Digital Pedagogy

At Canada-wide educational charity Kids Code Jeunesse, we have more than one way to help teachers and kids master new skills and build interesting projects. There’s the classic step-by-step “follow me,” and the “take this and modify it” remix. But we’ve also developed a guided “sense-making” approach that opens things up and offers more diverse pathways into coding. To do it, we look at a finished product together and ask: What might this be doing on the inside, to achieve the effect we see on the outside? We share and refine our ideas, and we scaffold our computational thinking as a group. Everyone comes out ready to build. In this participatory session we will walk through a sample together and talk about the pedagogical ideas behind it. Suitable for any (or no) coding experience.

We as educators are always looking for innovative ways to inspire creativity and wonder in our students. Have you found a curiosity on how to use a GREEN SCREEN in your school or classroom? Do you have a GREEN SCREEN and want to learn more about the DoINK APPs and WeVideo? Ready to take your class to the next level? If you answered “YES!” to these questions, then this session is for YOU! This session is wonderful for beginners and experienced “green screeners” as well as ANY grade level or subject area teacher and even administrators. Join me for a mini-bootcamp where you will learn several skills through a DoINK and WeVideo demo and be provided resources to re-create each example. My hope is for you to have more confidence to teach your students and assign these types of projects to spice up your existing curriculum, but also to create your own educational material! You will also learn how to make your own homemade ‘green screen studio’ on any budget. Join me to learn how to “Rock Your Green Screen” and a guaranteed good time of magical green screen FUN! WARNING: Green Screen Fever can be addictive! ;) SESSION OBJECTIVES: *Participants will be introduced to options on how to make your own homemade ‘green screen studio’ on a budget. *Participants will learn how to incorporate the use of a Green Screen into ANY curriculum including STEAM through some provided creative activities and examples. *Participants will be introduced to several unique green screen skills using the DoINK GreenScreen App, tips and tricks to better green screening, and an Introduction to WeVideo through some hands-on practice to help them ROCK their Green Screen!

Want to expose your students to the cutting edge of innovation? Does the idea of setting up an Artificial Intelligence Centre in your classroom appeal to you? Engage those difficult-to-reach tech savvy students who crave more challenges. University of Guelph’s Creative Encounters demonstrates how to easily set up a classroom AI Centre with freely available online activities. Any teacher can set up a self-guided AI Centre in their classroom—even teachers who struggle with technology. Easily pivot the AI Centre to a remote learning experience or an at-home resource for students this year. Be the teacher who brings AI to the classroom as an approachable, educational, and fun topic!

Minecraft: EE is a great tool for students to explore and learn about coding and about collaboration. But how can we assess our students' learning in a meaningful way? Come and learn about the formative assessment tools in Minecraft: EE and let's play and learn together!

Online learning is an education constant going forward. Teachers need to understand the biases, codes and conventions of the media they use to maximize students’ learning. I.e., teachers need to be media literate in their creation, distribution and assessment of media products. When do I need a lecture? How do I manage class discussions? How do I use the camera and microphone effectively? How do I assess student-produced media? How do I support students’ online work?

Animal Crossing New Horizons is a video game that has found unexpected popularity during the pandemic. There are many wellness benefits and natural connections to various aspects of the curriculum (media literacy, numeracy, social studies, etc.). It has also been an unexpected source of equity activism, and political/social discourse. This presentation/guided discussion highlights some of the thinking and learning possibilities to this game but also suggests an odd twist; think twice before turning it into your classroom focus. Your presenter has logged over 85 hours (and counting) of time on the game and, as a founding member of the @GamingEdus, has some insights to share. Link to a --> sneak peek

As distance learning commenced, virtual classrooms have been all the rage! Come learn about how to start and create your own virtual classroom and share ideas on how you can use this in different grades and subjects!

Let’s animate together! Using the free STOP MOTION STUDIO app on our mobile devices (phone, tablets) and items right around us we will create together. As we are creating we will discuss the possible uses from K - 12 and other digital possibilities

We are flooded with examples of Web 1.0/2.0 for learning but to really pivot in our pedagogies, we need to amplify voice/choice for all learners. I've spent a decade trying to increase our professional development networks and teaching online and we're all still reinventing the wheel in our subject/school/board silos. How do we leverage multimedia types to a) amp up our professional learning and b) increase authentic engagement with our students in remote and online learning? I'll bring my successes and failures in blogging/social media/portfolios/book clubs and podcasting. Let's crowdsource our strategies and jump into Web 3.0 together! Fair warning: by participating in this, I may tag you for future podcasts!

Create and explore VR and AR worlds with your students! Adaptable to any subject and grade, CoSpaces Edu lets students build their own 3D creations, animate them with code and explore them in Virtual or Augmented Reality. During this interactive workshop, you will learn how simple it is to build your own virtual world, create a roller coaster and an interactive quiz.

As coding skills are now explicitly named in the updated Grade 1-8 Math Curriculum let’s examine how we as educators might meaningfully design tasks and assessment interactions for our learners that helps them express, connect and question in contexts related in math and beyond. Guiding reflection questions: What are our strengths/needs and gaps in assessing concepts, practices and perspectives? How are we considering our biases and blindspots about ourselves as educators and our current learners as we are incremental and iterative in designing learning experiences? --> Resource

As we enter a new reality, it is important now more than ever to create literacy experiences that prioritize student agency, equity, and culturally responsive teaching. This session explores how we might leverage digital technology to support literacy language learners through the use of online reading resources and responsive hyperdoc templates. Attendees will learn about ideas, resources, and ready-made templates they can add to their digital toolkit and immediately use in September.

Ever wonder how educators are using Bitmoji to recreate their classroom online? This session will immerse you in the world of Bitmoji, Google Slides and many other online resources. Bring your classroom to life in the virtual world by implementing math, literacy, DPA, calming centres and other areas of your classroom with the click of button. During this workshop you will learn how to create your very own virtual classroom and library that will keep your students engaged!

"What do you think is going to happen?" Learn how to create your own videos to engage students in scientific reflections and predictions. In this workshop we will learn to use a variety of recording tools such as Screencastify, Google Meet and Slides. We will also look at adapting existing STAO (Science Teacher Association of Ontario) resources for an online learning environment.

Today’s kids will be the first to grow up in a world thoroughly influenced & manipulated by AI. As tech integrates into daily life, kids need skills to analyse its impact, and tools to interact responsibly. They need Algorithm Literacy. Join Juliet, Chief Knowledge Officer at Kids Code Jeunesse (KCJ) & Senior Adviser on Ontario’s math curriculum, and Maddie, Community Developer at KCJ & former Ontarian student, as they share the Algorithm Literacy Project: a collaboration by KCJ & CCUNESCO. (Both presenters are able to take questions & respond in English or French)

Artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data science can be used to explore literature and communication in ELA classes. Finding patterns and meaning in text is an essential component of understanding the meaning behind what we read, hear and observe. By using natural language processing, we can analyse sentiment and story arcs, look at how characters interact, investigate changes in language over time, automate readability checking, and foster inquiry and critical thinking skills based on data from texts. We'll also talk about the growing trend in machine-generated text, including how you and your students can do this, as well as some potential issues and ethical considerations.

New to coding? Wondering where to start or how to expand your coding journey? or What coding could look like in your physical or virtual classroom? In this workshop we will provide an overview of activities, experiences, and additional resources to help you dive into coding. We will explore a variety of activities and apps while focusing on both scalable non-tech to tech options.

Have you been wondering how to use podcasts in your classroom? Not sure where to start? In this workshop you’ll learn how you can connect podcasts to the curriculum, how you and your students access them, and ways podcasts can be used with distance education. You’ll also find out how you and your students can create your own podcasts.

Are you lost within your own Google Drive? Cannot find the file you just made? Need more organization? Then is this is the session for you! In this session you will learn how to easily find files, quickly organize your Drive, and learn some new tips and tricks that you didn't know you needed. These tips and tricks will be beneficial to share with your colleagues and students. Untitled documents from students will be a problem of the past, as you will be able to find everything you need within seconds! This will be a guided workshop with take home resources and goodies for further learning, as we go beyond the basics of Google Drive!

This workshop is a beginner level workshop for educators who would like an introduction to using Scratch and want to learn a few ways to incorporate it into the classroom. Learn how to block code using the basic commands in Scratch as well as how to save and share a Scratch project with others. Educators will have an opportunity to collectively brainstorm how Scratch can be tied into the Math, Language, and Science curriculum. Participants do not require any prior knowledge.

Our youngest learners love coding! This session will include ideas, links and lessons related to both plugged and unplugged coding with our K/1 learners.

Preparing teachers for Ontario’s new math curriculum Ontario Teachers! Join KCJ - one of the education advocates who advised on the new math curriculum - for a special teacher training session that unpacks the new curriculum and outlines the new coding outcomes to bring into your classrooms. We’ll take you through the basics of teaching code with a few simple programming activities using the block-coding platform Makecode. Then, we’ll explore how to connect activities directly to the required outcomes for each grade level. This fun and interactive session will show how easy it is to get started with coding in the classroom, and how powerful it is as a tool for you and your students to create, collaborate and explore! Our experienced instructors will be on hand to answer any questions you might have about the curriculum, or about teaching coding. Who is this workshop for? Educators in Ontario who teach grades 4 - 8. No previous experience necessary! This workshop is made possible through funding from the federal government's CanCode program.

In this session, we’ll double-click on how coding is integrated into math and language arts in Ontario. Leveraging Lynx Coding, a new, free Canadian online coding tool, we’ll explore how interactive coding helps to shape a deeper understanding of mathematical and literacy concepts in a way that isn’t scary! We’ll walk you through two coding projects, unpacking the coding skills and concepts, and drawing direct links to the math and language arts curriculum. Let’s explore how to use coding to achieve curriculum expectations and learn practical tips and tricks on how to teach coding in a remote learning setting.

This session is an overview of two iOS tools that primary students can use to create and demonstrate their learning in exciting ways. Shadow Puppet Edu allows students to create video presentations using images from a built-in library or uploading from their iPad. Students can add their own narration, text, and music. ChatterPix Kids is a photo app that allows students to use an image or take an existing photo, add a moving mouth and voice. Come and learn the many ways in which these tools can be used in the Primary Grades because "Littles are Techie Too!" These tools are specific to iPad applications and do not have web based applications.

In the age of selfies, Snapchat and Instagram everyone is snapping pictures including our youngest friends in Kindergarten. As I share a bit about our journey with photography and identity, we will try out simple ideas you can take straight away to your classroom this fall and brainstorm connections to our practice.

Join Royal Ontario Museum educator Sarah Elliott, in conversation with TDSB teacher Zélia Capitão-Tavares as they explore the virtual setting of the ROM’s Minecraft Program. Conceived as a way to flip the script on virtual visits and allow students to be active participants in the construction of their own virtual learning experience, discover how the ROM’s Minecraft Program endeavours to bring museum learning to students across the province through this immersive digital world.

Wouldn't it be great to never put a music student through a standard "playing test" again?? In this session, we will look at the process by which students practice and develop ensemble skills at school and test, via video, on their own time. We’ll be using Google Classroom, Padlet, Screencastify, School Video Recorder, HYPERdocs and, most importantly, Flipgrid to "flip" the standard music classroom.

Earlier this year, ECOO was pleased to announce the formation of a new special interest group (SIG) for Technology Enabled Learning Leadership (SIG-TELL). The group is open to ECOO members who are responsible for or involved in supporting Technology Enabled Learning and who are interested in meeting to discuss issues germane to educational leaders in Ontario school boards. This would not only include those designated as TELTs but also Program Coordinators, Consultants, System Administrators and Digital Literacy Support Teachers. This session would be of interest to members of SIG-TELL and others who have a similar role. We would use the time together to share what our Boards are doing to use technology in the classroom in preparation for the coming school year.

How can your students have voice and choice when coding at home? How can we pivot inquiry learning when teaching virtually? Let’s tackle this together! This session will take you through an initial inquiry into code and give teachers some helpful (and practical!) virtual instruction strategies and online tools to engage students in their coding journeys in a remote or part-time remote learning setting. We’ll be introducing Lynx Coding, a free Canadian online coding tool, to show you how text-based coding can open up exciting doors for your students through project-based learning!

We believe that digital skills are tools of empowerment. The world is changing, and we want Canada to be ready. We’re here to make sure that all people in Canada -- particularly women, girls, people with disabilities, Indigenous youth and newcomers -- have access to the knowledge they need to prosper in our digital world. Our workshops include: Gamemaking with Scratch - Learners will learn how to use coding concepts to create their own game. This lesson will introduce computational thinking in a fun and interactive way with infinite possibilities for customization and subject integration. Introduction to HTML&CSS - Learners will learn how to create their own 1 page website using HTML & CSS, two computer languages, fundamental to the internet. At the end of every workshop we will ensure that educators have the knowledge to implement coding into their lessons as well as direct them towards our repository of pre-made lesson plans and our community of educators to continue collaborating and sharing ideas.

This session will examine tools useful to effectively conduct lesson studies for online learning. Participants review a case study and then participate in a workshop to produce an online lesson using the tools that have been described in the case study.

In a world where it is increasingly difficult to tell the difference between real news and “fake news,” it is more important than ever that students are able to analyze and evaluate the constant stream of online information they encounter every day. This session will introduce educators to the importance of teaching students to critically evaluate online content and provide them with strategies for implementing critical evaluation instruction in their classrooms.

Leveraging technology to create digital assignments that are engaging, develop skills, enhance curriculum, encourage critical thinking and are definitely NOT worksheets! This session explores ideas for utilizing Google tools and other apps. Participants can follow along and try the tools as we go and/or use the links embedded in the presentation to extend their learning afterwards.

Do you teach in the arts? There are MANY tech tools, applications, add-ons, extensions, etc… that can help you in your arts classroom. Come to this session and learn ways to use a variety of tools to assist in Dance, Drama, Music & Visual Arts classrooms.

Building community in online learning can be challenging. It is also one of the most important components to develop for student engagement. In this session, I will discuss several tools and strategies that I have successfully used with students that can be used to build community in an online or virtual environment. Both synchronous and asynchronous tools and strategies will be explored, such as Google Meet, Jamboard, Chat, Flipgrid, Padlet, Gaming apps (Kahoot!, Quizizz) and many more. Building community online is not always an easy task, so my goal is to help give you some ideas for you to implement in your virtual learning space.

I will first introduce and describe Peardeck and provide a brief overview of how the digital learning platform helps Grades 4-12 teachers solve problems that they have in their hybrid, online or blended classroom. I will go through popular kinds of face to face learning experiences and will demonstrate online tools that offer a similar learning experience. I will then discuss how the tool could facilitate teaching and learning in the context of learning theories and concepts. There will also be a discussion of the suitability of the tool in addressing the needs of Grades 4 - 12 teachers.

This is a session aimed at displaying how the G-Suite can be used in an ELL classroom. Help your students learn how to create First Language-English dictionaries in Google Slides, use the speech to text feature in Google Docs, create posters on Google Drawings, and build digital portfolios on Google Sites. Through the use of the G-Suite tools, we can provide equitable opportunities and learning outcomes for students through technology that meets them where they are and helps them move forward from there.

Unreal Engine is a real time rendering tool which can be used in multiple ways. It is traditionally known as a Game Engine, but it can be used for the Architectural Industry, the Auto Industry, 2d and 3d Animation, Virtual Reality and in Virtual production for the Film Industry. My workshop will be to lead a discussion on using this tool for both 3D animation and Virtual Cinematography. Here is an exemplar of work I have produced with my students: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7GCbkMdROg