9:30-10:00am - Hybrid Networking Opportunity Join us online in the main Zoom room.

10:00-11:00am - Opening Remarks 

Teacher Professionalism in a Digital World - Saskatchewan Teachers' Federations (Derek Barss)

In this session, we will explore the concept of professionalism.  What is it? What is professionalism in the context of teaching?  What do I need to consider before entering the classroom?

This session will spend some time on the ideas, but most of the time will be spent on case studies of real examples from the field focusing on issues that teachers have faced with using various digital forms.

Makerspaces that Matter - EYES (MacKenzie Chittenden & Kevina Mullock)

There is no doubt that technology and digital innovations are changing the way that our classrooms operate. In this session, we will dive into Makerspaces and how we can use technology to our advantage to enhance learning. We will start by diving into what exactly a Makerspace is and will move into talking about the importance of these spaces and digital skills in education today. Through this session, we aim to equip you with the knowledge to create a Makerspace that matters in your classroom and school.

11:00-12:00pm - Tinker with Tech: A Crash Course to TinkerCAD & 3D Design (EYES)

Looking for a fun new way to teach students about sculptures, shapes, space, perimeter, area, or volume? TinkerCAD is an excellent place for all of that and more! Tinkercad is a free, easy-to-use website for 3D design, electronics, and coding. It's used by teachers, kids, hobbyists, and designers to imagine, design, and make anything! Sometimes it can be tricky to navigate the 3D (x, y, z) plane but that’s why we are here! In this session you will learn some TinkerCAD tips and tricks under the guidance of EYES to help you troubleshoot So, come and begin to explore the wonderful world of TinkerCAD! 

12:00-1:00pm Lunch

Enjoy your lunch in the comfort of your own home. We will see you back at 1pm.

1:00-2:00pm - Masters of Makerspaces: Perspectives from Teachers in the Field  

Join us for a panel presentation with Kelly Christopherson, Dean Vendramin, Amy Singh, and Judson. All four of these individuals have experience with using technology in the field of educations are eager to share their takeaways. Learn how they got started, challenges they've overcome, and how the integration of technology has transformed their classrooms. There will be an opportunity for a Q & A at the end of the session.

2:00-2:45pm - Shared Presentation

Self-Care in Teacher Education (Asma Ahmed)

Faculty in higher education are stretched thin: teaching with excellence, producing scholarship, and genuinely participating in service. Discussions around the importance of self-care seem to be a continuous conversation amongst professors. However, discussions do not go further than complaints of the plethora of expectations and how the systems we are currently operating in are not conducive to rest and relaxation. Can professors teach with excellence if they do not have a routine for self-care? I will be drawing from Keltner’s (2023) research entitled “Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How it Can Transform Your Life.” Awe and wonder are a significant spheres of self-care. Keltner’s approaches suggest that you do not have to go to the Grand Canyon or see the Northern Lights to have a sense of awe. His research includes stories from 26 countries exploring the health benefits that calm the nervous system and trigger the “love” hormone, oxytocin. The aim of this workshop is to provide evidence-based, low-key self-care practices to build a toolkit for faculty to draw from throughout their day. These practices form a holistic approach to feed the mental, physical, spiritual, and cognitive aspects of ourselves. 

Technology-Infused Community First Aid (Jessie Fraser)

Community first aid was traditionally taught exclusively in-person; like most teaching contexts, however, first aid programs shifted to online and hybrid instruction when the pandemic prohibited in-person learning. A challenge first aid educators faced with e-learning was in practice-based modules. It was difficult to incorporate the necessary practical application into the online component of courses, rendering the theory component less effective as the learners could not immediately apply their knowledge and receive feedback, and even in hybrid models the practical classroom component was less effective because it was separated from theory. Over the last few years I have learned to make better use of the technological tools available to create a more effective learning experience for students by creating new lessons for the digital environment rather than adapting existing in-person lessons to an e-learning environment. This presentation will discuss education theory surrounding hybrid and online learning and technology in education, highlighting how to incorporate technology-infused activities and online learning platforms into community first aid education while still engaging learners with dynamic, interactive lessons, maintaining teacher presence, and meeting learning objectives and outcomes. This presentation will also include a sample asynchronous technology-based lesson to teach the anatomy and physiology of the respiratory and circulatory systems for an adult first aid program. Though this asynchronous online theory-based lesson is designed to be included as part of a hybrid program and followed up with an in-person practice-based lesson, I have included some digital resources and sample activities that can be completed in an e-learning environment to facilitate discussion. 

2:45pm-3:00pm - Bio Break

Refill your drink, stretch your legs, and have a quick bio break!

3:00-4:00pm - Shared Presentation

Effectiveness of Technology (Saiqa Ishrat)

Technology has seen a recent widespread integration into daily life, where access to vast amounts of information is now available with ease. The purpose of this research study is to identify the effectiveness of technology in Teaching of English as a foreign language classroom. It was quantitative research and a survey was conducted. A questionnaire was used to collect the data from 242 Students from EFL classroom and 32 teachers of Department of English from Higher Educational institutes. The data was collected from 5 districts of Karachi. To collect data required, the researcher developed questionnaires that considered two skills Speaking , listening, for both teaching staff and students separately. For analysis of this study percentages, Mean , standard deviation ,t test and ONE Way ANOVA were used. The results revealed that all of the participants are involved in the using technology while they are studying English as foreign language course. which may be termed as technology based classroom. .In this study 94% respondents agreed that Technology is useful for students in learning English., while 68.5% of them respondent that practice with technology while learning English course . 65% of respondent used tablets , smartphone during studying English as a foreign language provide them a broad range of learning material. The also think that use of technology are considered to be future of education in the country. Students will be motivated to focus on experience a new kind of learning for a better understanding and also follow a general trend in society.

An Exploration on Digital Literacy in TESOL: Learners' Perception (Yu Xie)

This presentation explores research on adult TESOL students’ perceptions of using digital literacy strategies in their TESOL programs. Through an ethnographic case study with five learners, it is expected to form a critical framing when students reflect on their progress as language learners and future instructors in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. In addition, learners’ understanding of digital literacy will be reinforced since the New London Group (NLG) (1996) developed multimodal literacies to discuss appropriate literacy pedagogy in the dramatically changing social and technological contexts of communication and learning. Studies show that multimodal practices are increasingly integrated into ESOL/TESOL classes. As a significant part of multimodal literacies, digital literacy influences classroom teaching and learning. However, research on digital literacy (multimodal pedagogy) in TESOL learners/teacher education is still in its infancy (Li, 2020). Empirical evidence also shows that TESOL teachers require more skills to design and deliver multimodal practices.

Constructivist case study guides the methodology of data collection and data analysis. Learners’ stories reflect different views towards digital literacy by communicating with participants and applying self-study theory. The perceived highlights include motivating content learning, enhancing digital learning, and fostering motivation to implement multimodal pedagogy. The students also express classroom management challenges, reactions, and countermeasures for exam-oriented education.

In conclusion, students in the TESOL program demonstrate their interests, challenges, and expectations for using digital literacy in their learning and teaching. Findings and comparative analysis with the theoretical framework are revealed in the research process. An in-depth and detailed multimodal teaching evaluation is desired, and new questions and assumptions will be proposed according to the research results. 

The Culturally Sensitive Model: Conceptual Framework (Lucy Nana Konadu Arthur)

For decades, Ghanaian females' crucial issues have been their low educational attainment and retention. While gender inequity traces its roots in coloniality, females' educational outcome has depended on perceived cultural roles and gender status. This proposed research will gather insights from women family and community elders, and young females about persistent gender inequity and inequality in females' low educational attainment and retention in Ghana. It will further construct new knowledge and assist policy formulators and stakeholders in appreciating and including Indigenous cultural knowledges in the school curriculum to increase female educational attainment and retention in Ghana. In addition, my proposed research project will outline the possibility of reducing poverty and empowering women. In addition, this proposed research will incorporate a social constructivist approach, using a single case study design and appreciative inquiry. Through interviews in talking and sharing circles by the fireside, the study will document past and present insights from women family and community elders and young females (aged 17 -20). Preliminary results show that modernization has restricted cultural values and Indigenous knowledge transfer to young females and the school curriculum. The findings underline the need to explore gender status and cultural roles of female education in Ghana.