Yesterday, the ESSB Council of Commissioners voted to adopt the GRICS report card: GPI. Secretaries will receive a two-day workshop (likely at our next RSEC). ESSB is the last school board in the province to adopt the GPI report card. To learn more about the GPI report card, visit the GRICS website.
GPI: ESSB’s New Report Card
February 18th, 2010Measure 30054
February 11th, 2010Grant money is available through MELS under the heading of “Program to Support Research and Development in Special Education.” Projects will, in many cases involve ICT. There are three distinct type of funding which you can read more about here. The application deadline is March 4, 2010.
SMART Notebook Level 2
February 11th, 2010Yesterday, I was fortunate to attend a level 2 SMART Notebook workshop in Dorval. After having become familiar with the tools last Fall at DUCOM’s level 1 workshop in Matane, I’m now eager to make my SMART board lessons more INTERACTIVE. This was a fantastic workshop and I’m anxious to share what I’ve learned!
Text-education
February 2nd, 2010The number of incidents relating to young people texting at inappropriate times or content has led to a new curriculum that will address this new, social problem. Read more about it in the Montreal Gazette or check it out the program here.
AQUOPS workshop
January 31st, 2010AQUOPS will partner with Apple to offer a workshop entitled “Enseigner et apprendre au XXIe siècle” (trans. “Teaching and learning in the XXI century).
Dates: February 9 and 16 from 5 to 8 p.m.
Location: 7400, boulevard St-Laurent, Montreal
Register by visiting this site. Places are limited so sign up soon!
SMART Notebook Update
January 31st, 2010On December 15, 2009, an important update was made available for the SMART Notebook software. Teachers who haven’t updated the software should do so. Teachers who don’t have the software can download directly from SMART’s website but will need to ask your school’s administrator of the school board’s I.T. department for a key to unlock the software. (Note: there’s no need to download the additional Math tools since this add-on product costs $150 and ESSB does not have a license for the software.)
ESSB Wiki and Blog Service
January 22nd, 2010ESSB has created a wiki and blog service for ESSB teachers and students. This new service is available here for teachers and students if you send me an e-mail. What are the advantages of a wiki and blog service for ESSB?
- It’s a great way to collaborate and share (i.e. “building community”).
- It’s free of advertisements.
- It can be public or private. You decide.
- The interface is clean and simple to use.
- It’s online so you can access it from any computer: at school or at home.
This service is just the beginning of ESSB’s plans for a portal. The shared calendar and e-mail features are not available yet, so stay tuned!
Become an Apple Distinguished Educator!
January 11th, 2010Apple Canada ADE Application is now live for the Class of 2010!
Apple is currently accepting applications for the Class of 2010 ADEs in Canada. For guidelines and formal requirements as well as additional information on the application process, please visit the link below:
The application site will remain open now through February 13, 2010. Please encourage innovative educators to apply before the deadline. Interested applicants must submit a 2 minute video and complete the application. The Class of 2010 will be notified via email on Thursday, February 25, 2010.
If you have any questions, e-mail Ray or ADE Canada.
Escuminac’s First Robot
January 10th, 2010Congratulations to Andy Ross from Escuminac High School on completing his first robot! This year, three ESSB schools have received the LEGO Mindstorms robotic kits. The pedagogical applications of this project are many in the math and science curriculum. Besides fostering collaboration and problem-solving skills, it’s a lot of fun!
Happy Holidays!
December 16th, 2009Merry Christmas to all my friends and colleagues at ESSB! See you in the New Year!