9:30-10:00am - Hybrid Networking Opportunity Join us in-person in ED 228 or 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 - Storymaps (Ehsan Akbari)

Maps have the power to represent the subjective, collective, cultural, social and political experiences of learners. Maps can also be powerful tools for connecting learning to place and land. In this workshop, participants will be introduced to a number of creative cartographic practices, and mapping exercises that can be done in classrooms. This will include a brief introduction to online mapping tools such as Google My Maps, Google Earth, and ArcGIS Story maps. Participants will be given the opportunity to create a basic story map using their preferred tool. We will reflect on the applicability of these mapping tools for teaching and learning in various subject areas.

It is recommended that you bring your own laptop if you can. Laptops will be provided to those who cannot bring their own devices. The following links will be used throughout the session:

Link to Video Tutorial: https://youtu.be/ZQLXwjBYT84

Links to online mapping platforms: 

ArcGIS StoryMaps: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/

Google My Maps: https://mymaps.google.com

Google Earth: https://earth.google.com/web

12:00-1:00pm - Lunch Break

Visit our on-campus amenities for lunch, or enjoy lunch in the comfort of your own home! ED 189 will be open for attendees on campus to eat their lunch.

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 - Innovate & Invent: Using MicroBits in the Classroom (EYES)*

If you are wanting to find a very versatile piece of technology that could be used across many different subject areas, look no further! The BBC micro:bit is a pocket-sized computer that introduces you to how software and hardware work together. It has an LED light display, buttons, sensors and many input/output features that, when programmed, let it interact with you and your world. There are so many great educational activities online for MicroBits but they can be difficult to find if you don’t know where to start! In this session, we will help you show you how to use MicroBits and introduce all of the things it can do! Then, you will have time to explore coding and looking through the various pre-made activities! 

*Note: the first 20 attendees will receive a FREE MicroBit!

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

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

3:00-4:00pm - Shared Session

Using Google Applications for Collective Learning in Pre-Service Teachers' Professional Learning (Xiong Wang)

This study narrates my experiences as an instructor of using Google applications for collective learning in the course design and teaching to facilitate pre-service mathematics teachers’ professional learning.

Researchers have paid close attention to pre-service mathematics teachers’ anxiety in mathematics learning and teaching due to their negative prior mathematics learning experiences in Canada (Bosica, 2022; Bowd & Brady, 2003; Brady & Bowd, 2005; Finlayson, 2014; Rayner et al., 2009). Such learning phenomena authentically exist in my course teaching (Wang, 2022). However, there is limited research which has located the strategies of facilitating pre-service mathematics teachers to overcome mathematics anxiety and to promote their confidence in mathematics learning and teaching.

My course teaching adopts collective learning to provide a supportive online learning environment for pre-service mathematics teachers’ professional learning based on complexity theory (Davis & Simmt, 2016). This study specifically explored using Google applications (e.g., Docs, Jamboard, and Slides) to build up collective learning for pre-service mathematics teachers’ professional learning in a mathematics education course, including a) designing recursive learning activities; b) adopting rich tasks; c) inviting authenticity; d) generating mathematics for teaching; and e) developing learners’ disposition towards mathematics and mathematics teaching.

The narratives were derived from such aspects as the course design of learning activities, the classroom observation, the inspiration of learners’ sharing learning experiences, and the reflections on my understanding of their professional learning.

The result showed that Google applications were effective tools for building up collective learning environments to facilitate pre-service mathematics teachers’ learning.

Ozobots & Makey Makeys in Internship: Perspectives of Four Pre-Services Teachers in the Field (Cristyne Hebert)

This presentation reports on the findings of a pilot project, working with a small group of elementary pre-service teachers as they designed and implemented a mini-unit using Ozobots or Makey Makeys during their field experience. In this session, I provide a brief overview of each of the mini-units the pre-service teachers planned along with what they were able to deliver during their field placement. I also discuss pre-service teacher learning with robots, perceived benefits of using the robots to support learning in the classroom, and the challenges with doing this work with cooperating teachers unfamiliar with robotics education.