf6G3RJ0Zvzo6VaUvbP4qqATw2GaMKoT7I1h1LurJulevzA5BitvRJNRQV9qvIDraY2XZTOtQO-ItunrmZ6X4o0wqUhrXxCjOSVEhkTLZRet7d/s320/IMG_6653.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><b>The Extra Challenge</b></p><p>This relunctance appeared particularly challenging because the Student Council arranged to host a school dance for the Grade 4-8s on the last day before March Break. The administration and student council liaison teachers realized that our students, who have not attended a recreational dance in years, would be at a loss for what to do. That's why they arranged to have a DJ with experience leading junior and intermediate division students in group dances. There would be neither "slow dancing", nor "partner dancing". The company even brought dancers with them to help loosen up the crowd.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYqRhcR6FhyphenhyphenA0TvFo1hiy3Av3uDrx0BTmiXdlR2syRw2erZJQByP0VQuzmW0OkUGQrbvj51YiseDblBxovVoYwpcThj-jG_Wvk5fZVfLuE51C5BSv7SLvK_CwZgDacyNVQQwnAoNka3QlZFibogx7-B7MQw4-iS7M4O7EFDDxSm4ulJH1iKxaSGxw-7u4s/s640/IMG_6659.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYqRhcR6FhyphenhyphenA0TvFo1hiy3Av3uDrx0BTmiXdlR2syRw2erZJQByP0VQuzmW0OkUGQrbvj51YiseDblBxovVoYwpcThj-jG_Wvk5fZVfLuE51C5BSv7SLvK_CwZgDacyNVQQwnAoNka3QlZFibogx7-B7MQw4-iS7M4O7EFDDxSm4ulJH1iKxaSGxw-7u4s/s320/IMG_6659.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>(Sorry I don't have a lot of photos to share. It was hard to get good shots unobtrusively!)</p><p>The great news is that 99% of the students actually danced! The moves were easy enough to follow along. The focus was on the stage, not on each other. The DJ played songs they seemed to like. There were prizes, and the gym was darkened enough with lights and decorations to make it special. I guess a lot of it depends on setting the right atmosphere to make it conducive to dancing. I did not get the name of the DJ and the company, but the teachers were very happy with the outcome. Big thanks go to Ms. Daley and the student council for making this happen on the last day before March Break.</p><p><b>Why Insist?</b></p><p>Why is it so important for us to encourage dance? So many of our students only see dance as performative, which means they miss out on the joy, expression, and exercise that dancing can bring. If I hear a song that I like, it's hard not to bounce in time or walk to the rhythm, never mind bust a move. Dancing is a great way to show your feelings or demonstrate understanding of concepts and themes. I remember ages and ages ago when I first came to my current school, I had a conversation with a class teacher about what dance could combine with, and he had his students give evidence of their learning in science via dance. One of my present AQ students talked about combining dance with coding and choreographing (and participating) in dance routines with robots. And dancing vigorously can make you sweat in a good way! </p>MZMollyTLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17565896547458451347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692067574614653754.post-16111088461318677452024-03-04T00:00:00.000-08:002024-03-04T00:00:00.155-08:00Sir Bob and the Return of the Chain Mail Shirt<p> This past week, circumstances allowed me to re-use a lesson idea from years past. Let me tell you the story of both Sir Bob and the chain mail shirt.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkQ6LGi0ZhcIbuDFRrqGPb8Jq1VNpJ6TuIjd6nU48zR5wKisY0sLDpl6YJOHYNf596erlCIQQWWkDhX9qcyxcGK_a4VAIC9IDu-Bg4JnrTWKwOEXiJ_osp7r4s3VphBgQfBG9JlYu_VYO44jZzrJx-REhlj5KrlR301hW1Hcwm9ZrFTM1tUMRpdBx4qhz5/s4032/ChainMailArmor.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkQ6LGi0ZhcIbuDFRrqGPb8Jq1VNpJ6TuIjd6nU48zR5wKisY0sLDpl6YJOHYNf596erlCIQQWWkDhX9qcyxcGK_a4VAIC9IDu-Bg4JnrTWKwOEXiJ_osp7r4s3VphBgQfBG9JlYu_VYO44jZzrJx-REhlj5KrlR301hW1Hcwm9ZrFTM1tUMRpdBx4qhz5/s320/ChainMailArmor.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Sir Bob</h3><p>Sir Bob is the nickname for a suit of armor that lives in my school library. He has been there for longer than my tenure. He wears a small sign on his back that explains how he ended up guarding a school library. He belongs to Lianne Harris, a wonderful individual that conducts history and social studies presentations around the GTA. Her website is <a href="https://historybyharris.ca/">https://historybyharris.ca/</a> if you'd like to contact her and request an informative and entertaining presentation at your school.</p><p>I knew about Lianne even before I met Sir Bob. In my very first year of contract teaching, at a different school, I booked her to do a presentation for the junior division students. She captivated them back then. Here's a photo of her from my school scrapbook.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Kj4PP6Cki4PumUyfFN5DmRPccX2t56E1GXq7p7ozAL_4u9R0GMobN_HJSOPwBuxaT6Qb0omlaW-eK0X7-gQNpcEAqJjFuOzGEyIBlA5MG9DGi8GVcvXTs2-CTEi_HNHJzsB-fny0MOiBgG7wvOVQ_kNJVnWs7vZOT8lJovyJ1pACA-yXnE6Yn92e4PSK/s1718/LianneHarris1997.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="874" data-original-width="1718" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Kj4PP6Cki4PumUyfFN5DmRPccX2t56E1GXq7p7ozAL_4u9R0GMobN_HJSOPwBuxaT6Qb0omlaW-eK0X7-gQNpcEAqJjFuOzGEyIBlA5MG9DGi8GVcvXTs2-CTEi_HNHJzsB-fny0MOiBgG7wvOVQ_kNJVnWs7vZOT8lJovyJ1pACA-yXnE6Yn92e4PSK/s320/LianneHarris1997.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>If Lianne is reading this, please rest assured that Sir Bob is still doing his duty watching over the students. He was even mentioned in a research study by Queen's University and People for Education in 2009 ("Exemplary School Libraries in Ontario"), when the observers described the school library environment:</p><blockquote><p>... The front window looks onto the school's courtyard entrance, and beside one of the many "cozy corners" complete with comfortable chairs and a round table, stands Sir Bob, a knight in full armour. ..." (page 3)</p></blockquote><p>Lianne wears and has students try on clothing that matches the time period she is teaching about. To maximize the impact of Lianne's presentation back then, I was able to bring in a different artifact that has an even longer personal history for me.</p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">The Chain Mail Tunic</h3><p>My husband has some pretty talented friends. One of them, Chris, is a history buff. In the 1990s, he decided to try to make chain mail armor out of wire coat hangers. He first lent me this vest in 1997 so that my students could feel what it was like. I returned it (after a stint in my car trunk), and Chris continued to add to it over the years. I borrowed it again in 2004 as part of a collaborative teaching unit with the Grade 4 classes. My principal at the time, Wayne Hamilton, wore the shirt, to the delight of the students and teachers.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrr4jVv0hHSFF6IE31c_c-bpARdB_EUJ3x6mNb15O3q2nS8YiwQ2L-jrKU7u947yNNh8Tt8O0Hs6nVgMJrfp7vZ70994WnQ9A6F75Yx_ehcWMfdj893EXJa8mlcYr1C44borpYl_dZ5Vq0ckSdiOCzdvL4VRNVB0QW67fGjXcLVX1Mt_qhCmREyfvp3-OE/s1300/WayneHamilton2004Armour.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1300" data-original-width="1142" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrr4jVv0hHSFF6IE31c_c-bpARdB_EUJ3x6mNb15O3q2nS8YiwQ2L-jrKU7u947yNNh8Tt8O0Hs6nVgMJrfp7vZ70994WnQ9A6F75Yx_ehcWMfdj893EXJa8mlcYr1C44borpYl_dZ5Vq0ckSdiOCzdvL4VRNVB0QW67fGjXcLVX1Mt_qhCmREyfvp3-OE/s320/WayneHamilton2004Armour.jpg" width="281" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>When my own daughter had her ninth birthday, (in 2009) it was a medieval themed affair and Chris came over with the latest iteration of the armour. By this time, it was no longer a vest, but a rather long tunic. Only my good friend and teaching colleague, Renee, was able to handle wearing it. It was too heavy for any child to try it on. I returned it, thinking it was the last I'd ever get to use the armour.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcIenCo7NtA6PPPoPtr13sbCd7rG9i9ei_vUXmRcw6H7YsOFtPOdhEuRWWTTEJV5jgU0zS9q9Trcq-oRygE_ptd5pnBnhsoRevX8mY5_hEAM3U-yXTSqK3wvOGCQA0U449L2JZkG4Svp-7x3ZjzuJ5y69Y2NrFukpr2g1N-HbRnfb-Z_h_krr_z_X1ImH2/s2816/IMG_3863.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2816" data-original-width="2112" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcIenCo7NtA6PPPoPtr13sbCd7rG9i9ei_vUXmRcw6H7YsOFtPOdhEuRWWTTEJV5jgU0zS9q9Trcq-oRygE_ptd5pnBnhsoRevX8mY5_hEAM3U-yXTSqK3wvOGCQA0U449L2JZkG4Svp-7x3ZjzuJ5y69Y2NrFukpr2g1N-HbRnfb-Z_h_krr_z_X1ImH2/s320/IMG_3863.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /> Years go by and lessons come and go. Fast forward to October 2023. My husband decided to have a few friends over for his birthday, including Chris. Chris brought with him a big surprise: a brand new chain mail shirt and coif (head piece) that he had made for me!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPK35cc0m9Zp7t6F8xuU0hct4vdFs24CZ_SBDNWyXIb0f2619XK9YhqSjYYlLjumm8Bu3kkExpZKQcUTwWZGQUe6gK2a3UxcIE0JRJ1NkD8f3ocwCLDBdE51pqg6Bf3SuQ1lNxH-2qEJApYSpmuMJD1_ixf8iEAKdT3GuMz4AJUxkzyURZpttMCgPVykS8/s4032/IMG_3264.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPK35cc0m9Zp7t6F8xuU0hct4vdFs24CZ_SBDNWyXIb0f2619XK9YhqSjYYlLjumm8Bu3kkExpZKQcUTwWZGQUe6gK2a3UxcIE0JRJ1NkD8f3ocwCLDBdE51pqg6Bf3SuQ1lNxH-2qEJApYSpmuMJD1_ixf8iEAKdT3GuMz4AJUxkzyURZpttMCgPVykS8/s320/IMG_3264.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>Chris used specially-ordered chain links to create it this time, instead of wire hangers, and it took him about six months to put it together. The metal cost over $400. (The metal links cost $100 for a kilogram.) He even added black metal rings around the edges for a more finished look. I was gobsmacked. This project took lots of time, money and effort to create. I was very grateful, and determined that I would use it with students.</p><p>It just so happens that I'm teaching Grade 4 social studies this year as part of my teaching assignment. This past week, I brought out the armour as part of my lesson. They loved it! I even roped Renee into demonstrating how protective the amour can be by hitting me with a wooden stick. It makes a satisfyingly loud song and does not hurt at all.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCWQbmlInbBF2lLOF4Zx3hNRAhPVu__Lyd8-VbmkMpeRMGqULcEl0M1aIvSGM_8GcyMCDnUmbqSpGY7sNKRmdZsv7bX9-Wz78HgkmMC96BWTxiFjBqT23qHi8Eze9B8_I49DjFv0kA-rs8TvUXnfo-elbBcQzAUPaFm50diqV1-W2hCMinb_lrEjg3MBQC/s4032/IMG_6533.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCWQbmlInbBF2lLOF4Zx3hNRAhPVu__Lyd8-VbmkMpeRMGqULcEl0M1aIvSGM_8GcyMCDnUmbqSpGY7sNKRmdZsv7bX9-Wz78HgkmMC96BWTxiFjBqT23qHi8Eze9B8_I49DjFv0kA-rs8TvUXnfo-elbBcQzAUPaFm50diqV1-W2hCMinb_lrEjg3MBQC/s320/IMG_6533.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>The students and I had great discussions about chain mail vs plate armour and comparing modern soldier outfits to older uniforms. I don't know if I'll be able to top this lesson, but it certainly was memorable, and if it helps students to get excited about social studies and learning about the past, then I'll all for it!</p>MZMollyTLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17565896547458451347noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692067574614653754.post-62969073770273160772024-02-26T00:00:00.000-08:002024-02-26T00:00:00.146-08:00The Jewel that is Julie<p> This Friday, our school had a big Carnaval event. The Grade 8 students created and ran games that mimicked some of the activities one might find at Quebec's <a href="https://carnaval.qc.ca/en/" target="_blank">famous winter festival</a>. Students made French posters to advertise the event and French videos to play on our virtual announcements. The entire school rotated through various centers and had a wonderful time playing together and getting exposed to French language and culture. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO9BcoPgVQGdYpp2cWs7Jg5BE8XBAHobJN6P64h_NjBVK69j1GoKw7ygq6FDlgt_Qo74lY1PITAALP4rCJtfuopTSwrTZPm86xpfZAJ5InpgppnsuUk3SAIrFM4Pq8NfN5q92rOWB2RM6U1sfEJrDk3dYyw3p8VVXQpEkn9pxbqJNAVWahfrRAO0RPZOMj/s4032/IMG_6386.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO9BcoPgVQGdYpp2cWs7Jg5BE8XBAHobJN6P64h_NjBVK69j1GoKw7ygq6FDlgt_Qo74lY1PITAALP4rCJtfuopTSwrTZPm86xpfZAJ5InpgppnsuUk3SAIrFM4Pq8NfN5q92rOWB2RM6U1sfEJrDk3dYyw3p8VVXQpEkn9pxbqJNAVWahfrRAO0RPZOMj/s320/IMG_6386.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf-uxNM7Y_IFJQnf_dDO1q3kswOV_vPfaEylCB0KoZwR5QTsVcUeULNm_IS1DoH8PU-JvByYiczsYnIfkaJg8eSadoHQyUQtCxFb5MbLljS2jAPeyd67U6nxrBAQgqAG9Phfa7HP-fqCEpNUkIai2aHlV_F8SBLtzt0doT0NFjTB_Xw3ToPoGTLumG0IeJ/s4032/IMG_6364.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf-uxNM7Y_IFJQnf_dDO1q3kswOV_vPfaEylCB0KoZwR5QTsVcUeULNm_IS1DoH8PU-JvByYiczsYnIfkaJg8eSadoHQyUQtCxFb5MbLljS2jAPeyd67U6nxrBAQgqAG9Phfa7HP-fqCEpNUkIai2aHlV_F8SBLtzt0doT0NFjTB_Xw3ToPoGTLumG0IeJ/s320/IMG_6364.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwN8N7zMtW3lJom2A3Q5ckrFK1Wkx8t7Ev132LPrPbfi0j4Q-uD2i70ROaS0CIdGHH03ynn34i9v-UwtTDYONXBSLtwv9QJA7O5_Ezx5UG6d1ICqpl1J-HwGBmyXkM4BLz7O1HWzh4ESY4kwE4s90IHAf5kMrYX6uK-xEdegU7jx6GwSfP1_nPA3IVrocw/s4032/IMG_6402.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwN8N7zMtW3lJom2A3Q5ckrFK1Wkx8t7Ev132LPrPbfi0j4Q-uD2i70ROaS0CIdGHH03ynn34i9v-UwtTDYONXBSLtwv9QJA7O5_Ezx5UG6d1ICqpl1J-HwGBmyXkM4BLz7O1HWzh4ESY4kwE4s90IHAf5kMrYX6uK-xEdegU7jx6GwSfP1_nPA3IVrocw/s320/IMG_6402.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQNIEks_KcKXn-qt5nWAY5Stc229JsNKB5b-Cf_YK0CfF4iKt5DbDjKCxq60asEvh3wbk-eFTpGHdLQ5iIeOpxL_ap7YvE2-gfsSidquF4JjtSWon_7gz_VbiDjei6xVQJ_bQauKIkTljFmIwWH_toiPG_Hm6EsrcOHnatllUhod8TPO4PUlVtB_g0nbwY/s4032/IMG_6422.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQNIEks_KcKXn-qt5nWAY5Stc229JsNKB5b-Cf_YK0CfF4iKt5DbDjKCxq60asEvh3wbk-eFTpGHdLQ5iIeOpxL_ap7YvE2-gfsSidquF4JjtSWon_7gz_VbiDjei6xVQJ_bQauKIkTljFmIwWH_toiPG_Hm6EsrcOHnatllUhod8TPO4PUlVtB_g0nbwY/s320/IMG_6422.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div>For the purpose of today's blog, rather than focus on the single event, I wanted to highlight the person behind this event: our school's French teacher, Julie Tran.</div><div><br /></div><div>Julie and I have worked together for quite a while. If my school scrapbooks and yearbooks are correct, Julie Tran first came to our school in the 2005-2006 school year as a junior division teacher. I have many photos of us collaborating on various projects, even in her first year at the school. (That year, we did clothing from ancient civilizations. In 2008-09 it was the Nadcaa Auction.) In the 2006-07 year, I helped Julie's Grade 5 class create a Claymation animated movie trailer for a Raptors contest and we were one of the winners. We co-ran several clubs together (including, in 2007-08 the Twilight Fan Club and Modern Dance Clubs). She migrated to the intermediate division in 2009-10. She unfortunately left our school in 2011 because of surplus issues. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjllZE8Y1uFMVhuDIiL2lzRcNM9WU6Y_4Dc1jdWqqT2fsyANRv0kk5RdfXdyRpmL2DD4V-8DS77tqRjKS0K3FXB0pkUoIt77d9SnpPG44FsR88lhUpT1LhYJevJCYbLGedQYNJlcsr8NoYF6eBiIyarJc3lDZ4Lua4jtwm5t9LMQHu-UNUsW1FqzRMlUvWc/s785/2006TranMaliatDanceathon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="785" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjllZE8Y1uFMVhuDIiL2lzRcNM9WU6Y_4Dc1jdWqqT2fsyANRv0kk5RdfXdyRpmL2DD4V-8DS77tqRjKS0K3FXB0pkUoIt77d9SnpPG44FsR88lhUpT1LhYJevJCYbLGedQYNJlcsr8NoYF6eBiIyarJc3lDZ4Lua4jtwm5t9LMQHu-UNUsW1FqzRMlUvWc/s320/2006TranMaliatDanceathon.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the 2006 Danceathon</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7rOgRosgxjm-jHZE62RNHO2Mb_NggTlV6bOEKew8V433CPtyCjC9RkACxJneKA3a6JxS5EVPCsqwCQYVkZshPb0dVA91UY4ZHThp1U3sb7m1mpveoT4cf3KF8IsfWUAXVPSPq4UB9t-bnThDPyHIoGZUMiZQU6aAlI-bRdt1pG12-jgO6_JlzW4I2fUxM/s1760/2007GNBoysProjectAMPS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1085" data-original-width="1760" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7rOgRosgxjm-jHZE62RNHO2Mb_NggTlV6bOEKew8V433CPtyCjC9RkACxJneKA3a6JxS5EVPCsqwCQYVkZshPb0dVA91UY4ZHThp1U3sb7m1mpveoT4cf3KF8IsfWUAXVPSPq4UB9t-bnThDPyHIoGZUMiZQU6aAlI-bRdt1pG12-jgO6_JlzW4I2fUxM/s320/2007GNBoysProjectAMPS.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">During a 2006 Boys Literacy Project Meeting</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhodMWDdSe0OMPVS3Zd_JNTZS6_nMGzNOy_ZPOSUw4dGe8F7utI-Z_JzYBSTQKeDuKOqyd_IP5DKw8P3Mz_lsm_eLWvQ6-4JmNekTklK7ZBymPRTdkB0CGSqneLOTyMvNH6ihijqWq1CZUKALb15O0X-yt_StRGn5s6akLlHM8chX05zepN5xRHyvwuXNzL/s1165/TranCharlottesWebMovie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="935" data-original-width="1165" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhodMWDdSe0OMPVS3Zd_JNTZS6_nMGzNOy_ZPOSUw4dGe8F7utI-Z_JzYBSTQKeDuKOqyd_IP5DKw8P3Mz_lsm_eLWvQ6-4JmNekTklK7ZBymPRTdkB0CGSqneLOTyMvNH6ihijqWq1CZUKALb15O0X-yt_StRGn5s6akLlHM8chX05zepN5xRHyvwuXNzL/s320/TranCharlottesWebMovie.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Working on the Charlotte's Web trailer in 2006-7</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFlKtvDG3HwomwC4xowoytrNeE0yU-Bk7TFti74dSQ7QnD_OlElLElgSTRhIX9Z4PJzCOBYlIs8Wz43kWsJ36DhUF0OcRVKMIyPZb_Uw_kxoN3wzN-QBWcWfsqkTEniTAzDIndQ3mrDBY5kEtZW0BW1h_MY2JID5NFrym6i5K3BjAeTuFJf5IQSGtr_6zM/s532/TranMaliWinContest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="360" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFlKtvDG3HwomwC4xowoytrNeE0yU-Bk7TFti74dSQ7QnD_OlElLElgSTRhIX9Z4PJzCOBYlIs8Wz43kWsJ36DhUF0OcRVKMIyPZb_Uw_kxoN3wzN-QBWcWfsqkTEniTAzDIndQ3mrDBY5kEtZW0BW1h_MY2JID5NFrym6i5K3BjAeTuFJf5IQSGtr_6zM/s320/TranMaliWinContest.jpg" width="217" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Celebrating our contest win in 2007</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The school where I work is a highly coveted one by educators. It's a great place to work. The likelihood that you can return to a teaching position there is rather slim. However, Julie defied the odds by returning to us in 2022-23 as our French teacher. Since her return, she has been active. Last year, she helped with Student Council and this year switched her attention to the French Club as well as some new upcoming clubs. She also played a major role in bringing back our LEWIS (Lunch Every Wednesday Is Salad) staff tradition. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoBc5BrRSBnh53XUnEI7RGi5pKdi0N7TDWayMgI5XcOL0C4o3OQ9Rn2zueSO0azXPBk4bnSearKzUD5auLsPZJijlkpOVI9tNCIzXJldzD_lO-wEmK47-Q9lx-YM1gDt3eB-x6hwQHo_-BTMqkbP93TcZF-vDbbBDN0GeeMAARmBId-41mOqkcmL7sC6EZ/s3088/IMG_3475.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2320" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoBc5BrRSBnh53XUnEI7RGi5pKdi0N7TDWayMgI5XcOL0C4o3OQ9Rn2zueSO0azXPBk4bnSearKzUD5auLsPZJijlkpOVI9tNCIzXJldzD_lO-wEmK47-Q9lx-YM1gDt3eB-x6hwQHo_-BTMqkbP93TcZF-vDbbBDN0GeeMAARmBId-41mOqkcmL7sC6EZ/s320/IMG_3475.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div>(By the way, I spent an inordinate amount of time searching for a photo of Julie and I wearing angel halos. I thought it would make a good contrast to the frog and devil photo above from Halloween 2023 but I'll be damned [pun intended] if I just cannot find it in my photo archives!)</div><div><br /></div><div>Why is Julie a gem? She is conscientious. She is organized. She is dedicated. She is enthusiastic. She is caring. All of these things, and more, make her a great colleague and friend. We are lucky to have her back at our school.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks Julie for working so hard on on this major event for our school and continuing to work hard to have our students learn and thrive. </div>MZMollyTLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17565896547458451347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692067574614653754.post-87132480474426341872024-02-19T00:00:00.000-08:002024-02-19T00:00:00.135-08:00A Day with Hafiz at the ArchivesHappy Family Day to those who celebrate. It was a full week leading up to Family Day, with Valentine's Day, Ash Wednesday, 100s Day, and Parent-Teacher interviews all filling the calendar. I want to share what I did on Friday, February 16, 2024. Usually, half the time for elementary teachers is designated for completing interviews, and then the other half is a lieu day in exchange for staying late on Thursday night. As the teacher-librarian in charge of social studies and drama, who shepherds the translators during this time, my presence is not crucial on Friday. Months earlier, while listening to one of my guest speakers at my York University Teacher Librarian AQ course, I was captivated enough by his talk to sign up for a workshop he was running. This is how I ended up at the Archives of Ontario on a chilly Friday to explore more about Games Based Learning with Hafiz Printer, Senior Coordinator of Education Programming and Exhibitions.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR9Z7I2wtTIbWQNHxAgchcPv-wKU4HYp_WlT8yFcyzwIn1160y8ha-ZRmaRnysId6E_F05bN2pP7qZXVRS-gvuePM0rmEdjhSnm4sJzEdkCcwaIHlzU4MVhe3sAR3w0xcti4oiUSxcfYtIJP7wZktfqHM5zvPYX7jPyYYfn1ZpMPLHxE74lnOS5L8ZJAZ7/s4032/IMG_6167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR9Z7I2wtTIbWQNHxAgchcPv-wKU4HYp_WlT8yFcyzwIn1160y8ha-ZRmaRnysId6E_F05bN2pP7qZXVRS-gvuePM0rmEdjhSnm4sJzEdkCcwaIHlzU4MVhe3sAR3w0xcti4oiUSxcfYtIJP7wZktfqHM5zvPYX7jPyYYfn1ZpMPLHxE74lnOS5L8ZJAZ7/s320/IMG_6167.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><div><br /></div><div>On the Archives of Ontario website, this is how the <a href="https://www.archives.gov.on.ca/en/education/professional_development.aspx" target="_blank">GBL workshop</a> was described:</div><blockquote><div><p style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; font-family: Raleway, Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14.248px; margin: 0.2em 20px 1.5em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Interested in incorporating game-based learning into your teaching? In this full day workshop, we will explore the difference between gamification and game-based learning and how these can contribute to meaningful learning experiences. Teachers will get the chance to try different kinds of games before going through the process of creating their own board game.</p><p style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; font-family: Raleway, Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14.248px; margin: 0.2em 20px 1.5em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Workshop Highlights:</p><ol style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; font-family: Raleway, Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14.248px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0px 0px 20px 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><li style="background: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 14.248px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><p style="background: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 14.248px; margin: 0.2em 20px 1.5em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Learn 3 Approaches to Incorporating Games: Explore the different degrees of incorporating games into your teaching, from using existing games, modifying existing games, and creating your own game.</p></li><li style="background: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 14.248px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><p style="background: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 14.248px; margin: 0.2em 20px 1.5em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Board Game Creation: Take part in a collaborative game jam where you will work alongside fellow educators to design and prototype your own board game. </p></li></ol></div></blockquote><p>Even though I was the only elementary teacher in the workshop, I really enjoyed listening to the presentation and working with like-minded educators. Hafiz made some great connections to learning and playing games.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgGnCb_sLLCMNjo-yAEAC3DtDE_vc7z9D16thexN5SiOn7kqHDAdJrGpnjT9UGAyNbzQ4h58vpNcPA5-l74Q4CnDlTa6XSsmq5lNSQHSJ5gfFcBj3dLhsH8O6hFMZ1iQJb49MiHTgp0EgezgZUR2kpRyt9vqe3TLWe2oX4DJq2yEfU7Dj90_JAKwsj-jr-/s4032/IMG_6143.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgGnCb_sLLCMNjo-yAEAC3DtDE_vc7z9D16thexN5SiOn7kqHDAdJrGpnjT9UGAyNbzQ4h58vpNcPA5-l74Q4CnDlTa6XSsmq5lNSQHSJ5gfFcBj3dLhsH8O6hFMZ1iQJb49MiHTgp0EgezgZUR2kpRyt9vqe3TLWe2oX4DJq2yEfU7Dj90_JAKwsj-jr-/s320/IMG_6143.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">He addressed game-based learning vs gamification, which I really appreciated. (Few educators acknowledge that a difference exists.) He showed us about using games exactly as they are with the example of Timeline. (I played Timeline with my Grade 5-6 students in 2020-21 and it's inspired me to try a version with my current social studies students.) Hafiz mentioned some cool games I'd love to buy for myself. (That's the purpose of the photo below - to remember which games he named.)</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQy_ryd1wvpmIBVJuO7hxwV-qJLqziC30JMgNPPMbHhToXGg1djp8EMVwvYP81ZRSf1ScHMsWEF47VTp29ahjTxCnkKjRlaskW9_uEFdflg4IFEpqGog8hngahJIeETJaDARVULWL-NeL18BhOj8aEE7SwzfiXQ8tDhACLPYm04aw8bdoV3bDpF35C02lv/s4032/IMG_6146.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQy_ryd1wvpmIBVJuO7hxwV-qJLqziC30JMgNPPMbHhToXGg1djp8EMVwvYP81ZRSf1ScHMsWEF47VTp29ahjTxCnkKjRlaskW9_uEFdflg4IFEpqGog8hngahJIeETJaDARVULWL-NeL18BhOj8aEE7SwzfiXQ8tDhACLPYm04aw8bdoV3bDpF35C02lv/s320/IMG_6146.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">He demonstrated how to modify existing games by playing Taboo with the group in attendance using cards he tailor-made for the target audience (educators). </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1b7AYFYGfRZC3a2Vj8bIfHQIGVjbTeJHtv9RGVvA8o8ilYo4nJYKFZ3xfECVKtJc4reihIPejEb_VbapG-ISGpklVpp9Es5yUx6CdYQ_I6sJQ16U325iUx5Uz-c6B_1Elwg0xokh3W2Q2c2rXA-RZXoTrPtFauybCIJRk9wYPWTobHB0bv1DtUtFKAu7C/s4032/IMG_6147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1b7AYFYGfRZC3a2Vj8bIfHQIGVjbTeJHtv9RGVvA8o8ilYo4nJYKFZ3xfECVKtJc4reihIPejEb_VbapG-ISGpklVpp9Es5yUx6CdYQ_I6sJQ16U325iUx5Uz-c6B_1Elwg0xokh3W2Q2c2rXA-RZXoTrPtFauybCIJRk9wYPWTobHB0bv1DtUtFKAu7C/s320/IMG_6147.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The last half of the workshop actually had us in small groups designing our own games for use in the classroom. I won't go over all the steps Hafiz took us through, but it was really amazing that after the explanations and the time to work, most of the four groups actually had a working prototype by the end of the session.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEMZQwpk2T38qqX1Nbu27AL-q7w4NaQkdymLQwN3yJNxwlKOae9jIknkZscK77aOR69zq_6lWXN2DLY3c4r-J46wjbIiFbLRfA7KwkmmFmUnifm_RxGJloraMGra3IMKRJz4H9X7xE5cenLZrcJRb9la2so0VJTkR3SAx88hvuVR90fyBu2p5kjV1vaQTg/s4032/IMG_6151.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEMZQwpk2T38qqX1Nbu27AL-q7w4NaQkdymLQwN3yJNxwlKOae9jIknkZscK77aOR69zq_6lWXN2DLY3c4r-J46wjbIiFbLRfA7KwkmmFmUnifm_RxGJloraMGra3IMKRJz4H9X7xE5cenLZrcJRb9la2so0VJTkR3SAx88hvuVR90fyBu2p5kjV1vaQTg/s320/IMG_6151.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>The group I collaborated with created a game for Grade 10 History about the Great Depression. I generated the potential names for the game and the group chose the one they liked the best. Our game was called "Poor Us: Managing the Great Depression [in Toronto]".</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk5UNWOzAWOXQLq_tra7PvEEoBxtR5WG0x8UFcdfVJkKvRWWwAwiyUTXPNxhA7GTGPV8F9SxC2QssCCiaA-nvuc4zMq9MEFQe8auFJFhiAfY8AN6TgzMu5EqZbc7oibfM8_X4zEfxnqxT2kzzuch9k1mfZ3z-Klx91rakKpvl7SBvPxf8QVGJAtGcT3HPi/s4032/IMG_6155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk5UNWOzAWOXQLq_tra7PvEEoBxtR5WG0x8UFcdfVJkKvRWWwAwiyUTXPNxhA7GTGPV8F9SxC2QssCCiaA-nvuc4zMq9MEFQe8auFJFhiAfY8AN6TgzMu5EqZbc7oibfM8_X4zEfxnqxT2kzzuch9k1mfZ3z-Klx91rakKpvl7SBvPxf8QVGJAtGcT3HPi/s320/IMG_6155.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>An extra thrill was seeing not one, but two former York U TL AQ alumni in the workshop. Thankfully, they didn't flee or try to dodge me when they saw me. Great to reconnect again, Jimmy and Aaron!</p><p>It wasn't just the content of the workshop that made it enjoyable. Hafiz Printer is an accomplished facilitator. He's been a teacher (and an award-winning one at that, receiving one of the Prime Minister's Award for Teaching Excellence in the past), and worked for the Aga Khan Museum prior to his current stint at the Archives of Ontario. I've seen him do a workshop as part of the Toronto Heritage Fair and he did a great job engaging middle-school students after a long day. The other cool thing about Hafiz is that he is a "hobbyist game designer" and co-founded Printer Ink Games with his twin brother. His enthusiasm for teaching, learning, and gaming is contagious. I look forward to having him present again at the York U TL AQ in the spring.</p><p>Spending time discussing games made me nostalgic for my times with the members of the GamingEdus. This is the <a href="https://mondaymollymusings.blogspot.com/2023/09/a-funny-thing-happened-on-way-to-library.html" target="_blank">second time this school year</a> that my mind has strayed back to Liam, Denise, Andy and Jen. The GamingEdus website still exists (see <a href="https://gamingedus.org/">https://gamingedus.org/</a>) thanks to the archiving abilities of Andy, even though we haven't posted there in a while. That ship might have sailed, but I can keep playing, thinking, and writing about games here on this blog or on the AML website (<a href="https://aml.ca/">https://aml.ca/</a>). More importantly, it can spur me to return to integrating more games and games-based learning into my social studies teaching.</p><p><br /></p><p>PS Hafiz, here is a photo of my husband and I playing the analog version of Tetris. Borrow it from me whenever you like so you can try it out. I might be using it for my Board Game Club which will be held on Friday mornings after March Break, but you can call dibs.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt6HlEfP8uQ126BOdNXxTvfzgP3BI8l2kYMOb9_GUNAet5TYPD6kGOzE_IRlg0YtrPpQPhTNz2tjIk44xLNPuQwJw2Od5DbkzrP5izR4p6nKHKP1hNBUvuVD40xN12A6sJB3oX5Y3z14xFm8omNbgNHh7LhiatSM51Ca53yu3ozNIImS83KpUCmIFZfc4K/s4032/IMG_1662.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt6HlEfP8uQ126BOdNXxTvfzgP3BI8l2kYMOb9_GUNAet5TYPD6kGOzE_IRlg0YtrPpQPhTNz2tjIk44xLNPuQwJw2Od5DbkzrP5izR4p6nKHKP1hNBUvuVD40xN12A6sJB3oX5Y3z14xFm8omNbgNHh7LhiatSM51Ca53yu3ozNIImS83KpUCmIFZfc4K/s320/IMG_1662.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlKWPf4omLit_x1UnMHNchfc9Z96PSHY7VAlZ4Wr71nOANWz4GauPcnoWwewP9yiyZRevoeG5zzEmkMObEKAhal6vQYurgd8dMPQ0uajLut8oo2sw8kaKCg633WUfs473jS5AKtVbxaAqzipkLepum-0HjReZoralv5gf06J2y6y1gEOsflU3VWo5EKPl3/s4032/IMG_1668.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlKWPf4omLit_x1UnMHNchfc9Z96PSHY7VAlZ4Wr71nOANWz4GauPcnoWwewP9yiyZRevoeG5zzEmkMObEKAhal6vQYurgd8dMPQ0uajLut8oo2sw8kaKCg633WUfs473jS5AKtVbxaAqzipkLepum-0HjReZoralv5gf06J2y6y1gEOsflU3VWo5EKPl3/s320/IMG_1668.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>PPS - Hafiz, have you heard of the Serious Play Conference? I've been getting email notifications about it (<a href="https://seriousplayconf.com/">https://seriousplayconf.com/</a>). Maybe you should apply for an award, or at least be a speaker. </p></div>MZMollyTLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17565896547458451347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692067574614653754.post-43226736004983112532024-02-12T00:00:00.000-08:002024-02-12T00:00:00.140-08:00Be Loud. Be Expressive. Be Brave. <p> I wasn't sure what to write about for this week's blog post. To help me decide, I looked at the photos on my phone. The images helped me consolidate what was important about this past week.</p><p>This school year, I am the main prep provider for all the kindergarten classes in my school. Nearly half of my schedule involves spending time with the 4- and 5-year-olds. We are moving into a new term at school, now that report cards are completed, and I'm alert to what direction my lessons might take with these youngest learners. The inquiry theme from last semester was all about imagination. Based on my observations so far, I might focus on "being". Here's why.</p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Music - Be Loud. Try out Tap Shoes</h4><p>I really like bringing in surprise objects for the students to explore. We've done a lot with musical instruments, from trumpets and French horns to tubas and flutes. I found my old tap shoes from when I used to teach dance and brought them for students to experiment with. I liked how they moved in different ways of their own accord to make sound. I also liked how some realized why we chose to explore on the hard tile floor instead of the carpeted areas of the classroom.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY4MC9GQFZ5SUQWpRHQmtL4ghyfn09h4RtWg69ARmtMYv6HnhXCVNEFIhUwJTWH2MnS1ePRWajUg3Civ-uoXm4CZ98IXLPUp3OIk55V7UGC1DQW1shoE2e6sJmlF1_XvYl7cTSeakEAa3OShI_t_XMmS7JZWqyJ6NJKJAdiE-K5MpywnKouqnJkPAJripH/s4032/IMG_5922.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY4MC9GQFZ5SUQWpRHQmtL4ghyfn09h4RtWg69ARmtMYv6HnhXCVNEFIhUwJTWH2MnS1ePRWajUg3Civ-uoXm4CZ98IXLPUp3OIk55V7UGC1DQW1shoE2e6sJmlF1_XvYl7cTSeakEAa3OShI_t_XMmS7JZWqyJ6NJKJAdiE-K5MpywnKouqnJkPAJripH/s320/IMG_5922.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><b>Dance & Drama - Be Expressive. Pretend with a Magic Box</b></h4><p>A few weeks ago, we were swimming in piles of boxes. Matthew Malisani brought a huge box from home and the students in his class created a magic "house", which they were absolutely thrilled to show me. I wanted to continue the excitement, so I asked if we could play with it again but this time, I wanted to take photos and videos of the students in action. We talked about pretending to be surprised or shocked when the students "disappeared" after entering the box. It didn't go as smoothly as I might have hoped, but I captured a few great moments.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid2vdJ4tTNVszAyzhuECEWCPfhx5SG-7iV9mLCWkfru3CgjBBGydbYkFaMOjNBX4uoaz2ja9Nt_vFlQakAzMzNYdDVWDWhUNIvnLQiJ01WBA0zmOYYbCxcTJMOV9HXBex75cp9rc62s7MJE_ayscHGwhT64W62XKH_MAcKpOg-EJVnQ8Nibl2VLEWAm-h5/s4032/MagicBox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid2vdJ4tTNVszAyzhuECEWCPfhx5SG-7iV9mLCWkfru3CgjBBGydbYkFaMOjNBX4uoaz2ja9Nt_vFlQakAzMzNYdDVWDWhUNIvnLQiJ01WBA0zmOYYbCxcTJMOV9HXBex75cp9rc62s7MJE_ayscHGwhT64W62XKH_MAcKpOg-EJVnQ8Nibl2VLEWAm-h5/s320/MagicBox.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Dance & Drama and Outdoor Time - Be Brave. Climb in a Green Blob or on the Bars</h4><p>Another "surprise in a bag" I shared with the kindergarten students was what I affectionately named "The Green Blob". Students take off their shoes and climb inside the stretchy fabric. Some of the students were actually afraid of seeing the blob. Some were hesitant to try it out. With some reassurance (and "the right to pass"), we took turns exploring. Some students really got into yelling instructions to the green blob, like shrinking, growing, and moving in different ways.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrBS3FzZmN_4p1SGR3CCGxjmLjFE-UZxZTEZ0g6X5SOdY0LC1IrwEoE2_e6I88wR2G5yjTTcRn4HDdBftzhsgl-kTDbNFQmQJ_ElzcW3NQgAgQsYpjNcTrtWIcLcL2d1UfsEv2H2nc9bRpVri0LUbmRGChtGVUST9FoadoYSeyN3k3xv4ldvRbOFJdBkC5/s4032/IMG_5934.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrBS3FzZmN_4p1SGR3CCGxjmLjFE-UZxZTEZ0g6X5SOdY0LC1IrwEoE2_e6I88wR2G5yjTTcRn4HDdBftzhsgl-kTDbNFQmQJ_ElzcW3NQgAgQsYpjNcTrtWIcLcL2d1UfsEv2H2nc9bRpVri0LUbmRGChtGVUST9FoadoYSeyN3k3xv4ldvRbOFJdBkC5/s320/IMG_5934.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>On Friday afternoon, both kindergarten classes went out to the "big park" to play. I accompanied them. Many students wanted to try the monkey bars and climbing dome, but they were afraid of falling. </p><p>"Help me, Ms. Mali!", they called. </p><p>I tried to support them enough so they'd feel safe but not so much that they didn't try semi-independently. After a few attempts, several learners began to reach farther and climb longer without me holding them. They felt really proud of themselves when they reached their spot.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4D8bLMRUEqHiCDvDhwCzwIJMlVRglUr46MuZCt6ejK4Y-CHV05nzm24jjvRNPxuM_zAMX1TiJx4RLtFzj6msYWNMgjyPsLtPiC6JE_EkQDkIA-a_nCDe1ZDFod9a6Hlc6DHRa4Ac3EJvhY0b_6b6VEigq9BfBkLtFwKo11GBZlJB_T7cA2i2IrjA-5fW1/s4032/IMG_5951.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4D8bLMRUEqHiCDvDhwCzwIJMlVRglUr46MuZCt6ejK4Y-CHV05nzm24jjvRNPxuM_zAMX1TiJx4RLtFzj6msYWNMgjyPsLtPiC6JE_EkQDkIA-a_nCDe1ZDFod9a6Hlc6DHRa4Ac3EJvhY0b_6b6VEigq9BfBkLtFwKo11GBZlJB_T7cA2i2IrjA-5fW1/s320/IMG_5951.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>I think being loud, expressive, and brave is a good mantra for us educators as well. It's simpler, sometimes, to just keep quiet if something is bothering you and not "rock the boat". Why make a fuss? Is it really a big deal? Even though confronting issues can be thorny and awkward, I think it erodes our insides if we don't address them. Nothing may change, (because can leopards change their spots?) but at least we know that we have tried our best to communicate our feelings. If we don't try to point out injustice, exclusionary/unfair practices, and just boorish behaviour, who else will? I hope people will recognize themselves in this final paragraph (coded as it may be) and take comfort. </p><p>And, if you don't get a chance to read anything else this week, read Matthew Morris' blog post, <a href="https://www.matthewrmorris.com/target-on-my-black/" target="_blank">https://www.matthewrmorris.com/target-on-my-black/ </a>. Thank you Doug Peterson for drawing my attention to this post. And thank you Matthew, for being there for your former students, for writing about this experience, and being expressive and brave.</p>MZMollyTLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17565896547458451347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692067574614653754.post-36181392234262906012024-02-05T00:00:00.000-08:002024-02-05T00:00:00.132-08:00Unexpected Outdoor EOEC Adventure<p> I'm a bit discombobulated this week. I'm more tired than usual, behind on my evaluation deadlines for school and my AQs, and prone to forgetting booked appointments. I have a good reason for not quite being at 100%. I was asked on Saturday night if I could fill in and help supervise the 3-day, 2-night intermediate division trip to the Etobicoke Outdoor Education Center that was scheduled to start that coming Monday. Knowing how much fun and how much learning happens in these places, because I went in <a href="https://mondaymollymusings.blogspot.com/2023/02/making-memories-at-eoec.html" target="_blank">2023</a> and <a href="https://mondaymollymusings.blogspot.com/2018/07/lessons-in-patience-and-failure-at-eoec.html" target="_blank">2018</a>, I agreed. I covered for Lisa Daley, who was unable to attend, and spent time alongside the wonderful Farah Wadia and remarkable Dean Roberts, who represented the school supervisory group. Here is a quick overview of our calendar of events.</p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Monday Morning</h4><p>There was a lot of bustling around as I dropped off supply teaching plans, collected bus seating plans and other important documents, and kept an eye on the excited 45 students in the gym as we waited for the bus. I was a little worried that I'd have to deal with vomit, as I was told that many of the students on the Grade 7 bus where I was to be suffered from motion sickness. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, it seems, as I passed out many bags to use "just in case" and didn't have any puke to handle. We arrived without incident and had the required fire drill rehearsal and tour of the premises.</p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Monday Afternoon</h4><p>We were very lucky that the conditions were still suitable for cross country skiing and snowshoeing. The students were allowed to choose which activity to try. Dean and I went with the ski group. I did not ski because I needed to be more mobile to provide assistance and support to students who needed it. I admired how plucky the students were; for many of them, it was their first time on skis. Other than some spills and a nose bleed, it was a fun and injury-free activity. After the skiing and snowshoeing, the pre-teens could either go tubing or feed the wild chickadees. I supervised the bird feeders.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxJweuuYWR3UFlGv9_425tg6WMyg-OxCULT_yRQYU9npdeMcCMJ9zJUY1MPTk66p6p2w2qArqvEucoGYctLuqIxR3baO0WYO3jHVOv-Tq5WWNna-wgfwQOs4FVP_b-5HJbjB8zA2zUvYUuaM_HUEUHkhlItvADSTkhvUbhCOyVhnOylBk9zfegVXQrvULe/s4032/IMG_5292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxJweuuYWR3UFlGv9_425tg6WMyg-OxCULT_yRQYU9npdeMcCMJ9zJUY1MPTk66p6p2w2qArqvEucoGYctLuqIxR3baO0WYO3jHVOv-Tq5WWNna-wgfwQOs4FVP_b-5HJbjB8zA2zUvYUuaM_HUEUHkhlItvADSTkhvUbhCOyVhnOylBk9zfegVXQrvULe/s320/IMG_5292.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhALV1xJG8WPldOwD865JHtbW2tlq4ipClyOfzTvkoZXTt7IsS9JRb506Z7yFf9u_WYwFqobxYROXpzeJvgFP6lolHKVn03IR-q-b_XQm9zgfGAtIctcmIlNSDI2VzQqRK1p1zI8pxEJu7A3k2zg9FmEmMQx0cRodw8hXZyxFPR2vmPZRKqsbKAJISRarcg/s4032/IMG_5310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhALV1xJG8WPldOwD865JHtbW2tlq4ipClyOfzTvkoZXTt7IsS9JRb506Z7yFf9u_WYwFqobxYROXpzeJvgFP6lolHKVn03IR-q-b_XQm9zgfGAtIctcmIlNSDI2VzQqRK1p1zI8pxEJu7A3k2zg9FmEmMQx0cRodw8hXZyxFPR2vmPZRKqsbKAJISRarcg/s320/IMG_5310.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkdQk1StzhIjUCxHaNkEvcOtHcKjzNUqoD8QWy2utqgCrPf6rqmFzfIXYKCihwiHkTf8bIxH5a2eOv5dTzTyv8uJ1QQmyKofBDdvRnYjYXD7NlJ0TDa0TH7uLGaCBbtOGJmMqOSSJM3QZIyVYVY7MtqQeFNRTwjmXzfSXo79knI5uoehA0LJsS6D2swiAR/s4032/IMG_5367.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkdQk1StzhIjUCxHaNkEvcOtHcKjzNUqoD8QWy2utqgCrPf6rqmFzfIXYKCihwiHkTf8bIxH5a2eOv5dTzTyv8uJ1QQmyKofBDdvRnYjYXD7NlJ0TDa0TH7uLGaCBbtOGJmMqOSSJM3QZIyVYVY7MtqQeFNRTwjmXzfSXo79knI5uoehA0LJsS6D2swiAR/s320/IMG_5367.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_7bvHICUI0sU2hmay8WEz9T7GERF7WV1SWMVsVS9uaAY3xLXpTrikecTBLXXUdUKudelOyT94uPlnJySg69cNnrI6IhFCpE28KLEWJPoO1uecWWUSwVOzjflAXpaPzUH85j6LguZzVEqVo0SBwmekN8B3IQTApu6BTZnzNTF1ib6RAvZ_hswGrICMhE-B/s4032/IMG_5376.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_7bvHICUI0sU2hmay8WEz9T7GERF7WV1SWMVsVS9uaAY3xLXpTrikecTBLXXUdUKudelOyT94uPlnJySg69cNnrI6IhFCpE28KLEWJPoO1uecWWUSwVOzjflAXpaPzUH85j6LguZzVEqVo0SBwmekN8B3IQTApu6BTZnzNTF1ib6RAvZ_hswGrICMhE-B/s320/IMG_5376.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_DNNBVFZEoVgwNpR6cBeTcgVELPsZIQPXBhdP-4ggdhW3vU5g2QapfUJiSMsRd3W-Ljy8OiEFY9QCv5wMoV83hA4UbBUTywew5eHl-N1ABVufYkrFrG35WrNM4kfqaLJA3-sgqjrXz2Fx7bTmCHNW0WJZo6g96m2sGAK6EDWHEgDwaiuM3Gerp_JwNV20/s4032/IMG_5386.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_DNNBVFZEoVgwNpR6cBeTcgVELPsZIQPXBhdP-4ggdhW3vU5g2QapfUJiSMsRd3W-Ljy8OiEFY9QCv5wMoV83hA4UbBUTywew5eHl-N1ABVufYkrFrG35WrNM4kfqaLJA3-sgqjrXz2Fx7bTmCHNW0WJZo6g96m2sGAK6EDWHEgDwaiuM3Gerp_JwNV20/s320/IMG_5386.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKbTS6PZHXfdxuANgQmzhm2vcSUhm_Md4Y7gHGKCat0Unhado7sAUvyY21lFIaQDbtp9QXSfjpUq_YsfthsXqBxW04GFxH6nzlFcWLCyQl-bLCw4gEgkx0AwSWXqH5i4BUwFe7v2NFFF-nnlFbG8xocp7-DgMYFyAOZpZURL0NGuc-fLxm2XZP4BULj_xa/s4032/IMG_5397.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKbTS6PZHXfdxuANgQmzhm2vcSUhm_Md4Y7gHGKCat0Unhado7sAUvyY21lFIaQDbtp9QXSfjpUq_YsfthsXqBxW04GFxH6nzlFcWLCyQl-bLCw4gEgkx0AwSWXqH5i4BUwFe7v2NFFF-nnlFbG8xocp7-DgMYFyAOZpZURL0NGuc-fLxm2XZP4BULj_xa/s320/IMG_5397.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Monday Evening</h4><p>After a lasagna dinner and some free time in the common room, the entire group assembled to play Find Frank. The students maneuvered in the dark to find a stuffed dummy who was hidden in the woods. Teachers with flashlights would try to "catch" hunters; if they moved while the beam of light was on them, they had to forfeit their "life stick" and claim another one near a central location. I didn't get to spend as much time participating in Find Frank, because I had to help a student just before the game began and one mid-way through the activity; both students had "bathroom issues". They recovered without any further incidents. We timed their showers to keep it under 5 minutes for water conservation, and most of the female students, after some socializing in the girls' dorm hallway, were in bed by 10:30 pm. I attempted to assess some social studies projects on my laptop, but gave up around 11:00 pm. I needed sleep more.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoBJMGYPtravHhaA1eIVJhwAJaljUM8Rt7ocDbT4RLDfFdjTNrj57j-EjLNPL4yYNGWO8mIZHDNB56e7jiymudxsNbB3e1WK-46hYwNuw2zh508T1M0NcJLpF3N9gYWcGAZ1nEQEWhyphenhyphenIuW5PHrnS4R0jeikAFWHmd01mp3BeuvXnxjTC5liETxaX-Dyw4N/s4032/IMG_5422.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoBJMGYPtravHhaA1eIVJhwAJaljUM8Rt7ocDbT4RLDfFdjTNrj57j-EjLNPL4yYNGWO8mIZHDNB56e7jiymudxsNbB3e1WK-46hYwNuw2zh508T1M0NcJLpF3N9gYWcGAZ1nEQEWhyphenhyphenIuW5PHrnS4R0jeikAFWHmd01mp3BeuvXnxjTC5liETxaX-Dyw4N/s320/IMG_5422.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Tuesday Morning</h4><p>We awoke at 6:45 am, enjoyed our breakfast of oatmeal and pancakes, and after some more common room free time, split into three groups for our Survival Skills activity. I went with Kristiana, aka Ms. T and her group of about 15 students. She did a great job connecting their prior knowledge about what it's like getting lost to strategies for staying calm and managing the crisis (with the acronym STOP: Stay Put, Think, Observe, Plan). The students built shelters, learned how to start a fire, made bannock, and boiled water for hemlock tea.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs70uxnFn0qGbaXEJTbZH4Wdn3U0wvACk6tgfPs2EUs1BNcIpDu1fVVc_L3MREVvJKmoEqp5X6pn_UMde3-qVL9PSnVTkSsewcyRUwVNSjCQT8AmqdHI1-hV4-NkkyFqIlRD-4Dn37MYJRCy8TyG4eAFGbvfXntj-ObIfb-7hU85aZbEuyntkISa8g6Fbz/s4032/IMG_5473.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs70uxnFn0qGbaXEJTbZH4Wdn3U0wvACk6tgfPs2EUs1BNcIpDu1fVVc_L3MREVvJKmoEqp5X6pn_UMde3-qVL9PSnVTkSsewcyRUwVNSjCQT8AmqdHI1-hV4-NkkyFqIlRD-4Dn37MYJRCy8TyG4eAFGbvfXntj-ObIfb-7hU85aZbEuyntkISa8g6Fbz/s320/IMG_5473.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDBc3XoIBINq4TMSiI1l2I-9Tr5zAIU10QNcmSXTSSWCBP0ImOsfxvX0pFX4oiTNLxszGnk5TNkXXYLtGz5Zzh88mloLmRqu7UFGYwaD-f0qm7R5_doUI5OOH3wuWmIAi61Ue4LLVyZW4vB8kEVVlb0oLxmJwpn0T-Y5R_smFG50xY8WDbKYF4nRHXdN49/s4032/IMG_5481.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDBc3XoIBINq4TMSiI1l2I-9Tr5zAIU10QNcmSXTSSWCBP0ImOsfxvX0pFX4oiTNLxszGnk5TNkXXYLtGz5Zzh88mloLmRqu7UFGYwaD-f0qm7R5_doUI5OOH3wuWmIAi61Ue4LLVyZW4vB8kEVVlb0oLxmJwpn0T-Y5R_smFG50xY8WDbKYF4nRHXdN49/s320/IMG_5481.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu5I6NhBENBNmvXuIBc7csRv9K3o7FrLW7XWd5V69wYHB7O7OL2r8uT76Ea_tjylBO16UTU8fdn3I5PlArcrpY57WqFqaVfwM_GyswRQoNyheduloDi7EW3zBEYctbZv2zNDHuTKnh8RM1RNrY5vPrk5ILyYrMEUek6Bj9EJNhTNqhn4A-xxXExzyHrTji/s4032/IMG_5485.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu5I6NhBENBNmvXuIBc7csRv9K3o7FrLW7XWd5V69wYHB7O7OL2r8uT76Ea_tjylBO16UTU8fdn3I5PlArcrpY57WqFqaVfwM_GyswRQoNyheduloDi7EW3zBEYctbZv2zNDHuTKnh8RM1RNrY5vPrk5ILyYrMEUek6Bj9EJNhTNqhn4A-xxXExzyHrTji/s320/IMG_5485.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgceNhdLPdKEwsQy-jrOVrZXID1MUuPMksqslJt8NNQPqflb33cDL3ygUsFrFdTiACXzsQAnCJr5I2E5zL3jHDS2-nZhY7-Ts2Bq46R1fwPJXQcLbIhf5rV6Hxe6Vg7PuTacIo_l7y7cMUnARjpFQiBDwYV7xs6JyZuKpRW0t_P_GhGRqqq5PMFipGAQvdM/s4032/IMG_5552.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgceNhdLPdKEwsQy-jrOVrZXID1MUuPMksqslJt8NNQPqflb33cDL3ygUsFrFdTiACXzsQAnCJr5I2E5zL3jHDS2-nZhY7-Ts2Bq46R1fwPJXQcLbIhf5rV6Hxe6Vg7PuTacIo_l7y7cMUnARjpFQiBDwYV7xs6JyZuKpRW0t_P_GhGRqqq5PMFipGAQvdM/s320/IMG_5552.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs83zUsM6uUJ3sfowcwYteb1AgWDO-xTTjuYV5jGFuPiiYhtgITb8AZ1licClnIEXE5rxD3DIQTuvOrhpkKSGFDxDal6FRG9gKbAiJXB0K2J3rQRju4hwVILBm27CSUeu6nRvFRZfCMTBihAgkFaMMdIvpc-o604HmNocIcTGAtGF_aGrGdSF_rcP9rJBH/s4032/IMG_5553.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs83zUsM6uUJ3sfowcwYteb1AgWDO-xTTjuYV5jGFuPiiYhtgITb8AZ1licClnIEXE5rxD3DIQTuvOrhpkKSGFDxDal6FRG9gKbAiJXB0K2J3rQRju4hwVILBm27CSUeu6nRvFRZfCMTBihAgkFaMMdIvpc-o604HmNocIcTGAtGF_aGrGdSF_rcP9rJBH/s320/IMG_5553.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Tuesday Afternoon</h4><p>After a lunch of grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup (I think - I didn't keep careful track of when we ate which of the meals), we engaged in a whole group activity called Trappers and Traders. The concept was clever; students were split into small groups representing Indigenous trappers and European traders. They had to travel along certain trails to collect information that, when reported at headquarters, would earn them pelt points. They turned in their points at their respective centers for materials that their group would access. After the time was up for earning points and purchasing items, then everyone gathered in the common room and tried to trade for goods. They had explanation cards which showed them which goods were worth most and tips on how to try and get the most out of the trade. The negotiations were heated and strategic. It was a great way to get a glimpse of the economic mainstay of early Canadian history.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMIzarHvvrqBoqg3zCgguK2yxIkDJyD4RSUoFC0DesF2ZsysHsHyDu_2ZRpWdJK-ZgQ7QLrAnwYrdTkdhRs706gcq9SJxl276oNcVMsKWLdunJz_b8o9kDTRLDfzQ3bOg0amqoan3g5cR0dzXHvg_3D0WiTZkJnJkNCyWOtwO101ZNtYgVQ99ml7_BfEMO/s4032/IMG_5600.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMIzarHvvrqBoqg3zCgguK2yxIkDJyD4RSUoFC0DesF2ZsysHsHyDu_2ZRpWdJK-ZgQ7QLrAnwYrdTkdhRs706gcq9SJxl276oNcVMsKWLdunJz_b8o9kDTRLDfzQ3bOg0amqoan3g5cR0dzXHvg_3D0WiTZkJnJkNCyWOtwO101ZNtYgVQ99ml7_BfEMO/s320/IMG_5600.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Tuesday Evening</h4><p>We dined on Swedish meatballs, roasted potatoes and corn for supper. The evening activity was a camp fire. We walked to the site, and sat around the fire together. Students took turns telling riddles and "EOEC Steve" showed visual riddles for the students to guess. Everyone roasted a marshmallow over the open flames and wrapped their gooey treat in a chocolate cookie for a yummy s'more alternative. After we returned from our campfire, we gathered in the common room for a Macphail tradition: short skits by each room group. As usual, they were amusing. Even the teachers take part. After the plays, everyone returned to their sleeping areas. The hall continued to be a fun place to hang out. There were many funny and fascinating conversations that had many of us giggling. The students went to bed and the teachers chewed the fat until midnight.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWTsYwqa1SjMJnazfpQ5seau7wfEG91LiYNdUh7faFEkVVycIb9xlsTnvK4CcZAQYBqv4jxNYxEf48X4MmIrIgE-MT9ksbLr28qYrZUIIOVmfTYVo7lxDmeHEQs85ZnhNALuCvzip-OgyeTHMwPgP7ENut3Rq64wgOKAqybXKFnSm_K0ZE8m1VJGySz2yf/s4032/IMG_5668.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWTsYwqa1SjMJnazfpQ5seau7wfEG91LiYNdUh7faFEkVVycIb9xlsTnvK4CcZAQYBqv4jxNYxEf48X4MmIrIgE-MT9ksbLr28qYrZUIIOVmfTYVo7lxDmeHEQs85ZnhNALuCvzip-OgyeTHMwPgP7ENut3Rq64wgOKAqybXKFnSm_K0ZE8m1VJGySz2yf/s320/IMG_5668.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYsYVKbvM9XMXqx0Qy4CdkJuO8Oj7K-pB3HL2qcFYDWoOtaEb-awxTj7tpz0r8-2YSvjAxqVFnE1cdLZPw2GHwI_3cc5Dp6zN91Tv-iZAfRXVN3bU_4KNUcPLYwhmUMMsRVe9UAYiJGLShiwvU5220wCW62iufGSClAyKJZfuBwbY2hNaSElZLcrd5rshb/s4032/IMG_5749.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYsYVKbvM9XMXqx0Qy4CdkJuO8Oj7K-pB3HL2qcFYDWoOtaEb-awxTj7tpz0r8-2YSvjAxqVFnE1cdLZPw2GHwI_3cc5Dp6zN91Tv-iZAfRXVN3bU_4KNUcPLYwhmUMMsRVe9UAYiJGLShiwvU5220wCW62iufGSClAyKJZfuBwbY2hNaSElZLcrd5rshb/s320/IMG_5749.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9xxzvnReULxJAcAEdM6oBsrR7ziLr7el9cyBBJtXX6qmZq9Zps1W_UVz8FnBiyABUUBMIaB70KZs6UPcxlsXqLkuQCgJFshK-gvoo01lL-1qGLIFUzlRWGR7fj9NMdSsv5qoWmY3pgVD6EWh7IkxHdelr3FYHLH91I3dtWbOe7xmszfKiOoy7gQpTrxWu/s4032/IMG_5757.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9xxzvnReULxJAcAEdM6oBsrR7ziLr7el9cyBBJtXX6qmZq9Zps1W_UVz8FnBiyABUUBMIaB70KZs6UPcxlsXqLkuQCgJFshK-gvoo01lL-1qGLIFUzlRWGR7fj9NMdSsv5qoWmY3pgVD6EWh7IkxHdelr3FYHLH91I3dtWbOe7xmszfKiOoy7gQpTrxWu/s320/IMG_5757.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Wednesday Morning</h4><p>Some students who were on table duty for the final day asked if they could be awoken early, so Farah and I were up at 6:00 am. (Usually I get 9 hours of sleep each night, from 10:00 pm 'til 7:00 am, so I was functioning on less time than normal.) Boiled eggs and bagels were our breakfast meal. Our final activity was a hike. We could choose to do a "sky raisin" (pausing to take things in, aka a bit easier physically), a medium-intensity, or a "spicy sky raisin" version of the hike. I'm in decent physical shape but my stamina stinks, so I was grateful that the student group I was going to supervise chose the easiest version. "EOEC Steve" led the easy version, "EOEC Dallas" led the medium version, and "EOEC Dean" led the hard version. The group I was with were enchanted by the chickens and really enjoyed the absolute quiet that only the woods in winter can bring. We sat silent, soaking it all in, for over 5 minutes by a serene creek. We engaged all our senses, from smelling cedar to hearing chattering squirrels, to feeling moss on fallen trees.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7B3X4ZezzkKvQDlodIOWAvJFUFnhTWF3wV0DLclpGQu6d6naaRjLjI9FRT3Ynn8kVRIGm_sELE7Z4pAU2Ri4M8gfIRq4v7lhAp7r8AcUFXrcF8nnQc0dXW8S38F8-FbYZMLsUBTI8hf1nJY57nCSRdOGTQ5JlIGG9Qg34wP6AmQfAfGas9RMGU-yabaWN/s4032/IMG_5787.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7B3X4ZezzkKvQDlodIOWAvJFUFnhTWF3wV0DLclpGQu6d6naaRjLjI9FRT3Ynn8kVRIGm_sELE7Z4pAU2Ri4M8gfIRq4v7lhAp7r8AcUFXrcF8nnQc0dXW8S38F8-FbYZMLsUBTI8hf1nJY57nCSRdOGTQ5JlIGG9Qg34wP6AmQfAfGas9RMGU-yabaWN/s320/IMG_5787.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbvas_ZiKE79wh-kGulQhZKfgyGA4dGvrj5FVhmzWaOQoxzVNN3jYfnGkRZ-SfF8LQVn-ZRoInsihJJ6prrNXvR4LUYLxGyVrR4iv2XPAbc3W4HVPLws2C-5HlaXb9QFdC3_RJ7Gy8wSKDNCyCxJqSzGwp9P5WOUBNwQjZxyou058pEhYWRuM__C4bM_D-/s4032/IMG_5821.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbvas_ZiKE79wh-kGulQhZKfgyGA4dGvrj5FVhmzWaOQoxzVNN3jYfnGkRZ-SfF8LQVn-ZRoInsihJJ6prrNXvR4LUYLxGyVrR4iv2XPAbc3W4HVPLws2C-5HlaXb9QFdC3_RJ7Gy8wSKDNCyCxJqSzGwp9P5WOUBNwQjZxyou058pEhYWRuM__C4bM_D-/s320/IMG_5821.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgWbhzwW83rfPkvqdJyU-1Bm7UnMUsut4vEsXLUoWkljyvL6dLxSjTtrueGh5lLHJNGP2vV7DvdTaTloFSXqcq3Gt3mro7LpIy8clf6R6LL0ZxCuiGP1HYCzQr9gxbr2d4oS1ZKF9R9b-y0jGKQGUhFHw2XhlSlqwOwmo3n5q-8ZbcpESD-BJlyute5cWr/s4032/IMG_5827.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgWbhzwW83rfPkvqdJyU-1Bm7UnMUsut4vEsXLUoWkljyvL6dLxSjTtrueGh5lLHJNGP2vV7DvdTaTloFSXqcq3Gt3mro7LpIy8clf6R6LL0ZxCuiGP1HYCzQr9gxbr2d4oS1ZKF9R9b-y0jGKQGUhFHw2XhlSlqwOwmo3n5q-8ZbcpESD-BJlyute5cWr/s320/IMG_5827.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi8G2ppuyEi5zytb4_nzqOP-T_Pu1-z5O4kRot4lQn4ItMx31_mzqOugSag7HT4phyphenhyphenmHnkfXHS6JBvF5Z_It2RCEjNxEtlZKv9QEsMAt3LPkxwJWsgz9Dq8J5C65i3J2NeErz0rOXXc2M1FgKqt96GvFD-SG3abtJ56bpD1XjCHl2lr_ggKFx-FVz6z5zu/s4032/IMG_5833.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi8G2ppuyEi5zytb4_nzqOP-T_Pu1-z5O4kRot4lQn4ItMx31_mzqOugSag7HT4phyphenhyphenmHnkfXHS6JBvF5Z_It2RCEjNxEtlZKv9QEsMAt3LPkxwJWsgz9Dq8J5C65i3J2NeErz0rOXXc2M1FgKqt96GvFD-SG3abtJ56bpD1XjCHl2lr_ggKFx-FVz6z5zu/s320/IMG_5833.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH-S2WeKiOj11pQzaNFWBs_FcOh-zmvdEdW7Zt-4xw-tp9SKTze_rvc8TtNnYl73BuNOyyRu6O2zscch3j2wbVYSQa2Y5It0NamdFh1xJRrw6E7QEEAP-WFn9zTbKRerimbtKPjb15aaBf0YZcuWIXWHizrUwPZf9ME3tzv9Je6E1kaSipFE6H4QRRb-WK/s4032/IMG_5836.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH-S2WeKiOj11pQzaNFWBs_FcOh-zmvdEdW7Zt-4xw-tp9SKTze_rvc8TtNnYl73BuNOyyRu6O2zscch3j2wbVYSQa2Y5It0NamdFh1xJRrw6E7QEEAP-WFn9zTbKRerimbtKPjb15aaBf0YZcuWIXWHizrUwPZf9ME3tzv9Je6E1kaSipFE6H4QRRb-WK/s320/IMG_5836.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Wednesday Afternoon</h4><p>Macaroni and cheese (I think) was our final meal. Farah, Dean and I were very pleased with the students' eco-challenge results. There were several days where we had 0g of food waste. They always remembered to turn off the lights in their rooms and our water consumption was lower than average (thanks to a mix of short showers and students opting out and preferring to wait until they were home to bathe). We packed up and made it back to school earlier than anticipated. As you can imagine, a lot of students slept on the bus ride back.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5HRYEeUqYw-sltcFBcR8nXepS4beK0UzksCw68JLoQEDnoPO_otRA7PI_GIqweMkEcVPYAsLAee_2wLhBrKP_ZmOV-aM3ZYyMKl-wv_TjjrLjFd8HKAeSR9D10qCKwkGn3ykm2kffsIGaMH6AgSbAViG5Ixvpwe_aSVhBrJhW1dn6FvFvve4xonG8Pz_v/s4032/IMG_5852.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5HRYEeUqYw-sltcFBcR8nXepS4beK0UzksCw68JLoQEDnoPO_otRA7PI_GIqweMkEcVPYAsLAee_2wLhBrKP_ZmOV-aM3ZYyMKl-wv_TjjrLjFd8HKAeSR9D10qCKwkGn3ykm2kffsIGaMH6AgSbAViG5Ixvpwe_aSVhBrJhW1dn6FvFvve4xonG8Pz_v/s320/IMG_5852.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Big thanks to all the people who organized the trip (Farah and Lisa), worked at EOEC to let our students learn and have fun (Abby, Dean, Steve, Kristiana, Makayla, Avery), supervised students (Farah and Dean), covered for the teachers who were away in Bolton / Caledon, and the students themselves. One of the students called out to the EOEC staff as we left, "See you next year!" Hopefully, that'll be the case.</p>MZMollyTLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17565896547458451347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692067574614653754.post-33870206316120759372024-01-29T00:00:00.000-08:002024-01-29T00:00:00.151-08:00OLA SC 2024<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://librarianship.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/ola-2024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="300" src="https://librarianship.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/ola-2024.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><h1 style="text-align: center;">Ontario Library Association Super Conference 2024</h1><div style="text-align: center;">Get Loud - Reflections by Diana Maliszewski</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Thursday, January 25, 2024</h2><h3 style="text-align: left;">8:15 am - AI's Not A Bad Guy (Diana Maliszewski)</h3><div><b>Summary: </b>(taken from the program description) AI seems scary but understanding how it works can be a first step to addressing it calmly and critically. Algorithms impact our daily lives but aren't easily understood. Discover the steps this teacher-librarian / media facilitator undertook to help students as young as 6 name, notice, and understand algorithms.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>3 Key Points:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>1) AI's not bad - it's a reflection of our society, since it was the programmers that created it and was trained on media we made.</div><div><br /></div><div>2) AI's not a guy - by anthropomorphizing it, we humanize it too much and need to remember it is just a program.</div><div><br /></div><div>3) Learn from people and reputable organizations (like UNESCO) about AI - the presenter attended several workshops in the past few months to keep abreast of all the changes.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>So What? Now What?:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>This was my session I presented. I was shocked. There were 120 people that attended my talk. My technology glitched because I brought my old school laptop that doesn't have a HDMI port, so I had to wing it for the first 15 minutes without slides or notes. I thought it was the weakest of my workshops but people really seemed to like it. This was a "Conversation" session so we tried to have conversations and it seems like good ones were happening. I invited a few people up to the microphone to share a summary of their chats. I need to continue to talk with people about AI, pay attention to policy development (in my board and elsewhere) and play more with AI.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Media Artifacts:</b></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVs0m4GO8aa8EJIP-lqYTWzi5GQ7o-Dv2CQxk2ouuMN8Kn4HAm9bMieP55IvpMvqYxfAXVfJt0M2ceuSChJImd6iVk8Pgj8GOHlrR6egKVN2wwhMgY_Pe-N2VBV8szcL0KNTvExlUJht3Bvwu8prRnhHs_ybde379DschPpU_JffOeAFLTkuFgoFM8goTa/s4032/IMG_5022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVs0m4GO8aa8EJIP-lqYTWzi5GQ7o-Dv2CQxk2ouuMN8Kn4HAm9bMieP55IvpMvqYxfAXVfJt0M2ceuSChJImd6iVk8Pgj8GOHlrR6egKVN2wwhMgY_Pe-N2VBV8szcL0KNTvExlUJht3Bvwu8prRnhHs_ybde379DschPpU_JffOeAFLTkuFgoFM8goTa/s320/IMG_5022.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">9:15 am - Thursday Keynote (Julie S. Lalonde)</h3><div><div><b>Summary:</b> (taken from the program description) Since the early 2000s, Julie has been working to improve the lives of women and girls in Canada with a focus on engaging bystanders to create communities of support. Her memoir, <i>Resilience is Future: The Life and Death and Life of Julie S. Lalonde</i> was published spring 2020 by Between the Lines. It won the 2020 Ontario Speaker's Award and was named one of the best books of the year by CBC Books and the Hill Times. Julie has won numerous awards for her advocacy work including "Best Volunteer in a Leading Role" by Volunteer Ottawa and the Governor General's Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>3 Key Points:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>1) Libraries are ground zero for what's going on in society (e.g. poverty, hate crimes, harassment) and it's important to name the reality of what's going on: people are not well.</div><div><br /></div><div>2) The bystander affect is real but bias is another big reason (the origin story for this term has huge portions "edited out" of the common narrative that deal with class, race, and sexual orientation). We must recognize our biases and not just justify our apathy.</div><div><br /></div><div>3) There are a continuum of ways you can intervene, so choose your tool. It's not an "all or nothing" scenario. You can distract, document, delegate, and check in on the people who was harmed. Act in a way that creates a safety bubble without escalating the situation. Go to yellowmanteau.com for more.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>So What? Now What?:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>I've been guilty of avoiding getting involved when I see harm being done, for many of the reasons (including bias) that Julie mentioned in her talk. I'd like to read her memoir, review the choices for intervening she offered, and do a better job of taking action.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Media Artifacts:</b></div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcBOuGhsH5sX78OpOGnZlodj8rfz3jjDkOuv6Ag7J6605Ty0Bf8nt8xDxEHdTkT4f-JvuaRkIrPKeJUu7rOgzyiGBGvHb4kfvZJRRrFE2N7ZB2DOLtKRuFarR4isyL3CfZTNb8Dm8cgS8PkSTVdbVduy6WK09ZHPuGyvYkc3tm3b9BRM1Cc1GKfYQ52oZJ/s4032/IMG_5026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcBOuGhsH5sX78OpOGnZlodj8rfz3jjDkOuv6Ag7J6605Ty0Bf8nt8xDxEHdTkT4f-JvuaRkIrPKeJUu7rOgzyiGBGvHb4kfvZJRRrFE2N7ZB2DOLtKRuFarR4isyL3CfZTNb8Dm8cgS8PkSTVdbVduy6WK09ZHPuGyvYkc3tm3b9BRM1Cc1GKfYQ52oZJ/s320/IMG_5026.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzQlXp_mfcEa_Bs5_Kx3ay-iUkS9Bf3HHiOKdaJgXjaVZxDAbZHnutV4nSl1lKDbJ8SVcH0ZanRr7euBR1bHVvn5UKOxqrmM9R56Ds0_jf50ccrXZ8vBPq_pypIxflhM4t2rEPfoZLjQSIVxswn1euDhO1PpDmCxcZlm1r0KmeYn2UZF8b7z0IQ174Bhju/s4032/IMG_5033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzQlXp_mfcEa_Bs5_Kx3ay-iUkS9Bf3HHiOKdaJgXjaVZxDAbZHnutV4nSl1lKDbJ8SVcH0ZanRr7euBR1bHVvn5UKOxqrmM9R56Ds0_jf50ccrXZ8vBPq_pypIxflhM4t2rEPfoZLjQSIVxswn1euDhO1PpDmCxcZlm1r0KmeYn2UZF8b7z0IQ174Bhju/s320/IMG_5033.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ4R77hK4CAChkKOydpDWMzBFqygbFYDnbO8xM9qIgrRiLvBONerIHhItTLrUQ62gohaVK6tKTvHyvzpdnr4Fu1hC_80zL7UdCMxnMKqEihmlp4Ymk5qo6zShaZ40jCv7XT-D3YWnvRFGcKCkxrc_CrSOTsXbxjVHQETwbSaFCWsKtaLdgLG_clck4n17w/s4032/IMG_5036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ4R77hK4CAChkKOydpDWMzBFqygbFYDnbO8xM9qIgrRiLvBONerIHhItTLrUQ62gohaVK6tKTvHyvzpdnr4Fu1hC_80zL7UdCMxnMKqEihmlp4Ymk5qo6zShaZ40jCv7XT-D3YWnvRFGcKCkxrc_CrSOTsXbxjVHQETwbSaFCWsKtaLdgLG_clck4n17w/s320/IMG_5036.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUF0Mby8GdZ_T9j1QxE1ryGyb_PZz746y0Yo-bOLLwfhMusE65syqEEFThacIEPvjxgcfiWBAB2HgcN945nZkL2-O4nvX8pMzUnE1aMs1sXe3izkXPjZl5vvIRs-eg3IugPmwbZhxSMtjXgQN6Fkco2h2yhHZToNlf3IXK5FUKw87lwOUiBjMRcWkQDobV/s4032/IMG_5037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUF0Mby8GdZ_T9j1QxE1ryGyb_PZz746y0Yo-bOLLwfhMusE65syqEEFThacIEPvjxgcfiWBAB2HgcN945nZkL2-O4nvX8pMzUnE1aMs1sXe3izkXPjZl5vvIRs-eg3IugPmwbZhxSMtjXgQN6Fkco2h2yhHZToNlf3IXK5FUKw87lwOUiBjMRcWkQDobV/s320/IMG_5037.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">10:45 am - OLITA Technology Spotlight (Avery Swartz)</h3><div><div><b>Summary: </b>(taken from the program description) Avery Swartz is the founder and CEO of Camp Tech, the tech workshop company for non-technical people. She is the author of the best-selling book,<i> See You on the Internet: Building Your Small Business with Digital Marketing</i>. Avery is the resident tech contributor on CTV Your Morning and has contributed to <i>The Globe and Mail</i>, <i>Chatelaine</i>, and <i>Today's Parent</i>. Avery was ranked number 5 on Search Engine Journal's Top 50 Women in Marketing list. Avery has been a professor at both Toronto Metropolitan University and Humber College. She lives in Toronto. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>3 Key Points:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>1) AI is everywhere and the hyperbolic headlines in both directions provide an unhelpful dueling narrative; it's important to learn about it. Machine learning is a small subfield of AI which is trained on input data and improved through trial and error, practice, and feedback.</div><div><br /></div><div>2) Generative AI makes calculations based on probability and prediction models; know how to use it to help you. Learn how to create quality prompts. There is a huge knowledge gap between the general public and those developing AI and it is the role of the library to help with AI literacy. This includes recognizing when tools use AI, breaking out of filter bubbles, media literacy, etc.</div><div><br /></div><div>3) Play with AI tools and explore it yourself, since it only took 2 months (compared to TikTok, which took 9 months to go from 0 to 100 million users). Use it to brainstorm, as a writing buddy, to check for consistent tone or voice, to soften emails, help explain complex writing, but pay attention because it can hallucinate, amplify bias, and there are copyright issues with both the input and output. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>So What? Now What?:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>I need to follow Avery's Instagram account. I was really wowed with a tool she used that made it look like she was speaking Korean, even though she can't. It took her voice and image and was an easy "deep fake". I need to continue to find ways to bring this topic to my students, even though I'm "only" teaching drama, dance, and social studies.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Media Artifacts:</b></div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpHQpN5U7kJauB3GjBjXSe3Avmz_TlhrUTQyEzOkv5AtC0Nbm9AbvkoXVESZCiOBNt9UL3zAZSlwVdjc7tYzxr-dszMKXX-uoGx6faRJSK04KhS5cA_R_2srmyyRw04sYRmC_lrEZP4VhMoRwQ9dzqUaSOm_c78-h-WEXDWTvaMCyQaX5BGVgehhXLgNJl/s4032/IMG_5038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpHQpN5U7kJauB3GjBjXSe3Avmz_TlhrUTQyEzOkv5AtC0Nbm9AbvkoXVESZCiOBNt9UL3zAZSlwVdjc7tYzxr-dszMKXX-uoGx6faRJSK04KhS5cA_R_2srmyyRw04sYRmC_lrEZP4VhMoRwQ9dzqUaSOm_c78-h-WEXDWTvaMCyQaX5BGVgehhXLgNJl/s320/IMG_5038.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkxHY9tJOqamCeJBj1n_MK9bWM3obTSKmSdo1zyqNO5Yk5ML_Q-pKTeZH7TwEjb74ae5E48D3FO5VRf_50AOZJ7XGn1koavLjJla0fSVJZpLTzWqHD0eoEZ0u3FpaOAXFqg9yFDPqx9fHqWpYvnmt-0FsWYoXYcBDB_XofSD0cx7IFqoiwHmj-XUGRoD4U/s4032/IMG_5041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkxHY9tJOqamCeJBj1n_MK9bWM3obTSKmSdo1zyqNO5Yk5ML_Q-pKTeZH7TwEjb74ae5E48D3FO5VRf_50AOZJ7XGn1koavLjJla0fSVJZpLTzWqHD0eoEZ0u3FpaOAXFqg9yFDPqx9fHqWpYvnmt-0FsWYoXYcBDB_XofSD0cx7IFqoiwHmj-XUGRoD4U/s320/IMG_5041.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZCtHQ8-5IKqOJef4TXrvrgoyAYSdiH4R-zz7Uh5a5UlAy12PXlak7TiF8O9lfNchNlDoTCA9DpyMev0bsptHiMfDFrajWTD6wqab4wr9OG_FbcrEzMCoFrOn5-JCewK-YUWNxiynEqruTMziPcJ8kA56pQxcrHKANjJuOpEBqBNcgS2xUIgEpPl0eySWA/s4032/IMG_5049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZCtHQ8-5IKqOJef4TXrvrgoyAYSdiH4R-zz7Uh5a5UlAy12PXlak7TiF8O9lfNchNlDoTCA9DpyMev0bsptHiMfDFrajWTD6wqab4wr9OG_FbcrEzMCoFrOn5-JCewK-YUWNxiynEqruTMziPcJ8kA56pQxcrHKANjJuOpEBqBNcgS2xUIgEpPl0eySWA/s320/IMG_5049.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">12:00 noon - Poster Sessions</h3><div><div><b>Summary: </b>(taken from the program description) I went to several poster sessions. </div><div><br /></div><div>- "What Does Hate Look Like?": Empowering Kids to Share and Confront Hate and Discrimination (Corrine Promislow, Emma Rodgers, and Sameea Jimenez)</div><div><br /></div><div>- Helping Kids Spot Fake News and Find the Good Stuff (Joyce Grant)</div><div><br /></div><div>- An X Website, It has Ceased to Be: Losing Library Twitter and What Comes Next (An Li Tsang and Gabrielle Crowley)</div><div><br /></div><div>- OLA Climate Action Committee: Tools and Resources for Library Professionals Navigating Climate Change (Erin Braam, Merley Wheaton, Michael Michelle Rogowski)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>3 Key Points:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>1) Microaggressions and discrimination make an impact on children; this book allowed children to share their experiences.</div><div><br /></div><div>2) There are no clear successors to Twitter. This study used criteria to evaluate several options.</div><div><br /></div><div>3) There are tools available for libraries to become greener.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>So What? Now What?:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>There were so many great poster sessions that I didn't get a chance to visit all the vendors! (Having said that, I did get a chance to take pictures with some of the animal reps from Hands On Exotics.) I will try to decide what to use instead of Twitter and check out the QR codes from OLA.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Media Artifacts:</b></div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaHDOnB0Y5uFkTKkzb4nFDofpyg0QjBcuo0pKlJFjsfSMwv1KY7ADxOZ6HlBf0PfTEjieiPiANO-Iy9aq8-Z7fIV87Flte66OSeZQ4YbovdesVayyq-1AZNJBgOp8LaMiq-HuVPOgS-CscIsunqshxWp5M9C149ZC7-Jh4t0jphVbYyf32HzInzEhjwxIt/s4032/IMG_5056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaHDOnB0Y5uFkTKkzb4nFDofpyg0QjBcuo0pKlJFjsfSMwv1KY7ADxOZ6HlBf0PfTEjieiPiANO-Iy9aq8-Z7fIV87Flte66OSeZQ4YbovdesVayyq-1AZNJBgOp8LaMiq-HuVPOgS-CscIsunqshxWp5M9C149ZC7-Jh4t0jphVbYyf32HzInzEhjwxIt/s320/IMG_5056.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvqNnZYa0KcHg_6xcvBqby3-Vmhuxg3dCoauFZGrcca8Mfzv3SIZ0uGOmdbUT_GrC829zGr9J1aDQMyinXc-Mr0yT34vlLmp3yGTMvt5bHZbfJLOzaRrupisqRz7LYrq8ZMGcJJ08FRIadST_15sGYM1ggDZvlI3gLFbP4Vu5Io3_l_ZwLgq3cjtb3uCwD/s4032/IMG_5058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvqNnZYa0KcHg_6xcvBqby3-Vmhuxg3dCoauFZGrcca8Mfzv3SIZ0uGOmdbUT_GrC829zGr9J1aDQMyinXc-Mr0yT34vlLmp3yGTMvt5bHZbfJLOzaRrupisqRz7LYrq8ZMGcJJ08FRIadST_15sGYM1ggDZvlI3gLFbP4Vu5Io3_l_ZwLgq3cjtb3uCwD/s320/IMG_5058.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5a-QU6TMtFV3F_8y-AHEjDmY4eJ89G1VhmnuEUzUSuytrkJ5G0wN2BWM92_9lvPUS5gstU98sngeXk0ssIPrkW9AyKiA_Rez7vEEYsSyo6qUoPN8eY13qog3KH7gdGI3HxtzT5ykon6uRGNATkoobjRd6XHZ6UOvj2hRvfjSMB0QGBGFxfyUxXHwN9hDo/s4032/IMG_5060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5a-QU6TMtFV3F_8y-AHEjDmY4eJ89G1VhmnuEUzUSuytrkJ5G0wN2BWM92_9lvPUS5gstU98sngeXk0ssIPrkW9AyKiA_Rez7vEEYsSyo6qUoPN8eY13qog3KH7gdGI3HxtzT5ykon6uRGNATkoobjRd6XHZ6UOvj2hRvfjSMB0QGBGFxfyUxXHwN9hDo/s320/IMG_5060.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRwF3RjvL1gH3daHJYMz2T0HelhAi28_M8ZpHAXFn1-E_2VbkONsiH9Y77AsMQnkI2zDuy1zRz2FdyPFiveT2Khmf3rhyphenhyphenwFFS30kKBUn0AC5G5fiNdSDw_8SYBAZ4YYmoN5pdMsYIfqtgJNE6RhfbGldhYNyNzxyzEePI1KY0eZl5v5DG_ko_fY5w1cZ42/s4032/IMG_5062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRwF3RjvL1gH3daHJYMz2T0HelhAi28_M8ZpHAXFn1-E_2VbkONsiH9Y77AsMQnkI2zDuy1zRz2FdyPFiveT2Khmf3rhyphenhyphenwFFS30kKBUn0AC5G5fiNdSDw_8SYBAZ4YYmoN5pdMsYIfqtgJNE6RhfbGldhYNyNzxyzEePI1KY0eZl5v5DG_ko_fY5w1cZ42/s320/IMG_5062.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6RatVgYVGh3TxAS4GSu-i9TJF1-cPMk0sk_7SU3TfdFE61vg8-oG_KIW3tMoZZD9IiRviQhH_dgXR5E2dkADxAlzZfCJYUKgOPeA0SPvBgf4DE8NJRd_xGMi890BKzTvHS8lrY78m1m76xdu2zIiibLixi1ysHe92CJlz9OhBrYznLjOIm5G_2kFIT8jF/s4032/IMG_5065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6RatVgYVGh3TxAS4GSu-i9TJF1-cPMk0sk_7SU3TfdFE61vg8-oG_KIW3tMoZZD9IiRviQhH_dgXR5E2dkADxAlzZfCJYUKgOPeA0SPvBgf4DE8NJRd_xGMi890BKzTvHS8lrY78m1m76xdu2zIiibLixi1ysHe92CJlz9OhBrYznLjOIm5G_2kFIT8jF/s320/IMG_5065.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaQjVoF8fB3gMxE1WsGVozvrFZvCCgPVvbpMqhfiiMIGI4_3XZ0WinkNl905-u5XYWuaDvedSv7UxYXPRmjFpIRvceZkwb_JRoj3AE_Jh6pt5AAwvWXVNtG7R1QMZdN7v7i5wAkUn2A9xh3qlYXkCBN-18-aD7-KQiwZ2Qp_k_25j2CUqEKEa86Hec44e1/s3088/IMG_5069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2320" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaQjVoF8fB3gMxE1WsGVozvrFZvCCgPVvbpMqhfiiMIGI4_3XZ0WinkNl905-u5XYWuaDvedSv7UxYXPRmjFpIRvceZkwb_JRoj3AE_Jh6pt5AAwvWXVNtG7R1QMZdN7v7i5wAkUn2A9xh3qlYXkCBN-18-aD7-KQiwZ2Qp_k_25j2CUqEKEa86Hec44e1/s320/IMG_5069.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">2:15 pm - From Print to Pixels: The New Partnership of Teacher-Librarians and Language / English Teachers (Debbie Vert and Jason Himsl)</h3><div><div><b>Summary:</b> (taken from the program description) In this presentation, we'll explore the pivotal role of teacher-librarians in supporting classroom language/English teachers in integrating literacy, specifically Strand A, across subjects. We'll emphasize the potential for teacher-librarians to teach transferable skills, including digital literacy and their vital role in promoting multimodal learning for students. Discover how teacher-librarians can collaborate with language/English teachers to seamlessly embed literacy skills throughout the curriculum. We'll showcase real-world examples of successful partnerships, demonstrating the impact of this collaboration on student learning. Learn how teacher-librarians can bridge the gap between traditional and digital literacy, equipping students with essential 21st century skills. Weill also explore strategies for incorporating multimodal learning experiences into the curriculum, enhancing student engagement and comprehension. Join us as we explore tools to champion literacy connections, digital literacy and multimodal learning, ultimately enriching students educational experiences. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>3 Key Points:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>1) The new curriculum is mode and genre agnostic and the TLs are the "coaches that stay" to help support other teachers with it.</div><div><br /></div><div>2) Joy sits in Strand A and disrupts what English classes usually look like.</div><div><br /></div><div>3) If you can accomplish expectation D1.1, which is complex and challenging, then you can do it all (and there were several sample projects shared, like table top gaming, cookbooks and Indigenous foci). </div><div><br /></div><div><b>So What? Now What?:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>I've worked in parallel with Debbie as AQ course instructors for Queen's University. She and Jason know their stuff. I don't have any collaboration time in my schedule this year but I'll need to check out their website to be inspired for future partnerships with class teachers.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Media Artifacts:</b></div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBanbK0O1qvOu1mFl6UT29AhgpPTz6B9x7lmcXNFStt2Cs0CPjnwWDjNtCSazNUshzGCcG0Z-heLaybAK6pK1NDT6wCXkLbEwzyFgCA6EPRG6Su8FPjrPj06j13UNlYlJFx0X3JptnxnMOGErzxKBF7Spr3KgmeHw3LGiCpTGHIgCG7IlIgEl2leAUsMeY/s4032/IMG_5075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBanbK0O1qvOu1mFl6UT29AhgpPTz6B9x7lmcXNFStt2Cs0CPjnwWDjNtCSazNUshzGCcG0Z-heLaybAK6pK1NDT6wCXkLbEwzyFgCA6EPRG6Su8FPjrPj06j13UNlYlJFx0X3JptnxnMOGErzxKBF7Spr3KgmeHw3LGiCpTGHIgCG7IlIgEl2leAUsMeY/s320/IMG_5075.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSQhyphenhyphenl9-kzLQ-l61PPlu2JRw5ZIGmgUFZ8IKEv5YXttptKM4PhOzXt5Zoqs1ehpCe2YudVrun3S7yYZlJRGdHQE2RNTu6rOgQIVyvxyCCsLrbhNsLTu88gbzNDJsjBKYSeI4DunbiueeWLnSjLR-Gf5Jrqp79TrjLtgCLuTmq4xeh-Lu3CblMhC-pkSnKx/s4032/IMG_5080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSQhyphenhyphenl9-kzLQ-l61PPlu2JRw5ZIGmgUFZ8IKEv5YXttptKM4PhOzXt5Zoqs1ehpCe2YudVrun3S7yYZlJRGdHQE2RNTu6rOgQIVyvxyCCsLrbhNsLTu88gbzNDJsjBKYSeI4DunbiueeWLnSjLR-Gf5Jrqp79TrjLtgCLuTmq4xeh-Lu3CblMhC-pkSnKx/s320/IMG_5080.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">3:45 pm - Leading into the Future: CSL Has Your Back (Anita Brooks-Kirkland and Joseph Jeffery)</h3><div><div><b>Summary:</b> (taken from the program description) Do you want to get ready to lead into the future? This session will introduce you to exciting updates to CSL's <i>Leading Learning</i>, keeping it relevant to lead learning from the library. We will also introduce CSL's exciting new resource, <i>Foundations for School Library Learning Commons in Canada: A Framework for Success</i>. This new document describes the foundations necessary for equity of access to school libraries for all students - prerequisites for the successful implementation of <i>Leading Learning</i>. Most importantly, it provides a backbone to stand up for school libraries, and to grow your school library program. This will be an interactive session with a chance to review the documents in small groups, discuss, and do a gallery walk of ideas. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>3 Key Points:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>1) Discussion at TMC7 led to the development of this new document (<i>Foundations for SLLCs in Canada</i>). <i>Achieving Information Literacy</i> was a very old document that had good measurement stats but were rigid and didn't focus on impact. <i>Leading Learning</i> dealt with impact but there was still the need for a document that dealt with the "nitty gritty" like space and staffing, etc. This is where <i>Foundations for SLLCs </i>comes in.</div><div><br /></div><div>2) <i>Foundations for SLLCs in Canada</i> is based also on the IFLA document. The three critical foundations are strong policy, robust funding, and equity of access.</div><div><br /></div><div>3) The essential frameworks for effective school libraries include physical and virtual LLC spaces, technological infrastructures, human resources, accessibility, ethical standards, LLC management, a culture of growth and accountability. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>So What? Now What?:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Bias alert - I'm credited in this document as a reviewer, so I'm familiar with the content. Anita and Joseph did a bang-up job getting us to dig deep into the new stuff. My own next step is to figure out where in the York U TL AQ courses this can get inserted. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Media Artifacts:</b></div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmZGfKqgDuraNRvQUkNOOiIF_9DUDkCkwPGnbYvcenwrEZx61cjWY9xJyyzJItoyIJoQH3zm0SY4JVVaDyZreP3Nt1DJHYnnBXmIms6wtuvBYzySs-Ra3NA7OuqoZ7GfINR4LZNY0_GOztV-yWpMCRnvbS7i9KyvREsCqbuTP9cPBJlqyourAgNh_DmwkM/s4032/IMG_5083.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmZGfKqgDuraNRvQUkNOOiIF_9DUDkCkwPGnbYvcenwrEZx61cjWY9xJyyzJItoyIJoQH3zm0SY4JVVaDyZreP3Nt1DJHYnnBXmIms6wtuvBYzySs-Ra3NA7OuqoZ7GfINR4LZNY0_GOztV-yWpMCRnvbS7i9KyvREsCqbuTP9cPBJlqyourAgNh_DmwkM/s320/IMG_5083.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqpuCTY9YlWlUt-KV8Y4YoAy3ncDf-ioOVclZr2XMkqhZCheI7RbH7_-kSYvpXTYdww11hjNoEKfJVl98X6y0Hc68O1t7fqI5BR59_B57xbb7PC0DTnf1jrRK286TEe08wpmfSSNvs4dzcGbvxjUF-N00WfxnfnLDlESFSDnkUxntpItkJnNY3s6oD9LJ6/s4032/IMG_5086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqpuCTY9YlWlUt-KV8Y4YoAy3ncDf-ioOVclZr2XMkqhZCheI7RbH7_-kSYvpXTYdww11hjNoEKfJVl98X6y0Hc68O1t7fqI5BR59_B57xbb7PC0DTnf1jrRK286TEe08wpmfSSNvs4dzcGbvxjUF-N00WfxnfnLDlESFSDnkUxntpItkJnNY3s6oD9LJ6/s320/IMG_5086.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkwmKwYd9TXi38v5U-bur7H5q0Ce69-GftgksMpADuqj2YZlRd-3vkMHBmZ8H7Ee-Ru3o7DDN9Pdp6j-RVbyvypdUXXxsYNMnZJR7W0ry0r8JqrqEzs9BmST_3fWLScuY4bjaCtabuNZ_EwXq6miFZfxk09F0sPbpuXUIe6VcXlR7udvdR5y9Mq2GcOWQ7/s4032/IMG_5087.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkwmKwYd9TXi38v5U-bur7H5q0Ce69-GftgksMpADuqj2YZlRd-3vkMHBmZ8H7Ee-Ru3o7DDN9Pdp6j-RVbyvypdUXXxsYNMnZJR7W0ry0r8JqrqEzs9BmST_3fWLScuY4bjaCtabuNZ_EwXq6miFZfxk09F0sPbpuXUIe6VcXlR7udvdR5y9Mq2GcOWQ7/s320/IMG_5087.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiYKV38aVvFO4qLzbusylQ5LIIN_McgdNRUe-ZEhxXaHGqSzRAZDSNzAv4Qodj-a5ALANtEUWFbv6BNVP-ccxJoQ-RkKOQIo6HJ5ESIUIkdg7rJeEVhvhiqqn7-FyrnTZobOnJc8-APbF1zmVpWUuj-kozNHcIg0TOsiCQG5iiR3TfNyGm_XqHofGDaH82/s4032/IMG_5088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiYKV38aVvFO4qLzbusylQ5LIIN_McgdNRUe-ZEhxXaHGqSzRAZDSNzAv4Qodj-a5ALANtEUWFbv6BNVP-ccxJoQ-RkKOQIo6HJ5ESIUIkdg7rJeEVhvhiqqn7-FyrnTZobOnJc8-APbF1zmVpWUuj-kozNHcIg0TOsiCQG5iiR3TfNyGm_XqHofGDaH82/s320/IMG_5088.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">5:15 pm - OSLA Awards</h3><div><div><b>Summary: </b>(taken from the program description) These awards were distributed at this session.</div><div><br /></div><div>- OSLA Teacher-Librarian of the Year Award = Aimee Barber (Ottawa-Carleton DSB)</div><div><br /></div><div>- OSLA School Library Professional of the Year Awards = Victoria Riddle (Hamilton-Wentworth DSB)</div><div><br /></div><div>- OSLA Administrator of the Year Award = Peter Rewega (Toronto DSB)</div><div><br /></div><div><b>So What? Now What?</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>My friend Diana Will-Stork nominated her principal and gave a lovely speech. He was adorably humble and credited his staff, his TL and his mother (who was present) for the honour.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Media Artifacts:</b></div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6mRyk4K8XGClyk4c2kUM8eBSGt7CX7QQWe-hhKTXUqhZ0Ym7Gh17VgcEacsT7ydMmI6MQcxo1fUG9pLxs3ZHydotmTJ5FtN9ZcfnaGNfwADJVshG987VxS9yoiODtJmQsSJ6jbali0QAbgqnegPyzibhyAmO7yOgEemrGrRHrUSz4nF453ikiXiVnXV5t/s4032/IMG_5096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6mRyk4K8XGClyk4c2kUM8eBSGt7CX7QQWe-hhKTXUqhZ0Ym7Gh17VgcEacsT7ydMmI6MQcxo1fUG9pLxs3ZHydotmTJ5FtN9ZcfnaGNfwADJVshG987VxS9yoiODtJmQsSJ6jbali0QAbgqnegPyzibhyAmO7yOgEemrGrRHrUSz4nF453ikiXiVnXV5t/s320/IMG_5096.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTBkKmFRfgYvdjguDwu2NSet_PC_lnsGzK0uqTVsG6IqOq4DlmMKb5c4wetFdqhrsAkdykgbLyImNZIgJJOtjJNMvtgBaEE70d5YpaVEZNbnKH4YH7CJrtVEqTP3ZQBd1mw-VGs7YU3tf1-jGteceY-s-ATa1jQXRHXfftq7zcY1NXFqAZtd4MdhGfyeqJ/s4032/IMG_5098.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTBkKmFRfgYvdjguDwu2NSet_PC_lnsGzK0uqTVsG6IqOq4DlmMKb5c4wetFdqhrsAkdykgbLyImNZIgJJOtjJNMvtgBaEE70d5YpaVEZNbnKH4YH7CJrtVEqTP3ZQBd1mw-VGs7YU3tf1-jGteceY-s-ATa1jQXRHXfftq7zcY1NXFqAZtd4MdhGfyeqJ/s320/IMG_5098.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">7:00 pm - Social Events</h3><div><div>Summary: (taken from the program description) "pub night, games, drag musical bingo, crafting and more"</div><div><br /></div><div><b>So What? Now What?:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>The night was full. I went to dinner with Wendy Burch-Jones, 2024 OSLA president, and a group from Canadian School Libraries (Jonelle, Melanie, Anita, Juli, Joseph, Harold, Toni and friend) at the Loose Moose. Afterwards, we joined up with Lisa Noble, who was running #EduKnitNight and the crafting zone. I got caught up with Douglas Davey and his wife, Wilma Aalbers, who were attending the drag musical bingo. Then, Wendy and I attended an "after-party" hosted by Richard. We made it back home to Scarborough around midnight. My shoes matched the carpet and garnered a lot of compliments. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Media Artifacts:</b></div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMTBj9cf1AKNiebaMA6OKQg49BoyJWJoOVzbih791yJmAzAHmNNTxBccc_38M1To-295CXIohaYImyKo_RcuGx14E8C1fNYXeZuEO9YuuUe3GuRAA_AQs3PNi_mz67c0eIFDOJPg8f5FOTxC5w86dfzGd3qn8px6-UUfaqHrsMkOExs3JIWcJh3GFYsgn0/s4032/IMG_5101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMTBj9cf1AKNiebaMA6OKQg49BoyJWJoOVzbih791yJmAzAHmNNTxBccc_38M1To-295CXIohaYImyKo_RcuGx14E8C1fNYXeZuEO9YuuUe3GuRAA_AQs3PNi_mz67c0eIFDOJPg8f5FOTxC5w86dfzGd3qn8px6-UUfaqHrsMkOExs3JIWcJh3GFYsgn0/s320/IMG_5101.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijl7sANplt5K-fPTeMNz2b1FeuzzmYrfKIP5dkhV7iV52Uc3UBiveH74MzfL722gbA78XGn68lz1DTkpmlElUCoxCYvSL6y92kgqS3MCzmBNlkd5LsXhw_gYAk8GgdPM1CLQV4S0y79kdxymUWjhBZlb3755uG8DMt2F_BjUXlPSMd0zwqSSFtU30oQOVT/s3088/IMG_5104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2320" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijl7sANplt5K-fPTeMNz2b1FeuzzmYrfKIP5dkhV7iV52Uc3UBiveH74MzfL722gbA78XGn68lz1DTkpmlElUCoxCYvSL6y92kgqS3MCzmBNlkd5LsXhw_gYAk8GgdPM1CLQV4S0y79kdxymUWjhBZlb3755uG8DMt2F_BjUXlPSMd0zwqSSFtU30oQOVT/s320/IMG_5104.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyL9HC-Vep2jNpOaa4XUbD7BOU230K-Sc-CbNCCYxGxLAEEx7U-Qf3mIK2o6qgAK4uoRQxvacqsnN9qQHLZiW5CYk-FHwYBMZ2xYVTvMaaAypj0gSueUoDPW-D8gAxHHBuK7XY-jliChrkz3iTJjqpe4IVU1EXL23wsh3uaU6ziE5b9sjkO98pMTroAcPj/s4032/IMG_5090.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyL9HC-Vep2jNpOaa4XUbD7BOU230K-Sc-CbNCCYxGxLAEEx7U-Qf3mIK2o6qgAK4uoRQxvacqsnN9qQHLZiW5CYk-FHwYBMZ2xYVTvMaaAypj0gSueUoDPW-D8gAxHHBuK7XY-jliChrkz3iTJjqpe4IVU1EXL23wsh3uaU6ziE5b9sjkO98pMTroAcPj/s320/IMG_5090.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Friday, January 26, 2024</h2><h3 style="text-align: left;">8:00 am - Unraveling the New Language Curriculum (Diana Maliszewski)</h3><div><div><b>Summary:</b> (taken from the program description) Teacher-librarians can play an important role in helping educators understand and implement Ontario's newly revised Language Curriculum. Sit down with someone intimately familiar with the strands and expectations to see how the library fits and employ tips and tricks for making your school library professional a pivotal partner.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>3 Key Points:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>1) Last updated in 2006, this current version has a bigger section that mentions not just school libraries, but also teacher-librarians ("where available"). </div><div><br /></div><div>2) It's important not to let that mention in the document limit school library professionals and their scope for support. They can dive into other areas like special education, multilingual learners, ICT, or instructional considerations like tiered intervention, multimodal approaches, etc.</div><div><br /></div><div>3) Consider your own strengths, your school climate/culture, and what's possible to determine the best way to help your learners and educators with this new curriculum. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>So What? Now What?:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>This was my second of three conference sessions. 20 people attended, which is not bad considering it was so early in the morning. I had great conversations that were massive highs and lows, from trying to help folks in a board with almost no TLs left, to reconnecting with a former elementary school student who made me cry with her memory of a past interaction of ours and how it has impacted her current practice as a K-12 library technician. (Thinking about it made me cry four times that day!)</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Media Artifacts:</b></div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc3t8djnRPpfCY9ykmrt6nptVHt1Vw4lgmK9mfrUneEGmYFKJ_UnPJG4bJVQsNR5bq3AdTWYN7gian91tthDjv8xakJbJFnlkS9ozp3R9odVjkeE2abttLZ9vAk2tBCo6S01JjsJcUBwsBN316u4Mfhapie473dCqVQj34g7Zgz0lmQkEzgbwQ9Rqu3V64/s3088/IMG_5105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2320" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc3t8djnRPpfCY9ykmrt6nptVHt1Vw4lgmK9mfrUneEGmYFKJ_UnPJG4bJVQsNR5bq3AdTWYN7gian91tthDjv8xakJbJFnlkS9ozp3R9odVjkeE2abttLZ9vAk2tBCo6S01JjsJcUBwsBN316u4Mfhapie473dCqVQj34g7Zgz0lmQkEzgbwQ9Rqu3V64/s320/IMG_5105.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY7KRhsLh4V0oMHIup43O3TXqFx6u2H2O0hGDlJ4p_VuBNt4VjNFY6BBPpCO1780C2DujXqr42dCI_25iwOW6PhNc6PQ-NjJk5uAzB_PkBOMjAK0bLViCr9LNSyMkmNeuY_1iIkn8eHYJFP96NWPZLUxv947HgYuWS0EGGrCFiJ3N-IhJ5TYTnHv9mWga5/s3088/IMG_5107.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2320" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY7KRhsLh4V0oMHIup43O3TXqFx6u2H2O0hGDlJ4p_VuBNt4VjNFY6BBPpCO1780C2DujXqr42dCI_25iwOW6PhNc6PQ-NjJk5uAzB_PkBOMjAK0bLViCr9LNSyMkmNeuY_1iIkn8eHYJFP96NWPZLUxv947HgYuWS0EGGrCFiJ3N-IhJ5TYTnHv9mWga5/s320/IMG_5107.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">9:15 am - OSLA School Libraries Stream Spotlight (Cicely Lewis)</h3><div><div><b>Summary:</b> (taken from the program description) Cicely Lewis is a school librarian based in Georgia with a passion for creating lovers of reading. In 2017, she started the Read Woke challenge in response to the shootings of young, unarmed black people, the repeal of DACA, and the lack of diversity in young adult literature. She was named the 2020 National Librarian of the Year by School Library Journal and Scholastic, a 2019 Library Journal Mover and Shaker, and the 2019 National Teacher Award for Lifelong Readers by the National Council of Teachers of English and Penguin Random House. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>3 Key Points:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>1) Book sales of diverse titles rose after the George Floyd murder, and things seemed hopeful, but now there are parts of the US that have legislation banning the teaching of the 1619 Project (early black US history), trying to prevent what TLs know they should do, which is promoting and sharing knowledge and books that reflect different identities.</div><div><br /></div><div>2) The word work means aware of social injustice and now has been turned into a put-down; it should not be framed like this "unless you are in love with fear and hate". </div><div><br /></div><div>3) We need to protest, but protesting doesn't just mean holding a sign in the street. It can be as "subversive" as reading at home with your family, because that is an opportunity to make change, to help children become ambassadors in the world who will be willing to speak up and say "don't say that word - it's offensive".</div><div><br /></div><div><b>So What? Now What?:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>I was a bit late coming to Cicely's talk (because I was finishing up my session, decompressing from conversations, and getting ready for my next session) but what I did get to see was inspiring and awesome. I am going to check out her website and social media presence.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Media Artifacts:</b></div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVXnLJexMuKV_SN845ca1sQJgVCz-g90oPPNzyQO5Q6mZXQ-72wEY3fgY8nyR3xI4T9EXQLLsBMlqxFDezJjYzCiFPGba7jtkbfTLoDmls3lAId2YzgaI7fok2jKcK9zhnMAjy70BMt0wsR77-MXoCT9VHdMR2aR9t279i80bYYmqiy78eNqZeRIKmvUEs/s4032/IMG_5113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVXnLJexMuKV_SN845ca1sQJgVCz-g90oPPNzyQO5Q6mZXQ-72wEY3fgY8nyR3xI4T9EXQLLsBMlqxFDezJjYzCiFPGba7jtkbfTLoDmls3lAId2YzgaI7fok2jKcK9zhnMAjy70BMt0wsR77-MXoCT9VHdMR2aR9t279i80bYYmqiy78eNqZeRIKmvUEs/s320/IMG_5113.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZyrkd0kmKaHoT7YhdmXcjGKPkZTj4kEUVzvfcxyCtTZEwgrc_UqemQZEWLzQfdCw-rHCAPG_r6zl4rcVpiT-7JkYM_PBHd-sqVhL_ocl2YWRRhUp9rhJUAty5HvAfhMpT6WA75kUw-HBixmnWmjphhVVIWaFf5gK2sNp8u38WiG08Ndo0EWNrFe23PXEi/s4032/IMG_5121.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZyrkd0kmKaHoT7YhdmXcjGKPkZTj4kEUVzvfcxyCtTZEwgrc_UqemQZEWLzQfdCw-rHCAPG_r6zl4rcVpiT-7JkYM_PBHd-sqVhL_ocl2YWRRhUp9rhJUAty5HvAfhMpT6WA75kUw-HBixmnWmjphhVVIWaFf5gK2sNp8u38WiG08Ndo0EWNrFe23PXEi/s320/IMG_5121.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8s98xRP85VGyndcDMuSn9_6L7511cFOy2zSS1leGdos0FbGPcUNN1IiukVn6sDdK7S0kKdh7Jpx9PBLCPu4gXlT9DLnKbloodF3DEeqONOrANfXgLeF0z0K_q2eASF6xOzbbAicD7v4Vv8SWqlocOvVGca2C9Ar2L6027nTU6n9uhuqPBtWoQDJSy2pxv/s4032/IMG_5125.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8s98xRP85VGyndcDMuSn9_6L7511cFOy2zSS1leGdos0FbGPcUNN1IiukVn6sDdK7S0kKdh7Jpx9PBLCPu4gXlT9DLnKbloodF3DEeqONOrANfXgLeF0z0K_q2eASF6xOzbbAicD7v4Vv8SWqlocOvVGca2C9Ar2L6027nTU6n9uhuqPBtWoQDJSy2pxv/s320/IMG_5125.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYbdtcWidsAfAxhvYTFiHdj5C0jLmE-lrodM95Q4AdF3caT7h1Xcg2aZjtyAbCu2XgYBcBd1-dVV3pGOl-XPIsvS-Mmwkh3B_6zYGB9PvL8P-a-cURpMyfjBMS82Kp5qFzPy3K6XC5pGqhw9fSX9s7Ua-KyxSMjBdljX4uvSXQdEtQI_Rqccp0F4_d9oR-/s4032/IMG_5130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYbdtcWidsAfAxhvYTFiHdj5C0jLmE-lrodM95Q4AdF3caT7h1Xcg2aZjtyAbCu2XgYBcBd1-dVV3pGOl-XPIsvS-Mmwkh3B_6zYGB9PvL8P-a-cURpMyfjBMS82Kp5qFzPy3K6XC5pGqhw9fSX9s7Ua-KyxSMjBdljX4uvSXQdEtQI_Rqccp0F4_d9oR-/s320/IMG_5130.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">10:45 am - Loose Parts for Learning in the Library (Diana Maliszewski)</h3><div><div><b>Summary:</b> (taken from the program description) Save money on supplies by using a loose parts approach. Explanations and examples provided. Does your library makerspace go through supplies like free chicken wings at an open buffet? Consider morphing the space into a Loose Parts station. Kindergarten and preschool programs are familiar with the benefits and versatility of this approach to creative expression; it is relatively simple to adapt this approach to a library setting. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>3 Key Points:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>1) MakerSpaces and loose part invitations share many characteristics; the main difference relates to permanence (loose parts creations aren't meant to be kept), materials (loose parts use multipurpose items), and goals (loose parts focus on play and representing thoughts and ideas).</div><div><br /></div><div>2) There are many benefits to using loose parts. Challenges include theft, managing the mess of small items, helping users understand how to interact with the invitations, etc.</div><div><br /></div><div>3) You can get these materials from many different places, from donations to dollar stores to fancier education supply stores to collecting items from nature.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>So What? Now What?:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>This was my third session I ran at Super Conference. There were 20 people that attended. In a way, it was good that it wasn't too many attendees, because then they were able to interact with the loose parts provocation that I brought. (Big thanks to Matthew Malisani, whom I listed as one of my loose part mentors, who lent me the boxes, easels, and work spaces to use for this session.) It was exciting to have someone all the way from Halifax attend my session. There were a lot more public librarians than I expected to attend, but many of them want to try and use loose parts as part of their programming. As for me, my next steps are to re-read <i>The Gift of Playful Learning</i> and try to refine my loose part learning invitations to get better.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Media Artifacts:</b></div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCeuXPPkCfGdvA1QWMZl2A3TKkem72oz3D2BBiS-8qcrkMKkV901Vs6p5zseDCl98xMOOjOn04lCQHeHGmwOR1CLLSEE8h1K2mmIZmD5y-lI5vs3quGU6x7IHbF0f452G42kR-SKo1skUeej3Wm9ab8AnyHT_owu5EEN6GcL4S-NOL5a7nSitBd0kyG4Zo/s4032/IMG_5133.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCeuXPPkCfGdvA1QWMZl2A3TKkem72oz3D2BBiS-8qcrkMKkV901Vs6p5zseDCl98xMOOjOn04lCQHeHGmwOR1CLLSEE8h1K2mmIZmD5y-lI5vs3quGU6x7IHbF0f452G42kR-SKo1skUeej3Wm9ab8AnyHT_owu5EEN6GcL4S-NOL5a7nSitBd0kyG4Zo/s320/IMG_5133.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipMOXkHIVqzdlWktYTO4t0KxOFIfRtOFtl3LivoQMCbmoYx74pYhDLB_jidH2e0f_jVS0eWjqLFeTmDNE45Nx6bNNd6k0pZ7xZexqj1vb6HzvLzny2dsfft-3Tw-fxTeMyBGkTokkac3etA4Y9NzwRg8qM4FAHZ87cLBo8BoRZ44pYAyaHL4inp_0sp12i/s4032/IMG_5135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipMOXkHIVqzdlWktYTO4t0KxOFIfRtOFtl3LivoQMCbmoYx74pYhDLB_jidH2e0f_jVS0eWjqLFeTmDNE45Nx6bNNd6k0pZ7xZexqj1vb6HzvLzny2dsfft-3Tw-fxTeMyBGkTokkac3etA4Y9NzwRg8qM4FAHZ87cLBo8BoRZ44pYAyaHL4inp_0sp12i/s320/IMG_5135.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1wQ0_MBa3m-N16woyC_TvF79yjtQxa8uEimhqvDWMIdsptgKxEuojSLvpWaBDYPk5VlfsCvmQAnj51Kux4ntzFvhhxIrAFrxf3XwMZ6gYjDNH9tReEG9z3H_pZxN9uCPnBmBnp-48VelnQkeEC4HsAyIU5f1TpC-8FOfOPCjkpQ8lYmrxNtQnUxAFVkx0/s4032/IMG_5138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1wQ0_MBa3m-N16woyC_TvF79yjtQxa8uEimhqvDWMIdsptgKxEuojSLvpWaBDYPk5VlfsCvmQAnj51Kux4ntzFvhhxIrAFrxf3XwMZ6gYjDNH9tReEG9z3H_pZxN9uCPnBmBnp-48VelnQkeEC4HsAyIU5f1TpC-8FOfOPCjkpQ8lYmrxNtQnUxAFVkx0/s320/IMG_5138.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3_J964dTO-s9FuwtCWrkEiLCh-4Q3p4ahMFjkL6SKxLeLeIX8tS-U4V7aGp51FKwaJOAgX1zhIDVS8SW8Z35joWLniqLT6WH0YG1JtlM2SqbD26eCpSN4vtx06BXy_dvZxco6rSW-zCBNbRmbHEuE2Bz8JhD-HU2AoUL8lxvt-va0rirEiWskqQJ0dnXc/s4032/IMG_5140.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3_J964dTO-s9FuwtCWrkEiLCh-4Q3p4ahMFjkL6SKxLeLeIX8tS-U4V7aGp51FKwaJOAgX1zhIDVS8SW8Z35joWLniqLT6WH0YG1JtlM2SqbD26eCpSN4vtx06BXy_dvZxco6rSW-zCBNbRmbHEuE2Bz8JhD-HU2AoUL8lxvt-va0rirEiWskqQJ0dnXc/s320/IMG_5140.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbZm0y54vEXfWhxRI1bgHo2bvC4w9nmsR_EG2pJ7KDZeatW3HmpjvhjyheDqmPSAkI21akL9vkjhEbQ_vIGHreuIP5skRHVjjnr4OlAEQppAQR2bXG2Eer4aeRRlLhwKAAzR5gmti-LHVGh8NiKbyYA1to5PnqPO_SQH8PTlbJC4aXvG7SdG4TsVQdkZ4P/s4032/IMG_5141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbZm0y54vEXfWhxRI1bgHo2bvC4w9nmsR_EG2pJ7KDZeatW3HmpjvhjyheDqmPSAkI21akL9vkjhEbQ_vIGHreuIP5skRHVjjnr4OlAEQppAQR2bXG2Eer4aeRRlLhwKAAzR5gmti-LHVGh8NiKbyYA1to5PnqPO_SQH8PTlbJC4aXvG7SdG4TsVQdkZ4P/s320/IMG_5141.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPMaHObUOd6Kj2ZVvUgbbm7A1r35t4E3_xsarsByT9usYzEu9sIEoOKLRsPwhFhx8Hjw7Mp_tAs6CCP9BkPyTximyVzpQ9UlHtOXYc1qS49m01l52tiHI0gmKrra5n9JiqcDJO7sPWlLQndVM_JpWHbhAiA6CxV5HRYhwRTxKP4hNz3pE8rn4Dfb-UFlsX/s4032/IMG_5147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPMaHObUOd6Kj2ZVvUgbbm7A1r35t4E3_xsarsByT9usYzEu9sIEoOKLRsPwhFhx8Hjw7Mp_tAs6CCP9BkPyTximyVzpQ9UlHtOXYc1qS49m01l52tiHI0gmKrra5n9JiqcDJO7sPWlLQndVM_JpWHbhAiA6CxV5HRYhwRTxKP4hNz3pE8rn4Dfb-UFlsX/s320/IMG_5147.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">12:00 noon - Poster Sessions </h3><div><div><b>Summary: </b>(taken from the program description) Once again, I went to a couple of poster sessions.</div><div><br /></div><div>- Celebrating Canadian Heritage (Laura Bebee and Liz Kerr)</div><div><br /></div><div>- Challenging ChatGPT: Information Literacy Skills in a Generative AI World</div><div><br /></div><div><b>3 Key Points:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>1) There are many ways that teacher-librarians can support class teachers with Heritage Fair projects, even if they don't have time to commit to the entire inquiry project at all stages.</div><div><br /></div><div>2) The results of this study are interesting and the researchers are keen to try it again, although now that ChatGPT is mixing with other programs and sources, it may not be the same.</div><div><br /></div><div>3) Remembering to eat at the conference is a good thing. Thanks Abbie, Sue and Wendy for dining with me and sharing stories of making an impact.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>So What? Now What?:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>I will offer to help my intermediate division teachers in different ways than I did last year with Heritage Fair projects. I will also continue to tinker with ChatGPT and read about AI.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Media Artifacts:</b></div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXXf6UchbXqmvL9EhKqqbE0-q9tfdqrUfH0mf1V_gQZf8nvHS5ZGDCA0vFg_Qh8puXl_pPEGcppLZEMmfjTnK_H8UXN6rGFGEp5-GwUZFsWwGYzhaY7eIHFrkN3vnfUB19CO9nRUksK-Ft00UOuOkE0nuRBRwhkKLNnJ3IEFulNkAAesjhuZ9WpgYjxakU/s4032/IMG_5156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXXf6UchbXqmvL9EhKqqbE0-q9tfdqrUfH0mf1V_gQZf8nvHS5ZGDCA0vFg_Qh8puXl_pPEGcppLZEMmfjTnK_H8UXN6rGFGEp5-GwUZFsWwGYzhaY7eIHFrkN3vnfUB19CO9nRUksK-Ft00UOuOkE0nuRBRwhkKLNnJ3IEFulNkAAesjhuZ9WpgYjxakU/s320/IMG_5156.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEE_RYKIQnaD0IPjOv8-T-T-E2jrATWpodHIC0aaEbxkAsG0b3LZb-QMRIoLgYYeWxey9GBtIAZSL1zFkefRG0NoeT5Jondvs6HXa-Yf6_fPEwrxL2MWJy2ZmC3UcngEivXJBpUsHDo1BNL40vNt8_Slh1z-rkbQB5YHdd8SyYOCS3qKJAqhClZBAjPfeX/s4032/IMG_5159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEE_RYKIQnaD0IPjOv8-T-T-E2jrATWpodHIC0aaEbxkAsG0b3LZb-QMRIoLgYYeWxey9GBtIAZSL1zFkefRG0NoeT5Jondvs6HXa-Yf6_fPEwrxL2MWJy2ZmC3UcngEivXJBpUsHDo1BNL40vNt8_Slh1z-rkbQB5YHdd8SyYOCS3qKJAqhClZBAjPfeX/s320/IMG_5159.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">2:15 pm - The Anti-Racist Book Club: Building a Culture of Anti-Oppression Education One Conversation at a Time (Wilma Aalbers)</h3><div><div><b>Summary:</b> (taken from the program description) This session explores the potential of a teacher-librarian led staff book club to create space for difficult conversations about racism, and to facilitate a shift in school culture towards an anti-racists practice.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>3 Key Points:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>1) Acknowledge your own identity (especially your own whiteness) when reading - there are limitations of your self and the book as a tool of whom it serves. After all, the book <i>Street Data</i> says one of the traps of equity work is to join a book club and then do nothing.</div><div><br /></div><div>2) To keep it positive, responsive to the needs of the group, and respectful, make it easy to buy in by doing things like offering food, meeting during the instructional day (usually lunch), and maintaining access by not being strict about whether or not people have "done their homework" or even contribute to the conversation. At the same time, avoid pitfalls by maintaining the book as the framework and focus (so it doesn't devolve into a bitch session), allow time for reflection, and consider if they conversation has lead to change.</div><div><br /></div><div>3) The media text in question can be something that's not a book, like a podcast, article, listening circle or guest speaker.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>So What? Now What?:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>The session made me think about why our school optional book club using <i>Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain</i> didn't go well, even though the books offered were free. (We only had 3 takers.) I think making it more accessible with less requirements would help. I liked some of the discussion scenarios Wilma used as part of her workshop and might like to replicate those.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Media Artifacts:</b></div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgePx0oKuV89qacX7NDdQFgu4FZQY-PK10yeUpRoi1hDXa3TJsYAPfHm0CqB9f5Pn-yKw8tqIMwD46cGlRnG3qNqorC8wnSxmhqQJIpeOt4AG5ZIzRfEp-sWy7HHOxiuZF97g8VF4N1bWhAl2AHjlH5KcVici4k7Nka8VMAfpvbxXo-Ogr-dUFPD5qQR55c/s4032/IMG_5163.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgePx0oKuV89qacX7NDdQFgu4FZQY-PK10yeUpRoi1hDXa3TJsYAPfHm0CqB9f5Pn-yKw8tqIMwD46cGlRnG3qNqorC8wnSxmhqQJIpeOt4AG5ZIzRfEp-sWy7HHOxiuZF97g8VF4N1bWhAl2AHjlH5KcVici4k7Nka8VMAfpvbxXo-Ogr-dUFPD5qQR55c/s320/IMG_5163.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggr_XaB3QqRyXkV3RvdL3HIS1ezhJ0FpAcVFYnITpz8WY5q3zCJOz_FBNcbSaUhIIpEJQYtyUxt_XITGc1nnnF9rCdtB2gwJng48NHS8nm4QNa5B7gUb6POKTEBHPKt3MGyYJW62PUzBJ3vU897_HO3LSw88V38W_fAHcT2rd1sCuD7S6XdWRwowWcW-7i/s4032/IMG_5167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggr_XaB3QqRyXkV3RvdL3HIS1ezhJ0FpAcVFYnITpz8WY5q3zCJOz_FBNcbSaUhIIpEJQYtyUxt_XITGc1nnnF9rCdtB2gwJng48NHS8nm4QNa5B7gUb6POKTEBHPKt3MGyYJW62PUzBJ3vU897_HO3LSw88V38W_fAHcT2rd1sCuD7S6XdWRwowWcW-7i/s320/IMG_5167.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnrpt5sHvlF5pCMe00aUJ_bBY0m_y153QMe71XQt01ZGB95dS7D3wUHTDjbIW87NW7cKQ2pMU5mTyueuvKI80rLSBcXVCh9NSjifmWX0sAlRBtzWi3o76MfzCUhvAFQCYvZCX0HQVFeAp88H6kljsE9dPCdmmGGPmJvqtG7xOPEMmkb7dLGQ_9w_D682gQ/s4032/IMG_5168.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnrpt5sHvlF5pCMe00aUJ_bBY0m_y153QMe71XQt01ZGB95dS7D3wUHTDjbIW87NW7cKQ2pMU5mTyueuvKI80rLSBcXVCh9NSjifmWX0sAlRBtzWi3o76MfzCUhvAFQCYvZCX0HQVFeAp88H6kljsE9dPCdmmGGPmJvqtG7xOPEMmkb7dLGQ_9w_D682gQ/s320/IMG_5168.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">3:45 pm - Closing Keynote (Eric Klinenberg)</h3><div><div><b>Summary:</b> (taken from the program description) He is the author of 2020: One City, Seven People, and the Year Everything Changed (Knopf, 2024), Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization and the Decline of Civic Life (Crown 2018), Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone (The Penguin Press, 2012), Fighting for Air: The Battle to Control America's Media (Metropolitan Books, 2007), and Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago (University of Chicago Press, 2002). He's also co-author, with Aziz Ansari, of the New York Times #1 best seller Modern Romance (The Penguin Press, 2015). In addition to his scholary work, Klinenberg has contributed to The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Rolling Stone, and The American Life</div><div><br /></div><div><b>So What? Now What?:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Confession time. I needed to be outside and to take a break so, instead of attending the closing keynote, my friend Juli and I walked to the Fluevog store on Queen Street. On the way, Juli took me on a tour of Graffiti Alley. It felt like a Barry's Wander; it was informative and educational. We tried on shoes, I updated my spreadsheet, and I bought a pair for a very decent price considering that they are Fluevogs.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Media Artifacts:</b></div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFKq6ac2Rx3A8ljUTo3ly0_T5qkeKxEUZMZ4jUDLrzdoMXIPuOZL1LMrHlp7iN6I1-cGm30APwLba4nMQyRY17Mde5P0cbOCRyyy5OKzvLSq1C_CAZVmqJ6jndpsnPu9wXy4SVGPAL1JQrN0ycREkmcCm_Af1HBuWzCjpS71y9gzrUB3alMjKiR1XVG2RL/s4032/IMG_5171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFKq6ac2Rx3A8ljUTo3ly0_T5qkeKxEUZMZ4jUDLrzdoMXIPuOZL1LMrHlp7iN6I1-cGm30APwLba4nMQyRY17Mde5P0cbOCRyyy5OKzvLSq1C_CAZVmqJ6jndpsnPu9wXy4SVGPAL1JQrN0ycREkmcCm_Af1HBuWzCjpS71y9gzrUB3alMjKiR1XVG2RL/s320/IMG_5171.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuDPrEvrAhooz1jtf1YjmZ52bVBbkb9SLGxEoxYknXEoEw0Z5itC79WEeuuS22h2FC3q9W5LcsxaKej7ZtmYF3PC0Z_qLl_8DVRVwCNVcofv8MFSUzdr7KummiN70gq9vy3Yj9yLgNIOUWETRtQlNnIc2vMRqfwqgxkEd0WwbfBAJjLMeOvh_wiVYMu55g/s4032/IMG_5172.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuDPrEvrAhooz1jtf1YjmZ52bVBbkb9SLGxEoxYknXEoEw0Z5itC79WEeuuS22h2FC3q9W5LcsxaKej7ZtmYF3PC0Z_qLl_8DVRVwCNVcofv8MFSUzdr7KummiN70gq9vy3Yj9yLgNIOUWETRtQlNnIc2vMRqfwqgxkEd0WwbfBAJjLMeOvh_wiVYMu55g/s320/IMG_5172.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWVgy5b74PHpqiyUBRDQrhuWkaZfMbKE_yIryr61AKBvpChZ-TG7UAMVAWsXurUT3nDnJDY0jhx4Lm-dqgqWCEDuRjyTIP0wdLLxMUgxB3Nz87zOe_jL4rP8xlXcNCMhZZF6u6EgA3TQdLZJ-IG9LJONuAq2uzG4GFhGaJGbBYZDPg5cGGkyH7LAQIbbnw/s4032/IMG_5182.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWVgy5b74PHpqiyUBRDQrhuWkaZfMbKE_yIryr61AKBvpChZ-TG7UAMVAWsXurUT3nDnJDY0jhx4Lm-dqgqWCEDuRjyTIP0wdLLxMUgxB3Nz87zOe_jL4rP8xlXcNCMhZZF6u6EgA3TQdLZJ-IG9LJONuAq2uzG4GFhGaJGbBYZDPg5cGGkyH7LAQIbbnw/s320/IMG_5182.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-TmuKMFG1tm6g99vx0UufZsoHVHniadD_kag1wa8U2R-4Oor44mE5wFJFzkksceraO3VcgVi2tAaZbXpeJd-YFVW8JjCrGiWxEUyXm8cEJfAfWSWPfGNatu-liJFFW_RpnBXfc1UEKn-HhXJ3GVpI9SNLbTKbQaOXid5kKqteV38Gh783bvm4Awpks6z2/s4032/IMG_5188.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-TmuKMFG1tm6g99vx0UufZsoHVHniadD_kag1wa8U2R-4Oor44mE5wFJFzkksceraO3VcgVi2tAaZbXpeJd-YFVW8JjCrGiWxEUyXm8cEJfAfWSWPfGNatu-liJFFW_RpnBXfc1UEKn-HhXJ3GVpI9SNLbTKbQaOXid5kKqteV38Gh783bvm4Awpks6z2/s320/IMG_5188.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN7qosOsKM2SV1DndmEFBxr7ruTDT1lVKKDZnSOyMyGjVv23G1pjTSgkfEzg0fLHOwApQRpERWu1iu1BktqcSmigNHpwd0JjMuLQQauIbneKi3AjHGoPArADGTbLIne1ff35lFWpsUjynKb1wCjWb1JaX4bk5Vd3EnMJwjJ8IR6utBmf-1jCm2flrFCZO4/s4032/IMG_5190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN7qosOsKM2SV1DndmEFBxr7ruTDT1lVKKDZnSOyMyGjVv23G1pjTSgkfEzg0fLHOwApQRpERWu1iu1BktqcSmigNHpwd0JjMuLQQauIbneKi3AjHGoPArADGTbLIne1ff35lFWpsUjynKb1wCjWb1JaX4bk5Vd3EnMJwjJ8IR6utBmf-1jCm2flrFCZO4/s320/IMG_5190.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGaMyNs_ekpTUrNRNWLbQ1mnAVi-tx9UNaMZQgBs7_8JuCVCydaeQ9gDVZ5eA3r4V3xuNxTVeK5I_Z21P42OoKDvEBjamcIYFs4sqTwcJX_B7CXEZdMWiV6oNaFZMepAu0UbN_ix71CWw_1UtP4zcdHqGbZtdIP-AA-1Pz25264zQJ02uAdWy6fLcq_U5X/s4032/IMG_5192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGaMyNs_ekpTUrNRNWLbQ1mnAVi-tx9UNaMZQgBs7_8JuCVCydaeQ9gDVZ5eA3r4V3xuNxTVeK5I_Z21P42OoKDvEBjamcIYFs4sqTwcJX_B7CXEZdMWiV6oNaFZMepAu0UbN_ix71CWw_1UtP4zcdHqGbZtdIP-AA-1Pz25264zQJ02uAdWy6fLcq_U5X/s320/IMG_5192.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">5:15 pm - Farewell Reception</h3><div><div><br /></div><div><b>So What? Now What?:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>The farewell reception is a great way to say goodbye to friends, acquaintances and colleagues that I only get to see at the conference. It was kind of cool to see Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow there. After lots of great conversations, Wendy and I carpooled it back to Scarborough for dinner at The Real McCoy and we were back at home by a very reasonable 8:00 ish pm.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Media Artifacts:</b></div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7zZlMjtufUJBmzGubpAc8sqXcxq74B-I7dfHhLfa-7_7yXvT4xu8xwy2g5jgt7PjJSml-UENFj94vcxw2IsWTHBZlw4V7zhj95QKS2BJs5JsZJVE3lbayzymovfYGIvTFdJh9s0n6a8o1TKmDXAfz3Z9iwkqniD_VcH4G0PdgR4uQvytV6KEuJBAVSLrV/s4032/IMG_5193.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7zZlMjtufUJBmzGubpAc8sqXcxq74B-I7dfHhLfa-7_7yXvT4xu8xwy2g5jgt7PjJSml-UENFj94vcxw2IsWTHBZlw4V7zhj95QKS2BJs5JsZJVE3lbayzymovfYGIvTFdJh9s0n6a8o1TKmDXAfz3Z9iwkqniD_VcH4G0PdgR4uQvytV6KEuJBAVSLrV/s320/IMG_5193.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZn88rQPIaHhEDKuP5VFk8Jq9kUq5KSb6goALqFMCL7Y74lQtjzphxSt0fmGv4TnpLhTzMLvfipwiYDtdoF5xynYGK2KHfZWI3IrMeljgHDaJE4fYxuj5b9Y26im9vn84d54gag2_WhCCxyAJBKgZRxDQZqmBrGDb9QzkVdTS1j23rEa-z9Bv7Q8skghyF/s3088/IMG_5196.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2320" data-original-width="3088" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZn88rQPIaHhEDKuP5VFk8Jq9kUq5KSb6goALqFMCL7Y74lQtjzphxSt0fmGv4TnpLhTzMLvfipwiYDtdoF5xynYGK2KHfZWI3IrMeljgHDaJE4fYxuj5b9Y26im9vn84d54gag2_WhCCxyAJBKgZRxDQZqmBrGDb9QzkVdTS1j23rEa-z9Bv7Q8skghyF/s320/IMG_5196.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>MZMollyTLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17565896547458451347noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692067574614653754.post-19529058743781020062024-01-22T00:00:00.000-08:002024-01-22T00:00:00.132-08:00Entering the Flueniverse<p> Although there are several workshops I attended last week that I can comment on (such as the ECOO session on AI, or the Language Curriculum Support meeting for the LC3 region of the TDSB, or my first guest speaker for the Winter 2024 cohort of York TL AQ candidates), I want to focus this week's blog post on something a bit more indulgent and playful: my evolution in just a year from discovering Fluevogs to becoming totally immersed in this "shoe culture". (To make it a bit more educational a post, I'll connect it to some media literacy concepts.)</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHFy1_3DAglUHiwOV9DFWQCHYaewsaU2KJIs1E1vsha8Ffk1lRybUmhgrWdqJEcNYhzwpln9uSFfkFVT7mTVQEMmHNe-1Wq8eiEZAoTt87XPdwmprzstqNFYFb2pjvU4uH5I5m8D2vJ2tn8bev4oPkXihlmj0obUYQxf3qPAKR2ahPrxJtp-Y22FPtwatf/s4032/IMG_2079.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHFy1_3DAglUHiwOV9DFWQCHYaewsaU2KJIs1E1vsha8Ffk1lRybUmhgrWdqJEcNYhzwpln9uSFfkFVT7mTVQEMmHNe-1Wq8eiEZAoTt87XPdwmprzstqNFYFb2pjvU4uH5I5m8D2vJ2tn8bev4oPkXihlmj0obUYQxf3qPAKR2ahPrxJtp-Y22FPtwatf/s320/IMG_2079.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me wearing my first pair of Fluevogs</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">The Introduction</h3><p>I first heard about these Canadian designer fancy shoes when I attended the Global Media Education Summit in Vancouver in March 2023. My old friend Kim Davidson from Toronto and newish friend Joanna Marshall from Chicago were both enthusiastically sharing details about their passion for funky footwear from this particular brand. We tried to walk to the flagship store a few blocks away but it was closed when we arrived. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlhHyG0IqM10XvfZY1BHCs79IjuOpjCv56orYHtln0MwmbCp52Pq2C_ka2jE3dfeUs3_nPsMNfvhYW7-v5NsJkCbl_2tuDiVnYJz5RmE6sz5ZnhkPvrOsM-VyNkuTmCJhvjG2qBM1ejN5xMyclEwc5tWQiX2oQ5xeXajdGK2kelr32Lkm0JeXD4rYdxF49/s3088/IMG_9511.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2320" data-original-width="3088" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlhHyG0IqM10XvfZY1BHCs79IjuOpjCv56orYHtln0MwmbCp52Pq2C_ka2jE3dfeUs3_nPsMNfvhYW7-v5NsJkCbl_2tuDiVnYJz5RmE6sz5ZnhkPvrOsM-VyNkuTmCJhvjG2qBM1ejN5xMyclEwc5tWQiX2oQ5xeXajdGK2kelr32Lkm0JeXD4rYdxF49/s320/IMG_9511.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>The next day, March 4, my very supportive colleagues from the Association of Media Literacy, Carol Arcus and Neil Andersen, took me to the Fluevog store in Vancouver so that I could explore for myself. Based on my reflections from that day, I wrote back then:</p><blockquote><p><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"> I have to give a big shout-out to Rocco at the Vancouver store for giving me a brief history of the shoe brand AND letting me try one three different pairs of shoes. [In case a rich person with lots of money and nothing to spend it on is reading this blog post, I wore a pair of Derby Swirls (size 6.5, from the Seventh Heaven collection), a Barnett Biblio (size 7, from the Eastend "family of shoes"), and a Chakra (size 6, from the Soultalk "family")]. At first, I didn't understand the appeal of these very expensive and unusual looking shoes. However, I was fascinated with the passionate community that has developed around them and found them very comfortable to wear - even the heels, which is a minor miracle for me!</span></p></blockquote><p>I tried on three pairs and left without any intent of purchasing any for myself. The shoes were just too expensive and out-of-the-ordinary for me (or so I thought).</p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQNG7cKsERJ31EruR2TOe0kD3A0gW009DhXtOyj9zMJqOOIPyxBfYAVZKyu6kkH5f6LMTeX4UHNeAYibzEluZGDl5v0xke8mpS-16xn1wvlE2MSzNqv6THZQj85fsyqDO-_NcGBcbcGFO3at0icGIHH12kYENCb2zORDWDU-KQYz1YJNdX0B2dlMVrJcfh/s4032/IMG_9566.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQNG7cKsERJ31EruR2TOe0kD3A0gW009DhXtOyj9zMJqOOIPyxBfYAVZKyu6kkH5f6LMTeX4UHNeAYibzEluZGDl5v0xke8mpS-16xn1wvlE2MSzNqv6THZQj85fsyqDO-_NcGBcbcGFO3at0icGIHH12kYENCb2zORDWDU-KQYz1YJNdX0B2dlMVrJcfh/s320/IMG_9566.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg53xMmGQt2Zk7lhW5QMFwznOSupK7zTS56nQOekmaMSBJmgw8NjtqkufIEn-sGOpwiUBpe07dkrsq9i6dXrxRGX6vDhStJSibXWAJCdRoZE3-L30njKWGyDODsNnYAfBSs9zWo8KcptsdPPUI235fjwWg0QMjjOamKmGQRrDYew8yGA2Sln1pVksHDeTIY/s4032/IMG_9579.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg53xMmGQt2Zk7lhW5QMFwznOSupK7zTS56nQOekmaMSBJmgw8NjtqkufIEn-sGOpwiUBpe07dkrsq9i6dXrxRGX6vDhStJSibXWAJCdRoZE3-L30njKWGyDODsNnYAfBSs9zWo8KcptsdPPUI235fjwWg0QMjjOamKmGQRrDYew8yGA2Sln1pVksHDeTIY/s320/IMG_9579.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKasI2N2quN-JzDTvlkH5B-yXlzmTSz5v65eLgX3JbXMCtq4rUUDCd6uPPqlwlDILwo-yLOmQkpkTLj_lHIwiScvNpiaW-nBDK9vUJEMZRXPYGl2CzvVbI83nmCA49HRrT1SG1uqy8qKsy9O-luORuc1FXaRVyRI86ObsKhM6hhCqm-Wxcuojgf5ozGmC4/s4032/IMG_9581.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKasI2N2quN-JzDTvlkH5B-yXlzmTSz5v65eLgX3JbXMCtq4rUUDCd6uPPqlwlDILwo-yLOmQkpkTLj_lHIwiScvNpiaW-nBDK9vUJEMZRXPYGl2CzvVbI83nmCA49HRrT1SG1uqy8qKsy9O-luORuc1FXaRVyRI86ObsKhM6hhCqm-Wxcuojgf5ozGmC4/s320/IMG_9581.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPo4jpdkTTLGOmPkBR-Kg2dXOCTUKO7oiI8qf9eE9IVjz5cc0qetBd6dZojLmK1935-atnAbgCpKJ-Pe9xURmLUQBOPR1Zu9yXNVQURsXKJfQDvjSIzgX5oU9Icinp96T_EEn9LWtyFmYNMUUtkj5YBn99pqYvkow0Bk46l7uHYwc4SnNFI7MNNyW8AOcx/s4032/IMG_9585.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPo4jpdkTTLGOmPkBR-Kg2dXOCTUKO7oiI8qf9eE9IVjz5cc0qetBd6dZojLmK1935-atnAbgCpKJ-Pe9xURmLUQBOPR1Zu9yXNVQURsXKJfQDvjSIzgX5oU9Icinp96T_EEn9LWtyFmYNMUUtkj5YBn99pqYvkow0Bk46l7uHYwc4SnNFI7MNNyW8AOcx/s320/IMG_9585.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnIFxY_YCypm413TZbClCaLeYjMLtHA8QZPBtMoMIjGXysqidc2DLErtezLTRnOKgAYp9qPUzYNeX3LULPGC5hA4BLhTcgKqHwy0uaANCXRwdP16oG35NP7EGYBKrCsAcoarUZCjs3DtYCsvnSA_abLtJRvF_ISr3htBJtG_cTsnidBeOZutQ4W_-RmYR_/s1600/IMG_38181.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnIFxY_YCypm413TZbClCaLeYjMLtHA8QZPBtMoMIjGXysqidc2DLErtezLTRnOKgAYp9qPUzYNeX3LULPGC5hA4BLhTcgKqHwy0uaANCXRwdP16oG35NP7EGYBKrCsAcoarUZCjs3DtYCsvnSA_abLtJRvF_ISr3htBJtG_cTsnidBeOZutQ4W_-RmYR_/s320/IMG_38181.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj60QyOeRpg0CtfUHc-D8y5wEzwWuYlYbPmTfDwKtxKqOx9qVegEnnPlVswVr1avyUrsmu4RGDrBTYjh7FC67Fs8-Hgmr8wwdZjBW4cuhPmIcEvNAQzlfbhNmYC3nHLzHOfdCYwYgL5BNDse_vLr9dAjgy4GCcr9mhgulllwWOE8JKnaM9F6Z1pzHedW154/s1600/IMG_38231.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj60QyOeRpg0CtfUHc-D8y5wEzwWuYlYbPmTfDwKtxKqOx9qVegEnnPlVswVr1avyUrsmu4RGDrBTYjh7FC67Fs8-Hgmr8wwdZjBW4cuhPmIcEvNAQzlfbhNmYC3nHLzHOfdCYwYgL5BNDse_vLr9dAjgy4GCcr9mhgulllwWOE8JKnaM9F6Z1pzHedW154/s320/IMG_38231.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><h3 style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My First Pair</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My sister lives in Calgary and, it turns out, is also a Fluevog fan. She came to visit Toronto and family for Easter 2023. She stayed at my house during her visit and I thought it'd be nice to take her to one of the two Fluevog stores in Toronto to look around.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Maybe it was the company. Maybe it was the environment. Whatever the reason, I tried on even more shoes that day and actually took the plunge and bought a pair. If you are unfamiliar with the Fluevog phenomenon, shoes have "families" and "names". I purchased a pair of plain black Tippi shoes from the Thrillvog family. My sister did not go away empty-handed; she bought a pair of stylish and unusual Vagabond boots.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizCsb6D83jHSoUFslPVdoOlqnv9KvWsDK1nk4P8oMJ_VwDvCuUB0bfB-O79Vp-TQOYMTOFpAOiBFFTlpuNL2VD35SDkptMqPcPW8uj9hJ0p4ik2OI0af1iNP5DeDjCij_b15ciXb282s2wqRqUxOrdQp1tnI-1UkJ2XlBOyyl2ZSbPp_pUCERKntU6sJs6/s4032/IMG_9749.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizCsb6D83jHSoUFslPVdoOlqnv9KvWsDK1nk4P8oMJ_VwDvCuUB0bfB-O79Vp-TQOYMTOFpAOiBFFTlpuNL2VD35SDkptMqPcPW8uj9hJ0p4ik2OI0af1iNP5DeDjCij_b15ciXb282s2wqRqUxOrdQp1tnI-1UkJ2XlBOyyl2ZSbPp_pUCERKntU6sJs6/s320/IMG_9749.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisCeZvDfA_STxWATbBq-afBF2kiCidCtK5T5dWaKQiH4UmV86bQ3vZ2uaX7XigV6D6PlzWTbjC3TSzi8fkjJ4qTeGBVoZctXavQ0Dk-yiWV_W4ytkmBFq9yPzDMwxBRNxRqzfrRziefR9aB4cwGxp024EFs-38eTrNMC3EhwDAxGEClz1hUjWOJUKqCGfm/s4032/IMG_9838.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisCeZvDfA_STxWATbBq-afBF2kiCidCtK5T5dWaKQiH4UmV86bQ3vZ2uaX7XigV6D6PlzWTbjC3TSzi8fkjJ4qTeGBVoZctXavQ0Dk-yiWV_W4ytkmBFq9yPzDMwxBRNxRqzfrRziefR9aB4cwGxp024EFs-38eTrNMC3EhwDAxGEClz1hUjWOJUKqCGfm/s320/IMG_9838.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I liked my Tippis but there were a few concerns. Little blisters formed on my pinky toes when I first wore the shoes. After just a few wears, I had badly scuffed up the leather exterior. I paid full price for my first pair and the bill with tax came up to almost $450. They were (and still are) the most expensive piece of clothing or footwear I've ever owned (and that includes considering my wedding dress!). I thought that this was just a one-time indulgence that didn't go as well as I predicted. Yes, the heels were comfortable and I liked how they looked, but I fretted about the cost and damage (to the shoes and my feet).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><h3 style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Unexpected Presents</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I talked to my friend Kim about my shoe dilemma and she offered to help. She recommended wearing socks or tights with the shoes to prevent blistering, which helped tremendously. She also offered to share her special shoe polish with me to fix the marks.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For Christmas, my sister sent a package in the mail. Inside was another pair of Fluevog shoes. Before you think my sister is made of money, she actually was regifting a pair she already owned that were slightly too big for her. These shoes are called Innovative from the Enneagram line. They were quirky, unlike anything I've ever owned - and I loved them.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTE6zM1B3Wv5WmwXdCt6Lz4A3IyUNQvFvnN4_3e2s_8prUnC3ICMvtWFBnj7VtQ1E-ipSFgbcIbKda014VJYN_JkaYaoU_A4bLlxgQ4RT2XnmwEtIWfWyqn0_MlM_gI3mKno05jeKV9OC-ubuimuzpw205sNdkuZ7o2nfvFiDaIuq5G87eoHzjRc-7H6Ko/s4032/IMG_4492.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTE6zM1B3Wv5WmwXdCt6Lz4A3IyUNQvFvnN4_3e2s_8prUnC3ICMvtWFBnj7VtQ1E-ipSFgbcIbKda014VJYN_JkaYaoU_A4bLlxgQ4RT2XnmwEtIWfWyqn0_MlM_gI3mKno05jeKV9OC-ubuimuzpw205sNdkuZ7o2nfvFiDaIuq5G87eoHzjRc-7H6Ko/s320/IMG_4492.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPwOCU-531_vvhJVS-rUSvJXPVXeMHheP3-jjJnXUtSJVjbLiLONsVw6mR0357HLMpntcFvvsfCDEpfPL8AHY3a2ZBVohCMxcCd78bDISl-kVUbtPfiqxss3bA5nPFUyGRtXTzOZtt0iqLXvKAclC1Zcu0HzjF7_Pg6o8Q78w6nvjM9xiRHvUMiBtompcl/s4032/IMG_4495.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPwOCU-531_vvhJVS-rUSvJXPVXeMHheP3-jjJnXUtSJVjbLiLONsVw6mR0357HLMpntcFvvsfCDEpfPL8AHY3a2ZBVohCMxcCd78bDISl-kVUbtPfiqxss3bA5nPFUyGRtXTzOZtt0iqLXvKAclC1Zcu0HzjF7_Pg6o8Q78w6nvjM9xiRHvUMiBtompcl/s320/IMG_4495.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><h3 style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Another Enabler and a Super Sale</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I texted my friend Kim to let her know about my newly acquired second pair of Fluevogs. She responded enthusiastically and advised me to join the Facebook group called Flumminity. This group is an online community of people who like Fluevog shoes. I joined and was fascinated to see all these joyful posts of people wearing their shoes and sharing tips about shoe care, outfit matching, and other topics related to these shoes. I also started taking furtive peeks at the Fluevog website. I added to the list on my phone of styles that intrigued me.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Just before the spring line of new shoe styles comes out, Fluevog has a big sale. All of a sudden, those shoes that seemed financially out of reach looked slightly more affordable. I didn't dare order online, because the shoe sizes aren't as regular as all that - the fit depends on the shape and type of shoes. I invited Kim to come with me to the Toronto Distillery district Fluevog store to try on shoes and maybe pick a discounted pair to buy.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I skipped the gym that day (bonus!) and drove the two of us down. We had such a good time! Chy, the store manager, was very helpful and very patient. They brought many pairs for us to try. Some weren't in stock, because the sale attracts a lot of buyers. However, I found a few styles that weren't on my list but I really liked.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFeUL0eN_hiryQPJJF5FczUKT5kn5-Rsze_0H6skfVCQEn-h8xPrKpmHNvgNvbRYSggzV48YaVb7gj_icIqRLcwYG9N_jTwBDruPe10wjg3ylhyydI5fF1Y0IBeXyFMVPLpjya9Mtr_ZWomridLmLwWMIgaE4DSmzwgPbOnH5Ri2F1DaXnZOnfEOWQIaOy/s4032/IMG_4855.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFeUL0eN_hiryQPJJF5FczUKT5kn5-Rsze_0H6skfVCQEn-h8xPrKpmHNvgNvbRYSggzV48YaVb7gj_icIqRLcwYG9N_jTwBDruPe10wjg3ylhyydI5fF1Y0IBeXyFMVPLpjya9Mtr_ZWomridLmLwWMIgaE4DSmzwgPbOnH5Ri2F1DaXnZOnfEOWQIaOy/s320/IMG_4855.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I surprised myself by finding and buying three pairs of Fluevogs! The mid-calf boots are Vagabonds. The ankle boots (my first pair of ankle boots ever) are called Nap, and the adorable shoes are called Paulson.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTjNRsbL8yHbSgwmDzCx59h7hoC-mbmae8xI0N3NtFDJFKY3f_ho4r4a9aMyjjXnavbpuGo8SkqcFkfDsbGJlquzuX8CjM7Jish301lY9AmWG7Oc5qy0oT8_McbOXOypDDD_Px2g10N3HgRX_aY3x04eiW50VRyGwbmYaV92L-R86s6osBxHOiqzdVx3T-/s4032/IMG_4866.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTjNRsbL8yHbSgwmDzCx59h7hoC-mbmae8xI0N3NtFDJFKY3f_ho4r4a9aMyjjXnavbpuGo8SkqcFkfDsbGJlquzuX8CjM7Jish301lY9AmWG7Oc5qy0oT8_McbOXOypDDD_Px2g10N3HgRX_aY3x04eiW50VRyGwbmYaV92L-R86s6osBxHOiqzdVx3T-/s320/IMG_4866.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Even though I went home with three, there were several that seriously tempted me that I left behind.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3kvV3tC-OOeA8JnIka3e-sKoXF0CbC45H9RGMJFr_cT2gbN6xJKQrLFYYFRmBzrEBvuFx0fDfYOFDcCpT-vQ_Fd-WGaHSnLZsv9ZHp4QbQldf8VSHy__zaNhXZT87gTFZCVKgnZRqmI4gFUR1BrG_IktUU4wevAeSpCeIfLbdSu3ZXR6fOgkfMr67FRhb/s4032/IMG_4859.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3kvV3tC-OOeA8JnIka3e-sKoXF0CbC45H9RGMJFr_cT2gbN6xJKQrLFYYFRmBzrEBvuFx0fDfYOFDcCpT-vQ_Fd-WGaHSnLZsv9ZHp4QbQldf8VSHy__zaNhXZT87gTFZCVKgnZRqmI4gFUR1BrG_IktUU4wevAeSpCeIfLbdSu3ZXR6fOgkfMr67FRhb/s320/IMG_4859.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4tr8OojxvNCC5aqX472xGcUm2WSWZJKgE5aOJ0K86DkeOj6M0S9fYl8RtROWJPjGp0KIJYayyrRuzbfPOJ6OXXGH_L_DNfUaOtcLbQiJ_qb5fE_kD5j-qTO1STqA5o1cg6LLg7iAZqGy5WNqYyurbM8DLoLaQ-UFrciqJTuBJpbApua64A-F7ZHo6EEhg/s4032/IMG_4860.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4tr8OojxvNCC5aqX472xGcUm2WSWZJKgE5aOJ0K86DkeOj6M0S9fYl8RtROWJPjGp0KIJYayyrRuzbfPOJ6OXXGH_L_DNfUaOtcLbQiJ_qb5fE_kD5j-qTO1STqA5o1cg6LLg7iAZqGy5WNqYyurbM8DLoLaQ-UFrciqJTuBJpbApua64A-F7ZHo6EEhg/s320/IMG_4860.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgg71y3-PUKfWTfOzMU0MrSDdGGDN6Ef2OfqnUYq51uAaiuGcxTN-MjbMNLSnVTvXrYn8RHd7wQA-WQ0sSb3lYssfWjLKId6cDeeB937K1X0fmMnvIYufC_J9R-LC2grtt1raZNBFqw5_5tmjOtsCuvTwcqDFCf3S4-f-x0xd_aSVKOU_Rqt1vptYrZScz/s4032/IMG_4863.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgg71y3-PUKfWTfOzMU0MrSDdGGDN6Ef2OfqnUYq51uAaiuGcxTN-MjbMNLSnVTvXrYn8RHd7wQA-WQ0sSb3lYssfWjLKId6cDeeB937K1X0fmMnvIYufC_J9R-LC2grtt1raZNBFqw5_5tmjOtsCuvTwcqDFCf3S4-f-x0xd_aSVKOU_Rqt1vptYrZScz/s320/IMG_4863.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I really resisted the pull of the Savasana dress boots, even though there were so many factors encouraging me to buy them. One, they looked good on me! Two, not only are they the last pair in that size in the store, they are the second last pair of that size in the entire country! Three, they were reduced in price (although *just $329.99 from $469). Look at our faces as I try on the Savasanas! My face says "awww man, they look so good; what will I do?" and Kim's face says "ooooh, those look so GOOD on you!"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvZDRW3LXUBT47WVh2HsBGkcfCQiHUUNXLC1rhjsVrLEi9ljsLBP0283hpdibLCFWeHJ2nfFN9AgF2CXsr0Z5aVxk_q_W1IAfz1lH3eih0UgeriP0UTl_1HOfEYgWV8CId4TWk7VlOBcM0GxsLMbBE7cO69FQqvBrOiLAJcCf-AH_06cgZi564Oo18GzUo/s4032/IMG_4861.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvZDRW3LXUBT47WVh2HsBGkcfCQiHUUNXLC1rhjsVrLEi9ljsLBP0283hpdibLCFWeHJ2nfFN9AgF2CXsr0Z5aVxk_q_W1IAfz1lH3eih0UgeriP0UTl_1HOfEYgWV8CId4TWk7VlOBcM0GxsLMbBE7cO69FQqvBrOiLAJcCf-AH_06cgZi564Oo18GzUo/s320/IMG_4861.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, in the course of a less than a year, I went from first hearing about this shoe brand (and never thinking I could afford to buy a pair) to owning five pairs of my own!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><h3 style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Media Literacy Connections</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Economic Implications & Media Construct Reality</b> = When I moved to North Scarborough from South Scarborough, I thought I lived far away from my home of origin. My notion of what constituted far shifted over time. Driving to Pickering was far until I did it often enough and it wasn't a big deal anymore. Driving to Oshawa was the "new far" until it didn't. The same can be said for prices. I felt that paying over $200 for a pair of shoes was extravagant, until I actually bought a pair. What counts as "an expensive pair of shoes" shifts because of experience and the company you keep.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Values, Political, and Social Messages</b> = Fluevog shoes come in a black bag in a blue shoe box. The black bag is marked with a quote attributed to shoe designer John Fluevog:</div><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Always hold on to the truth. Don't let others sway your heart. Don't compromise yourself for the sake of temporal grooviness. Be separate from the crowd that's awash with normality by standing out on a firm foundation. Never waiver in your love or faith. And in all you do, please wear my shoes.</div></blockquote><p>These suggest the norms or beliefs supported or espoused by those that buy this brand. These shoes aren't cheap but they are nicely made and different from a "typical" pair of shoes. That means that they appeal to (and are attainable by) a certain group of people that can afford to buy them. Having said that, I've seen on the Flumminity group that some people scrimp and save to be able to buy a pair, or they search the various sales groups to find heavily discounted shoes. (It reminds me of the Simpsons episode where <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scenes_from_the_Class_Struggle_in_Springfield" target="_blank">Marge buys a high-fashion outfit</a> and then struggles to "keep up" with her new crowd of friends that knows and likes the brand.) I'm not suggesting that people who wear Fluevogs are snobby or all upper-class, but I recognize my own economic privilege that permits me to buy a pair of shoes over $100 without having to sacrifice. In fact, I'm quite enamoured with the Fluevog community that I've joined - people from various countries, ethnicities and orientations all united over a consumer product (nice shoes).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This coming week is the OLA Super Conference. My daughter helped me select and coordinate my outfits for those two days to match the Fluevog shoes I plan to wear. I'll write in depth about the conference next week, and hopefully I will get some good photos featuring my shoes. (That's something I hope to learn from the Flumminity - how to take good selfies that show off the shoe but still reveal the outfit that goes with them. I'm excited to learn - and collect more!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br />MZMollyTLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17565896547458451347noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692067574614653754.post-71273252534943973092024-01-15T00:00:00.000-08:002024-01-15T00:00:00.322-08:00Building with Boxes<p>I transferred 349 photos from my phone to my desktop computer and then to my external hard drive this weekend. 90% of those pictures were all focused on the same topic: boxes.</p><p><a href="https://mondaymollymusings.blogspot.com/2019/12/simple-pleasures.html" target="_blank">Back in 2019</a>, ironically roughly around the same time of year, I gave students boxes to play with and they had a ball. Over this recent winter break, a colleague and I came into school to organize the tech cupboard. I had been saving all the boxes from Chromebooks our school purchased over the years in case we had to ship any back. My tech partner gently informed me that this wasn't necessary, so we removed all these empty boxes from storage. I couldn't bear to throw them away, so we moved them to the library. I knew we could use them, somehow. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs9p56y_pGkMYs5uJK5by8eiNKLlGpYxE2V3hPg2rg_jZe30BebxveCDDySg9ld6wJbGTu2HtZxaUnYtO-lkeiewixtckQ6sNthdMZntwttk_VN1GAfl781_mtXu-m6M0Xamd3h6sNzgDzKXTtIy_86H9wxgYkSIEk2xH3RE65DND1vW0ORDYaG9lsr-nX/s4032/IMG_4573.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs9p56y_pGkMYs5uJK5by8eiNKLlGpYxE2V3hPg2rg_jZe30BebxveCDDySg9ld6wJbGTu2HtZxaUnYtO-lkeiewixtckQ6sNthdMZntwttk_VN1GAfl781_mtXu-m6M0Xamd3h6sNzgDzKXTtIy_86H9wxgYkSIEk2xH3RE65DND1vW0ORDYaG9lsr-nX/s320/IMG_4573.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>An empty, plain box is one of the ultimate "loose parts". Even though I have a lot of assignments to wrap up in preparation for Term 1 report card marks, I just had to provide time for students to explore and experiment with the dozens and dozens (really, well over 100) boxes of approximately the same shape and size. The students LOVED it. I was pleased with their creativity and collaboration too. (Cleaning up wasn't fun; the library was a mess for the entire week that the boxes lived in the library, but it was a temporary inconvenience.)</p><p>Here are some of the different ways the students used the boxes. I'll only include the photos that don't have students (or reveal no faces).</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>constructing houses with lots of privacy</li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT4zWbAf9XARflxpYOXBMfluGSYD-PYyGNLVQSuI9rgAQNIV_nkVJsYOzAXVlY__z5JX1gge0_M8_4KQWwy9KItr5dl1MHpZ0C8U3K4-egmUlNg29CynD0VYvz_YreTxw-j_O3jGpSmCWizzpJjalfU-sqbINVNeEeUy5LZ44kUcw4JbqEnzQlxxf90nIJ/s4032/IMG_4502.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT4zWbAf9XARflxpYOXBMfluGSYD-PYyGNLVQSuI9rgAQNIV_nkVJsYOzAXVlY__z5JX1gge0_M8_4KQWwy9KItr5dl1MHpZ0C8U3K4-egmUlNg29CynD0VYvz_YreTxw-j_O3jGpSmCWizzpJjalfU-sqbINVNeEeUy5LZ44kUcw4JbqEnzQlxxf90nIJ/s320/IMG_4502.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>making "chill space" hangouts</li></ul></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgme0DcC7WguNHRDlXtp69TFbDcowU7hquvSQOOop1uKFcmBqTjSuG5bxBlAREr0dKWwoEvgcRJqPDfvL442JlYqsZoP1xceHE8xe8LoTr1eP6eDfXyRCtDuug6QAiFkxATB8q923zewxl-cSPS8HdWkzaoEwOD_ZF5L6DN4XfSxm5wv5br6Dn6SV0QUJVs/s4032/IMG_4503.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgme0DcC7WguNHRDlXtp69TFbDcowU7hquvSQOOop1uKFcmBqTjSuG5bxBlAREr0dKWwoEvgcRJqPDfvL442JlYqsZoP1xceHE8xe8LoTr1eP6eDfXyRCtDuug6QAiFkxATB8q923zewxl-cSPS8HdWkzaoEwOD_ZF5L6DN4XfSxm5wv5br6Dn6SV0QUJVs/s320/IMG_4503.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>including windows in their walls</li></ul></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZZrPxi_I1dkVQZSgGRjFMDEbfte1xDoaxk10e4Sq0m2hCPweQ5mvbZpl3FzC-Ny0-TOwlV6S0q7swX8dtJgTmHoB5skIUv8q4UGPNcBmF_IiV4NC9Oc9lOA2s5AhyjzRNN0v3GOc_MPpaozTWclRyJXviDNpR40-KdPyqjupbn5pSUGki54YSwXruanM0/s4032/IMG_4508.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZZrPxi_I1dkVQZSgGRjFMDEbfte1xDoaxk10e4Sq0m2hCPweQ5mvbZpl3FzC-Ny0-TOwlV6S0q7swX8dtJgTmHoB5skIUv8q4UGPNcBmF_IiV4NC9Oc9lOA2s5AhyjzRNN0v3GOc_MPpaozTWclRyJXviDNpR40-KdPyqjupbn5pSUGki54YSwXruanM0/s320/IMG_4508.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>stacking tall towers as high has they could go</li><li>letting the towers crash down on them and squealing in delight</li></ul><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicS6XiIA7Hsc_Z22iADKvn57CEnzp-H5y5_p2MID6CxsWjmMwxLSxuOZo7CUzwdhwdWhsvSAjDtALGN4SjijFDMBaJgsuMLkpnV3CypFvj9kmc6g3QhRs_G8oNUKHlQk3Y48bgfs9P7cqNAKfV6WHxq6idKuYzQ78kQHXabtpPiG8vs9IqKpo9C72gOXd3/s4032/IMG_4510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicS6XiIA7Hsc_Z22iADKvn57CEnzp-H5y5_p2MID6CxsWjmMwxLSxuOZo7CUzwdhwdWhsvSAjDtALGN4SjijFDMBaJgsuMLkpnV3CypFvj9kmc6g3QhRs_G8oNUKHlQk3Y48bgfs9P7cqNAKfV6WHxq6idKuYzQ78kQHXabtpPiG8vs9IqKpo9C72gOXd3/s320/IMG_4510.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>building furniture like chairs, sofas, beds and tables</li></ul><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrezyIz2yRvL5gUHeL6ZZxGMa66__623lNo4n85GhyphenhyphenJLcG9wW43QxOxJ1aczt-j4P9Yw1Wi1DRXO52W8foKS3WbM4ZqhjPJ3u3Ovj4MOdyMfrr8LwS6u-XBG4YyIbqf2r4goW9EOslfT95Kt1S-RsdwXffp_1Jn5cATAPT9a4eG-207yoxQ9V20OEac1qk/s4032/IMG_4523.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrezyIz2yRvL5gUHeL6ZZxGMa66__623lNo4n85GhyphenhyphenJLcG9wW43QxOxJ1aczt-j4P9Yw1Wi1DRXO52W8foKS3WbM4ZqhjPJ3u3Ovj4MOdyMfrr8LwS6u-XBG4YyIbqf2r4goW9EOslfT95Kt1S-RsdwXffp_1Jn5cATAPT9a4eG-207yoxQ9V20OEac1qk/s320/IMG_4523.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>constructing a new play space for the skinny pigs (the student that made the setup below was disappointed that I wouldn't take the skinny pigs out of the cage to let them try it out)</li></ul></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtNCpyGvpPppacraOwregOE8zPWtRsQujWqJ_WzMoeP82sF5eJjUlmdtTiwVaxcAa3QTvwOv_HJ_ZyFCc3t9BQ7PO2qrGSK3h4aBqmJZ34LGB4FDrGUJ-T9M6fXYYY4vPq1fGVlNcRfHAWdD0QAtlSFqHPYP4pz7IfqRiyBpmj0WsjjA7x1kjDIa8Zof-V/s4032/IMG_4533.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtNCpyGvpPppacraOwregOE8zPWtRsQujWqJ_WzMoeP82sF5eJjUlmdtTiwVaxcAa3QTvwOv_HJ_ZyFCc3t9BQ7PO2qrGSK3h4aBqmJZ34LGB4FDrGUJ-T9M6fXYYY4vPq1fGVlNcRfHAWdD0QAtlSFqHPYP4pz7IfqRiyBpmj0WsjjA7x1kjDIa8Zof-V/s320/IMG_4533.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>making covered contraptions like this long tunnel</li></ul></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiabGEozjoEn5vKVBnCoPg92IKbfzqe_9o_4sXgLRztiTfszuUQCY6Wesl2XgD0jIVmI_fXgWttz4VsM4gBGLDAavImmKw1SQMOrCiGnJvAJIMtql_GOrWe3sNUIMsHKorAfeegPwi01vuoJ-o78SQdTAuM8t6AIOEqEDpa4E9MX8o5sezsBDNrjqwlnDlQ/s4032/IMG_4535.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiabGEozjoEn5vKVBnCoPg92IKbfzqe_9o_4sXgLRztiTfszuUQCY6Wesl2XgD0jIVmI_fXgWttz4VsM4gBGLDAavImmKw1SQMOrCiGnJvAJIMtql_GOrWe3sNUIMsHKorAfeegPwi01vuoJ-o78SQdTAuM8t6AIOEqEDpa4E9MX8o5sezsBDNrjqwlnDlQ/s320/IMG_4535.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>channeling their "inner cats" by hiding in boxes</li></ul></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf0K4NeTaFycM4vZgXxF6u3qR5fyjLtQ5Y9A2qKHF9iGUU_LoPTckzOU8V8-VLpF6ct7uuQX7nMuRfuSVQ0jEmQzAscAunLJYIywKLOerPttegHCrFWjiQ3Ki5k1jEkctvMjC2u0_F_VcjDRkckYlclmBY3LC7kIKbatldO-Yo8CbOQvYP2nWw-niwJSuw/s4032/IMG_4564.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf0K4NeTaFycM4vZgXxF6u3qR5fyjLtQ5Y9A2qKHF9iGUU_LoPTckzOU8V8-VLpF6ct7uuQX7nMuRfuSVQ0jEmQzAscAunLJYIywKLOerPttegHCrFWjiQ3Ki5k1jEkctvMjC2u0_F_VcjDRkckYlclmBY3LC7kIKbatldO-Yo8CbOQvYP2nWw-niwJSuw/s320/IMG_4564.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibyUwKl_h4u90Xfqx3mjcyJ8iAsX5uSj2Vyla9odA4Xrf6OKsmNs53jcUO0YOY_Vc-zFvyA425Ixjms478zLjWDpXG6Hy-FM55CxhGEhxvH_6tQt6kj8dByyhDg7T_6V-ZnGNEfkZ56jgf8I9lpVrZQD1gB3Hg4EeM8kcUnavFBuolAKUbWsgSyntSzxgg/s4032/IMG_4571.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibyUwKl_h4u90Xfqx3mjcyJ8iAsX5uSj2Vyla9odA4Xrf6OKsmNs53jcUO0YOY_Vc-zFvyA425Ixjms478zLjWDpXG6Hy-FM55CxhGEhxvH_6tQt6kj8dByyhDg7T_6V-ZnGNEfkZ56jgf8I9lpVrZQD1gB3Hg4EeM8kcUnavFBuolAKUbWsgSyntSzxgg/s320/IMG_4571.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>balancing boxes on their sides to make a maze or road</li></ul></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2UEsIrCsMh-jPQtueWD3bHA4GZ4xX_e9wULhwkYOcuyAELXoTjEI-Pv2gSfF-y5m1oLokoNgzuT_RaqRRffOp21q0Dly-0JXWGdjC-WlAZttNXYoEL94DtRwnSxEBbJUIgh2zXgx_Sw0neMk5cSNnQOkN9-wOpWavtoUOvbJe6qvsgP3WGnm6rwdVr_oR/s4032/IMG_4642.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2UEsIrCsMh-jPQtueWD3bHA4GZ4xX_e9wULhwkYOcuyAELXoTjEI-Pv2gSfF-y5m1oLokoNgzuT_RaqRRffOp21q0Dly-0JXWGdjC-WlAZttNXYoEL94DtRwnSxEBbJUIgh2zXgx_Sw0neMk5cSNnQOkN9-wOpWavtoUOvbJe6qvsgP3WGnm6rwdVr_oR/s320/IMG_4642.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>wearing boxes as armor or clothing (not shown here)</li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9svW5VQSA0EyPjHWKsBlpG10ErvfIzFdR9joRxhMMDt0df-5omTg88qWpUge8nKg2aC-SUFrx4GmmWZ4RqNIR9LMjLo9MQYozSo_GwjBe2HS52WLRsMj9PN7fFmk4yHUd2BhDOcvm8UDxDG3fsWDENQDXdGnRQTpY2uE42UpzO9cfUIskJAn8H8NHLtXj/s4032/IMG_4688.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9svW5VQSA0EyPjHWKsBlpG10ErvfIzFdR9joRxhMMDt0df-5omTg88qWpUge8nKg2aC-SUFrx4GmmWZ4RqNIR9LMjLo9MQYozSo_GwjBe2HS52WLRsMj9PN7fFmk4yHUd2BhDOcvm8UDxDG3fsWDENQDXdGnRQTpY2uE42UpzO9cfUIskJAn8H8NHLtXj/s320/IMG_4688.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>using other materials to supplement the boxes (like the skinny pig hay) (I moved this into their cage, as it's safe for rodents to chew cardboard.)</li></ul></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimnojyS6A9H4hfAWuujRxIG6m4lEFDchrMR-8pPxDoc0nKoaqFTEPlDnsh2lVIsMW2hARH4dMUwRfpHcxwDM6o3xONZ0seUgg5CnSFnh8CaEJa9Q7GGikjVpi7fCe79UiRk-qhUuc8J-CuCpYWEEkeXaqDau2FfqgQ3trk3MfmxLitTs_g9fQuZDdP_qHu/s4032/IMG_4730.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimnojyS6A9H4hfAWuujRxIG6m4lEFDchrMR-8pPxDoc0nKoaqFTEPlDnsh2lVIsMW2hARH4dMUwRfpHcxwDM6o3xONZ0seUgg5CnSFnh8CaEJa9Q7GGikjVpi7fCe79UiRk-qhUuc8J-CuCpYWEEkeXaqDau2FfqgQ3trk3MfmxLitTs_g9fQuZDdP_qHu/s320/IMG_4730.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxiMwaQJj4qcZN5feOjbRhWp2299FZCsBeM9HNO2kvkowJKjQYvdCsFpPs5pP2comaVVQUuOKNhEzpi7xsBixq90ciawApp9Mz1ysbQfshAhRmhpzGYRrsHbTxvF3ezUxi43CuBmQzWMih5oisRXjWm0wYXWJD4J1SoO3c8M2NWjMvYKqZBXjqG41dPQuD/s4032/IMG_4733.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxiMwaQJj4qcZN5feOjbRhWp2299FZCsBeM9HNO2kvkowJKjQYvdCsFpPs5pP2comaVVQUuOKNhEzpi7xsBixq90ciawApp9Mz1ysbQfshAhRmhpzGYRrsHbTxvF3ezUxi43CuBmQzWMih5oisRXjWm0wYXWJD4J1SoO3c8M2NWjMvYKqZBXjqG41dPQuD/s320/IMG_4733.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>pretending the boxes were something else (like these girls working on their computer tables typing on their cardboard laptops) (other big pretend options were delivery workers bringing packages)</li></ul></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnw1q8IbB9c1UWK6V4UWH4fzXfi_2W7lbgYz41125z919j28mda4vXOiKyjsWvPSAii57S11oOCB1ORYi0I_gF049oXGVcyLUCWteANc3NMqk0mnvbUvphsgruG3PkPpsxma9zEeC5LUdzBZYO-2vw3BCiRLiThNySP4740MLL3PL1IL8-HtdQJbFKzy6c/s4032/IMG_4780.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnw1q8IbB9c1UWK6V4UWH4fzXfi_2W7lbgYz41125z919j28mda4vXOiKyjsWvPSAii57S11oOCB1ORYi0I_gF049oXGVcyLUCWteANc3NMqk0mnvbUvphsgruG3PkPpsxma9zEeC5LUdzBZYO-2vw3BCiRLiThNySP4740MLL3PL1IL8-HtdQJbFKzy6c/s320/IMG_4780.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At first, I asked students not to alter the boxes by drawing or cutting them, because I planned on using the boxes for my social studies project. To be honest, I designed this project with the boxes in mind. The Grade 3 and 4s will be doing a "City In A Box" project as a well to end their units on Living and Working in Ontario and Canada's Provinces and Territories. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Near the end of the week, I started asking the other classes if they could use the cardboard for anything else, as reusing it would be better than just recycling it. My eco-friendly colleagues rose to the challenge. The Grade 7s and 8s seized a large amount to use for their Carnival French projects. The Grade 3 teachers requested the inside packing cardboard inserts for their upcoming structures unit. They stack really well and are even more sturdy than the boxes themselves. The Kindergarten classes collected some for potential use at some point in the future. One Grade 5 teacher asked for some for science. By Friday night, thank goodness, all the cardboard was gone.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinVt7ywrvUOCZ9ojg07bk8-RJOdncvIRl1QNzdp0TrINif0dkVgijihmye5-qsn1xj5ZyAKI47so6673MnirbdDbydTZ5WJ2Iw6yt56rFr8MQ6H5XwcLVrytsyp7u6-f9bOqC60SA19sKTXAqXk0jfljjxTJPLAaUyF5R3IxZVCVg9zm5Zs_thKeEax1uB/s4032/CardboardInserts.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinVt7ywrvUOCZ9ojg07bk8-RJOdncvIRl1QNzdp0TrINif0dkVgijihmye5-qsn1xj5ZyAKI47so6673MnirbdDbydTZ5WJ2Iw6yt56rFr8MQ6H5XwcLVrytsyp7u6-f9bOqC60SA19sKTXAqXk0jfljjxTJPLAaUyF5R3IxZVCVg9zm5Zs_thKeEax1uB/s320/CardboardInserts.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />I need to figure out a good way to share the photos I took that include the students. We are getting a new TV for the hall to project good news and student recognition - maybe I'll compile the images into a slide show that can run on the TV for a couple of weeks. </div><br /><div><br /></div><p><br /></p>MZMollyTLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17565896547458451347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692067574614653754.post-88611997099583513992024-01-09T16:29:00.000-08:002024-01-09T16:29:20.537-08:00Lovely Lunches<p> Let me preface today's post by acknowledging the significant amount of economic and class privilege I have. As a teacher who's been employed steadily for 27 years (and counting), I know I am very fortunate to have two weeks off for the winter break AND enough money in the bank to indulge in dining at restaurants on occasion. </p><p>I appreciated being home for the holidays. The first week of January, similar to my last week of December, was filled with a lot of reading, in preparation for the 2024 Forest of Reading. (In an attempt to continue to savor what I read, I'll post the book covers and some appreciations at the end of this post.) I also designed some presentations for an upcoming conference, some projects for social studies, and some pages in my school scrapbook. To paraphrase an old saying, "all work and no food makes Diana a hungry soul", so I had some delicious meals. </p><p>One of the best meals I ate while on the winter break was from Los Vietnamita. This Mexican-Vietnamese fusion restaurant (<a href="https://www.blogto.com/restaurants/los-vietnamita-taqueria-toronto/" target="_blank">recently featured on BlogTO</a>) is owned and operated by parents of some students at my school. I began eating there when there was no store-front operation and only available via a food truck. (See my <a href="https://mondaymollymusings.blogspot.com/2021/05/finding-joy-in-food-truck.html" target="_blank">blog post from 2021</a> about my initial experience enjoying their food.) It did not disappoint.</p><p>The portions of the dishes I selected (the Saigon Fried Chicken Bites and the new Al Pastor Fries) were so huge that I was able to have a substantial meal of leftovers the next day.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6z7jnQUgN5YR3UoSe0EDp5xdXFweSDtagXefndNNgZ60XbRRwezLCsDtjMuxTizCXc0PU0d-x7df7NCl1HhJHMOGGs1S_Md-Np_SyxSvHSEkkf0T5TRgK7NLnEksxLTr6bIak7DjbZMKf3ZTZy4ibau5rZGU18IkBSOb6_vlZdNb1hI4464K6M_A46HxW/s4032/IMG_4490.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6z7jnQUgN5YR3UoSe0EDp5xdXFweSDtagXefndNNgZ60XbRRwezLCsDtjMuxTizCXc0PU0d-x7df7NCl1HhJHMOGGs1S_Md-Np_SyxSvHSEkkf0T5TRgK7NLnEksxLTr6bIak7DjbZMKf3ZTZy4ibau5rZGU18IkBSOb6_vlZdNb1hI4464K6M_A46HxW/s320/IMG_4490.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>(The Al Pastor Fries consist of Grilled Chili Marinated Pork, Cheddar Cheese Sauce, Chipotle Ketchup, Pico de Gallo and Scallions. It is going to compete with the Saigon Friend Chicken Banh Mi Tacos as my new favourite dish there!)</p><p>As I savored every bite, both on the day I bought it and the day afterwards, I enjoyed how it made both my mouth and tummy very, very happy. Then, it got me wondering - why don't I enjoy the lunches I have when I'm working, or at school? What's the difference? Why can't I replicate this pleasurable experience more often?</p><p>There are many reasons why I'm not engulfed by digestive delight when I'm scarfing down my microwavable meals in the staff room. (They fall into several categories.)</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Ability: I have to make or reheat lunch myself and I'm no cook</li><li>Time: I am usually in a rush to get back to work or run a club</li><li>Expense: Going out to eat isn't cheap</li><li>Time: By the time I go out to collect something, that "eats into" a big part of lunch</li><li>Distraction: I'm too busy chatting with coworkers to focus on eating</li><li>Location: Some of my favourite restaurants are nowhere near my school</li><li>Options: Some food doesn't keep well into the next day, limiting what I can bring</li><li>Expense: Buying fancy pre-made meals can also get costly</li><li>Consequences: Big meals at lunch make me want to nap afterwards</li><li>Appetite: Sometimes I don't have leftovers to bring because I eat them all the first time</li><li>Appetite: Sometimes I'm not really hungry at lunch </li></ul><div>One benefit of not having meals like the ones I had over the break means I can focus attention on breakfast or dinner instead as my "meal-du-jour". I have no clue how much I weigh, (we don't own a scale at home) so I cannot make any comments about slimming down or firming up. Trust me, I won't be suffering without glorious lunches like Los Vietnamita. We still have LEWIS (the acronym stands for Lunch Every Wednesday Is Salad) where each participant brings in an ingredient and the sum of the parts is a nice salad buffet at school, and when I remember to go to the staff room when it's Treats Day, there's always something tasty to have.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'll savor those dining experiences instead. </div><div>As for savoring reading moments ...</div><div><br /></div><div>Here are some more author shout-outs. I slowed down in my reading from January 1-7, but still managed to finish several novels.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/03-Silver-Birch-Fiction-Berani-Kadarusman-3-698x1024.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="545" height="200" src="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/03-Silver-Birch-Fiction-Berani-Kadarusman-3-698x1024.jpg" width="136" /></a></div>Thank you so much Michelle Kadarusman for your trio of protagonists (Malia, Ari and Ginger Juice) and for making sure this eco-themed book never devolved into being too preachy or didactic.<p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/03-Silver-Birch-Fiction-Swept-Away-Hyde-689x1024.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="538" height="200" src="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/03-Silver-Birch-Fiction-Swept-Away-Hyde-689x1024.jpg" width="135" /></a></div>Thank you Natalie Hyde for creating a mystery with the clues front and center but not obvious (at least to me). Animal heroes abound!<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/03-Silver-Birch-Fiction-Gnome-is-Where-your-Heart-Is-Lyall-678x1024.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="530" height="200" src="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/03-Silver-Birch-Fiction-Gnome-is-Where-your-Heart-Is-Lyall-678x1024.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><br /><div>Thank you Casey Lyall for making me root for Lemon even with her flaws (and I love her friends Marlo and Rachel) making me sad about how Alzheimer's is such a cruel disease, and for making gnomes that act like they are in Starfleet Academy just as engaging characters as the humans are. One day, we'll be ready.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/05-Red-Maple-Dungeons-_-Dragons_-Honor-Among-Thieves-Johnston-678x1024.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="530" height="200" src="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/05-Red-Maple-Dungeons-_-Dragons_-Honor-Among-Thieves-Johnston-678x1024.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>Thank you E. K. Johnston for helping me enter the world of D&D more thoroughly than I've ever been able to do (and considering <a href="https://dungeonsdragons.fandom.com/wiki/James_Maliszewski" target="_blank">who</a> my <a href="https://grognardia.blogspot.com/p/about-me.html" target="_blank">husband</a> is, that's a big deal). The story is so accessible - you don't have to own a 20-sided dice or know the difference between a hunter and a ranger to be able to enjoy it - and I was so immersed in Doric's story that a few days after finishing the book, I sat down with my family and watched <i>Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves</i> as a companion piece. (Oh, and to be companionable too.)<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/05-Red-Maple-Autumn-Bird-and-the-Runaway-Florence-1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="495" height="200" src="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/05-Red-Maple-Autumn-Bird-and-the-Runaway-Florence-1.jpg" width="124" /></a></div>Thank you Richard Scrimger and Melanie Florence for co-creating a story with two recognizable pre-teens, in a location I know, in worlds that I'm definitely in-between (i.e. I'm not so poor that I don't own a cell phone, but I'm not so rich that I have rooms in my house that can stand empty most of the time). The cameo of the tall children's author made me grin, since I'm rather a big fan of that author.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHXpo6PTjn5tz9OXHEzSdsJYFsyzP3i9TtDfVDRs7CzE_sebqMpfMnJeMiIfTwJqifscJzfW6mZHKSJGk8XjvIqXWKbDglEe45gazdiPZPKxBqor7CsDenJE9SYOxeYN6O7_Q42OGFO6fhHEgvEq2TGbn0zg3Y_DT8-WYs9Ly7a6NrrNpGutCB9rwaew/s630-p-k-no-nu/apartment713%20framed.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="582" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHXpo6PTjn5tz9OXHEzSdsJYFsyzP3i9TtDfVDRs7CzE_sebqMpfMnJeMiIfTwJqifscJzfW6mZHKSJGk8XjvIqXWKbDglEe45gazdiPZPKxBqor7CsDenJE9SYOxeYN6O7_Q42OGFO6fhHEgvEq2TGbn0zg3Y_DT8-WYs9Ly7a6NrrNpGutCB9rwaew/w185-h200/apartment713%20framed.png" width="185" /></a></div>Thank you Kevin Sylvester (another <a href="https://mondaymollymusings.blogspot.com/2020/04/a-tribute-to-kevin-sylvester.html" target="_blank">well-liked-by-me</a> Canadian children's author) for making the apartment (like Colleen's book) a character in its own right. The media educator in me loves the philosophy behind the book (that the reader brings just as much as the creator to the text) and you left enough clues to make me feel smart when I guessed where the book was headed.<br /><div><br /><div><br /><div><br /><p><br /></p><div><br /></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p> </p></div></div></div>MZMollyTLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17565896547458451347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692067574614653754.post-37782099472799787912024-01-01T00:00:00.000-08:002024-01-01T00:00:00.129-08:00Book Blitz and #OneWord2024<p> Happy New Year!</p><p>The last blog post of 2023 was all about <a href="https://mondaymollymusings.blogspot.com/2023/12/running-out-of-steam.html" target="_blank">running out of steam</a> and being rather tired. Since then, I've been indulging in self-care while still attempting to get things done. I sleep in until 10:00 am, which means it's either so dark and gloomy outside that I'm not getting the cue to wake up, or I'm still exhausted. </p><p>One of the big things on my To Do list is to read all of the 2024 Forest of Reading nominees before I launch the program at my school in January. Later on in this post, I want to give a single-sentence-shoutout to many of the authors of books I've read so far during this holiday. It's related a bit to my new One Word focus.</p><p>These are the past One Word goals of mine:</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;">2016 = continue</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;">2017 = forgive</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;">2018 = seek</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;">2019 = enough</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;">2020 = push</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;">2021 = well</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;">2022 = watch</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;">2023 = lift</p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">I was rather pleased with how my 2023 word played out over the past 365 days. On December 30, 2022, I deadlifted 205 lbs. Nearly a year later, on December 27, 2023, I broke that record of mine and deadlifted 220 lbs. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK2y1RseslVI06jNMfL9Xcr2_XJIgT_HD17eFANQfy54TO3xRD3Scz7qALuLliC0uuoSuNsoAp2t_ALDf4YbpIcPfRNi-7KI8-bbndwZZnWfW5zfUs-acL2nbNlIpmadsKYE9Ja7sQv23sr2bDtuixCS8Ok2onbIrFiA4SLrMQweGFyL-BJOi0rISqDIcq/s2048/DiDeadlift2023.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK2y1RseslVI06jNMfL9Xcr2_XJIgT_HD17eFANQfy54TO3xRD3Scz7qALuLliC0uuoSuNsoAp2t_ALDf4YbpIcPfRNi-7KI8-bbndwZZnWfW5zfUs-acL2nbNlIpmadsKYE9Ja7sQv23sr2bDtuixCS8Ok2onbIrFiA4SLrMQweGFyL-BJOi0rISqDIcq/s320/DiDeadlift2023.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />(Thank you to all the people on Facebook that liked and commented on the related post.) That fit my "looks like / sounds like / feels like" description from last January. I have continued to go to the gym and increase my weights. I have promoted the work of others (and will continue to do so, especially at the upcoming OLA Super Conference 2024). I fulfilled my 2023 travel dream and I used my written and spoken words to lift others up.<p></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">So, what's this year's word goal? How does it fit with the second half of this post?</p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">I toyed with several words (like stabilize and believe) but the word that just seemed to fit for 2024 partly came from my daughter. She holds two jobs and her second position is as a food critic writer for BlogTO. Her visits to different local restaurants have expanded our culinary horizons and given us more meal options, to the dismay of my wallet! She works hard to craft her restaurant reviews and ensure that each one accurately describes and promotes the dishes available at these various eateries. My word for 2024 sounds like a word you'd use to talk about food.</p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">savor</span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">As is my custom, I look up the word I select to check out all the different meanings. This comes from the <a href="https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/savor#google_vignette" target="_blank">Cambridge dictionary</a>:</p><blockquote><div class="pos-header dpos-h" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1d2a57; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; padding: 0px 0px 12px 10px;"><div class="di-title" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="headword hdb tw-bw dhw dpos-h_hw" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; font-size: 36px; margin: 5px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span class="hw dhw" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">savor</span></span></div><div class="posgram dpos-g hdib lmr-5" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-right: 5px;"><span class="pos dpos" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700;" title="A word that describes an action, condition or experience.">verb</span> <span class="gram dgram" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.75rem; vertical-align: 1px;"><a href="https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/help/codes.html" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1d2a57; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;">[ <span class="gc dgc" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; letter-spacing: 1px;">T</span> ]</a></span></div> <span class="lab dlab" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.75rem; line-height: 25px; margin: 4px 0px;"><span class="region dregion" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">US</span></span> <span class="spellvar dspellvar" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">(<span class="lab dlab" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.75rem; line-height: 25px; margin: 4px 0px;"><span class="region dregion" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">UK</span></span> <span class="v dv lmr-0" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.875rem; font-weight: 700; margin-right: 0px;">savour</span>)</span><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"></div><span class="us dpron-i" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="region dreg" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.75rem; font-weight: 700; margin-right: 5px; text-transform: uppercase;">US</span><span class="daud" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: -5px;"> <div class="i i-volume-up c_aud htc hdib hp hv-1 fon tcu tc-bd lmr-10 lpt-3 fs20 hv-3" role="button" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-family: ico-c; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 26px; margin-right: 10px; outline: 0px; padding-top: 3px; speak: none; text-align: center; text-rendering: auto; text-transform: uppercase; vertical-align: -3px;" tabindex="0" title="Listen to the American English pronunciation"></div> </span><span class="pron dpron" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; font-size: 0.875rem; margin-right: 5px; min-height: 25px;">/<span class="ipa dipa lpr-2 lpl-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding-left: 1px; padding-right: 2px; word-break: break-word;">ˈseɪ.vɚ</span>/</span></span> <span class="uk dpron-i" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="region dreg" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.75rem; font-weight: 700; margin-right: 5px; text-transform: uppercase;">UK</span><span class="daud" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: -5px;"> <div class="i i-volume-up c_aud htc hdib hp hv-1 fon tcu tc-bd lmr-10 lpt-3 fs20 hv-3" role="button" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-family: ico-c; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 1.25rem; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 26px; margin-right: 10px; outline: 0px; padding-top: 3px; speak: none; text-align: center; text-rendering: auto; text-transform: uppercase; vertical-align: -3px;" tabindex="0" title="Listen to the British English pronunciation"></div> </span><span class="pron dpron" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; font-size: 0.875rem; margin-right: 5px; min-height: 25px;">/<span class="ipa dipa lpr-2 lpl-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding-left: 1px; padding-right: 2px; word-break: break-word;">ˈseɪ.və<span class="sp dsp" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 10.5px; line-height: 0; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">r</span></span>/</span></span></div><div class="pos-body" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1d2a57; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><div class="pr dsense dsense-noh" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border-bottom-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-left-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-right-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 3px; border-top: 3px solid rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 30px; position: relative;"><div class="cid" id="cald4-us-1-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; height: 1px; left: 0px; position: absolute; top: -110px; width: 1px;"></div><div class="sense-body dsense_b" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="def-block ddef_block" data-wl-senseid="ID_00040842_2_US" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px;"><div class="dwl hax" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border-top: thin solid rgb(254, 196, 0); box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 2px; position: relative;"><a amp-access="NOT loggedIn" class="dwla wordlist-add-button" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: rgb(254, 196, 0); border-radius: 20px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; padding: 2px 8px; position: absolute; right: 0px; top: -12px;" title="Add this meaning to a word list"><span class="tb fs10 hvm" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625rem; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: middle;">Add to word list</span> <span class="i i-list-ul" face="ico-c" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; color: #292929; display: inline-block; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 1; speak: none; text-rendering: auto; vertical-align: middle;"></span></a></div><div class="ddef_h" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 15px 0px 20px;"><span class="def-info ddef-info" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"></span><div class="def ddef_d db" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.5; margin-top: 10px;">to <a class="query" href="https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/enjoy" rel="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1d2a57; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" title="enjoy">enjoy</a> <a class="query" href="https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/food" rel="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1d2a57; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" title="food">food</a> or an <a class="query" href="https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/experience" rel="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1d2a57; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" title="experience">experience</a> <a class="query" href="https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/slow" rel="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1d2a57; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" title="slowly">slowly</a>, in <a class="query" href="https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/order" rel="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1d2a57; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" title="order">order</a> to <a class="query" href="https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/enjoy" rel="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1d2a57; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" title="enjoy">enjoy</a> it as much as <a class="query" href="https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/possible" rel="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1d2a57; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" title="possible">possible</a>:</div></div><div class="def-body ddef_b" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 20px;"><div class="examp dexamp" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 22px; padding-left: 12px; position: relative;"><span class="eg deg" face="Arial, Helvetica, "Hiragino Sans GB", "Microsoft YaHei", "WenQuanYi Micro Hei", sans-serif, ico-c" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: italic; padding-right: 15px; vertical-align: initial;">It was the first <a class="query" href="https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/chocolate" rel="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1d2a57; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" title="chocolate">chocolate</a> he'd <a class="query" href="https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/taste" rel="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1d2a57; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" title="tasted">tasted</a> for over a <a class="query" href="https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/year" rel="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1d2a57; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" title="year">year</a>, so he savored every <a class="query" href="https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/mouthful" rel="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1d2a57; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" title="mouthful">mouthful</a>.</span></div><div class="examp dexamp" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 22px; padding-left: 12px; position: relative;"><span class="eg deg" face="Arial, Helvetica, "Hiragino Sans GB", "Microsoft YaHei", "WenQuanYi Micro Hei", sans-serif, ico-c" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: italic; padding-right: 15px; vertical-align: initial;">Love the <a class="query" href="https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/fact" rel="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1d2a57; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" title="fact">fact</a> that you are <a class="query" href="https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/alive" rel="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1d2a57; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" title="alive">alive</a> and savor everything that <a class="query" href="https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/life" rel="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1d2a57; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" title="life">life</a> has to <a class="query" href="https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/offer" rel="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1d2a57; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" title="offer">offer</a>.</span></div></div></div></div></div></div></blockquote><p>I always seem to be in a hurry, working under self-imposed or external deadlines. There's always "so much to do, and so little time". It can be a struggle for me to slow down, to "stop and smell the roses". I often tell my friends with young children that they should enjoy these years with their offspring, despite being so tiring and tumultuous, because they don't last long. It's time for me to practice what I preach. A long time ago, at a previous Super Conference, I wept after meeting an author of a book that encouraged us to all slow down. (I can't recall the name of the book or the author and this is vexing to m; I have the book at school so I'll post the title after January 8.) It's not just about slowing down, but enjoyment as well. <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/savor" target="_blank">Merriam-Webster </a>includes the words "to give flavor to" / "to have experience of" / "to delight in" with their definition of "savor". My school board is very focused on "joy" and I think savoring is a joyful experience. (Look at me, tying in my School Improvement Plan to my One Word goal!) 😉</p><p>I will make my #OneWord2024 a reality by:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>still making deadlines, but taking the time to recall, document, or appreciate the process of getting there and some of the fleeting moments that garner a smile (keep taking photos!)</li><li>travelling with my sister - we are going to Portugal in July 2024 together - this trip is inspired by comments my mother made years ago, when she expressed interest in flying with her own older sister (who used to say we were "descended from Portuguese pirates") to explore the region her ancestors came from before emigrating to Guyana. My mother has dementia and her sister is quite old and physically incapacitated, so we will undertake this voyage that the previous generation can no longer complete themselves</li><li>eating delicious food</li><li>attempting a return to a more prayerful spiritual life - the pandemic did some damage to my regular religious practices, including my daily prayers. I stopped saying grace before meals or reciting a rosary in the car on the way to work. A while back, my daughter reminded me of our bedtime rituals, which including picking the best part of the day, recalling it, and saying "and thank you Jesus for that"; reflecting in a manner like this may help me revive my flagging relationship with God and the church and savor/recognize all my blessings</li><li>appreciating nature more by pausing before I leave for work each morning to soak in the environment, making those land acknowledgements we do at school a bit more significant </li></ul><div>Back to those Forest of Reading books. I'm a quick reader, so I race through the titles so that I can be ready to chat with students in the new year. I still need to avoid dilly-dallying, but I did want to savor the reading experiences a bit, and I thought I'd do so by listing the books I've read so far and a positive comment or appreciation. I was going to do more, but this post is growing and growing, so I may need to alter my initial expectations with this "salute to authors"! ETA After a point, I stuck to just thank-you notes. This isn't an indication of how much I liked or disliked a book; I just wanted to ensure I mentioned all the Forest of Reading books I've read so far!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN9Iuu_5UuMZgEAZrUBabpeDtDSX1T71vrNBu_4ObUdEyoYl5xlPHb95SpXCicck2Bg0sWWo8C41-es7QuphdcQs50KE1rFjnQTL9O8t2hRHtydQobCJMbySRTGBbqH5aa3ODRMr6pxMyNEJS2D5Bq-mgHaHa3WLjpxzl3yUPNfpcGyk7B0_2wYbJTqA/s800/thefort%20framed.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="541" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN9Iuu_5UuMZgEAZrUBabpeDtDSX1T71vrNBu_4ObUdEyoYl5xlPHb95SpXCicck2Bg0sWWo8C41-es7QuphdcQs50KE1rFjnQTL9O8t2hRHtydQobCJMbySRTGBbqH5aa3ODRMr6pxMyNEJS2D5Bq-mgHaHa3WLjpxzl3yUPNfpcGyk7B0_2wYbJTqA/w135-h200/thefort%20framed.png" width="135" /></a></div><br /><div><i>The Fort</i></div><div><br /></div><div>by Gordon Korman</div><div><br /></div><div>Gordon, congratulations on your 100th book published! </div><div><br /></div><div>I loved the references to the music and videos that the characters enjoyed while in their secret, special place, and how each of the main characters (Evan, Mitchell, C.J., Jason and newcomer Ricky) had issues but weren't defined by their issues. You use the shifting POV between chapters so effectively here!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1643655887l/59431579.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="530" height="200" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1643655887l/59431579.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Seekers of the Fox</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">by Kevin Sands</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Kevin, all is forgiven for ending the first book of this series (Children of the Fox) on a cliff hanger!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The way that each chapter ends with a thrill that almost forces you to continue reading reminds me of the way Charles Dickens captivated his audience. I enjoy how "the Old Man" is still a influence in Callan's life and how the crew of thieves (Callan, Lachlan, Gareth, Foxtail and Meriel) care so much for each other and try hard to keep to their moral code. I plan on buying the final book in the series to read myself and then donate to my school library! (ETA - I bought the book already!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk-vcPzwyAvEVg8f4H6vUz6w1J07CS4mcgwpeqPKfv-xVggnCAuclHx-dRGAh4KKy31CH5c4NN5iW9h6IrIn_KGDNVama6ryVuUBVGtkmJiHi2_sP_uFSd8vhr1n8xihuSYfIENTQUTREc71tAxF_2oxeK_h2aTZwHpowsSrfD7Qbitzw_ZMYOxKvOuunm/s389/simonsortofsays.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="389" data-original-width="260" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk-vcPzwyAvEVg8f4H6vUz6w1J07CS4mcgwpeqPKfv-xVggnCAuclHx-dRGAh4KKy31CH5c4NN5iW9h6IrIn_KGDNVama6ryVuUBVGtkmJiHi2_sP_uFSd8vhr1n8xihuSYfIENTQUTREc71tAxF_2oxeK_h2aTZwHpowsSrfD7Qbitzw_ZMYOxKvOuunm/w134-h200/simonsortofsays.jpg" width="134" /></a></div><i>Simon Sort of Says</i><div>by Erin Bow</div><div><br /></div><div>How can a book about a serious subject also be so funny?</div><div><br /></div><div>Erin, there are so many things I appreciate about this book. A minor one but a plus for me was the way that Martin, Simon's dad and his work as a Catholic deacon was portrayed in the story. The stuff about the saints and people's responses to tragedy ... that was so accurate and real. I loved that all the characters (and not just the youth trio of Simon, Agate and Kevin) were portrayed, with no cardboard characters in sight. And yes, I cried.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl1zH8LZLiA-5FR0IyPI82OQUaQ9S3CQ1NFG9y2ydMyZqkvYNlj4IbROZQTr18PXFG7qhDQ91AWmeBFinDtZnlWtS0NzQpadD5zqe1kvjg-JVu9Dcjodd29EYxCmYsBC0gV1bnUMt6M-cOHuyJmKAryjQgiS5xXsNj89vDTio5wEY-ZW017EguZb97oQpG/s1000/becomingbionic.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="873" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl1zH8LZLiA-5FR0IyPI82OQUaQ9S3CQ1NFG9y2ydMyZqkvYNlj4IbROZQTr18PXFG7qhDQ91AWmeBFinDtZnlWtS0NzQpadD5zqe1kvjg-JVu9Dcjodd29EYxCmYsBC0gV1bnUMt6M-cOHuyJmKAryjQgiS5xXsNj89vDTio5wEY-ZW017EguZb97oQpG/w174-h200/becomingbionic.jpg" width="174" /></a></div><br />Becoming Bionic and Other Ways Science is Making Us Super </i>by Heather Camlot and illustrated by Victor Wong</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Non-fiction books don't always grab me, but Heather and Victor, your book was intriguing enough, with a perfect mix of "I know that" information with "I never knew that" facts. I even read part of it out loud to my husband, who then went down a rabbit hole reading about Robert E. Cornish. Thanks for making my eldest smile with a call-out to Word Girl from the planet Lexicon.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91EEbPJMuLL._AC_UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="560" height="200" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91EEbPJMuLL._AC_UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="140" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>The Journal of Anxious Izzy Parker </i>by Alma Fullerton, illustrated by Beena Mistry</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I just want to wrap Alma and Izzy up in a protective blanket. Knowing that Alma uses part of her own life experiences to inform and shape her books (like in <i>Flipping Forward, Twisting Backward</i>, dealing with dyslexia) makes her books even more meaningful and poignant. I'm so glad emotional support dogs (like Alma's Gibson, Izzy's Gandalf, and even Simon's Hercules from <i>Simon Sort of Says</i>) exist. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGYSm8aZ6Rg2zOkccCSr_D8roqm7DyjsXQVTqGf6EqCaWKxzpaELNRpOAtIMHVYj4_lDbVHtYsci-Vc4Fm_sbKH9qTpfPyJlBSCujPtMozVi-lzSwlK9DtNuHijIeTe23Lf3Oy1VGQd5K2bMOiAcoPOSamrXKgkIV783dyRHnYrnRzrDbMSaFRlzcDmJFy/s390/judesavestheworld.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="260" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGYSm8aZ6Rg2zOkccCSr_D8roqm7DyjsXQVTqGf6EqCaWKxzpaELNRpOAtIMHVYj4_lDbVHtYsci-Vc4Fm_sbKH9qTpfPyJlBSCujPtMozVi-lzSwlK9DtNuHijIeTe23Lf3Oy1VGQd5K2bMOiAcoPOSamrXKgkIV783dyRHnYrnRzrDbMSaFRlzcDmJFy/w133-h200/judesavestheworld.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><i>Jude Saves the World</i><div><br /></div><div>by Ronnie Riley</div><div><br /></div><div>Ronnie, this is the first book I've read by you, but it won't be the last!</div><div><br /></div><div>I love how joyful this book is. Just before reading it, I read a disturbing news article about current events in Gaza. This book was the perfect antidote to helping to diminish the horror that lodged in my head. Jude, Dallas, and Stevie are so gosh-darn likeable. I admired the absolutely brilliant way Ronnie deals with deadnaming in a way that protected and respected the character of Jude that I bet Alex Gino might envy. Clever solutions to problems too, Jude!</div><div><br /></div><div>I've read these Forest of Reading nominees as well.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/04-Yellow-Cedar-Raven-Mother-Gyetxw-677x1024.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="529" height="200" src="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/04-Yellow-Cedar-Raven-Mother-Gyetxw-677x1024.jpg" width="132" /></a><div style="text-align: left;">Thank you Hetxw'ms Gyetxw and Natasha Donovan for the Gitxsan perspective and beautiful artwork. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/04-Yellow-Cedar-Meet-Buffy-Sainte-Marie-MacLeod-1-1024x1022.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="798" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/04-Yellow-Cedar-Meet-Buffy-Sainte-Marie-MacLeod-1-1024x1022.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /></div>Thank you Elizabeth Macloeod and Mike Deas - a fascinating book to read right now (some of us talked about this book and this article by <a href="https://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/2023/11/about-buffy-sainte-marie.html" target="_blank">Dr. Debbie Reese</a> at the staff social).<br /><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/04-Yellow-Cedar-Honor-Song-Paul-1024x1024.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/04-Yellow-Cedar-Honor-Song-Paul-1024x1024.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Thank you George Paul and Loretta Gould for this three-language book about land, creativity, pain, and process.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/04-Yellow-Cedar-Mi_kmaw-Moons_-The-Seaons-in-Mi_kma_ki-LeBlanc-838x1024.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="655" height="200" src="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/04-Yellow-Cedar-Mi_kmaw-Moons_-The-Seaons-in-Mi_kma_ki-LeBlanc-838x1024.jpg" width="164" /></a></div>Thank you Cathy Le Blanc, David Chapman, and Loretta Gould (such a prolific illustrator!) for providing such a clear example of Two-Eyed Seeing by teaching us about how the Mi'kmaw understand the seasons.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/02-Silver-Birch-Express-Boobies-Vo-827x1024.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="646" height="200" src="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/02-Silver-Birch-Express-Boobies-Vo-827x1024.jpg" width="162" /></a></div>Thank you Nancy Vo for a funny and informative book (pigs have 12-14!) that a lot of people will want to read.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/02-Silver-Birch-Express-Deep-Deep-Down_-The-Secret-Underwater-Poetry-of-the-Mariana-Trench-Lukidis-824x1024.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="644" height="200" src="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/02-Silver-Birch-Express-Deep-Deep-Down_-The-Secret-Underwater-Poetry-of-the-Mariana-Trench-Lukidis-824x1024.jpg" width="161" /></a></div>I met Lydia Lukidis at OLA Super Conference last year and have my own autographed copy of it. Lydia, thanks for the neat mix of poetry and science, and thank Juan Calle Velez for the gorgeous art.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/02-Silver-Birch-Express-Mehndi-Boy-Bandali-832x1024.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="650" height="200" src="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/02-Silver-Birch-Express-Mehndi-Boy-Bandali-832x1024.jpg" width="163" /></a></div>Thank you Zain Bandali for showing that not all Muslims come from the Middle East (like my dear friend Parviz, who also comes from Tanzania), and to Jani Balakumar, for the expressive facial expressions, beautiful skin tones and fancy mehndi designs shown.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/02-Silver-Birch-Express-Nguyen-Kids-03-The-Mystery-of-the-Painted-Fan-Trinh-777x1024.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="607" height="200" src="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/02-Silver-Birch-Express-Nguyen-Kids-03-The-Mystery-of-the-Painted-Fan-Trinh-777x1024.jpg" width="152" /></a></div>Thank you Linda Trinh for the multifaceted glimpse at a Vietnamese-Canadian household and illustrator Clayton Nguyen for the appealing pictures that connect the three siblings but also keep them unique.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/02-Silver-Birch-Express-Rock-Plant-Animal_-How-Nature-Keeps-Us-Guessing-Kaner-1024x917.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="716" data-original-width="800" height="179" src="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/02-Silver-Birch-Express-Rock-Plant-Animal_-How-Nature-Keeps-Us-Guessing-Kaner-1024x917.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Thank you Etta Kaner and Brittany Lane for the book that indeed kept me guessing (and some of my guesses were wrong) about what I was seeing and why they look the way they do.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/02-Silver-Birch-Express-Salma-Writes-a-Book-Ramadan-819x1024.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="640" height="200" src="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/02-Silver-Birch-Express-Salma-Writes-a-Book-Ramadan-819x1024.jpg" width="160" /></a></div>Thank you Danny Ramadan and Anna Bron for a story with so many layers packed into such few pages. Don't give up, Salma! Don't destroy your drafts.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/02-Silver-Birch-Express-Secret-Pocket-Janicki-833x1024.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="651" height="200" src="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/02-Silver-Birch-Express-Secret-Pocket-Janicki-833x1024.jpg" width="163" /></a></div>Thank you Peggy Janicki for sharing such a personally significant story (and for sewing those pockets into the UFV Indigenous grads). Thanks also to Carrielyn Victor for the evocative images.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/02-Silver-Birch-Express-Tadpoles-James-838x1024.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="655" height="200" src="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/02-Silver-Birch-Express-Tadpoles-James-838x1024.jpg" width="164" /></a></div>Thank you Matt James for this tender tale that zig zags like the swimming path of those little creatures that live in puddles.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/03-Silver-Birch-Fiction-Case-of-the-Rigged-Race-A-Mighty-Muskrats-Mystery-Hutchinson-717x1024.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="560" height="200" src="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/03-Silver-Birch-Fiction-Case-of-the-Rigged-Race-A-Mighty-Muskrats-Mystery-Hutchinson-717x1024.jpg" width="140" /></a></div>Thank you Michael Hutchinson for combining a mystery with some important teachings and learning about so many things, from dog sled races to trapping, from dealing with those with opposing viewpoints to the influence of land in our hearts and minds.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/03-Silver-Birch-Fiction-Paws_-Mindy-Makes-some-Space-Fairbairn-704x1024.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="550" height="200" src="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/03-Silver-Birch-Fiction-Paws_-Mindy-Makes-some-Space-Fairbairn-704x1024.jpg" width="138" /></a></div>Thank you Nathan Fairbairn and Michele Assarasakorn for this graphic novel that has mass appeal. (We already had a copy in my school library and it's loved by comic fans, dog lovers, and readers who want stories about friendships.) <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/02-Silver-Birch-Express-Skull-Canadian-Edition_-A-Tyrolean-Folktale-Klassen-775x1024.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="605" height="200" src="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/02-Silver-Birch-Express-Skull-Canadian-Edition_-A-Tyrolean-Folktale-Klassen-775x1024.jpg" width="151" /></a></div>Thank you Jon Klassen for giving me more questions than answers and a fantastic addition to the "librarians have superpowers" story.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/05-Red-Maple-Squire-Shammas-677x1024.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="529" height="200" src="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/05-Red-Maple-Squire-Shammas-677x1024.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>Thank you Sara Alfageeh and Nadia Shammas for what can only be described as epic - one in which I enjoyed reading the end matter just as much as the main storyline.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/03-Silver-Birch-Fiction-Boy-Who-Woke-the-Sun-Woodley.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="378" height="200" src="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/03-Silver-Birch-Fiction-Boy-Who-Woke-the-Sun-Woodley.jpg" width="140" /></a></div>Thank you A.T. Woodley and Mike Deas (another hard-working artist with more than one book on this list) for creating such a quirky fantasy, unlike any other I've read lately. I'll have to take photos of my eldest offspring's collection of stuffed octopi to celebrate getting to know Elliot's friend Octopus (and you can't forget Granny Yilba!).<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/03-Silver-Birch-Fiction-Umbrella-House-Nelson-698x1024.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="545" height="200" src="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/03-Silver-Birch-Fiction-Umbrella-House-Nelson-698x1024.jpg" width="136" /></a></div>Thank you Colleen Nelson for sharing your affection for a special place and making a great story about family, community, activism, and artistic expression.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/03-Silver-Birch-Fiction-Big-Sting-Delaney-683x1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="534" height="200" src="https://forestofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/03-Silver-Birch-Fiction-Big-Sting-Delaney-683x1024.jpg" width="134" /></a></div>Thank you Rachelle Delaney for a good mystery that also doubles as a useful reminder that grandparents have separate lives before becoming Grandma and Grandpa, and that grief expresses itself in different ways.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I still have 8 more books that I need to read before school starts up again. Appreciations in advance to all the creators. I'll get them done but I'll still try to savor my reading as much as I can.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div></div>MZMollyTLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17565896547458451347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692067574614653754.post-38992980300358098932023-12-25T00:00:00.000-08:002023-12-25T00:00:00.127-08:00Running Out of Steam<p> Merry Christmas to those who celebrate! </p><p>The last time Christmas Day fell on a Monday was in 2017. (<a href="https://www.answers.com/Q/What_years_has_Christmas_fallen_on_a_Monday" target="_blank">Answers</a> was able to tell me that since my birth in 1972, Christmas has been on a Monday eight times. Only two of those times have been while my blog was up and running, including today. I composed this blog on Saturday so I could focus on the holiday with my family.) </p><p>I'm tired. I could definitely use the break.</p><p>One hint that my energy level was not up to its usual standard was our student council's door decoration contest. I wasn't too concerned because I thought only the classroom teachers would participate. Then I saw our ESL/music teacher and our French teacher with décor on the door and I started to sweat. What was I going to produce in a very short period of time? The student council declared that the theme was "Winter Wonderland" and even had judging criteria posted. </p><p>This was my entry. Excuse the blurry first photo. The second photo gives you a better idea of the way I addressed the theme.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsmRuXK3hhPqX_T8gx15aVgygg2m_pxvVZU1-VUerKFbB4dBg6zEpvshirkKBv9I-rqfZsO4FAmbn0TJkUOV0AqpZPN-r9IJrhaoCwmTcYVlwxiCccjgtbiSwQM-ltjcv7ab1CxF_CtDSIJmpAZtC-ZdIV78zyXkvyPHhHhubELGV3ZPHy53uyJPWMr9IW/s4032/IMG_4241.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsmRuXK3hhPqX_T8gx15aVgygg2m_pxvVZU1-VUerKFbB4dBg6zEpvshirkKBv9I-rqfZsO4FAmbn0TJkUOV0AqpZPN-r9IJrhaoCwmTcYVlwxiCccjgtbiSwQM-ltjcv7ab1CxF_CtDSIJmpAZtC-ZdIV78zyXkvyPHhHhubELGV3ZPHy53uyJPWMr9IW/s320/IMG_4241.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoH5wjpUlatGM7f_-1Id1xEZRinlfAXmf7OoFR4xcB71903VhS86PJG5E5DSI6XQSO00mulqBq_reieo8vrhuB2dDzqcDCo7-iqTxApc2qWs_lHZA7eO97FvYkYqC7bhgtgz_J5OWwXgszIAYTbV2n8fySPXdP-ZSqz7WgUVuQmuH10Dl5XYUpAaB1c8Fl/s4032/IMG_4242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoH5wjpUlatGM7f_-1Id1xEZRinlfAXmf7OoFR4xcB71903VhS86PJG5E5DSI6XQSO00mulqBq_reieo8vrhuB2dDzqcDCo7-iqTxApc2qWs_lHZA7eO97FvYkYqC7bhgtgz_J5OWwXgszIAYTbV2n8fySPXdP-ZSqz7WgUVuQmuH10Dl5XYUpAaB1c8Fl/s320/IMG_4242.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>Thankfully, this effort was enough to put a smile on the faces of some of the adults and looks of puzzlement and intense concentration as some of the students tried to find the listed items on the door. I didn't win any of the prizes but the other doors were amazing. I was going to post the photos I took, but I realized that many of them have student faces as part of the decorations, so I can't.</p><p>This past week was filled with holiday singalongs, our staff social, a jazz quartet concert, games day, and PJ day. I was brave enough to try a Audience Reception Theory lesson involving the Grinch (see <a href="https://aml.ca/how-the-grinch-helped-teach-audience-reception-theory/" target="_blank">www.aml.ca </a>for the synopsis) and foolish enough to attempt to give a social studies test to five classes on the last day of school. (Don't judge me - I needed the marks!) </p><p>There are always extra duties and activities on top of the usual required tasks during these holidays. Even though I'm not a cook, a week or so ago, I prepared <a href="https://mondaymollymusings.blogspot.com/2017/12/teaching-about-and-through-media-as-i.html" target="_blank">garlic pork</a>, a traditional Christmas dish in my family of origin. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAKib3igjo6pCrlyNwp1itQ01PWkzcUW-rJyYZO0ceZ5TR1bLhXLmldnRHB2C-5NYHgp8qrsGuGpEWg4V7U1lMmffeHiZEeE5OFnxpqHMJYknKWiUcLV62LVbbRxdLoNX2GcK6LxQOgsTxHqkfIb175bg32NG_75VU9ZNfSD0dkHxf5y0IcQXnKOewpWPL/s3088/IMG_4193.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2320" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAKib3igjo6pCrlyNwp1itQ01PWkzcUW-rJyYZO0ceZ5TR1bLhXLmldnRHB2C-5NYHgp8qrsGuGpEWg4V7U1lMmffeHiZEeE5OFnxpqHMJYknKWiUcLV62LVbbRxdLoNX2GcK6LxQOgsTxHqkfIb175bg32NG_75VU9ZNfSD0dkHxf5y0IcQXnKOewpWPL/s320/IMG_4193.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>Hubby and I also continued going to the gym three times a week. Last Saturday (December 16), we had a team challenge where we had to build a snowperson using equipment in the gym; we could only add a piece after complete 100 sets of a particular exercise. Here's a picture of our team's snowperson, plus some of the others from the 9:00 am and 10:00 am classes. (Our snowperson is completing a handstand push up, in case you wondered why he/she/they was upside-down.)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfZouh-2irg2vVzS5kahTWxp1XZkGEbmRAt-5UQymY0MCeRmk0oAqOP_9qmEeZMBVBFPy8uRT9v4RtSDLd5zcnREQ3ryI0GUngHxfERQVJ8eCtbM-gKqUoc4M_gHFbbfslRHEOQCv2PEWvjmduub6D9boufShWLh4_PO16L80YCpX9YIgXCt7h1WN-f8A0/s4032/IMG_4185.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfZouh-2irg2vVzS5kahTWxp1XZkGEbmRAt-5UQymY0MCeRmk0oAqOP_9qmEeZMBVBFPy8uRT9v4RtSDLd5zcnREQ3ryI0GUngHxfERQVJ8eCtbM-gKqUoc4M_gHFbbfslRHEOQCv2PEWvjmduub6D9boufShWLh4_PO16L80YCpX9YIgXCt7h1WN-f8A0/s320/IMG_4185.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSuPcLD0A0uF0n05Nt9UeLa2DYnJMo7inRsv2HSTAnJ3TzS2aah65ftyaFOVxQvBuYNcOuXfUX1zoVjFgNoHEWosisigWznjMrR1EqjfjNLK0lOSNf5V1IWj5QIPpbW2XQS_g__aNehqY0jV-1DMMoyUf-oSHBJva_OAFx1faGmdJ1dGHTyOJotgSrkxcv/s4032/IMG_4179.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSuPcLD0A0uF0n05Nt9UeLa2DYnJMo7inRsv2HSTAnJ3TzS2aah65ftyaFOVxQvBuYNcOuXfUX1zoVjFgNoHEWosisigWznjMrR1EqjfjNLK0lOSNf5V1IWj5QIPpbW2XQS_g__aNehqY0jV-1DMMoyUf-oSHBJva_OAFx1faGmdJ1dGHTyOJotgSrkxcv/s320/IMG_4179.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVWNfXSluzpVDFqouxT870IMMNtpdu8AAT8Q4ffvPhs_L8jOGK8rVKuMtFw-60TmKTwURQsWxpHhGtD2I5gfmAwlJEoQ3umrAtR7c3TPRppvdTR3Z4m5xeFReT1eDBqd3K_wo_1UacuuKNB0dAHkaFIxBeV5gxwZ2sb-iKMuxRGj1yjZo7KHcRZZSceE77/s4032/IMG_4182.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVWNfXSluzpVDFqouxT870IMMNtpdu8AAT8Q4ffvPhs_L8jOGK8rVKuMtFw-60TmKTwURQsWxpHhGtD2I5gfmAwlJEoQ3umrAtR7c3TPRppvdTR3Z4m5xeFReT1eDBqd3K_wo_1UacuuKNB0dAHkaFIxBeV5gxwZ2sb-iKMuxRGj1yjZo7KHcRZZSceE77/s320/IMG_4182.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP34594wtHRFTgarH3NWwowRFFbxnEMkEKqWwAThTufAlUiBU93771rm7yXMvwkG4k-0MoE9WBflkEwKJhPFQD2ZUzsi1nk2PU6m_741a2GbGA5nDj7ZF-wizWN_U28082cirFrRP9Utkw-eqUCyWt88PhlTJbCzN4DEQdQVJrENE3n31dRoZGdRuy3SO2/s4032/IMG_4183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP34594wtHRFTgarH3NWwowRFFbxnEMkEKqWwAThTufAlUiBU93771rm7yXMvwkG4k-0MoE9WBflkEwKJhPFQD2ZUzsi1nk2PU6m_741a2GbGA5nDj7ZF-wizWN_U28082cirFrRP9Utkw-eqUCyWt88PhlTJbCzN4DEQdQVJrENE3n31dRoZGdRuy3SO2/s320/IMG_4183.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>This week (December 23), we had a "12 Days of Christmas" themed workout, where, just like in the song, you had to return/revisit previously done exercises. For instance, in round 7, we completed</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>7 wall balls</li><li>6 push up</li><li>5 ab-mat sit-ups</li><li>4 toes-to-bar</li><li>3 burpees</li><li>2 ring dips</li><li>1 rope climb</li></ul><div>In round 8, we did 8 alternating hand dumbbell snatches, plus everything listed above. I only made it to 10 rounds before the time cut-off. I was relieved! These workouts tucker me out.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'll leave it here for now. I have lots to do over the break (like preparing presentations, reading Forest of Reading books, and getting ready for report cards as well as the winter session of the York University TL AQs), but I will try to get some R&R in there as well.</div><p></p><p><br /></p>MZMollyTLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17565896547458451347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692067574614653754.post-21304993823095371522023-12-18T00:00:00.000-08:002023-12-18T00:00:00.353-08:00Concert Completed - Post-Show Thoughts<p> Wednesday, December 13, 2023 was our school concert. The afternoon and evening performances were the culmination of months of rehearsals and preparation. We continued some of the<a href="https://mondaymollymusings.blogspot.com/2023/03/concert-risks-and-results.html" target="_blank"> procedures we experimented with at our March 2023 concert</a> and it went well.</p><p>I wish I could share more photos from the actual event, but there are too many faces to block out to make it suitable for sharing online. I hope this single shot that I've edited, originally taken by our wonderful French teacher, Mme Tran, gives you an idea of the energy emanating from the stage.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Buq8xIZ8y4Glp_zcFSMmG_zck4WP4aQVK5_lSAG9xsZxgLwCkyO9W_a-pCf-Wiyxiar9LlcouVaTyii5PvZxZ170WP0A5yiTE6vsuCeKtksF3NNWeBBm-6NSNVKKkirm8O9_ppiQVcYN1iM3e0apnbuYcSqRnEwMWLWmWR_bMdltH5Ifil3gvXIpXdAC/s3008/ToyStoreShow.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="3008" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Buq8xIZ8y4Glp_zcFSMmG_zck4WP4aQVK5_lSAG9xsZxgLwCkyO9W_a-pCf-Wiyxiar9LlcouVaTyii5PvZxZ170WP0A5yiTE6vsuCeKtksF3NNWeBBm-6NSNVKKkirm8O9_ppiQVcYN1iM3e0apnbuYcSqRnEwMWLWmWR_bMdltH5Ifil3gvXIpXdAC/s320/ToyStoreShow.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>This photo is a scene from the 4-class mega-skit based on the improvisational game they love so much, <a href="https://mondaymollymusings.blogspot.com/2023/01/toy-store-tales.html" target="_blank">Toy Store</a>. This number had the potential to be a disaster because of all the moving parts, but it actually went quite well, thanks to the teachers helping to supervise backstage and the focus that most of the students had when performing. This was especially important during our matinee, because in the middle of their act, there was a medical emergency. It happened while the "toys" were frozen on stage, just before music started to indicate their dance. Thankfully, there was a paramedic in the audience and the situation was dealt with quickly. Still, our students stayed unmoving, waiting for their cue, for a lot longer than I thought they were capable of remaining still. We carried on with the show ("the show must go on") with most of the children unaware that something unexpected had occurred.</p><p>A lot of planning goes into a concert, but we weren't planned for something like this. We are so grateful that everyone was okay and no one seemed traumatized by the unforeseen event.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVJESKZ1VGH-fJR6f4wpaUdMJ1Z_E89ijndIjus33peWINQgk_UaqGgYHU3qz6PanuYlLft9zbUvZ001GEkFQ4G0eTYgsZulssflVePnK0zcEi3UmZ1soTJZHpmjc1Mh9FCVDa8G7LJU10B2WbAIhjpOpfXA-UbJ-Zf_rKws1ByrDS0LUeahn4G5fAiBTH/s2497/2023-12%20Concert%20Programme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2497" data-original-width="1583" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVJESKZ1VGH-fJR6f4wpaUdMJ1Z_E89ijndIjus33peWINQgk_UaqGgYHU3qz6PanuYlLft9zbUvZ001GEkFQ4G0eTYgsZulssflVePnK0zcEi3UmZ1soTJZHpmjc1Mh9FCVDa8G7LJU10B2WbAIhjpOpfXA-UbJ-Zf_rKws1ByrDS0LUeahn4G5fAiBTH/s320/2023-12%20Concert%20Programme.jpg" width="203" /></a></div><br /><p>There are some reflections that are meant just for the concert committee (or even smaller subgroups). We had to make a last-minute alteration to one of the acts, which made sense but did induce some extra stress. Big thanks to those who were brave enough to notice and mention the potential issue, as well as to those who shifted their schedules and used their crafty construction skills to pull off the switch. </p><p>The finale of our show was an incredible feat of organization and a powerful visual and sound experience for those who got to witness it in person. The entire school learned a song called "Let Love Light the Way" and they sang it all together in the gym as the last performance of the evening. Imagine seeing rows and rows of students, from ones that have only recently left their toddler years to ones entering their teen era, all singing in union the chorus:</p><blockquote><p>So come walk with me / Sing along, and you'll see</p></blockquote><blockquote><p>On this holiday / Let love light the way</p></blockquote><blockquote><p>You'll need nothing more / Than those you adore</p></blockquote><blockquote><p>On this holiday / Let love light the way</p></blockquote><p>This wasn't really a holiday concert, or even a winter concert. The focus was on the many ways that people show love. The families enjoyed the show and the students are still singing and humming the songs they learned.</p><p>I saw this image on Facebook and had to copy it as the "finale" to this blog post. I don't think we realize how exhausting concert prep can be. Our show was on Wednesday and I was still dragging my behind on Friday. (I came home after 5:00 pm, ate dinner, went to bed at 6:00 pm and didn't arise completely until 9:00 am on Saturday. That's how tired I was.) Multiply this tenfold for the leader of our concert, Connie Chan. She (and her husband, a fellow music teacher) was actually sick the weekend before the concert and missed school on Monday, but was back running the dress rehearsal and shows. She deserves a lot of credit for the success of the concert. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKJbzSwEKHoDsTsxxts6d8fwcVo8AM-weID_ZkW9U5MJ0dWfBSHor_6NxDF-VVzlrQxJLTxs7uMDm0IfDLSfRJRklfuyDdTFASLOBCMmM79LUMnDMiwjE8ND59xbmNJofiW6pwUVgva-PV_V_Yss4fsYA6k7Oz2DrA0TgJh48YRn9AOp4gpC9zBvLoAKNC/s600/405299726_870895401493591_923835705254030414_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="523" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKJbzSwEKHoDsTsxxts6d8fwcVo8AM-weID_ZkW9U5MJ0dWfBSHor_6NxDF-VVzlrQxJLTxs7uMDm0IfDLSfRJRklfuyDdTFASLOBCMmM79LUMnDMiwjE8ND59xbmNJofiW6pwUVgva-PV_V_Yss4fsYA6k7Oz2DrA0TgJh48YRn9AOp4gpC9zBvLoAKNC/s320/405299726_870895401493591_923835705254030414_n.jpg" width="279" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><blockquote><p> </p></blockquote><blockquote><p> </p></blockquote><blockquote><p> </p></blockquote><blockquote><p> </p></blockquote><blockquote><p> </p></blockquote><blockquote><p> </p></blockquote><blockquote><p> </p></blockquote><p> </p>MZMollyTLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17565896547458451347noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692067574614653754.post-51899226108073921872023-12-11T00:00:00.000-08:002023-12-11T00:00:00.138-08:00Playing Hi-Tech Pretend and Union Understanding<p> This is another "I have two things to say and can't choose which to focus on" post.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-5Sm4D0BNeoZUx3jSnzbZx7tlUkKMbKlv7Uud8qOhF2sYezAAhNwoauhLoWPcHSQj_Dby0TTzha57xVqef_mO9TKk-9HL672SCztYZR0GK6mGxjjZO2hDoat9DH6YuU7hxSbba5fOk7jkMZ5zsbVG1iiz1ZTUcrUuDq1iJXGJ324KSooRN4yEjh8g-Fxm/s1200/attendance_badge_template_1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1200" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-5Sm4D0BNeoZUx3jSnzbZx7tlUkKMbKlv7Uud8qOhF2sYezAAhNwoauhLoWPcHSQj_Dby0TTzha57xVqef_mO9TKk-9HL672SCztYZR0GK6mGxjjZO2hDoat9DH6YuU7hxSbba5fOk7jkMZ5zsbVG1iiz1ZTUcrUuDq1iJXGJ324KSooRN4yEjh8g-Fxm/s320/attendance_badge_template_1.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMajnHKXXIM_EtOuH8skQ2FgeE3YDLhLnr0siS3r8citGxC5-WD1xekZBB1FjPutgKFCQAyzwDYlDkgZFgNkjyU_jNKjLYDt6XuuJC455f1-8J6yIQM9tMf5NF4RQFoATzsfHGHsJVF5EBJ37TwuN4YAuzIz-mMB4gYqXzV04PfElps8eGV1rVfkFSCZY4/s3088/IMG_4130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2320" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMajnHKXXIM_EtOuH8skQ2FgeE3YDLhLnr0siS3r8citGxC5-WD1xekZBB1FjPutgKFCQAyzwDYlDkgZFgNkjyU_jNKjLYDt6XuuJC455f1-8J6yIQM9tMf5NF4RQFoATzsfHGHsJVF5EBJ37TwuN4YAuzIz-mMB4gYqXzV04PfElps8eGV1rVfkFSCZY4/s320/IMG_4130.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Playing Hi-Tech Pretend</h3><p>Even though a lot of our focus in school these days is on our upcoming concert, learning is still going on. For the kindergarten students I see, we've taken a fun turn that incorporates music and drama and media. Our term theme is all about imagination. I brought in a mysterious package and the students guessed what was in it. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAHBrttchlWmNEBwnKra_2vlq6uy7LHwiGnufawu5O4nUk6p-ZhAC7ZB37xq7qD8PHt45CZ60__BZziY3kXcwlXr8ho_cdeBkk1Cz8sTOoasGWEGvkDBK-A31dAnAMTn_dnxHstln2fl0ai3xmca6ABjsImHuMC99R0vQ0_6rc3jlu4cBI3XiG8pHzzoWX/s4032/HoldTrumpetCase.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAHBrttchlWmNEBwnKra_2vlq6uy7LHwiGnufawu5O4nUk6p-ZhAC7ZB37xq7qD8PHt45CZ60__BZziY3kXcwlXr8ho_cdeBkk1Cz8sTOoasGWEGvkDBK-A31dAnAMTn_dnxHstln2fl0ai3xmca6ABjsImHuMC99R0vQ0_6rc3jlu4cBI3XiG8pHzzoWX/s320/HoldTrumpetCase.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>It was a trumpet. With a lot of mouthpiece washing, we allowed students to try playing the trumpet. I loved seeing the look of surprise and delight on the students' faces when they were able to produce a sound. There was some direct teaching involved on the difference between buzzing their lips and merely blowing air. They loved it!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ7OI_Jy6HQZ4KeukcpTJ3x1LY9wbR61tdf6xKeS_uChXxAu-1cDTPtgilnYXjnT74r5zCHf54EPlF_DI_-86TtcB5h46V2JeajhJDtUskS4h-QPY653kdzvM81xQ2vKz514ypIcw2hsf3gyiKAJDp5WX8B_Rpk3giJ0vB9DQArzgxZN1KxvTeLxmk5FpI/s4032/PlayTrumpet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ7OI_Jy6HQZ4KeukcpTJ3x1LY9wbR61tdf6xKeS_uChXxAu-1cDTPtgilnYXjnT74r5zCHf54EPlF_DI_-86TtcB5h46V2JeajhJDtUskS4h-QPY653kdzvM81xQ2vKz514ypIcw2hsf3gyiKAJDp5WX8B_Rpk3giJ0vB9DQArzgxZN1KxvTeLxmk5FpI/s320/PlayTrumpet.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>They discovered that playing a trumpet is not that easy. We talked a bit about where they hear trumpet music and tried to recognize trumpets in music pieces. I set up a booth in the class and library with a green screen and invited students one at a time to select a background and pose with the trumpet.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5DEGh6ZQKfDHfvGi5QdChXuqjJ9Jza_8Ra9GB34uDAIHZwk7ZpEN3ikUQoPB8huR7EQZ5Eg_36r0S260Fm89U0fe2SHzXWzaHRSszeII-BwPDPaw-r4SCzPHiwtq-x9fTLGYZXMx7m0LXVa3piJ53LUf-888bTWp2bH552ji5qQIsYEwcE1ldcgkDNgn6/s4032/PoseWithTrumpet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5DEGh6ZQKfDHfvGi5QdChXuqjJ9Jza_8Ra9GB34uDAIHZwk7ZpEN3ikUQoPB8huR7EQZ5Eg_36r0S260Fm89U0fe2SHzXWzaHRSszeII-BwPDPaw-r4SCzPHiwtq-x9fTLGYZXMx7m0LXVa3piJ53LUf-888bTWp2bH552ji5qQIsYEwcE1ldcgkDNgn6/s320/PoseWithTrumpet.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>It was a great opportunity to look at how media create versions of reality, to be playful, to make noise, and to pretend. Here is one of the photos (with student faces blocked). </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxBmXYcKOUmmvI3vhV4h8kLQ7niyPkMtZRNeqpAbzMi47bguGRpoUvTn-_iyYU6KoN2OiSwI-600EcH5yBBXxlj9MxVYJR1GsSXwbmYJ5oQBwSGnNZDIB6jprvo4e8dOz6-s1zAejYZIuoiABqz4V2YF23MiPEftVfo-ICmdrUIV3t2_R2HjeiIvm7LwAo/s1440/PretendWithTrumpet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxBmXYcKOUmmvI3vhV4h8kLQ7niyPkMtZRNeqpAbzMi47bguGRpoUvTn-_iyYU6KoN2OiSwI-600EcH5yBBXxlj9MxVYJR1GsSXwbmYJ5oQBwSGnNZDIB6jprvo4e8dOz6-s1zAejYZIuoiABqz4V2YF23MiPEftVfo-ICmdrUIV3t2_R2HjeiIvm7LwAo/s320/PretendWithTrumpet.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Union Understanding</h3><p>Friday, December 8 was Federation Day. I attended virtually this year. There were a lot of lengthy and powerful talks by people. Instead of my usual "summary / 3 key points / so what and now what" format, I'll just make a few sentences about each section. Please excuse the quality of my photos. I took them of my computer screen while listening.</p><p><b>Helen</b></p><p>Our ETT president, Helen Victoros, made her opening remarks. She reviewed some of the terms of the recent central tentative deal. I appreciated her honesty that the ETT Executive is not unanimous in their opinions of the deal. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTrN59Vv8vmt0upXu3G87kJ3jz6YceAhWwO5sWKzoaUKlsbQjtrGPrdkxcFJxN5A2b6_KBjZDv0hxRUYchcrA2_JvxlZ6WnkwpShBhAMxZcouydcOiG9KYFr6YDYHCpg01L_7RawBRPS_SgydtQWoX_dlH2Ut_E3WuAk8t633TlWtBodbZHTt_wLGJ6WcS/s4032/IMG_4122.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTrN59Vv8vmt0upXu3G87kJ3jz6YceAhWwO5sWKzoaUKlsbQjtrGPrdkxcFJxN5A2b6_KBjZDv0hxRUYchcrA2_JvxlZ6WnkwpShBhAMxZcouydcOiG9KYFr6YDYHCpg01L_7RawBRPS_SgydtQWoX_dlH2Ut_E3WuAk8t633TlWtBodbZHTt_wLGJ6WcS/s320/IMG_4122.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><b>Randy</b></p><p>What is the state of Ontario's finances? It's not as dire as the provincial government would have you believe. Randy Robinson is the director of the Ontario office of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. He gave a detailed overview of the numbers that matter and how they are spun. (Thank you Karen Jutzi for the image and post below, from Facebook.)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9uclHNaP2qWd12UsWWgK6-YweaiPjG3Ep_kcVN8G6Gw358dBBE_oHRPoSAOl1nhoCEv62P_KxY15-Pw8zItDTLE4r03pkkC2HJRSSQuOY70533u5jJGT9IuDM1jvH5u7IzBjRuqwLV-oloV6ibXjB8j9ywqpIKNivlewuTqwgvxfn2O2OLK7TLglb4mr9/s704/KarenETTFedDayPost.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="704" data-original-width="558" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9uclHNaP2qWd12UsWWgK6-YweaiPjG3Ep_kcVN8G6Gw358dBBE_oHRPoSAOl1nhoCEv62P_KxY15-Pw8zItDTLE4r03pkkC2HJRSSQuOY70533u5jJGT9IuDM1jvH5u7IzBjRuqwLV-oloV6ibXjB8j9ywqpIKNivlewuTqwgvxfn2O2OLK7TLglb4mr9/s320/KarenETTFedDayPost.JPG" width="254" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><b>Jesse</b></p><p>Jesse Wente is an author, broadcaster, and to quote the ETT website, "Indigenous advocate and pop culture philosopher". Some of the important ideas he shared were: We need to focus on being (a more Anishinaabe concept) than Western notions of doing. Are we ready to sit in circle with Jesse's children? The soft stuff (empathy, media literacy [yes, he said media literacy]), the "hall stuff" is important. Be future builders. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPFFxtBiuRiDhzFCmN9z-QJJZ52WP52Pfw-Q_DEPO80KYBfnnDNUo_Cek1WhVQdMPUmdoE7zlpFENFT4581higX2FRGLe6BMZkK-oY0mxlKjFt8r-LzCOWbpVA3ZgQnKoxZW7a4o8Bqp01wVXdO1D3N1AgrHSpdO8p-UmSFgv-GcUiUkSTM5Q6_tGq9aEd/s4032/IMG_4123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPFFxtBiuRiDhzFCmN9z-QJJZ52WP52Pfw-Q_DEPO80KYBfnnDNUo_Cek1WhVQdMPUmdoE7zlpFENFT4581higX2FRGLe6BMZkK-oY0mxlKjFt8r-LzCOWbpVA3ZgQnKoxZW7a4o8Bqp01wVXdO1D3N1AgrHSpdO8p-UmSFgv-GcUiUkSTM5Q6_tGq9aEd/s320/IMG_4123.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><b>Me (and Chelsea)</b></p><p>Chelsea Attwell and I ran a session called "Magnifying Media in the New Language Curriculum". We had a very large group of people log on. I kept taking photos to actually note the number of participants. (If you can't see, those numbers go from 58, to 281, to 308 to 315.) Now, I'm not going to fool myself into thinking that everyone was hanging on our every word. Attendance was mandatory and I'm sure a lot of folks had the computer on while doing something else. Another worrisome moment was when we didn't have host privileges and people forgot to mute their microphones and we could hear people ordering food and playing music. Thankfully, a last minute email Chelsea sent rectified the situation. Big thanks to James and Daniel and Mila for the conversations afterwards. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB6JRBMQwLgAI6efi_vZuB616ZvkLpvqnn5nvnYjzdpnklWc_ZKr6JDjyFVo2LD_VumGdhtmnQeI5DpgLKcxkKGSRPAjrwTqA8eGTKov4QweI9B87jNJj5ou3ZgC39P_s_4OWzm6-Oyr2r1YQ9R5UqzfuVMqW8jd-ZzLtlF02BjJ2X-JKDd2JQP-zR5vbj/s4032/IMG_4124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB6JRBMQwLgAI6efi_vZuB616ZvkLpvqnn5nvnYjzdpnklWc_ZKr6JDjyFVo2LD_VumGdhtmnQeI5DpgLKcxkKGSRPAjrwTqA8eGTKov4QweI9B87jNJj5ou3ZgC39P_s_4OWzm6-Oyr2r1YQ9R5UqzfuVMqW8jd-ZzLtlF02BjJ2X-JKDd2JQP-zR5vbj/s320/IMG_4124.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj93TtTwdRbDS3Dk1VBowNlMVljodqpKcSqMLSmsHXBE0CD_fuBdaS2nx8DsqanYRRuO3xuGHLNN9HX_uN80gqH7h6NFfGM7f_CpDZBZ9ux8vzAqBiK2NknNFa7TAGIUNMB6rCdrMcYQLLcRRTCqgRf74Q0GbSGSInvcQ-Tcd51f3dR9okKSj1x52MjXgQk/s4032/IMG_4125.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj93TtTwdRbDS3Dk1VBowNlMVljodqpKcSqMLSmsHXBE0CD_fuBdaS2nx8DsqanYRRuO3xuGHLNN9HX_uN80gqH7h6NFfGM7f_CpDZBZ9ux8vzAqBiK2NknNFa7TAGIUNMB6rCdrMcYQLLcRRTCqgRf74Q0GbSGSInvcQ-Tcd51f3dR9okKSj1x52MjXgQk/s320/IMG_4125.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnOMGZpcCOq3Z-NKvtTRT3pKTh1A0q0mSCNFXrECKrEstNIsWWgFUDIqYFlIqJOBCbOkqSp9JzHu3ydkO2JghowclJ-Mt5azZ1BbxpbyibXlCManEvklEu8sQ9PNi1EORmJ-xu5tfdnSsx7Sq_Gr0_9jtkPJPUWKDRq65UmQ_IEvl6xB1rzHMtFR67kR1K/s4032/IMG_4126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnOMGZpcCOq3Z-NKvtTRT3pKTh1A0q0mSCNFXrECKrEstNIsWWgFUDIqYFlIqJOBCbOkqSp9JzHu3ydkO2JghowclJ-Mt5azZ1BbxpbyibXlCManEvklEu8sQ9PNi1EORmJ-xu5tfdnSsx7Sq_Gr0_9jtkPJPUWKDRq65UmQ_IEvl6xB1rzHMtFR67kR1K/s320/IMG_4126.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUVEmgWvFmNwkRW0iNY_oaCCNcZU4QN1iFKw8dkNo9yDqCHhlGailVRJpdtByseg6_Z4_F3dLZWtSHMSn9ei1BChGBUm0zOCia6pPdHrN_ABSI9Mls1bKZ1G2_a-y04ijjOk4rps2ygTu25CQFy_WtlBjC3jIf_4XwjOuJQQ3-t6VzJiDSpq4r7B-G3D8H/s4032/IMG_4127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUVEmgWvFmNwkRW0iNY_oaCCNcZU4QN1iFKw8dkNo9yDqCHhlGailVRJpdtByseg6_Z4_F3dLZWtSHMSn9ei1BChGBUm0zOCia6pPdHrN_ABSI9Mls1bKZ1G2_a-y04ijjOk4rps2ygTu25CQFy_WtlBjC3jIf_4XwjOuJQQ3-t6VzJiDSpq4r7B-G3D8H/s320/IMG_4127.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>It was lovely to see familiar names at the opening plenary. I hope everyone got something out of the day. Big appreciations go to all those people who organized a workshop, as well as the ETT Federation Day organization committee. </p>MZMollyTLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17565896547458451347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692067574614653754.post-62580654377031907962023-12-04T00:00:00.000-08:002023-12-04T00:00:00.148-08:00Printing and Handwriting Adventures<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyoQlTuxY22t8ZQFuz2RhHP0XiFgIpjwd4FoVwIloZbtdisupNoRTbPbQzLhsumuJOiPzK3hDFRDFnciQRPTGYOIwU9vzPRyqRX5lfWRbb6dOMxfkktQ7GZQHSuvXFLaYjYOHEMlaUdzkUiPR8fQMazgubvkM-R-5-5ZvCCufBtQDaMLOqxK0prYT1S5Pn/s803/Untitled%20design.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="803" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyoQlTuxY22t8ZQFuz2RhHP0XiFgIpjwd4FoVwIloZbtdisupNoRTbPbQzLhsumuJOiPzK3hDFRDFnciQRPTGYOIwU9vzPRyqRX5lfWRbb6dOMxfkktQ7GZQHSuvXFLaYjYOHEMlaUdzkUiPR8fQMazgubvkM-R-5-5ZvCCufBtQDaMLOqxK0prYT1S5Pn/s320/Untitled%20design.png" width="319" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Note: This image was created using Dall-E with the prompt "A child riding an oversized pencil in the style of surreal, digital art" on December 2, 2023. I know Andrea Sykes showed us how to do proper citation for AI generated texts, but I'll get better at it in 2024, I promise.</p><p><b>D2.2</b> - this is the expectation code that caused the most commotion when the updated Ontario Language curriculum was released in June. For Grade 2s, it says:</p><blockquote><p>print legibly and fluently, with appropriate formation patterns, size, placement, and spacing</p></blockquote><p>For the Grade 4s, this same expectation says:</p><blockquote><p>write in cursive, forming letters of appropriate shape, size, proportion, and slant to improve the legibility of texts, and begin to develop fluent keyboarding skills using touch-typing techniques</p></blockquote><p>How do you fit in this type of instruction, along with all the other requirements of the curriculum? Last week, I decided to conduct a "one-off" lesson on printing and handwriting techniques in conjunction with my drama focus. We are preparing for the big concert in December and I wanted to communicate with the families about what outfits the students would need for the show. To "kill two birds with one stone", I elected to create a fill-in-the-blank letter that would allow students to practice printing or writing while paying attention to all those criteria listed in the new expectation.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQGVj8WusmHvQdTFfzlalU4AGl3pHvjkALN5kFXuFYpy1yQehTbljbcomJDTRxH_Oe9cPc7j49DKRUAh25CYQ9cIHWDAFhhlqTtR_H5HpXYYS-an9UZbZMZTunYgLT49kMvE8rNe6Fktnt9qH_CsrGsZFpVvgwzIk8rPrIG9zmz0HL16EGusw8-ZQxcH2x/s4032/IMG_3901.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQGVj8WusmHvQdTFfzlalU4AGl3pHvjkALN5kFXuFYpy1yQehTbljbcomJDTRxH_Oe9cPc7j49DKRUAh25CYQ9cIHWDAFhhlqTtR_H5HpXYYS-an9UZbZMZTunYgLT49kMvE8rNe6Fktnt9qH_CsrGsZFpVvgwzIk8rPrIG9zmz0HL16EGusw8-ZQxcH2x/s320/IMG_3901.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /> A very long time ago, I purchased a CD-ROM (!) that provided several kinds of printing and handwriting fonts with lined backgrounds. This made generating my letter template easy.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiysWus0ANtmMzEzddyZcn5KrvSi2NlkipW5x0C3dd9aR4UC3AdxZsF37zuVZ6wGxmQyE3MBlz9_qi5FmRo5DkDtdM69gR0yfZzJCBYqmC2zXz9aHn2fw4C9nNTkR9vLNSQI3r44rbR0EizlssZ5_AR5S8rF2Ew5nMPGaKUezDqicPX1mlwnwXWSz5_K-rV/s4032/IMG_3902.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiysWus0ANtmMzEzddyZcn5KrvSi2NlkipW5x0C3dd9aR4UC3AdxZsF37zuVZ6wGxmQyE3MBlz9_qi5FmRo5DkDtdM69gR0yfZzJCBYqmC2zXz9aHn2fw4C9nNTkR9vLNSQI3r44rbR0EizlssZ5_AR5S8rF2Ew5nMPGaKUezDqicPX1mlwnwXWSz5_K-rV/s320/IMG_3902.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I drew the equivalent lines on the board and did some direct, explicit teaching on how to form letters.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeHwc9sqILukL-25rBza7ahdWD9NJlNgX1fGV5UWaVBvUabd-MeOvvX9UYsaFX4FSbtsjAI4JiR8wRb9vF_RL4Wt5rKRmj0qt_fwfz0tbMF7um5-6eYu6BV_Rw9hNdo4EMl4xPyMnxT8odMvb8_F6nt7d2dx6dunVrKRnyTKPD3uxUX0gR3zbxs4jqmxi4/s4032/IMG_3903.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeHwc9sqILukL-25rBza7ahdWD9NJlNgX1fGV5UWaVBvUabd-MeOvvX9UYsaFX4FSbtsjAI4JiR8wRb9vF_RL4Wt5rKRmj0qt_fwfz0tbMF7um5-6eYu6BV_Rw9hNdo4EMl4xPyMnxT8odMvb8_F6nt7d2dx6dunVrKRnyTKPD3uxUX0gR3zbxs4jqmxi4/s320/IMG_3903.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><p>I took photos of every student as they wrote their letters. One reason was to note their pencil grip. Another reason was to capture evidence of their printing or handwriting results. The third reason was to eventually add some of these photos to their BrightSpace portfolios, with a short audio reflection by them on their thoughts about learning to write in cursive or print.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeJ3LJn5dxgfK_fBGYOruBVrpjlC83X1vLLyhQFF7_1BK6vk3LNovnWhCSHP0C88Aj8qrQqetmOe61ctBNwDbwcKqh3ElR2FBRH_L2uFs6kxKXal_Iz9NR7dlecODEY7Xqs_5e8C7II4f5nrNU0LIABS-PI_B5nuzkXLcDuWyrU6RTAcd08MnPT6znoRn1/s4032/IMG_3922.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeJ3LJn5dxgfK_fBGYOruBVrpjlC83X1vLLyhQFF7_1BK6vk3LNovnWhCSHP0C88Aj8qrQqetmOe61ctBNwDbwcKqh3ElR2FBRH_L2uFs6kxKXal_Iz9NR7dlecODEY7Xqs_5e8C7II4f5nrNU0LIABS-PI_B5nuzkXLcDuWyrU6RTAcd08MnPT6znoRn1/s320/IMG_3922.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWFQZv-F_V8Ss7V10Bd3m1VB7RS5KbmXaWbRamTQiZ_XGNvh6PbKrDyjnJhNyjLE_G_965WuOXlXUSuqYU9YvkepjW6YVzQ42JGOOuD7GQWx4uCHvu7g_WYGVAMCVmvvQBpljzZla5oCqRQJEan5YJKDG0zY6hf6q9AKRJQiR8t2tKq5xyWNO7nTuPicNT/s4032/IMG_3924.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWFQZv-F_V8Ss7V10Bd3m1VB7RS5KbmXaWbRamTQiZ_XGNvh6PbKrDyjnJhNyjLE_G_965WuOXlXUSuqYU9YvkepjW6YVzQ42JGOOuD7GQWx4uCHvu7g_WYGVAMCVmvvQBpljzZla5oCqRQJEan5YJKDG0zY6hf6q9AKRJQiR8t2tKq5xyWNO7nTuPicNT/s320/IMG_3924.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>I know that there are certain printing methods or techniques. I did not religiously follow any of those. I reviewed "ground", "grass" and "sky" letters so students would know where on the lines to place the letters.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFlry_42Y-x8v9P2Pl6I3jOMlH13x3WUh63PtK5mLUTbaTnmK8cqp-dr5Im0K6MXTr0nHEQYtYvfVI77WsHKonhrJe_LQFdfyzaKEBHLpwhwUae973klAhnfYZS8jCJG9V3fjioiRSrz5aLJ0POIHKSijMGOcCo2NFS6HNTrF5axVRpQxthgub6wAKUNud/s4032/IMG_3958.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFlry_42Y-x8v9P2Pl6I3jOMlH13x3WUh63PtK5mLUTbaTnmK8cqp-dr5Im0K6MXTr0nHEQYtYvfVI77WsHKonhrJe_LQFdfyzaKEBHLpwhwUae973klAhnfYZS8jCJG9V3fjioiRSrz5aLJ0POIHKSijMGOcCo2NFS6HNTrF5axVRpQxthgub6wAKUNud/s320/IMG_3958.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The challenging part about this "one-off" lesson, especially for the students learning cursive, was that there wasn't a lot of opportunity to practice certain new letter shapes over and over. Capital letters in particular are extra-hard, because there are a lot of loops and curves (and the formation depends on what method you adopt - I found this article on <a href="https://study.com/learn/lesson/cursive-handwriting-types-styles-examples.html" target="_blank">cursive writing styles</a> and this overview article with <a href="https://www.drawyourworld.com/blog/examples-of-handwriting-styles.html" target="_blank">visuals of how the types differ</a>). I know my own handwritten capital letter F doesn't look like the "traditional" capital letter F. Is my way "wrong"? Or just different? When do we move from saying a letter formation is different to being wrong?</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5k51rlK2Y1C8W-OGQ1azSKr4CSVSd46EECj94urlE6ujepdecbyQOzKrdjBrtNpRHYOZg3tmDR6a-_9W8vS3pDHQilyLEF8bCs5qR9AaCv0ACR4ufq9vjEUaErSJFuWzZhsprnTgpQpdrMI4dfuY9KV6iIXfO9KXUdZ-H4CF6_M7rjXjUU9MDNRTa7jjq/s4032/IMG_3959.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5k51rlK2Y1C8W-OGQ1azSKr4CSVSd46EECj94urlE6ujepdecbyQOzKrdjBrtNpRHYOZg3tmDR6a-_9W8vS3pDHQilyLEF8bCs5qR9AaCv0ACR4ufq9vjEUaErSJFuWzZhsprnTgpQpdrMI4dfuY9KV6iIXfO9KXUdZ-H4CF6_M7rjXjUU9MDNRTa7jjq/s320/IMG_3959.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>I have to give huge credit to the Grade 3 teachers in my school. Both of them have conducted specific lessons with their students teaching them how to form letters. Honestly, I pushed the students a bit too hard and fast with this task. I asked them to sign their names at the bottom of their letters in cursive and many of them explained that they didn't know how because they hadn't covered those letters yet in their homeroom class instruction! Not quite fair, was it? I modelled a lot of signatures on the board and they all gamely tried to mimic.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipOQl_p12U7mgXkhTZ0-M_B29Jroz6Bj4IuMw3kZZRJOT6u5ZJvnLPEQtSRPkiq1JqoDg-eeRRWAKrTH3XRHo-Ny49SDgSeKD-Wgl7oTGVl89t2KYyT1NSCeZf4x7pVKKGIlH1-mPBUjfJVGL72jnC4AHmQrMVeLCqwo_j2L3CI1jaUh3tIM46yXlcXcQK/s4032/IMG_3996.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipOQl_p12U7mgXkhTZ0-M_B29Jroz6Bj4IuMw3kZZRJOT6u5ZJvnLPEQtSRPkiq1JqoDg-eeRRWAKrTH3XRHo-Ny49SDgSeKD-Wgl7oTGVl89t2KYyT1NSCeZf4x7pVKKGIlH1-mPBUjfJVGL72jnC4AHmQrMVeLCqwo_j2L3CI1jaUh3tIM46yXlcXcQK/s320/IMG_3996.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>To try and comfort my students, I told them the true story of when I was in Grade 5 or 6. Back then, you weren't allowed to write using a pen unless your handwriting was deemed "up to snuff". You had to use a pencil until you were "good enough". Despite the fact that I have excellent penmanship now, it took me all the way up until the third term before I was permitted to use a pen to do my school work. One of the students asked a brilliant question in response: "So what if the teacher had bad handwriting? Did that mean the principal took away their pens?" I've heard of older teachers remembering their time in teacher's college being scolded or reprimanded by their host teachers for not having model handwriting skills. Neat printing, along with playing the piano, used to be two requirements for kindergarten or early primary teachers. How times have changed!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihXNY5eNVSeWUri0FWaJtXO6eCfkN5n4fXyW63WI61snPNHrQcxWsKa8cykumCM_3s4DBkyIo3F_ULJm07eeBy6uq2hREQ7FsZ8cx-6dtnf0LS49ki2hzSqTZfayDQJnNR-bnXOxwUH5AmxEQUVI0n5ZCXj9lI57TMTX09VF9wRXbOdF1tL-Lo6Cri5psQ/s4032/IMG_3998.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihXNY5eNVSeWUri0FWaJtXO6eCfkN5n4fXyW63WI61snPNHrQcxWsKa8cykumCM_3s4DBkyIo3F_ULJm07eeBy6uq2hREQ7FsZ8cx-6dtnf0LS49ki2hzSqTZfayDQJnNR-bnXOxwUH5AmxEQUVI0n5ZCXj9lI57TMTX09VF9wRXbOdF1tL-Lo6Cri5psQ/s320/IMG_3998.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>I still have a few weeks left in my Media Part 2 Additional Qualification course, and I promised that I would reflect on the media literacy implications from this lesson. </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Key Concept #3 is that audiences negotiate meaning. Who determines what the "best" way is to form a capital letter F? How many people need to be able to decipher someone's handwriting for it to be considered "legible"?</li><li>Key Concept #4 is about economic implications. How many cursive writing primers have educators purchased (or illegally downloaded) in order to teach their students how to "do" handwriting?</li><li>Key Concept #5 centers on value messages. What does neat handwriting "say" about a person? Did this value judgement get lost when educators stopped teaching handwriting? Will this connection between student and print quality return? Why do students have to learn about printing and writing in cursive when keyboarding skills are also required starting in Grade 4? Which skill set (typing using touch-typing methods or printing) is more important? </li><li>Key Concept #6 focuses on political and social messages. What cultures or languages might have an advantage when learning to print or write in English? How does the technology of ink influence the attention to handwriting? How does it connect to calligraphy? When do we switch from all being able to print the same to the evolution of our own individual, unique signature? How important is it nowadays to have your own signature? What occupations are known for their terrible handwriting vs excellent handwriting, and why? When will the Ontario Ministry of Education finally release the examples for teaching these various expectations, including D2.2?</li><li>Key Concept #8 looks at aesthetics. What is it about cursive writing that appeals to some. How does a nicely printed letter compare to a well handwritten letter? </li></ul>I hope that this authentic use of handwriting and printing was useful. (I learned that only 1/3 of the Grade 1 classes have explicit printing lessons, at least based on what the students shared.) I'll try and sprinkle in more opportunities to practice so that the classroom teachers aren't overwhelmed with all the responsibility of instructing. <p></p>MZMollyTLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17565896547458451347noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692067574614653754.post-16823739831759773142023-11-27T00:00:00.000-08:002023-11-27T00:00:00.132-08:00The Importance of Place and Space: TDSB Camp & Map Hunt<p> When the social studies curriculum was released in 2013, there were three key questions that aimed to guide the process: What's where? Why there? Why care? These trio of questions can help shape both parts of my reflection for this week.</p><h2 style="text-align: center;">TDSB Camp 2023</h2><div style="text-align: center;">Saturday, November 25, 2023</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://sites.google.com/tdsb.on.ca/tdsbcamp/home?authuser=1">https://sites.google.com/tdsb.on.ca/tdsbcamp/home?authuser=1</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFQNU_f0RiNpvewwlnbtxTRbNfSyxYU3Ks8ZdV56UFk_Z16Wsb5CVLkQ6EebadCMLf7HIdoUqg5kdIiiVS3HJtU7CoGDIRV6ia75VzgwDTaJaPnpG_6OXxiI01dldVB1Ngu-6YPSPrnwZov5bSNvn7nu0Z0pzbzqzH1EEqIvIc6J5jaeEZFFEMgeLcJAnH/s4032/IMG_3863.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFQNU_f0RiNpvewwlnbtxTRbNfSyxYU3Ks8ZdV56UFk_Z16Wsb5CVLkQ6EebadCMLf7HIdoUqg5kdIiiVS3HJtU7CoGDIRV6ia75VzgwDTaJaPnpG_6OXxiI01dldVB1Ngu-6YPSPrnwZov5bSNvn7nu0Z0pzbzqzH1EEqIvIc6J5jaeEZFFEMgeLcJAnH/s320/IMG_3863.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">9:15 a.m - Opening Keynote by Elder Dr. Duke Redbird</h3><div><br /></div><div><b>Summary (taken from the website): </b><span style="color: #212121; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; text-decoration-line: inherit;">Dr. Duke Redbird is an Elder from the Saugeen Ojibway Nation, on the shores of Lake Huron. A celebrated Indigenous Visionary as well as an established public intellectual, poet, broadcaster, and filmmaker, Dr. Redbird is also a highly sought after keynote speaker. He is an Elder and Advisor to various public and private organizations, and his online presence brings his breadth of cultural knowledge and artistic practice to the benefit of a global audience.</span></div><p class="zfr3Q CDt4Ke " dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 1.55; margin: 14px 0px 0px; outline: none; position: relative; text-decoration-line: inherit;"><span class="C9DxTc " style="box-sizing: border-box;">Dr. Redbird is instrumental in the implementation of innovative multimedia, technologies and beyond, bringing an Indigenous approach to art education that was rooted in his pioneering work at OCAD University. A multidisciplinary artist, he brings an Indigenous lens to modern art and design, and has aided in the emergence of a vibrant Indigenous presence on the contemporary cultural scene. Dr. Redbird’s outstanding contribution to culture, literature, human rights, legacy stretches far beyond his work in Canada. </span></p><div><br /></div><div><b>3 Key Points:</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>1) It is our hope that technology will develop in the service of society, but we must ask what kind of society we wish will develop. Recently Sam Altman was removed as CEO of Open AI, but then was reinstated and the only two women on the executive board resigned as a result of Sam's return. If AI is developed by a small group of heterogenous people, is it developed to serve humanity or a small, specific group? Is it for people or profit?</div><div><br /></div><div>2) With English being the first focus of AI, many other languages are left out as part of AI development. We need to be more inclusive, for "the neurons that fire together, wire together". Do not focus on enhancing the left hemisphere of the brain to the detriment of the right hemisphere.</div><div><br /></div><div>3) Mother Earth is an information platform herself, and we need to use the "elderithms" to unlock our own knowledge by asking questions of our ancestors like we ask prompts of AI. We must teach students to be critical thinkers to direct tech away from profit to a better future. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>So What? Now What?</b></div><div><br /></div><div>I loved the idea of the "elderithms". My next step is to share the video that Dr. Redbird showed at the end of his talk to my staff.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Media Artifacts: </b></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNieT_QOneBH5o5lM4lkwIlIn9AbOvpR-4yMirnOdDXGrKa5aqtpKuJ_bz4IPxvRkmugb1JlZxp3080CZglJjZBzltCpXWt3fctrj9l4OkSZJssYqGBPopl_3liOSVSJQ67iuEF4OSblJQa6G7jG2uvpPUtyOxhxsmjxAYRFt7A4Z6tDr7rtavkutPaZwH/s4032/IMG_3851.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNieT_QOneBH5o5lM4lkwIlIn9AbOvpR-4yMirnOdDXGrKa5aqtpKuJ_bz4IPxvRkmugb1JlZxp3080CZglJjZBzltCpXWt3fctrj9l4OkSZJssYqGBPopl_3liOSVSJQ67iuEF4OSblJQa6G7jG2uvpPUtyOxhxsmjxAYRFt7A4Z6tDr7rtavkutPaZwH/s320/IMG_3851.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">10:15 am - Capturing Joy Through Pedagogical Documentation, iPad features and Brightspace Portfolio by Chelsea Attwell and Tracey Jansen-Sequeira</h3><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Summary (taken from the website):</b> <span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This session will introduce different iPad features and TDSB digital tools (e.g., Clips) and Brightspace Portfolio and how they can be purposefully used to support pedagogical documentation. Ideas, strategies, and next steps will be shared.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><b>3 Key Points:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>1) There are many useful documents and sites that can help people responsibly use technology with our youngest learners, like P088 Acceptable Use of IT Resources or Transforming Learning Through the Use of Digital Tools in Kindergarten. When using digital tools, ask yourself, "Why this digital tool, at this time, for this student?"</div><div><br /></div><div>2) The great thing about using BrightSpace Portfolio is that the files don't go on the device; they go directly to Brightspace, freeing up space on your device and/or Google Drive. </div><div><br /></div><div>3) Students can learn to take photos themselves using a QR code. Prep teachers can also be added to the class Brightspace so they can add evidence. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>So What? Now What?</b></div><div><br /></div><div>I will check out <a href="http://bit.ly/peddocjoyms">http://bit.ly/peddocjoyms</a> for more information. I will also ask my classroom teachers if I can be added to their Brightspace shells (and I know how to do course > course admin > course offering information > make course active so that I can get on)!</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Media Artifacts: </b></div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT9sMMDraKXZo11WBckZN3VG2ym8NH2k6kSIeLfFq4brxTMC_UCNx7_2M9f67uYc4hDgI4tLYe81A6kAdXNeZHV-od-XPfVTtIsQUeZXorad73Bb3ESbWhS5ubrcIFJR5jJ8xiuAjtorEAuJrbw8mcnzQHMrpj2l7CipDPexgyFRyMUQhbCBCdPeVNyGLO/s4032/IMG_3856.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT9sMMDraKXZo11WBckZN3VG2ym8NH2k6kSIeLfFq4brxTMC_UCNx7_2M9f67uYc4hDgI4tLYe81A6kAdXNeZHV-od-XPfVTtIsQUeZXorad73Bb3ESbWhS5ubrcIFJR5jJ8xiuAjtorEAuJrbw8mcnzQHMrpj2l7CipDPexgyFRyMUQhbCBCdPeVNyGLO/s320/IMG_3856.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn9kV7mvr_05Ui_iBZOhpJNqpsopT08RMzjO_yQIhD4sPv3_grI75PZHPBLL-by9VRD_aUqrNfTOhg0MGFCCsLzGqzPJp2dbkKDV_KRcEvWF4TXhMkTThYeVVc-pJU3qQFW7tppzAcd0HdN-ev78PidUwC6KWSHEk8oHAursHXJd-JSD6NFKC8RgNjNmVv/s4032/IMG_3858.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn9kV7mvr_05Ui_iBZOhpJNqpsopT08RMzjO_yQIhD4sPv3_grI75PZHPBLL-by9VRD_aUqrNfTOhg0MGFCCsLzGqzPJp2dbkKDV_KRcEvWF4TXhMkTThYeVVc-pJU3qQFW7tppzAcd0HdN-ev78PidUwC6KWSHEk8oHAursHXJd-JSD6NFKC8RgNjNmVv/s320/IMG_3858.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">11:00 am - Media Opportunities with TDSB Digital Tools: Teaching Through and About! by Chelsea Attwell and Diana Maliszewski</h3><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Summary (taken from the website): </b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">TDSB offers a wide variety of digital tools to use with students. When educators teach through as well as about these tools, they can address several subject areas simultaneously, including aspects of the new Language curriculum, such as several expectations in strand A (e.g. A2.2, A2.4, A2.5, A2.6, A3.1, A.3.2) and more. “About” isn’t just how to use the platform, but how the software or website has specific codes and conventions and a unique aesthetic form that helps communicate more messages than you’d believe possible. The presenters, co-vice presidents of the Association for Media Literacy, will give examples of how to use this approach with Minecraft, Flip, Pebble Go, and iPads apps such as Brightspace Portfolio , and then support participants as they employ these strategies to apply them to other TDSB digital tools of their choice.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><b>3 Key Points:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>1) You can "get two for the price of one" when you teach about a tool in addition to teaching through a tool. For example, understanding "what makes a TED Talk a TED Talk" can hit expectations in Language as well as in the subject the content of the talk covers. </div><div><br /></div><div>2) Digital media literacy is media literacy. Even though the new curriculum focuses on A2 as the "Digital Media Literacy" section, media literacy is in all the strands, especially C (Comprehension) and D (Composition).</div><div><br /></div><div>3) Use the media triangles on www.aml.ca to help you formulate "about" questions to use in class.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>So What? Now What?</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Chelsea and I will take what we learned from running this session to shape and improve our upcoming session for ETT Federation Day on December 8.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Media Artifacts: </b></div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpK0o2vR_PfHyrkvG_y8ZLKYSjZRqSq1VCRatlCfTRWCXW239udCJmCWEYDdEzmHeI6gSyJEGfmMnrKIj8brNY-OR3imPNlg_HqsGt1rKEgau9Po8dCMomkZhY66PFZFgnVNqlRyAKy05hmPrcGAYe-Xd8GZy2zBAoJ2-vwIh81ZJv3CSBuodAtLo1SC09/s3088/IMG_3859.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2320" data-original-width="3088" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpK0o2vR_PfHyrkvG_y8ZLKYSjZRqSq1VCRatlCfTRWCXW239udCJmCWEYDdEzmHeI6gSyJEGfmMnrKIj8brNY-OR3imPNlg_HqsGt1rKEgau9Po8dCMomkZhY66PFZFgnVNqlRyAKy05hmPrcGAYe-Xd8GZy2zBAoJ2-vwIh81ZJv3CSBuodAtLo1SC09/s320/IMG_3859.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCLgtR0W3Vwe0z5JRv_zYquOV_y-Cb2dpc8ahlDA_6ItO1IoI3_QJrPvOVFruvyRtHkBXQ8p8fYiX6pKPVWMVZpW1-3IBAQkW2A9KUpwOzoYDFnGoeNx5UApsGEOedxwHSHpW21MfnAxFS6vjq24_AwTRfADc7z5OoVJVFvtQAD-PNLzN7lku1_alOYzlK/s3088/IMG_3862.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2320" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCLgtR0W3Vwe0z5JRv_zYquOV_y-Cb2dpc8ahlDA_6ItO1IoI3_QJrPvOVFruvyRtHkBXQ8p8fYiX6pKPVWMVZpW1-3IBAQkW2A9KUpwOzoYDFnGoeNx5UApsGEOedxwHSHpW21MfnAxFS6vjq24_AwTRfADc7z5OoVJVFvtQAD-PNLzN7lku1_alOYzlK/s320/IMG_3862.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">12:30 pm - Exploring Teaching and Learning in an AI World by Andrea Sykes and Jason Trinh</h3><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Summary (taken from the website):</b> <span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">AI tools are transforming how humans engage with information and information creation in all corners of society. This session will explore some key ideas and strategies that educators can use right now to develop learning experiences that support students to build skills and knowledge for learning, working and participating in an AI infused world. </span></div><div><br /></div><div><b>3 Key Points:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>1) We need to build our schema first about AI before addressing it. There are many models of LMM such as Byte, Bing CoPilot, and Adobe Firefly. Understand the difference between predictive AI and generative AI (sometimes they can be both). We have been relying on predictive AI for a long time but generative AI is harder to detect and detection tools don't work. There are concerns about AI but there are also potential benefits.</div><div><br /></div><div>2) The introduction of new and transformative technology (think calculators or word processors) always begins with conflict and panic, but we will move to the experimentation stage; educators are smart and we can figure this out together. We need to understand, create, analyze and apply. We need to intentionally teach about digital and information literacy.</div><div><br /></div><div>3) We need to develop Key Skills in ourselves and in our students. 5 were listed in this presentation. Some include #5 Take Responsibility for Your Work with AI (i.e. you can do APA citations when using AI). Discuss AI with your admin and colleagues. Define the expectations and learning goals. Model and share. Interrogate your process. Use an inquiry lens that focuses on process, not product. Be curious and critical. Pay attention to the social and ethical issues related to AI tools, like who has power or reaps benefits. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>So What? Now What?</b></div><div><br /></div><div>This was my favourite presentation of the day. I actually made a YouTube reflection video about it. (I'm not sure if I'll post the link here or not.) My next step is to share what I learned at this session at my November 30 Media AQ class, which will be focused on AI.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Media Artifacts: </b></div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijQ-I9LK6LjZ8feXngJpvOF09QMhA4WqIYevxFlmyg5Dx6BPb_SdNnNCeNG9ykkPJZYir2gPMvS9cGDAvW04mePG65SnrKKDpYJ_IB43D2cjoXwMHrXhQ7cSe-XvW9E030FHrboQCTaGoianoXhBQ73Wb-U3UkpaEMAJ0ktMGP6mzfDgGvplQvI7byMoqQ/s4032/IMG_3867.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijQ-I9LK6LjZ8feXngJpvOF09QMhA4WqIYevxFlmyg5Dx6BPb_SdNnNCeNG9ykkPJZYir2gPMvS9cGDAvW04mePG65SnrKKDpYJ_IB43D2cjoXwMHrXhQ7cSe-XvW9E030FHrboQCTaGoianoXhBQ73Wb-U3UkpaEMAJ0ktMGP6mzfDgGvplQvI7byMoqQ/s320/IMG_3867.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN9i3n2wCkxNG7qUK4Zr8d_fjzynPdK4LUttyKZn_UcOhvzz0fiA_SWVxECd9msPQ79yfkT7tIkMBqImtlzUIotEQdzr0dJr4vDxS9Z2cd1OEKZPPvs8O01agaYXfJgcJEtsvB0KWKvF_OTRCgv524p2qfXzKF4q3vS0MA8wYP_tZHJ_1cjVNFfv1Dzgd6/s4032/IMG_3879.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN9i3n2wCkxNG7qUK4Zr8d_fjzynPdK4LUttyKZn_UcOhvzz0fiA_SWVxECd9msPQ79yfkT7tIkMBqImtlzUIotEQdzr0dJr4vDxS9Z2cd1OEKZPPvs8O01agaYXfJgcJEtsvB0KWKvF_OTRCgv524p2qfXzKF4q3vS0MA8wYP_tZHJ_1cjVNFfv1Dzgd6/s320/IMG_3879.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDpiO2DOFUJQOWkEY1x8PX-hEdTS8WDfihbuUt2SzHHW1Lx80SHoFushSLd_75JM59gBhicVxWhjq-wKOjk2BuO9zwnuFKeEz8gfIOsy2_eHODi07GTa8BcXjKYnKYUC9t20a_jWIX2J84bEVzoa6bpLqfCbrCkFVo7OlldSFst1qN5kzs2GZh27-xAaSH/s4032/IMG_3882.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDpiO2DOFUJQOWkEY1x8PX-hEdTS8WDfihbuUt2SzHHW1Lx80SHoFushSLd_75JM59gBhicVxWhjq-wKOjk2BuO9zwnuFKeEz8gfIOsy2_eHODi07GTa8BcXjKYnKYUC9t20a_jWIX2J84bEVzoa6bpLqfCbrCkFVo7OlldSFst1qN5kzs2GZh27-xAaSH/s320/IMG_3882.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigpjhQvVFa7x7x58l6HPZzMkSlEoC0FWx_8AFhabux8M6zh0ooDCkr6uMPAVAtYLJCiSaNA1a3NLgxGEoI7rVy_s4deOFijLvNseAtCRLDc_H1nBdxBrCliRMNnqk7n_lxVD2wkE_Jd0qyaCx9xEGbo7KBdwXTAS0Ndbq8N0JeSbbykr4XxWcLQPLhUg1T/s4032/IMG_3888.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigpjhQvVFa7x7x58l6HPZzMkSlEoC0FWx_8AFhabux8M6zh0ooDCkr6uMPAVAtYLJCiSaNA1a3NLgxGEoI7rVy_s4deOFijLvNseAtCRLDc_H1nBdxBrCliRMNnqk7n_lxVD2wkE_Jd0qyaCx9xEGbo7KBdwXTAS0Ndbq8N0JeSbbykr4XxWcLQPLhUg1T/s320/IMG_3888.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">1:15 pm - Minecraft Education Edition for Beginners</h3><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Summary (taken from the website):</b> <span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In this session, attendees will have an opportunity to go hands-on with Minecraft Education Edition while sharing in a cooperative building experience. The goal of this session is to familiarize educators who are new to the tool with what they need to know to quickly get up and running in their classrooms. The session will wrap up with a chance for attendees to share tips and tricks and Minecraft-based curriculum-related activities.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><b>3 Key Points:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>1) Host your world on a desktop or laptop computer rather than a Chromebook; it won't be as laggy.</div><div><br /></div><div>2) Adjust your settings to help with management (like preventing fire spread, eliminating friendly fire, and keeping the time permanently set to day).</div><div><br /></div><div>3) Many students will say they know how to play Minecraft but because they only play it on phones or tablets, will not know how to use the keyboard commands, so be prepared to teach them.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>So What? Now What?</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Technically, I'm not a beginner at all in Minecraft, but Tim still let me stay in the room, ask questions of him and help others out. If I can get "vanilla Minecraft" to work on my library desktop computers, I may bring back Minecraft Club in 2024. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Media Artifacts: </b></div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIKzhzjiLDWsKqbK2eb5zg2lAYbryVZuvwn_KYr3Jl0J55jarRK2A_QbYu4077wJ6z1qIy8rKbyicrar_khb5GYN4ZJipKzvYbnNMehNis9Q-4TrR4ExgavI00J5ox-9IlWVkZNtuBRvf573k3fcm2uDGPRPPTkHSKNBEfzr1XFpwsCaqCfLyvJS8tjiSC/s4032/IMG_3891.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIKzhzjiLDWsKqbK2eb5zg2lAYbryVZuvwn_KYr3Jl0J55jarRK2A_QbYu4077wJ6z1qIy8rKbyicrar_khb5GYN4ZJipKzvYbnNMehNis9Q-4TrR4ExgavI00J5ox-9IlWVkZNtuBRvf573k3fcm2uDGPRPPTkHSKNBEfzr1XFpwsCaqCfLyvJS8tjiSC/s320/IMG_3891.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">2:00 pm - Demo Slam</h3><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Summary:</b> A Demo Slam is when someone takes five minutes or less to share a cool tip or trick. Often it ends with the person saying "SLAM"!</div><div><br /></div><div><b>3 Key Points:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>1) Zelia suggested using Canva's Remove Background tool to create class photos or insert students into photos of the works they build.</div><div><br /></div><div>2) Jennifer taught us to alter the endings of Google documents to make copies easier. Sebastian added to this and reminded us to add a dash after the t in YouTube links to get rid of the ads. </div><div><br /></div><div>3) Diana recommended using a Google form to create ABC (behaviour) logs for students so you would not lose papers. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>So What? Now What?</b></div><div><br /></div><div>I'll need to remember to share these suggestions in our staff's Signal group.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Media Artifacts:</b> </div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg42DlvSTWvgKkzYdMDCU_AgbfOA1CiaYhxR4qiI4R9rCSERiLEDn8eCAfEm0NP_3XY6ImXv529z7nYzWhiQlQ8RgJDsGOa-IkdPh2pdI6QRUoaIj2tcuKf79NAxWyljlfoBFIEodDFd1h5L3XpCBgDZxDI5DXRRwwz6oSvICDxtAEkWmsYyLuFObxwRGpj/s4032/IMG_3893.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg42DlvSTWvgKkzYdMDCU_AgbfOA1CiaYhxR4qiI4R9rCSERiLEDn8eCAfEm0NP_3XY6ImXv529z7nYzWhiQlQ8RgJDsGOa-IkdPh2pdI6QRUoaIj2tcuKf79NAxWyljlfoBFIEodDFd1h5L3XpCBgDZxDI5DXRRwwz6oSvICDxtAEkWmsYyLuFObxwRGpj/s320/IMG_3893.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>********************************************</div><div><br /></div><div>This week, the majority of my social studies classes were devoted to the much-hyped Library Treasure Hunt. The students had a great time, and to my immense relief, they all eventually found the final prize. I would be a bit happier if more students had stronger map reading skills, but there's been improvement since September. Here are some photos of them solving maps and puzzles.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyCtFXtyjJCKa5lnnUsxgbCfszSWUfNef0IcCUn6bhKGjv3CuR6-v488DC431fQG3z35ymTfAketSfWr-5UeMlyEFuEqYZBShfvwmHSe2HOK_eogHwl1l7gxmwKB0nSw-1joi1lrsbsykd87pNZ6AUQ7FEiHl79dLP7SW1EDiliAQhZChH94CFWUzfya-t/s4032/IMG_3786.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyCtFXtyjJCKa5lnnUsxgbCfszSWUfNef0IcCUn6bhKGjv3CuR6-v488DC431fQG3z35ymTfAketSfWr-5UeMlyEFuEqYZBShfvwmHSe2HOK_eogHwl1l7gxmwKB0nSw-1joi1lrsbsykd87pNZ6AUQ7FEiHl79dLP7SW1EDiliAQhZChH94CFWUzfya-t/s320/IMG_3786.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXXc-uVv1LZrdlC0qhCw6B6PFmoJjmkuUr-5xXhiaHEalOMUXtuCGpNEdVwPsUbsjHsojIw7GNgIn3BP_xTQ6CmRNtCDmtdE9ABz2zcqoQzEV6nub-I2rpJPqc08UmBAFYFlbfeeQBugVW_LiuZQ_wjxteiiCtndP-CtnXMywjmv6rfVfClcvOO4DB5IHH/s4032/IMG_3792.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXXc-uVv1LZrdlC0qhCw6B6PFmoJjmkuUr-5xXhiaHEalOMUXtuCGpNEdVwPsUbsjHsojIw7GNgIn3BP_xTQ6CmRNtCDmtdE9ABz2zcqoQzEV6nub-I2rpJPqc08UmBAFYFlbfeeQBugVW_LiuZQ_wjxteiiCtndP-CtnXMywjmv6rfVfClcvOO4DB5IHH/s320/IMG_3792.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKRVmm-uiCwFkt7mM5xelU9d0VWeWkOv0BjoQOnCONvK07uXtcqj9iWlmoU8Kh-aBSRB6e338TT2morNUHFRrTFRgMcyd9mvvi4cWJ2TeQdCvno1wTuqBJYSjWHKxVmTLusYALTCBD0uMcyr7xS8Jx_aOwyesTgEgeNpXw8FHqkvt9RJeIc9ts1vMMp8uP/s4032/IMG_3835.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKRVmm-uiCwFkt7mM5xelU9d0VWeWkOv0BjoQOnCONvK07uXtcqj9iWlmoU8Kh-aBSRB6e338TT2morNUHFRrTFRgMcyd9mvvi4cWJ2TeQdCvno1wTuqBJYSjWHKxVmTLusYALTCBD0uMcyr7xS8Jx_aOwyesTgEgeNpXw8FHqkvt9RJeIc9ts1vMMp8uP/s320/IMG_3835.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEuJ9sjy_qkNdywWnQigVZD9iT_xnGTKM57D_14NUoOglhIMfreg7CvN9ezZG_DJX1ZzJfwqz2oI5v1yPnsZFyPGPNx1VUFYm1zUGL7jUz7ihfQaV3hhnuLOzUEssyw4UowRbZ6CvPoqHtTLBLhZ04jyBTyKQgl4EIs6D1_FhulKDY975GZH-IltGwLJaG/s4032/IMG_3837.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEuJ9sjy_qkNdywWnQigVZD9iT_xnGTKM57D_14NUoOglhIMfreg7CvN9ezZG_DJX1ZzJfwqz2oI5v1yPnsZFyPGPNx1VUFYm1zUGL7jUz7ihfQaV3hhnuLOzUEssyw4UowRbZ6CvPoqHtTLBLhZ04jyBTyKQgl4EIs6D1_FhulKDY975GZH-IltGwLJaG/s320/IMG_3837.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJLKRlN4_RbMgLNO-zbm-wZFN_PZ3GqhrLdSbh9IXMMFXBTVtt_cGXRsHtBWcramWttBeQkY-Lx_Q1BAESXDeQ_v5SDdO7y2hZqihSnyFVZKoIAsDDVCYCIKJexMbiOBTaLXNq1ZwqfFqZWZtQyivBImLmCgYsXjCttYQOgIAkY7mVBVOXPupvZcrdE-CR/s4032/IMG_3849.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJLKRlN4_RbMgLNO-zbm-wZFN_PZ3GqhrLdSbh9IXMMFXBTVtt_cGXRsHtBWcramWttBeQkY-Lx_Q1BAESXDeQ_v5SDdO7y2hZqihSnyFVZKoIAsDDVCYCIKJexMbiOBTaLXNq1ZwqfFqZWZtQyivBImLmCgYsXjCttYQOgIAkY7mVBVOXPupvZcrdE-CR/s320/IMG_3849.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Both of these "events" relied heavily on their location. For TDSB Camp, it was held at Microsoft's Toronto headquarters at 81 Bay Street. It was the first time since 2018 that it was held, and it was important for people to physically be together, even though the focus was on digital tools. For the treasure hunt, the students needed to navigate the space and understand how to translate the representation on the page to the 3D equivalent. Hopefully this coming week will be a wee bit quieter.</div><div><br /></div>MZMollyTLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17565896547458451347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692067574614653754.post-29213507341802086262023-11-20T00:00:00.000-08:002023-11-20T00:00:00.133-08:00Sick of Sickness, Prepare to Present<p> I should have known it would get me in the end.</p><p>When the kindergarten class of 15 shrunk to 11, then to 8 and by Thursday stood only at 5, I should have clued in that the illness spreading rapidly through the school population would catch me.</p><p>I don't usually get sick, (only the <a href="https://mondaymollymusings.blogspot.com/2016/10/no-car.html" target="_blank">occasional</a> <a href="https://mondaymollymusings.blogspot.com/2017/10/thankful-for-hard-things.html" target="_blank">migraine</a> or <a href="https://mondaymollymusings.blogspot.com/2022/05/sick.html" target="_blank">food poisoning</a>) but I habitually lose my voice around this time of year. It's true. I wrote about the phenomenon <a href="https://mondaymollymusings.blogspot.com/2011/03/silent-librarian.html" target="_blank">in 2011</a> (<a href="https://mondaymollymusings.blogspot.com/2011/03/future-teachers.html" target="_blank">twice </a>that year, actually) and it happened when I took my Media Part 1 AQ in 2017. I stopped writing about losing my voice because it just became a regular feature of the fall.</p><p>This time, it wasn't laryngitis. On Thursday evening, as I coordinated the translators for Parent-Teacher interviews, ringing a bell every ten minutes and walking the halls to escort speakers to their next location on time, my principal commented that I looked tired. He was right. I felt tired. I attended my Media Part 2 AQ after interviews, sipping "elixir" (a mix of honey, lemon juice, and gin) to soothe my raspy throat. The next morning, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I had chills, fever, a headache, a sore throat, exhaustion, and a cough that flipped between being so dry it stabbed me to so phlegmy it choked me. I called school around 8:00 am to say I couldn't come in, went to bed, and didn't rise until 4:00 pm. Thankfully, it was the second half of our interview day, so I didn't need to make supply plans. It has taken me all of Friday plus the entire weekend to slowly recover. Hubby has been insisting I rest a lot and drink lots of fluids. </p><p>Patience is not always one of my strengths. I whined that I had much bigger plans for these three days. I wanted to clean the library (it's an absolute mess) and get other things done. Sleep was necessary but reluctantly taken. It's only now that I'm getting to the end of this period that I realize how privileged I am. I know, I know - that sounds very weird. However, I really am fortunate that:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>I have a job that gives me weekends off, so I didn't have to negotiate sick days</li><li>I have a family that could keep an eye on me as I recovered and take over my (few) household responsibilities</li><li>I have my usual good health, with no chronic illnesses, so that getting better took just days instead of weeks (or even happened at all)</li><li>I have a safe city and country so that, even if it got to the stage where I'd have to see a medical professional, I'd eventually be taken care of adequately</li></ul><div>At the GTA Resource Fair last Tuesday, I touched base with my school library friends, several of whom are recovering from significant medical issues. In my own family, I've got a cousin in hospital and another loved one at home recuperating from major surgery. So, even though I'm "sick of being sick", they have much longer roads to recovery. Note to self: suck it up, buttercup!</div><div><br /></div><div>As I slowly regain the energy to be able to sit at my computer for more than an hour, I'm getting ready to present at two big events.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVSlU8ybo6s5ZP3QNEnTyIOYeGmMkrqZ0YzOKR1VlHFjUDDlsJTqW8iwvvlUvcoFTkr8tXd-HymYl_K9SVSd-dOzNXFwRZKmWxxPAcyKNh6Rd2txKUmWYMoy20_5gCGeKwR4TDiLWdO1KK7U5QVbSDl4sxUWh5zpGvVSBJNmTzzjyM-j9aQFLlbzf4BnP8/s1080/presenter%20graphic_square.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVSlU8ybo6s5ZP3QNEnTyIOYeGmMkrqZ0YzOKR1VlHFjUDDlsJTqW8iwvvlUvcoFTkr8tXd-HymYl_K9SVSd-dOzNXFwRZKmWxxPAcyKNh6Rd2txKUmWYMoy20_5gCGeKwR4TDiLWdO1KK7U5QVbSDl4sxUWh5zpGvVSBJNmTzzjyM-j9aQFLlbzf4BnP8/s320/presenter%20graphic_square.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://ett.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Screenshot-2023-10-05-at-8.06.07%E2%80%AFPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="562" height="159" src="https://ett.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Screenshot-2023-10-05-at-8.06.07%E2%80%AFPM.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div>I will be presenting with Chelsea Attwell, my co-vice-president at the Association for Media Literacy. I'll share more about the events as they occur.</div><p></p>MZMollyTLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17565896547458451347noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692067574614653754.post-41535111300618394212023-11-13T00:00:00.000-08:002023-11-13T00:00:00.141-08:00What Makes a Good Meeting? <p> When choosing my focus for my blog reflection, I often look at my calendar agenda. I noticed that this past week and this upcoming week, there are a lot of meetings. Last week we had a staff meeting (November 7), a guest lecture meeting for my TL AQ (November 8), the weekly Media AQ course meeting (November 9), and a meeting with my father's doctor (November 10). This week, there will be a lunch meeting to coordinate the booking of translators (November 13), an AML monthly meeting (November 15) and Parent-Teacher interview meetings (November 16-17). This doesn't include the upcoming TDSB TL Facilitator meeting and UNESCO MIL Alliance meeting.</p><p>At the end of our most recent staff meeting, our principal commented that it was a good meeting. It made me wonder what counts as a good meeting. I turned to a Google search and was intrigued by the auto sentence completion options it offered. The categories immediately suggested the elements that can make or break a meeting.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggSFa1O6G5qrpz3kKvF8NHuZx8Du1c-RL4EJAa2hHAvrY69KHBQcJrReBDHa5OY3nfi9x0VhwfcT5hyphenhyphen9ugNoAI8HraEhvgLpIG4HW2dMEtqGlIaeOmIgI5Wm_YJpPTPfTKAc2BrstzZbD79kKAQPtOCZXRKFZ2uw_0HR3hA8IgdGfO0YJghQkZoJbD3GxA/s640/IMG_3675.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggSFa1O6G5qrpz3kKvF8NHuZx8Du1c-RL4EJAa2hHAvrY69KHBQcJrReBDHa5OY3nfi9x0VhwfcT5hyphenhyphen9ugNoAI8HraEhvgLpIG4HW2dMEtqGlIaeOmIgI5Wm_YJpPTPfTKAc2BrstzZbD79kKAQPtOCZXRKFZ2uw_0HR3hA8IgdGfO0YJghQkZoJbD3GxA/s320/IMG_3675.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>agenda</li><li>facilitator / chair / leader</li><li>room</li><li>minutes</li></ul><div>People don't usually like meetings. Take a glance at some of these "meeting memes".</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/833adwGm11VEUxqUn4Xg6JBrElQ_tXoAAK4_QzpG2ZXOcNoKI_O8NVGCOWDCHcY_SLnv1GPNqV8MB0yT8mdeb1SN-ku98jw4MsLkEEJx0t4nWDLYGEZFV04rRcu9zUn-QgbQnmwc=s1080" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/833adwGm11VEUxqUn4Xg6JBrElQ_tXoAAK4_QzpG2ZXOcNoKI_O8NVGCOWDCHcY_SLnv1GPNqV8MB0yT8mdeb1SN-ku98jw4MsLkEEJx0t4nWDLYGEZFV04rRcu9zUn-QgbQnmwc=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://kumospace.mo.cloudinary.net/https://content.kumospace.com/hubfs/Quick-meetings-1024x1024.png?tx=c_scale,w_1024,h_1024" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://kumospace.mo.cloudinary.net/https://content.kumospace.com/hubfs/Quick-meetings-1024x1024.png?tx=c_scale,w_1024,h_1024" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.pinimg.com/736x/6c/b9/8e/6cb98e1cf44e1dd8298b5fc011026af8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="360" src="https://i.pinimg.com/736x/6c/b9/8e/6cb98e1cf44e1dd8298b5fc011026af8.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://image.typedream.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=3840,format=auto,fit=scale-down,quality=100/https://api.typedream.com/v0/document/public/3f4ab251-60c5-4ad4-9c5b-58f19fc0acf7/2Mm7yfBdYBSAHkAyCF2QRnusPkn_supermeme_16h50_54.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="240" height="300" src="https://image.typedream.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=3840,format=auto,fit=scale-down,quality=100/https://api.typedream.com/v0/document/public/3f4ab251-60c5-4ad4-9c5b-58f19fc0acf7/2Mm7yfBdYBSAHkAyCF2QRnusPkn_supermeme_16h50_54.gif" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://kumospace.mo.cloudinary.net/https://content.kumospace.com/hubfs/meetings-meme.jpeg.webp?tx=c_scale,w_1200,h_1200" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://kumospace.mo.cloudinary.net/https://content.kumospace.com/hubfs/meetings-meme.jpeg.webp?tx=c_scale,w_1200,h_1200" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.digitalmomblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/this-meeting-could-have-been-an-email-meme.jpeg.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="267" src="https://www.digitalmomblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/this-meeting-could-have-been-an-email-meme.jpeg.webp" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>I think the memes I chose to include here exemplify what the issues are with bad meetings. People want meetings to have meaningful purpose. To slide in one of the Media Literacy Key Concepts (#7, to be precise), they want the form and content to match, so if it's just information without discussion, people would often prefer an email (as the Gary Cole meme shows). Having said that, too much discussion that does not lead anywhere is just as annoying (ergo the meme with Tina Fey rolling her eyes). To help with the purpose, establishing a clear agenda and follow-up action items are vital. (That's the significance of the Toy Store and Mike Myers memes.) The way a facilitator runs the meeting is just as important. It's just like a lesson. The audience can't find it too boring or pointless. </p><p>Our staff meeting was probably "good" because the content could not just be conveyed in a single email. There was the chance for people to ask questions and try out the new-to-us procedures. Big thanks to Farah Wadia for sharing information she learned from a recent workshop to help the rest of the staff with the K-8 portfolios. We didn't dawdle too long on any particular subject. Thank you Connie Chan for summarizing key ideas so succinctly and for taking notes. We also mixed it up a bit with short interactive pieces (i.e. a 1-minute sticky note "pop quiz") and multi-media, multimodal ways to present knowledge (i.e. a 10-minute video). If we walk away from a meeting feeling a bit smarter or more "in-the-know" than we did before, that makes a meeting a positive experience.</p>MZMollyTLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17565896547458451347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692067574614653754.post-12821158586616653102023-11-06T00:00:00.001-08:002023-11-06T00:00:00.133-08:00The Library Rabbit<p> For the past few weeks, we've had a regular visitor to the library.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgedm0xUZohnw69rHGGDGhwI6TWa4WlNKb19B6zYe6Xq3P6s9ukCwCeIUZ7Y82hFMQ4IC__Cw-LwGikQnett5OxcD4VHn5xtPp3LTlSwqORXHuxYTvB_7bdl5kMqGXMlDm5iMzygs7yrUcy05-MAWOCRkVHomPWi32usHjdZwtiXjllYHOE-3gbbopea-nG/s4032/IMG_2470.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgedm0xUZohnw69rHGGDGhwI6TWa4WlNKb19B6zYe6Xq3P6s9ukCwCeIUZ7Y82hFMQ4IC__Cw-LwGikQnett5OxcD4VHn5xtPp3LTlSwqORXHuxYTvB_7bdl5kMqGXMlDm5iMzygs7yrUcy05-MAWOCRkVHomPWi32usHjdZwtiXjllYHOE-3gbbopea-nG/s320/IMG_2470.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>He or she sits just outside one of the windows by the library. The students were the ones that first spotted the rabbit, and they were very excited to discover him/her. After seeing the bunny for several days in a row, I worried that there might be something wrong. I did some research and based on the websites <a href="https://bunnyasapet.com/wild-rabbit-sitting-in-one-place/" target="_blank">Bunny As a Pet</a>, <a href="https://www.backyardcaring.com/wild-rabbit-sitting-in-one-place/#google_vignette" target="_blank">Backyard Caring</a>, and <a href="https://mybackyardlife.com/wild-rabbit-sitting-in-one-place/" target="_blank">My Backyard Life</a>, there are many logical reasons. The consensus seems to be that it is relaxed and comfortable in this sheltered space.</p><p>As you can imagine, the presence of this animal has caused quite a commotion in the library.</p><p>The students are accustomed to animals in the library. After all, the library is regularly home to skinny pigs. Our current residents are Alvin and Simon.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuQNi-G_LlZqSTKFiHUUsALfBkVDHqhNsdQNN_R39o54kuaG7GvSs-EfK530chnIo7-yMM1uIDW5G_zGOqtERQcRIX-YvMLNPQw2hvj2_bqwIDQVPVBuoAvVHQcJIfia6Q800V4QcdVRpIJ1ptmQjgWmfShBlzbWeZN67YofZ0ZRBsY1ykTsIzRKlXaEi2/s4032/IMG_2051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuQNi-G_LlZqSTKFiHUUsALfBkVDHqhNsdQNN_R39o54kuaG7GvSs-EfK530chnIo7-yMM1uIDW5G_zGOqtERQcRIX-YvMLNPQw2hvj2_bqwIDQVPVBuoAvVHQcJIfia6Q800V4QcdVRpIJ1ptmQjgWmfShBlzbWeZN67YofZ0ZRBsY1ykTsIzRKlXaEi2/s320/IMG_2051.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyGU5zdAj7721jHHKxJKdE2Z1o9gTmOTMlHHlWwmDVKAYYBT9jxLDnV6BIHpW2IjTt6ULnB73cp42q-MXyYNA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><p>Students love to feed Alvin and Simon, which is why I have a school vacuum permanently located in the library to clean up all the timothy hay dropped on the ground. The skinny pigs featured prominently in our <a href="https://mondaymollymusings.blogspot.com/2023/08/day-trips-and-meals-with-special-people.html" target="_blank">Family Feud</a> audition tape.</p><p>However, there's a different energy with the appearance of the rabbit. He/she is a wild animal, and so cannot be regularly counted on to appear. Sometimes the students are too loud, even with the closed window between them, and the rabbit will scamper away. The kindergarten students have named the rabbit "Brownie" and will routinely ask if Brownie is around if they are in the library. A student (and a teacher) has smuggled food outside for Brownie to eat. </p><p>Brownie could provide a wide variety of inquiry questions for the students to investigate. However, we have not been able to take full advantage of the opportunity, because our social studies lessons have been directed on addressing knowledge gaps that the students still have. I will try to include Brownie in these plans, if I can. </p><p>It will be interesting to see if Brownie continues to visit, especially when fall turns to winter and the bushes providing coverage thin out as their leaves drop. Either way, it's been a charming, delightful series of encounters.</p><p><br /></p>MZMollyTLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17565896547458451347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692067574614653754.post-79396064430245050362023-10-30T00:00:00.001-07:002023-10-30T00:00:00.143-07:00How Did You "Celebrate" Media Literacy Week?<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR4rFgmbcVg5WGAq5AGnVjDCXQBRT8nq8bHCInzMvzoeeMblZ9sxRDq6ToCPiUuIXWqrULm8A0jaUgT8jFu61aqkIWDj7lcCjUebeeUoVJBFJqfVlTyTAhsJoEMLEjNvzH0lr8m8OlSp4KKXVVfnwPgY720dKv1D_VHKmrTqod_JzM1mimQteAIHWj5Srh/s1000/MLW-Date-Square%202023.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR4rFgmbcVg5WGAq5AGnVjDCXQBRT8nq8bHCInzMvzoeeMblZ9sxRDq6ToCPiUuIXWqrULm8A0jaUgT8jFu61aqkIWDj7lcCjUebeeUoVJBFJqfVlTyTAhsJoEMLEjNvzH0lr8m8OlSp4KKXVVfnwPgY720dKv1D_VHKmrTqod_JzM1mimQteAIHWj5Srh/s320/MLW-Date-Square%202023.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Last week was Media Literacy Week in Canada. (Thanks to Media Smarts for this attractive logo, which was part of their promotional kit available for free.)</p><p>I have to make a confession. Even though I am the co-vice-president of the Association for Media Literacy, and the Canadian representative for UNESCO's Media and Information Literacy Alliance, North America and Europe Chapter, I didn't do anything special to commemorate the occasion at my school. </p><p>Before you arrange to have my membership revoked, it's not like I did absolutely nothing. I participated in a special <a href="https://voiced.ca/podcast_episode_post/media-literacy-and-the-revised-ontario-language-curriculum/" target="_blank">Media Literacy Week edition</a> of the Mediacy podcast on VoicEd Radio. I reported to the UNESCO MIL Alliance Regional meeting about all the neat things that Media Smarts and AML have been doing to promote the event in Canada. I'm currently enrolled in the Media Part 2 AQ course. I've been following Jennifer Casa Todd's daily Media Literacy Week suggestion posts on social media - she was ahead of the game this year and <a href="https://jcasatodd.com/media-literacy/" target="_blank">posted this</a> all the way in August! I even had the pleasure of listening to Kim Davidson conduct a guest lecture for my York University Teacher Librarianship Additional Qualification course students, and much of her talk focused on media literacy and critical thinking.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiSotUkw3L_E1ahABgQxmEW-Rjv6cwrferecRmvb0mx0_mGEUHLptA94SqQ5NkUJULXLm_CIR8yumD-llEhLMvTE8B_Np8xjSbSQe4XMdDVNyf271A7ybk1U8CUp0FZm6LO1eNtnivr5RJ1zL4zurii7q4LDKImSxYJ6-wCVVr2YXocZ0z6MUeeRnZChbc/s4032/IMG_3055%20-%20Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiSotUkw3L_E1ahABgQxmEW-Rjv6cwrferecRmvb0mx0_mGEUHLptA94SqQ5NkUJULXLm_CIR8yumD-llEhLMvTE8B_Np8xjSbSQe4XMdDVNyf271A7ybk1U8CUp0FZm6LO1eNtnivr5RJ1zL4zurii7q4LDKImSxYJ6-wCVVr2YXocZ0z6MUeeRnZChbc/s320/IMG_3055%20-%20Copy.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>So why didn't I do anything specific at school? If I'm being honest with myself, it's because I ran out of time to do something meaningful (even though Media Smarts made it easy to mark the days, with pre-made images that were easy to share). If I wanted to justify the lack of action, I could argue that I celebrate media literacy week every week with the kinds of activities and question prompts I include as part of my programming. Here are a few photos from last week and some hints about how I make them "more media literate".</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiogGWF8SXXOCCqqTCLbi8W3WFsZuAz81Qs8ZFmWorgvYi2U6Gm0MWWz2En3K7tOX9EPDulKsCH6UgdFhyphenhyphenjGuYWSsQ2v-PIEYgxjEv0RnVkL_R5DhBgpvs9nJrW2RVJgtdPgq_rG_GYFfHTp4VA27DlWObVFH-s4URXb7I7R4h2QSFKAydwNvcgFjKY2iNr/s4032/IMG_2999.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiogGWF8SXXOCCqqTCLbi8W3WFsZuAz81Qs8ZFmWorgvYi2U6Gm0MWWz2En3K7tOX9EPDulKsCH6UgdFhyphenhyphenjGuYWSsQ2v-PIEYgxjEv0RnVkL_R5DhBgpvs9nJrW2RVJgtdPgq_rG_GYFfHTp4VA27DlWObVFH-s4URXb7I7R4h2QSFKAydwNvcgFjKY2iNr/s320/IMG_2999.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Dance & Drama = Shadow Puppets</h3><p><b>What we did: </b>To address the problem solving and innovation strand in kindergarten, I asked students to consider what they might use as an object to cast a shadow that would make a good spout to go with their spider shadow puppet for their mini-performances of "The Itsy Bitsy Spider".</p><p><b>How I infused more media into it:</b> We took photos of the audience as well as behind the scenes to show what was going on. We talked about how it didn't have to be an actual pipe or spout but the shadow had to make it look like one from behind. (Key Concept #2 - Media constructs versions of reality.)</p><p><b>How I could have infused even more media into it:</b> We could talk more about why the spider is going up the spout and if this is a good or bad thing. (Key Concept #5 - Media communicate value messages.)</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaOa9zzNUSl6jDhSPTsJAyMVyeKkaFYs66yCWObIeBPgWZwIwdS8SuA4Bzc7cBzKRe1rFUuCUkIRD2oW72LaQ4Oo-_sUt42V4ZJXzOF4RTnsAi3bxM70AnyM8hnVekDlbZlITnX55UMhlmG42-4vOTLPLNYx1tenOSea3P9q8CexdNs3zhrgfPSs9eyOrO/s4032/IMG_3027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaOa9zzNUSl6jDhSPTsJAyMVyeKkaFYs66yCWObIeBPgWZwIwdS8SuA4Bzc7cBzKRe1rFUuCUkIRD2oW72LaQ4Oo-_sUt42V4ZJXzOF4RTnsAi3bxM70AnyM8hnVekDlbZlITnX55UMhlmG42-4vOTLPLNYx1tenOSea3P9q8CexdNs3zhrgfPSs9eyOrO/s320/IMG_3027.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Social Studies = Battleship</h3><p><b>What we did: </b>To cover the expectation in the curriculum that deals with using grids to find locations on maps, we learned how to play the "board game" Battleship.</p><p><b>How I infused more media into it:</b> For the older students, I paired the set up with the picture book "Playing War" and asked them to consider how the inclusion of the book changed what they thought about the game. (Key Concept #6 - Media communicate political and social messages.)</p><p><b>How I could have infused even more media into it: </b>We could have talked directly about what I was alluding to with the book prompt. How is the experience of sinking a battleship in this game similar or different to being on an actual battleship? Would people in Gaza right now consider this game fun? How do the number of slots in the boats match with the type of ship and its power? (Key Concepts #1, 3 & 5)</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0A3PQg3PYDYkM8swdujH9fCSqcbU20s1X4cPR5gtLEh-K1BAL4YW-fKf8seE9bDR_Qr1A7H-NwOueVN2oxoi1plOE4tM90LPlOTBJkPVrFIs4517fiZdWpNxr4gnMTA3aAfs2Yt13SToEe0H-Vx6qU65iMgrWNMUkg878XMFpGyigZM9vT2DDXm61xsD7/s4032/IMG_3125.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0A3PQg3PYDYkM8swdujH9fCSqcbU20s1X4cPR5gtLEh-K1BAL4YW-fKf8seE9bDR_Qr1A7H-NwOueVN2oxoi1plOE4tM90LPlOTBJkPVrFIs4517fiZdWpNxr4gnMTA3aAfs2Yt13SToEe0H-Vx6qU65iMgrWNMUkg878XMFpGyigZM9vT2DDXm61xsD7/s320/IMG_3125.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDbxpoIYxoMP86TK3s_v0G6zLER6xCc32HO4zpoUoPm6pcAfPibmlS2Xs-GZnGraCBWxjgf0YfPS6ER9ITHIdUl5IJJG2YqFBVTbUqYD3XdEDfoYtTz4xIVPu5OClGnTxa4K0t7ATWE7wQf_IGZnc-dqfhbpLn3XCjHjFIiW5c2QKm7O42OBAUvtL8vzAy/s4032/IMG_3131.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDbxpoIYxoMP86TK3s_v0G6zLER6xCc32HO4zpoUoPm6pcAfPibmlS2Xs-GZnGraCBWxjgf0YfPS6ER9ITHIdUl5IJJG2YqFBVTbUqYD3XdEDfoYtTz4xIVPu5OClGnTxa4K0t7ATWE7wQf_IGZnc-dqfhbpLn3XCjHjFIiW5c2QKm7O42OBAUvtL8vzAy/s320/IMG_3131.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZWLyK9JraBtz-qTXxKkaKLTmteSJ8GRxiFX7Ah3CAsW96SrEzXRlQhIDOIF62oqB8GTC5eUWjisnkJhgkqVFfbW_LUbBnI-xl322qhyphenhyphenarulZvQsfUU-UHXLwe8-UA9_hLndJC5as4wgFBLSZx_N5HUIl4WbqlG0JrpIaQ17ZPtKGjfo3_t2NMEMCAuOsF/s4032/IMG_3138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZWLyK9JraBtz-qTXxKkaKLTmteSJ8GRxiFX7Ah3CAsW96SrEzXRlQhIDOIF62oqB8GTC5eUWjisnkJhgkqVFfbW_LUbBnI-xl322qhyphenhyphenarulZvQsfUU-UHXLwe8-UA9_hLndJC5as4wgFBLSZx_N5HUIl4WbqlG0JrpIaQ17ZPtKGjfo3_t2NMEMCAuOsF/s320/IMG_3138.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Drama = Puppet Plays</h3><p><b>What we did:</b> While I worked with individuals on their face acting (see further below), I asked students to form groups and "make up" a puppet play with their team to share. We watched some of the "first drafts" of these plays.</p><p><b>How I infused more media into it:</b> One of the students commented, "That wasn't a play, that was them having a fight with their puppets". We began to talk about what made a puppet play an actual play. (Key Concept #7 - Form and content are closely related.)</p><p><b>How I could have infused even more media into it:</b> Different groups set up different puppet theatre spots. We could have talked about how the setting of the theatre impacted the type of performance. We could have discussed which play they enjoyed the most and why, and how the puppet format impacts the enjoyment of the play. (Key Concept #8 - Each medium has a unique aesthetic form.)</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj3ER6D1yZ3sJA86z0iVuW2KJ0cDh2kNMh9N0W0luJp2kJ7Mmibakq0uGIG3Z3e0dZPOwhsjOAGAMva2tVfbBiHjwNoWqgnsLyKrFU2dtU3jqO2znaK17fHq3wK7cwwSoDN-st2DAnVWRMu2Ku1fh7jO4SKnjtVcqajzWnv4fb7zM8GqpPu3uAl3jWE7S2/s4032/IMG_3192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj3ER6D1yZ3sJA86z0iVuW2KJ0cDh2kNMh9N0W0luJp2kJ7Mmibakq0uGIG3Z3e0dZPOwhsjOAGAMva2tVfbBiHjwNoWqgnsLyKrFU2dtU3jqO2znaK17fHq3wK7cwwSoDN-st2DAnVWRMu2Ku1fh7jO4SKnjtVcqajzWnv4fb7zM8GqpPu3uAl3jWE7S2/s320/IMG_3192.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Library = Indigenous Prompts</h3><p><b>What we did: </b>We own this drum at the school. I have no idea when the school obtained it. It used to just hang in the library. As part of our SIP goal to embed more indigenous content throughout the school day, I placed this drum with two questions for the Grade 4-8 students visiting the library to choose to answer if they wished.</p><p><b>How I infused more media into it:</b> The types of questions I asked probed for personal reactions (Key Concept #3 - Audiences negotiate meaning) and meaning interpretation (Key Concept #5 - Media communicate values messages).</p><p><b>How I could have infused even more media into it: </b>We could have had some whole-class or small-group discussions to encourage more responses. What is it? How is it used? How was it made? How much is it worth? (Key Concept #4 - Media have economic implications.)</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0QsrzF4RcGUrBZNXBvfOZlg8K9o3kicPBOF17oYjRmEdwG2jsya2WcYbSt_XMhyphenhyphennEHlTsVW3mG_wIwd4ca9xXvKsYW3p09syFq_u2rQnBWmw1_YYNT9VVA1GF0Nm7n6m_tHwF0xq4FyGNme4mtjRdi1IEHp9ey89AmbOOt_dCpEtkJ8h4Sdt8MSP75HR4/s4032/IMG_3167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0QsrzF4RcGUrBZNXBvfOZlg8K9o3kicPBOF17oYjRmEdwG2jsya2WcYbSt_XMhyphenhyphennEHlTsVW3mG_wIwd4ca9xXvKsYW3p09syFq_u2rQnBWmw1_YYNT9VVA1GF0Nm7n6m_tHwF0xq4FyGNme4mtjRdi1IEHp9ey89AmbOOt_dCpEtkJ8h4Sdt8MSP75HR4/s320/IMG_3167.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu3cyODPQEClbVOtGSw4h3mBLO5Kt-Go6rDFL-uam37GxD8P-YHy3m1WWtZTCyFoebQVpU7wHKvmAXMEFyjPRTCzxRTR17eAmpZT-aXSkp0e3eMQXX9_3gd_fb_w6Nd3y9zYJ190iEEQbosKam3u4-vig9YwPFEyCH2yk7OJ3hV-3tmitDd5jbRVvQiFbS/s4032/IMG_3168.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu3cyODPQEClbVOtGSw4h3mBLO5Kt-Go6rDFL-uam37GxD8P-YHy3m1WWtZTCyFoebQVpU7wHKvmAXMEFyjPRTCzxRTR17eAmpZT-aXSkp0e3eMQXX9_3gd_fb_w6Nd3y9zYJ190iEEQbosKam3u4-vig9YwPFEyCH2yk7OJ3hV-3tmitDd5jbRVvQiFbS/s320/IMG_3168.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizKmBklS_O4Q76BYs7B6-o5Iy5pTe_RijTqG102UBHdSZVYsgviEzAJpiE76OBRevII2IlKcZoqHgI0mDO7SCYNd2Z-pcJ984SfsbwUHXgMHP2YoPdU_zf_ye22ZCp6JMSp21LbeEOdQqPrAu6RS6vCd5vT8SszYz29Chzq0DjiZKzAgPD-M_xk69CGKO-/s4032/IMG_3169.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizKmBklS_O4Q76BYs7B6-o5Iy5pTe_RijTqG102UBHdSZVYsgviEzAJpiE76OBRevII2IlKcZoqHgI0mDO7SCYNd2Z-pcJ984SfsbwUHXgMHP2YoPdU_zf_ye22ZCp6JMSp21LbeEOdQqPrAu6RS6vCd5vT8SszYz29Chzq0DjiZKzAgPD-M_xk69CGKO-/s320/IMG_3169.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA5w7FyVNZbVhtuE6RtRZSwyOMXaz6vvwOAwXJab8lbscl-DXAS2p1jYfSfW86VkRikK0pWadYwblN0qTF_5mNhZN6FqaG0eOrU3vJcAWmPQgKcgZ4v35vbjvjnS6W_EAUerC-6g6hq3HyRWw0EhpHTSB5OAbHvyXc1Kd0nYVV0aeewguFEs5XO9qmKVrl/s4032/IMG_3170.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA5w7FyVNZbVhtuE6RtRZSwyOMXaz6vvwOAwXJab8lbscl-DXAS2p1jYfSfW86VkRikK0pWadYwblN0qTF_5mNhZN6FqaG0eOrU3vJcAWmPQgKcgZ4v35vbjvjnS6W_EAUerC-6g6hq3HyRWw0EhpHTSB5OAbHvyXc1Kd0nYVV0aeewguFEs5XO9qmKVrl/s320/IMG_3170.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Drama = Face Acting with Feeling</h3><p><b>What we did:</b> After reading "How Are You Peeling", we brainstormed nine emotion words. Students are to pick three of these words and "act them out" just with their faces. We have also had classes and practice with how we use certain parts of the face (eyebrows, eyes, and mouths) to convey emotions and what they mean.</p><p><b>How I infused more media into it:</b> When we take the photos, the students can look to see if it was what they intended to convey, since a photo is just a split second of time captured. (Key Concept #3 - Audiences negotiate meaning.)</p><p><b>How I could have infused even more media into it:</b> We could compare the different class choices. We could sort them into categories like positive vs negative or eyebrows up vs eyebrows down. We will be looking at the photos as a group and interpreting them. Which feelings look most believable and why? (Key Concept #1 - Media constructs reality.)</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwtyOsU5V-G00m_8gbh_x77fqx5xNJeDln3bLLWVUVgUIzN6J0MYq5EOOrMQSugSk8KbfRnUInluP0xgSHiF5kY8L_VaUNtxWQvcjypRC8a522zr7QWCQROn1ez-rJLwOsHwVUuHSy_gQIBe_ym4LvHoJ5o7nmC8dY7_bpXH-fgPTeE9hFg7Bbxtg4Rz18/s4032/IMG_3226.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwtyOsU5V-G00m_8gbh_x77fqx5xNJeDln3bLLWVUVgUIzN6J0MYq5EOOrMQSugSk8KbfRnUInluP0xgSHiF5kY8L_VaUNtxWQvcjypRC8a522zr7QWCQROn1ez-rJLwOsHwVUuHSy_gQIBe_ym4LvHoJ5o7nmC8dY7_bpXH-fgPTeE9hFg7Bbxtg4Rz18/s320/IMG_3226.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Media = Puppet Creation</h3><p><b>What we did:</b> Kindergarten students made two different kinds of puppets - a paper bag puppet and a marionette.</p><p><b>How I infused more media into it: </b>We talked a bit about how the puppets move and what we could use to decorate them. (Key Concept #8 - Each medium has a unique aesthetic form).</p><p><b>How I could have infused even more media into it:</b> We could have asked some more questions. Which is easier to make? Which is easier to use? What does your puppet say about you and what you like? (Key Concept #3, 5 & 7).</p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1K9NY53Dt6lPDghVgMDCalVYFFkEAO7OyVRyc8XjZnjuGGgCK2GHIGV7oXWRCWPPV3lTn0zGbfgpDpH3qwbuluUaTvh3xDQ7Cn9Z_prExq45qsG6Qh5LrwTpod9Z2IDQ6jAdSVBh6PUlvvHIioNKOqPv3aYwGiagbvlVkx3Vh-po699ZniYPHdmd2CDry/s4032/IMG_2919.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1K9NY53Dt6lPDghVgMDCalVYFFkEAO7OyVRyc8XjZnjuGGgCK2GHIGV7oXWRCWPPV3lTn0zGbfgpDpH3qwbuluUaTvh3xDQ7Cn9Z_prExq45qsG6Qh5LrwTpod9Z2IDQ6jAdSVBh6PUlvvHIioNKOqPv3aYwGiagbvlVkx3Vh-po699ZniYPHdmd2CDry/s320/IMG_2919.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br />Media = The Word and the Definition</h3><div><p><b>What we did:</b> To become familiar with the word and what it means, as well as practice some reading, we've played lots of games with these letters. A favourite is for me to mix them up on the board and pairs of students come to put them in the right order. In this photo above, the Year 2 student is turning the D around that the Year 1 student had placed backwards.</p><p><b>How I infused more media into it:</b> Letters are media. So are words. (We haven't delved into this yet, but we will.) Without words, it's hard to express ideas about things. (Key Concept #1 - Media constructs reality.)</p><p><b>How I could have infused even more media into it:</b> I could have asked some questions about the orientation of the letters. If the letters are in the right order but not facing the right way, is it still readable? Why might it be wise to keep the letters facing the traditional/legible way? What might having letters face the wrong way suggest? (Key Concept #6 - Media communicate political and social messages.)</p><p><br /></p><p>So, even though I didn't "do much" for media literacy week, to paraphrase a different saying, EVERY week can be media literacy week!</p></div>MZMollyTLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17565896547458451347noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692067574614653754.post-11427985225580115932023-10-23T00:00:00.002-07:002023-10-23T00:00:00.140-07:00SMART Goal Irony, Land Acknowledgement Loose Parts and Photos as Biased Texts<p> I tried to tie in all of the things I wanted to reflect on in this blog post into a single thread that would unite all the narratives, but I had neither the time nor the creative inspiration on how to do it. I could have connected them to my Media Part 2 AQ, which I'm currently taking with the talented trio of Neil Andersen, Carol Arcus, and Michelle Solomon facilitating the course, but it doesn't quite capture all the nuances. Therefore, bear with my "3 topics in 1" approach to this glimpse at my current thought processes.</p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">SMART Goal Irony</h4><p>This year, a small percentage of my schedule is devoted to "guidance". Honestly, the true guidance lead at our school is the irreplaceable Farah Wadia, our Grade 8 classroom teacher. My role is to support and relieve her when she had to complete guidance-related tasks, particularly those related to Grade 8-9 Transition, such as course selection forms, high school applications, and so on. She recently attended a workshop where she received some training on how to implement the whole-school online portfolio requirement that must be posted twice a year on either BrightSpace (if you are K-6) or MyBlueprint (if you are 7-12). While she prepared how to disseminate this information with the staff, she asked me to conduct a lesson with her Grade 8s on what counts as a SMART goal. (SMART is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound.) We didn't spend time creating personal SMART goals yet, but we played with those adjectives to solidify our understanding of those terms by generating examples and non-examples.</p><p>A brief note in our school's general updates reminded us that our ALPs (annual learning plans) are now expected to be submitted online, and that they will be due October 31. I didn't consider this to be a big deal, since I have a digital copy of the ALP file that I modify year after year. </p><p>I. Was. Wrong.</p><p>Only the first portion of the ALP, the background data that informs the formation of the plan, matches the old template. The new, online version is a lot more detailed. In fact, instead of a four-column list of goals, goal strategies, rationales, and action plans, each goal (minimum of one, maximum of ten) have multiple sections to complete with specific timelines and metrics to determine success. In other words, we have to write our ALPs more like SMART goals.</p><p>Well, dang! Creating a SMART goal isn't a quick endeavor. The other challenge is that some of these goals of mine are ones I've been working on for years because it's about progress, not perfection. I've always scoffed at the IEP's (Individual Education Plan's) insistence that a number be attributed to the objective. It felt artificial. Each year brings different challenges. These were the goals I had originally chosen for this school year:</p><h4 style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 3.0pt; margin: 3pt 0cm 0cm 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: courier;"><span color="windowtext" style="font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">1)<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span color="windowtext" style="font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Participate in leadership opportunities (AML
as a vice-president, The Mentoree as a mentor, York and Queen’s University as
an AQ instructor); in-school leadership will focus on renewed exploration around
Equity.</span></span></h4><h4 style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 3.0pt; margin: 3pt 0cm 0cm 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span color="windowtext" style="font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> (</span><span color="windowtext" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Leadership Role</span><span color="windowtext" style="font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">)</span></span></h4><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: courier;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">2)<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Continue
to focus on accommodating and modifying lessons for ELL students as well as
improving my assessment practices (especially related to kindergarten) to give
timely feedback to students and parents about their progress in the reportable
subjects I teach. I also aim to re-examine my “tried and true” practices to see
if they could be improved with revisions.</span></span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: 10pt;">(</span><b style="font-family: courier; font-size: 10pt;">Instructional Role</b><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: 10pt;">)</span></p><p>These don't qualify as SMART. They aren't specific enough. I have no quantitative measures linked to them. I don't declare at what point I will have "succeeded" with these goals. I will go back to work on my online ALP after writing this blog post, but I've deleted some of these, separated and expanded some of these so now I have five goals, and now I need to iron out all the nitty-gritty. Is it even possible for some of these education goals to fit the SMART criteria? Will I be able to say "yes, by the end of June, I will be 80% better at modifying my lessons for MLL students"? By forcing them into a SMART framework, will they become ridiculous? (For instance, I feel like I can morph my timely feedback goal into something I can "count" by saying that I'll reach out to parents via the agendas or a note or a newsletter once a month. However, I see everyone from Grades K-4 - this may be Specific and Measurable, but is it Realistic?). Hopefully, you can see my dilemma here. However, that "time bound" deadline of October 31 looms, so I'll try my best to make it work.</p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Land Acknowledgement Loose Parts</h4><p>I've been working on our School Improvement Plan update. It also is phrased in terms of SMART goals, but for some reason it feels slightly more possible to fit these items into a SMART framework. Weeks in, we are still working on the phrasing of these goals (reinforcing the point above that you can't just whip up a goal in an hour). The board has shifted some of the focus from three goals related to Academic Success, Equity, and Well-Being to equity infusing all three goals and the new subtitles of Academic Success, Indigenous Education, and Joy/Belonging. </p><p>Meaningful Indigenous education is a focus everywhere, including my Media Part 2 Additional Qualification course where I am a student. We watched a fantastic, inspirational 11 minute video and every participant will be required to share the way to present or address the land acknowledgement. Last week, I mentioned how I'm trying to incorporate my learning from my Kindergarten AQ I took in 2019-20, especially loose parts. I did a bit of an experiment with the junior-intermediate students during their short book exchange time in the library. I usually have STEM challenges or playful provocations set up on the table for them to use when they have finished their book exchange and if they have extra time. You can see some of the <a href="https://mondaymollymusings.blogspot.com/2022/12/i-miss-microblogging.html" target="_blank">set-ups in this post</a>. This time, I used a phrase from the video we watched in the Media AQ as a loose part prompt. "What does it mean to acknowledge the land?"</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKwny1uWjFP0lo_9bqA9xPWuM0Yfhs8ygwqIYbnu6YCusuxcAU999mAw4WYmTHnJdykSxiQgGbeQDjxXbG6l7yEEVc50E4NL4jH4bm1Og8CU7IK15GKixLyblemesRMKjh0D_sppNc-Tk8VF8pYsvheudA3RAJfcth9UEBU4ZKidM8ZE-fzq7dMLulFRm5/s4032/IMG_2829.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKwny1uWjFP0lo_9bqA9xPWuM0Yfhs8ygwqIYbnu6YCusuxcAU999mAw4WYmTHnJdykSxiQgGbeQDjxXbG6l7yEEVc50E4NL4jH4bm1Og8CU7IK15GKixLyblemesRMKjh0D_sppNc-Tk8VF8pYsvheudA3RAJfcth9UEBU4ZKidM8ZE-fzq7dMLulFRm5/s320/IMG_2829.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRILPCbpkMc58eIdPhd4Cv2L_t9dP4HrCKmKW8C40-_O_jXBDPLmCRy-gSSHgU1JW3kf2aEWoEP-9adhkbs7E324z3QQ3A6pXv4SgcOTBjqvA8ngjWOWiKknyp2FL8-1juhRKl65ExHMAPf3KeJZBERI3dKm7MIyI0GEF6HGQmhyphenhyphen-JpU2aq4MdWm-AhKBd/s4032/IMG_2830.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRILPCbpkMc58eIdPhd4Cv2L_t9dP4HrCKmKW8C40-_O_jXBDPLmCRy-gSSHgU1JW3kf2aEWoEP-9adhkbs7E324z3QQ3A6pXv4SgcOTBjqvA8ngjWOWiKknyp2FL8-1juhRKl65ExHMAPf3KeJZBERI3dKm7MIyI0GEF6HGQmhyphenhyphen-JpU2aq4MdWm-AhKBd/s320/IMG_2830.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Students in Grades 4-8 were encouraged to use the loose parts to symbolically represent their thinking and potential reflection on that question. I took some video of their explanations. Here, below, are just a few of the photos I took of their work. These are just the samples from the Grade 8 class. I plan on compiling the images and commentary into a video that we can play over the announcements and at the Media AQ as a sample of an interactive way of making the daily land acknowledgement meaningful and relevant. The first image is a visual pun. (Tree-T = treaty).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKWqwiZNKaCIB1wy8LOEQcl9lGKPrHrBop8TYubGE1gxUegULnSISwj3caxgxFjwJevrE0b2lkq6mB76cdr-a5YNCH0D66yLfmMYOlV4UpkmTodnM0y9pnVNpu7WmSZdTLyi3lELGRPxLzdTsG2lv_wIMH8QNKMimCKyWeEjZERrnu_xUr1wvrdg3ld19e/s4032/IMG_2834.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKWqwiZNKaCIB1wy8LOEQcl9lGKPrHrBop8TYubGE1gxUegULnSISwj3caxgxFjwJevrE0b2lkq6mB76cdr-a5YNCH0D66yLfmMYOlV4UpkmTodnM0y9pnVNpu7WmSZdTLyi3lELGRPxLzdTsG2lv_wIMH8QNKMimCKyWeEjZERrnu_xUr1wvrdg3ld19e/s320/IMG_2834.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhARFA2rfO1KNP56PhH7SDkzjxpDoX-apV_jlM89huCQ4qJsyVfeVJdvlJeu6gkGY1IdylXmIDujzgdhaUfqV-gd9KaGKcAl3EbYvYDrcBrmnHM9aksTCViYfZ8JdI0g8qxiDTEUp96R7Rn89xXl-BEfYeSpOLZ0EsdPagr8I4_aJQI8lHF0iiepdziB8Yo/s4032/IMG_2835.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhARFA2rfO1KNP56PhH7SDkzjxpDoX-apV_jlM89huCQ4qJsyVfeVJdvlJeu6gkGY1IdylXmIDujzgdhaUfqV-gd9KaGKcAl3EbYvYDrcBrmnHM9aksTCViYfZ8JdI0g8qxiDTEUp96R7Rn89xXl-BEfYeSpOLZ0EsdPagr8I4_aJQI8lHF0iiepdziB8Yo/s320/IMG_2835.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeqX9RxiukhUuFHaU8AgzZ0fMtE7J6lRxe-Zt5entd7wIUKWyt39C4yQHwP_13s2d7Dw6m9TCgzJJBPQbFb_mEx4NzGKWVwnPL2BTryesnxGVGfECzqHDFXpQYnzEFD3tA1lSJ_sA_kQ7N0-WZxlfvvGn-2xdmioqA4KeQabmQTNuQRHkF22LaqKENtB7c/s4032/IMG_2836.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeqX9RxiukhUuFHaU8AgzZ0fMtE7J6lRxe-Zt5entd7wIUKWyt39C4yQHwP_13s2d7Dw6m9TCgzJJBPQbFb_mEx4NzGKWVwnPL2BTryesnxGVGfECzqHDFXpQYnzEFD3tA1lSJ_sA_kQ7N0-WZxlfvvGn-2xdmioqA4KeQabmQTNuQRHkF22LaqKENtB7c/s320/IMG_2836.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDLgaHOBWdn2SY0IrUzlqB748Ib3HjPq5kxJ3uZGmGWSK4GSUovrbvsP-8NiOYseA5NWG4F55setxr-KFZ-iy-Rf-VcgChjFbk27yEtbWCKeDk4rJ2DDpjSsASkPzJlzM1nOl3qZU3UTNr2DgJrLmXhVb_6TTMd9awiLsmnK0pVPMOLH4r1ZFhcKFgbe9e/s4032/IMG_2841.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDLgaHOBWdn2SY0IrUzlqB748Ib3HjPq5kxJ3uZGmGWSK4GSUovrbvsP-8NiOYseA5NWG4F55setxr-KFZ-iy-Rf-VcgChjFbk27yEtbWCKeDk4rJ2DDpjSsASkPzJlzM1nOl3qZU3UTNr2DgJrLmXhVb_6TTMd9awiLsmnK0pVPMOLH4r1ZFhcKFgbe9e/s320/IMG_2841.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">Photos as Biased Texts</h4><p>I enjoy taking the Media AQ, even though it takes a significant portion of my time. I like how it gets me to think and rethink. For instance, I feel like I am gaining a deeper understanding of some of McLuhan's ideas and of the Key Concepts of Media Literacy. For instance, a foundational idea behind Key Concept #2 (Media construct versions of reality) and #3 (Audiences negotiate meaning) is bias (and side note: I really wish I could commit to memory the 8 key concepts in numerical order. I have to keep looking them up. Do you think that'd be a valid SMART goal for myself?). The bias in KC#2 comes from the producer and the text itself. The bias in KC#3 comes from the audience. </p><p>It's been said multiple times so far in the course that it is impossible to take an unbiased photograph. I whole-heartedly agree. I rely on photographs a lot as an assessment tool, but not only are they my views, they are my views at a very specific set moment in time. They don't capture what happened just before or just after the photo was taken. (This is why, back to Farah Wadia, she likes taking a "live" photo because she can then grab one of the frames of the photos in which a student isn't blinking or looking away.) </p><p>For drama, I'm taking photos of the students doing "face acting" and portraying different emotions. I count down before I take the photo, but what if their expression was "better" in the split second before I captured the photo? I try to let the students look at the photo I took to get their approval, but when you consider I'm taking 3 photos per student (of the 9 feeling word options they generated as choices as a class) and there are about 20 students in each class and I'm doing this with 4 classes, 3x20x4 = 240. That's 240 photos I'm trying to take within a short period of time, while ensuring that the rest of the class is safely preoccupied with something else so I'm free to take the photo. (Yes, I know the students could take each other's photo, or they could do a selfie, but there are reasons why I'd like to take the photo myself, even though it would add more student agency to this task.) </p><p>A photo is a version of reality and not reality itself. I wish I could capture what I hear or my thoughts and reactions at the time more effectively. I've had this talk with the kindergarten teachers about pedagogical documentation. It'd still be a mediated version of reality, but it might help me recall the moment better. Problem is, video take up a lot of space on devices, and I have to watch the video afterwards.</p><p><br /></p><p>There's lots here to unpack. You can see why my mind is abuzz and I'm a bit tired. </p>MZMollyTLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17565896547458451347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692067574614653754.post-40351502067793867272023-10-16T00:00:00.001-07:002023-10-16T00:00:00.148-07:00Applying Kindie AQ Learning: My Wonders, My Blunders and My Puppet Experiments<p> I'm going to apologize in advance if this blog starts looking more like a kindergarten teacher's blog than a teacher-librarian blog. I have so much kindergarten prep coverage (13/40 periods in my schedule) and I'm preoccupied with making my early years programming work better than it did in the past. The focus-on-four-and-five-year-olds is not necessarily a bad thing - after all, my friend Beth Lyons has made the leap from teacher-librarian to full-time kindergarten teacher and her blog is still titled <a href="https://thelibrariansjourney.blogspot.com/">https://thelibrariansjourney.blogspot.com/</a> . In fact, she writes about <a href="https://thelibrariansjourney.blogspot.com/2023/10/if-you-can-make-it-6-weeks.html" target="_blank">the first 6 weeks of kindergarten</a> in her latest post. Many of the things she is concerned about are things I'm concerned about and things our absolutely fabulous kindergarten team (MM, new to our staff, and JC, an educator who's been at this school longer than I have, and this will be my 20th year!) also think about regularly.</p><p>I took my Kindergarten Part 1 AQ in 2019. I'm still trying to incorporate what I learned there in my practice. Room K1 uses a lot of loose parts provocations, so I plan on sneaking in there to peruse the set up more frequently. As I mentioned in <a href="https://mondaymollymusings.blogspot.com/2020/03/trying-thrice-loose-parts-learning.html" target="_blank">this past post about loose parts</a>, it's helpful to get the opportunity to attempt things multiple times, so that you can learn from the errors the first time around and improve it on the second. </p><p>I haven't been able to set up any new loose parts provocations since my initial attempt in September - book fair sort of got in the way. However, I've been relatively pleased with how the subjects are meshing into each other and how the ebb and flow of the lessons are being determined by student interest. The routine is slooooooowly being established. Big thanks to Matthew Malisani for making me signs that help me remember the process. </p><p>Before I launch into the description of what's happening, I need to share my struggle with pedagogical documentation. We had a kindergarten reorganization and we transformed from two classes with 22 students each, complete with an Early Childhood Assistant, to a class of 15 with no ECE and a class of 29 with an ECE. It's been disruptive. The small class is challenging without an extra adult present. The large class is challenging because of the large amount of students. In both classes, it's been hard for me to properly document what I see, hear and notice students saying and doing that demonstrates their thinking and learning. Right now, it's so busy that all I've been able to do is take photographs and hope (in vain) that I'll remember what was happening at that particular time. I'm also still debating about whether it's better to keep separate student files and flip to each to record, or maintain a daily log which I can then try to link to to ensure I make notes on all the students. </p><p>Back to what's happening in class. My general theme, at least according to my long range plan (which usually falls to the wayside in a few weeks when it comes to kindergarten) is all about imagination. In dance/drama time, we've been really interested in puppets. It's expanded into our media time and a bit into our music time. We've learned about the differences between hand- and finger-puppets and stuffed animals and how to use the puppets without getting too physical with each other. (There's a tendency for puppets to hit other puppets and people and get rammed up in faces - I know this is part of the Punch-and-Judy puppet tradition, but thankfully mini-lessons on friendly interactions have reduced the number of times I've had a puppet smack me. Eating me, on the other hand ... )</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4XV7a23W5eMb-ZxluN6l8Vm9viVwRXLYHca6uxWQbuwPbVyMt6rW5R-qH6K4VnAaIdKimIeHFElpJOWi_xsEZH1v35B0LSvbyeS1wqEXGHF37QIF53HdTpUIQJ5xR-bZk4H9LcHbn8rT7j9SGiJ7Q1PDWrL492Kw4HEzn4MUYGkJTVPSjJpZ0YxKI7LYY/s4032/IMG_2439.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4XV7a23W5eMb-ZxluN6l8Vm9viVwRXLYHca6uxWQbuwPbVyMt6rW5R-qH6K4VnAaIdKimIeHFElpJOWi_xsEZH1v35B0LSvbyeS1wqEXGHF37QIF53HdTpUIQJ5xR-bZk4H9LcHbn8rT7j9SGiJ7Q1PDWrL492Kw4HEzn4MUYGkJTVPSjJpZ0YxKI7LYY/s320/IMG_2439.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6sPYN0gAXU1tmsJHfFaEvduLGgNn78yFCnwQ9RqAkf84Q7sN8FIpfDfOI6qsvHLOLw0xJN2fpZXb7xKz8-C9A_kRm7-I7u3bFg2XNODcCUSOr_2aS-ya0wMeiQ8lH9IbsKaZ6D1CCbAQSo3eyDFKgXiP58bhfZr84WuUwID-N_ineOh8XAhfJ_qimyQDe/s4032/IMG_2446.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6sPYN0gAXU1tmsJHfFaEvduLGgNn78yFCnwQ9RqAkf84Q7sN8FIpfDfOI6qsvHLOLw0xJN2fpZXb7xKz8-C9A_kRm7-I7u3bFg2XNODcCUSOr_2aS-ya0wMeiQ8lH9IbsKaZ6D1CCbAQSo3eyDFKgXiP58bhfZr84WuUwID-N_ineOh8XAhfJ_qimyQDe/s320/IMG_2446.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>Based on comments from students, we "made" our own puppet theatres with cloth and chairs, and that's been neat to see how they set things up and put things away. </p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvO9h1jtOQLg2-pk6ClxWXXrpe4RzFz7rl2oHub7EG3aI44bLRxF98plZADFUIt8wwx3VhC7Zh7peVj_3_XK4riSmwl1Yt71GgGAyt88dl1EzeC_jXV7NzSVTwo-mjWWKgtwbjeWpDw6i4vU6Jwh820NAeSGpmpGaBthyphenhyphen9cuYJHYoITAMWx1etln2KOt8N/s4032/IMG_2310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvO9h1jtOQLg2-pk6ClxWXXrpe4RzFz7rl2oHub7EG3aI44bLRxF98plZADFUIt8wwx3VhC7Zh7peVj_3_XK4riSmwl1Yt71GgGAyt88dl1EzeC_jXV7NzSVTwo-mjWWKgtwbjeWpDw6i4vU6Jwh820NAeSGpmpGaBthyphenhyphen9cuYJHYoITAMWx1etln2KOt8N/s320/IMG_2310.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihQRT-RlasE1gOYqwffba55T3UrCCQkAD-W5rRPWu60CCK8tkl_IodHeG6zpAPQ1ThSX81hzCL-zS4lmPWKn7PIIWDy3ZzPLpGggm8JBNTfDUwfM_UvFhuB6jFCL-Qbomds1S_oTCkedvVR05ZUTo5lA2FCfPAcO5vxnpV5MFLWxdMPHwD2dIu0JR7Vd_9/s4032/IMG_2291.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihQRT-RlasE1gOYqwffba55T3UrCCQkAD-W5rRPWu60CCK8tkl_IodHeG6zpAPQ1ThSX81hzCL-zS4lmPWKn7PIIWDy3ZzPLpGggm8JBNTfDUwfM_UvFhuB6jFCL-Qbomds1S_oTCkedvVR05ZUTo5lA2FCfPAcO5vxnpV5MFLWxdMPHwD2dIu0JR7Vd_9/s320/IMG_2291.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>We've also modelled some "mini-scenarios" or "tiny-stories" (such as "The Race" [like The Tortoise and the Hare] or "Are You Mommy?" [like "Are You My Mother? / Is Your Mama a Llama?"]). That helped with our "puppet plays" because at first, many of the puppet "shows" were silent. Having a narrative structure to riff on helped a lot. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeYbOjVPWZJ139toHgLYGPLCaenG8ByyRJIbOQrPtkzL55RjmHCr0TpzD8LozgOB7rZWm5KQ-1pXSFVMx4rrXjTK6R8oWugxew0O94ZTqG91aczcS4wVthNfFrKZa-U01ZwReCZ1hDdFi1mElSjnDsle8KF93XfV-CPo1KQEW31s0EfsdKmAzZNGMccKIU/s4032/IMG_2518.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeYbOjVPWZJ139toHgLYGPLCaenG8ByyRJIbOQrPtkzL55RjmHCr0TpzD8LozgOB7rZWm5KQ-1pXSFVMx4rrXjTK6R8oWugxew0O94ZTqG91aczcS4wVthNfFrKZa-U01ZwReCZ1hDdFi1mElSjnDsle8KF93XfV-CPo1KQEW31s0EfsdKmAzZNGMccKIU/s320/IMG_2518.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>One class got really interested in sorting the puppets, so we made signs to keep us organized and we grouped them.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs3ANCgiUsrXQ4I26fEkA0fQDGl8yXr3y8z6mdu1G3BOjilw-fx6OE7ZUFbZxGzh3AhRXBaLQCG9TtA7_hxO-V6pIaMceCz0koSWJbrnuJcZ_KLqSuCuHIgpMuFVEk4KI6UBJ5fUBFuoDBsMf408JrBLK5b-XLk3FOkmfRhDjJehVGg06-xxeF1UXQwsLC/s4032/IMG_2600.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs3ANCgiUsrXQ4I26fEkA0fQDGl8yXr3y8z6mdu1G3BOjilw-fx6OE7ZUFbZxGzh3AhRXBaLQCG9TtA7_hxO-V6pIaMceCz0koSWJbrnuJcZ_KLqSuCuHIgpMuFVEk4KI6UBJ5fUBFuoDBsMf408JrBLK5b-XLk3FOkmfRhDjJehVGg06-xxeF1UXQwsLC/s320/IMG_2600.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZO9gqob53dByX7GsScj8ljeuc_SpHnTZJgYs3tn5AZkEky8SXlA8gBoUM4krFYRZ1mOvIlx_ijq-jeifTTKlNnZfXcEyw7CF58plKM-s6Vj3SpeYkEkEDGTcKsLzNqjqdIyJ2X2RWDh1nktjaD2TgeLwNbDJNF05bi73j5ytkbVBDP2eNyo17BQeR17s/s4032/IMG_2602.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZO9gqob53dByX7GsScj8ljeuc_SpHnTZJgYs3tn5AZkEky8SXlA8gBoUM4krFYRZ1mOvIlx_ijq-jeifTTKlNnZfXcEyw7CF58plKM-s6Vj3SpeYkEkEDGTcKsLzNqjqdIyJ2X2RWDh1nktjaD2TgeLwNbDJNF05bi73j5ytkbVBDP2eNyo17BQeR17s/s320/IMG_2602.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZTQL5F7qwgz0tF2lHN0_dNbVVHiP4YtxWZri5l_tro8n21sVFeTHQ4KuwMZuQ27QMvtzCJxWqziDL_vzw9k_XozmBjwV7pU_tJphvyfZq3YvBLlFTQ1GbUolDLonqU4J2cxh4aS0OlhXY-qBwrx8CH6JVrdEwr3nTJtQMbeZxeYVUThMMBljfJ6f6ReSn/s4032/IMG_2607.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZTQL5F7qwgz0tF2lHN0_dNbVVHiP4YtxWZri5l_tro8n21sVFeTHQ4KuwMZuQ27QMvtzCJxWqziDL_vzw9k_XozmBjwV7pU_tJphvyfZq3YvBLlFTQ1GbUolDLonqU4J2cxh4aS0OlhXY-qBwrx8CH6JVrdEwr3nTJtQMbeZxeYVUThMMBljfJ6f6ReSn/s320/IMG_2607.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>I own a marionette (stringed puppet) and brought it out for students to try out (gently). I was inspired, in one of those just-before-you-fall-asleep-aha-moments to try and make our own mini-marionettes, but without almost any directions or instructions. I am very cognizant of the philosophy that making in kindergarten should not result in carbon copy replicas as final products, but explorations and experimentations. (Below is a photo of Thess showing the puppet.)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRObmHIdZH51wlTVOXvVDQCq57Thwlh4A7jZlXZXVHMwzU7_hyphenhyphenA-g7p3rSFJaEGuRrBHM7KigxsvgY2_yjSY0mLScz6HDSn8amsJCXtrqvT7buYT6rvTXHvJxNG6pUHrU6rfBK5tAUYQKhJK976yFFxHin_WH0yH5viDH_byBrny7gZxLm8jJETOw8rtC7/s4032/IMG_2551%20-%20Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRObmHIdZH51wlTVOXvVDQCq57Thwlh4A7jZlXZXVHMwzU7_hyphenhyphenA-g7p3rSFJaEGuRrBHM7KigxsvgY2_yjSY0mLScz6HDSn8amsJCXtrqvT7buYT6rvTXHvJxNG6pUHrU6rfBK5tAUYQKhJK976yFFxHin_WH0yH5viDH_byBrny7gZxLm8jJETOw8rtC7/s320/IMG_2551%20-%20Copy.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>This was an example of learning from the previous class. The first time I tried this, we didn't have time to finish and it wasn't safe to just leave the projects lying out on tables in the library. I talked with Thess Isidro, the ECE, to generate ideas on how to deal with this problem. She recommended collecting the items in paper bags labelled with their names. The bonus was, we could then use the paper bags for hand puppet creations later! I also set up stations so that the students did not have to wait on me for supplies. Tape and strings were all available on chairs and the bins with scissors and potential materials to make the puppet bodies were out and reachable.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzKCPX2rrvHW7OXoEEySdLesgfDEDhPpgC099eBIfQdVdY2EibHMykDc7IWBozH3YiRLJtAu3eQz8PcHGhQsx81PCf_sD7Ns9jHbeTJtFkqGuMD4iW7FWb9IIFGdOvdpxfNKLYhsVz3S2nRxVoa4E5LIb_CwFRAqZtwa7a2vXT3Lfnp4swzEv9F5o-IBOU/s4032/IMG_2685.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzKCPX2rrvHW7OXoEEySdLesgfDEDhPpgC099eBIfQdVdY2EibHMykDc7IWBozH3YiRLJtAu3eQz8PcHGhQsx81PCf_sD7Ns9jHbeTJtFkqGuMD4iW7FWb9IIFGdOvdpxfNKLYhsVz3S2nRxVoa4E5LIb_CwFRAqZtwa7a2vXT3Lfnp4swzEv9F5o-IBOU/s320/IMG_2685.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmCC10BCW_2WPOKF1YgzrnJF6JRRlHebishnFpNSXo5TJUJpuuUKmBDssxwJALfWI6AxXbkXi3biXUcJ5hTXg9m8kghyCuKDYAMLnUAkAH9oLgj1nB8VY1mHwjKQ9hyphenhyphencW_6i5t_46ZPKU33XkIjficjRkvZBu026yOEyq24IhvdrQ4hWNkSkF2fH8NDQPC/s4032/IMG_2686.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmCC10BCW_2WPOKF1YgzrnJF6JRRlHebishnFpNSXo5TJUJpuuUKmBDssxwJALfWI6AxXbkXi3biXUcJ5hTXg9m8kghyCuKDYAMLnUAkAH9oLgj1nB8VY1mHwjKQ9hyphenhyphencW_6i5t_46ZPKU33XkIjficjRkvZBu026yOEyq24IhvdrQ4hWNkSkF2fH8NDQPC/s320/IMG_2686.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>I was really pleased with how some of these mini-marionettes turned out! The products hinted at what they understood about how the marionettes worked. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0jtpx_1m_Y8ccBdfWgSHYijK1U-5tGJeEJtvfPHMg9zh81_kxUGtjOkByVyFtwSeJRdOpRrf_7_4UKUxdyEwQ0j5-JLWBdkBuYq5-8dwSyGIWtIPnKlSuNmUAmV3l101PSw_BkUxpy6O9ckkBaWAwdMx7Y04yG3WWvz8EQ4xKIBCTjb4KJGNn3r0dUysd/s4032/IMG_2699%20-%20Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0jtpx_1m_Y8ccBdfWgSHYijK1U-5tGJeEJtvfPHMg9zh81_kxUGtjOkByVyFtwSeJRdOpRrf_7_4UKUxdyEwQ0j5-JLWBdkBuYq5-8dwSyGIWtIPnKlSuNmUAmV3l101PSw_BkUxpy6O9ckkBaWAwdMx7Y04yG3WWvz8EQ4xKIBCTjb4KJGNn3r0dUysd/s320/IMG_2699%20-%20Copy.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>So I've made some mis-steps. We've had tears, and pick-up mix-ups, and sometimes lessons don't go according to plan. That's okay. Mistakes are part of learning, but I'll keep trying to figure out how to make this work in the school Library Learning Commons.</p>MZMollyTLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17565896547458451347noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692067574614653754.post-22139556714786011342023-10-09T00:00:00.001-07:002023-10-09T00:00:00.131-07:00Go with the Flow<p> For a shortened week, it was pretty jam-packed. The AQs that I lead for Queen's University and York University started this week. I hosted the annual Scholastic Book Fair in my library. Also on the calendar was our school's Curriculum Night, Terry Fox Run and the TDSB Teacher Librarian Facilitator Meeting and Planning Session. Did I mention taking my parents to get their haircuts and arranging Thanksgiving dinner? Busy, busy, busy.</p><p>Two moments this week reminded me about the importance of flow - both traffic flow and going with the flow.</p><p>Last year, the book fair resembled a packed dance club at the hottest night spot; it was <a href="https://mondaymollymusings.blogspot.com/2022/10/volunteers-make-world-work-happy-100th.html" target="_blank">so crowded</a> that people could barely move, and even with five staff members helping out, by the end of the night we were all exhausted. This year, the admin team came by to scope out the space and make suggestions on how to improve the situation. I appreciated their interest and concern. My principal recommended a change that actually made a huge difference: create a corridor where shoppers would line up to pay that did not block people still browsing and selecting in the book fair. We moved the cashier location to a spot near my circulation desk and the door to help with this shift. I don't have any photos of the alteration, but it worked well. We only had three staff members monitoring the book fair, and those wonderful colleagues, Connie Chan and Julie Tran, sped things along even more than before by writing and calculating the purchase amounts on sticky notes that the buyers passed to me at the checkout. That meant that I could focus just on collecting the payment and making change when needed. </p><p>I've mentioned frequently about how <a href="https://mondaymollymusings.blogspot.com/2018/09/banish-book-fair.html" target="_blank">disruptive and dysregulating</a> the book fair can be. I am now the primary prep provider for the kindergarten classes, and I thought I'd be clever and avoid all the distractions of the book fair by holding my music class on Wednesday in their kindergarten classroom instead of the library. The decision wasn't that smart. I couldn't log into my MusicPlayOnline subscription while in the other class. I improvised my lesson as best as I could, but the students began to get restless, and some of my usual redirection tricks relied on items left in the library. No worries - why not go to the library and use my laptop with my saved password intact? This would have been fine, if my laptop speakers had not suddenly decided to stop working. Having no sound on a music website isn't useful at all. By this time, I was getting a bit frazzled. I was saved by two things: our compassionate Educational Assistant, Joan D'Souza, who saw I was struggling and rearranged her schedule to help me out, and my handy-dandy box of instruments. Although I wasn't feeling like a very competent teacher at the time, I can be a bit creative and think fast on my feet on occasion, so we did some compare and contrast, including a repetitive song phrase I made up on the spot to match one of two instruments (bells or tambourines). It worked so well that I repeated it with the other kindergarten class I saw later that same day. (In case you are curious, the song chants were "This is a tambourine" [ta / tee tee / tee tee / ta = so, so, so, mi, mi, so] and "Bells, bells, bells bells bells" [ta / ta / tee tee / ta = so, mi, so, so, mi]).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6CVYwczge7ccHli0iTamtrt9Ob2oHbdhY3qDEvYtFHiI5IUUHTjtGNlxIbc0WxrGI_CjHCJTSvWLwDKAS9MX1UGnFnFJ0YjpH-eJgohvXpS4upYjfSnm81eOnak-t-lM47NLQhzS1AmIGlU2bLAUS5B6ZX-m4HcauaB8gtKqFJCRPR5NRaTZvtTzxFgEg/s4032/Tambourine-Bells.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6CVYwczge7ccHli0iTamtrt9Ob2oHbdhY3qDEvYtFHiI5IUUHTjtGNlxIbc0WxrGI_CjHCJTSvWLwDKAS9MX1UGnFnFJ0YjpH-eJgohvXpS4upYjfSnm81eOnak-t-lM47NLQhzS1AmIGlU2bLAUS5B6ZX-m4HcauaB8gtKqFJCRPR5NRaTZvtTzxFgEg/s320/Tambourine-Bells.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Going with the flow isn't easy when the flow is more of a rushing river than a lazy stream. The same goes for traffic flow; managing traffic is better when it isn't like rush hour on the 401. However, life's course never runs smoothly and these tales make for entertaining stories and helpful lessons learned.</p>MZMollyTLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17565896547458451347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692067574614653754.post-90832231464318219032023-10-02T00:00:00.001-07:002023-10-02T00:00:00.154-07:00Say Hi and Bye to the New Guy<p> September and early October are times in the school year that are both full of beginnings and endings. Students meet their new teachers and classmates. Teachers join new schools and get to know new colleagues and communities. However, in late September, school numbers get readjusted. Staffing shifts happen. Buildings gain or lose teachers. It's a rollercoaster ride that people in education often call "ReOrg". Reorganization is a mixed blessing. It was the way I <a href="https://mondaymollymusings.blogspot.com/2014/09/reorganization-new-opportunities.html" target="_blank">obtained my first full-time permanent</a> contract; yet, it can be awful to upend growing learning communities, like when I had to switch from a Grade 6-7 to a Grade 5-6 assignment and <a href="https://mondaymollymusings.blogspot.com/2020/10/7-reasons-why-ill-miss-my-7s.html" target="_blank">"give up" my Grade 7s</a>. </p><p>Considering the size of our staff, we have a rather large number of LTOs (long-term occasional) teachers at our site this year, for various reasons. One position that was particularly hard to fill was that of our Special Education Resource Teacher. Thankfully, we found someone willing and able to take the position, and Catherine Wang arrived.</p><p>Catherine is a new graduate from the Faculty of Education, but what she may "lack" in terms of experience, she more than made up for with her willingness and enthusiasm. She travelled from downtown to our school in north-east Scarborough via public transit every day, a 90 minute commute one way. I offered to drop her to the nearest station to shorten the trip a bit, so we had the chance to get to know each other a bit more on these drives.</p><p>Catherine is eager to learn as much as she can from everyone. She asked questions and observed how the adults interacted with the students. She sought genuine feedback after dealing with students and valued all the advice she was given. One of her greatest talents was the way she quickly forged relationships with all members of the school community. We were so fortunate that she is fluent in Mandarin, so we often called on her to help us with translation issues. After just a few weeks, the parents started asking for Ms. Wang by name for assistance!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwVYNyk4z5-KVTfz7kr3gxtIiKKuCU59aIaQPLNDFYzGANLpbgW7_RbmVYY82ODjb8UM253hfu0r1rMEnKagE1e575rA2wF8p1I_W1uRTyHImrVsZUIYolpn4bop7XEOduxizzSW5i_WD8jyNMRy-mO2Mf64NJajetPG154GjdTK9g5IaKULyd-o8qfbxg/s1417/IMG_1863%20-%20Copy.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1417" data-original-width="829" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwVYNyk4z5-KVTfz7kr3gxtIiKKuCU59aIaQPLNDFYzGANLpbgW7_RbmVYY82ODjb8UM253hfu0r1rMEnKagE1e575rA2wF8p1I_W1uRTyHImrVsZUIYolpn4bop7XEOduxizzSW5i_WD8jyNMRy-mO2Mf64NJajetPG154GjdTK9g5IaKULyd-o8qfbxg/s320/IMG_1863%20-%20Copy.JPG" width="187" /></a></div><br /><p>I don't have many photos of Ms. Wang, because after her Special Education schedule was established, she was busy supporting students in many classes. This is a shot of her helping one of the kindergarten classes I saw in the library on the second day of school. Catherine is hard-working. She took three separate Additional Qualification courses over the summer to make herself more marketable and improve her skills. She agreed to work on creating the front hall display and took this task seriously, researching welcoming displays and considering equitable representation. She constantly offered to help out in any way she could.</p><p>I keep flipping between writing in the present and the past tense, because Catherine is no longer at our school. Our school board has gone on a mass hiring blitz, both this spring and this fall. There were over 200 positions listed a week ago that were permanent contract jobs! This is unprecedented. I was a supply teacher for over a year before I was hired full-time, and I know of many other teachers who spent years working as OTs and LTOs before landing their secure positions. I just peeked on the board website and there are still 24 positions advertised on September 28 with hopes of filling for early October! Golden opportunities like this don't happen every day, so Catherine sent out a flurry of applications. She actually received and conducted 13 interviews for positions over the course of three days. And she was successful! She starts her new, full-time, permanent contract position on Monday October 2.</p><p>Catherine oozes gratitude. She sent the staff a lovely email thanking everyone for being so wonderful and supportive. She never failed to thank me every day for dropping her off at the subway, and I'd often find boxes of "thank you Timbits" on my desk from her. She is so appreciative of time she has spent at our school, her fortune in snagging a LTO so quickly after graduation, and all of the kindness she's been shown. She's young enough to be my daughter - in fact, she's just a month older than my eldest - and she may qualify as the "new guy" but she won't stay a "n00b" for long. Her positive attitude and go-getter disposition will take her far. Congratulations Catherine, and all the best in your new teaching job!</p><p><br /></p>MZMollyTLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17565896547458451347noreply@blogger.com1