Resource
Microblocks
MicroBlocks is a blocks programming language for physical computing inspired by Scratch. It runs on microcontrollers such as the micro:bit, Calliope mini, AdaFruit Circuit Playground Express, and many others.
Session Descriptions are Live for #ECOOcampON!
We have been working hard behind the scenes getting ready to let everyone know what is happening for ECOOcamp Ontario! The confirmed sessions we have so far are now on the #ECOOcampON website and we’ve organized the sessions to make things easier for everyone with over 135 presenters and 100 session titles.
Sessions have been colour coded by the five strands that we asked presenters to think about:
• Equity, Justice & Anti-Racism, Reconciliation, FNMI
• Fall Model/New Reality Pivot
• Wellness, Social-Emotional Learning
• STEAM/ Subject Integration
• Digital Pedagogy, Virtual Learning Environments, Social Media, Global Competencies, Coding, Robotics, Online Tools
We are also THRILLED to let everyone know that we are offering a sixth strand en français aussi!
This is just the start. Soon, secondary strands will be added to the session descriptions as many of our presenters were able to share about more than one strand.
The Time is Now to check out the #ECOOcampON offerings so you can be ready to join us for the most incredible sharing and learning event of 2020.
Remember when we said to ourselves, “Breathe”. The YMCA has our back.
Whether it’s the very unusual weather with the snow and rain that have kept me inside or the closing down of my laptop on Mother’s Day for anything but Zoom meetings with family and friends or the plethora of wonderful events that have been offered over the last few weeks that I wanted to attend, whatever the cause, I have found that I have not been taking time just to breathe.
I loved going to the YMCA to do an Arriba dance class and a strength class. I really miss the instructor giggling at me when I mess up and the camaraderie of the group but that’s not our reality right now. I have discovered that the YMCA is doing a series of workout videos that we can do at home. They also have started a series of videos for family play activities and, as I think we all need, wellness videos to keep our minds healthy and strong.
The videos are as short as 10 minutes so you can take a break and do something for yourself. Maybe this week, this should be your new resource to discover. Something for your health and that of your family.
This resource is found on the ECOO website under ‘Collected Resources’ in the ‘Wellness’ tab.
Featured Resource – Education Not-for-Profits
We’ve started a new collection here on the ECOO.org site for not-for-profits that support Ontario educators. We’re looking to develop our collection, so please let us know what we can add to the initial list.
A good number of the NFPs that we’ve added here** initially are recipients of the Federal <can code> funding, and as such, they have programming available to support Canadian kids in developing skills in computational thinking, algorithmic literacy, coding, and other ICT endeavours. We’re listing the recipients that operate here in Ontario, but you can check out the full list on the <can code> site as those in other provinces also have resources that might be of interest.
You can browse the growing collection in the Resources section of the site.
- Blackboys Code**
- Canada Learning Code**
- Code to Learn**
- Coders North**
- Digital Human Library
- Elephant Thoughts**
- Exploring by the Seat of your Pants
- FIRST Robotics Canada**
- Hackergal**
- Information andCommunications Technology Council**
- Kids Code Jeunesse**
- Let’s Talk Science**
- Media Smarts**
- Pinnguac**
- Taking IT Global**
- The Learning Partnership**
- Youth Fusion**
If you are aware of a favourite education not-for-profit that you think should be in our list, please submit it via our suggest a resource form.
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Feature of the Day – Subject Associations
Ontario educators have access to a wide range of resources, conference events, and networking opportunities through the many subject, division, and special interest associations. Each organization serves to bring together Ontario educators who share a common education background or teaching focus, spanning all of the various subjects (Languages, Math, Science and Technology, Health and Physical Education, History, Geography, The Arts, Business, Guidance, Computer Science, and more) or divisions (Primary, Junior) or special interests. ECOO is a member of the Curriculum Forum.
Under the coordination of the Ontario Teachers’ Federation, the these organizations come together as the Curriculum Forum, which provides a unique avenue for professional learning and networking opportunities collaboration. The Forum also provides an active and important liaison between the SDAs and the Ministry of Education. The Curriculum Forum is comprised of representatives from the OTF, the four Affiliates (AEFO, ETFO, OECTA, OSSTF) and the over 50 SDAs.
If you’ve not had an opportunity to take a close look at all of the various organizations, check out the new Subject Association section recently added to our new Resources compilation. You can easily navigate to each organizations website for further information. (NOTE: If you click on the ECOO link, you will wind up back here!)
There is so much to learn from engaging with the various associations. Are you working with some newer-to-teaching colleagues who would value the opportunity to connect with some of these groups? Do you know of folks who would benefit from the opportunity to become a member of ECOO? (Membership is free!)
Feature of the day – les ressources en français
Bonjour tout le monde!
A conversation that I had with my sister-in-law at the beginning of the month centred around the worry of the french as a first language, french immersion and core french teachers that they would not be able to reach their students in a meaningful way as so much of their students’ learning was from oral sources and constant immersion in the language in the classroom. How do you do that when you’re at home?!
When we were brainstorming about the function of this website, we knew that we really needed to try to support our french teachers. We hope that we have started a repository of french resources that you can use with your students but we certainly will add more if you let us know some tool that is working beautifully for you and we’re missing it.
You’ll find read-aloud books and magazines for K-12 as well as wonderful videos and activities that have been made available to all educators during this emergency remote learning time in the Online Tools under ‘Collected Resources’. In this same tab, you even have complimentary access to Pearson’s Mathology resource for K-3.
If you want your students to do Yoga en français, there’s even a resource tab for Wellness!
All School Board resources are in the tab ‘COVID-19 School Board Resources’. French boards have a program for Apprendre à la maison and now they’re in one place! Lots of boards like CSPNEO and Mon Avenir CSC have daily tasks for K-12 each week. Why reinvent the wheel when we can share instead.
We’re excited to be able to offer this platform for our french educators and will soon have tags to make your navigation to french resources even easier but for now, breathe. That’s our mantra too. Let us know how we can support you further. Rester bien. #OntarioEducatorsUnite
Feature of the Day – Online Tools
As we were pouring through School Board webpages looking for their ‘At Home learning resources’ to link into this website, we made an exciting discovery. Several boards had links to online tools that usually need a school board email address and password but because of the COVID-19 pandemic are open for EVERYONE to have access for free. Parents. Students. Grandparents who want to read to their grandchildren over Zoom. Everyone.
This totally made me think. We need to share these tools in one place – hence the Online Tools in the Collected Resources tab on the website.
Just today, I received an email from MusicPlay, an online resource I have used for many years which is a rich comprehensive program for teaching, singing and learning Music from Pre-K to Grade 6. It just got added into the mix on our site!
We’ve found free resources in french for those teachers worried that their students won’t be able to stay current. There’s books and videos and magazines on Eureka, Connexions Nord, Curio.ca and the French Experiment! We found reading material for the younger folk that parents and kids can read in other languages while they learn English on the Unite for Literacy site. I’m loving the ease that the literacy sites have thought about to get students immediately reading! And let’s not forget sites like Bookflix which if you have never used before, pairs a Non Fiction and Fiction book on hundreds of subjects. I can feel my inner Teacher Librarian just bubbling away with excitement for all of this!
We’ve also added in all the free Math, Science and Social Studies tools we’ve found so far that are made for Ontario educators and students. Pearson, Grolier, and Nelson all have resources for you to tap into to support your students’ learning.
Enough for now. Take a look at the Online Tools but, as always, baby steps. Pick one and explore. They’re not going anywhere while we’re teaching together at home… but have some fun with the ones you do check out! There’s some great learning to be had.
Mary Walker Hope
