Mental Health Resource Bookmarking

These days, we are seeing a proliferation of students in the classroom exhibiting a variety of different mental health issues. Since we as educators play a major role in the development of children and youth, it is important that we are aware of these mental health issues, how they may affect our students, and how we can contribute to the positive mental health of all of our students.

I gathered a variety of resources that I thought might be useful, including some research materials, some general information websites, as well as some specific content for educators involving mental health in the classroom. Hopefully it can be of use to some of you!

http://bit.ly/1ruP5Zr

Did You Know... Edugains

Did You Know…

Edugains.ca is website that is designed to improve learning and teaching. Edugains was created by the Ontario Ministry of Education as a resource for classroom teachers. It provides curriculum based resources that tie in to K-12 classrooms in Ontario, in pretty well every subject area.

Some of the resources available on the site are:

21^St Century Learning: This ties directly into our course, as we are looking at the integration of technology in the classroom. The 21^st Century Learning section on Edugains provides resources on digital citizenship, information about the incorporation of blended learning into the classroom (as well as Blended Learning PLCs), and provides research about how 21^st century learning supports teachers and learners in Ontario.

Financial Literacy: In today’s world, young people need to have the skills required to make good, informed choices about a variety of things, such as money management, considering financial choices, and the ability to stay financially stable. Edugains has a variety of resources to aid in financial literacy, and, more specifically, the resources provided have been adapted for a variety of subjects and grade levels. For example, a lesson is provided for MEL3E (mathematics for everyday life) related to considering the idea of net earnings vs. profits, which allows them to practice skills related to earning and spending.

Mathematics: I have been making use of the edugains website in mathematics for a number of years, as I helped my mathematics co-ordinator do some of the storyboarding for one of the resources available on Edugains. One of the main academic supports that Edugains provides is CLIPS, which are a series of interactive mini-lessons that provide opportunity for instruction as well as assessment for learning. They are web-based, which allows for the incorporation of blended learning into the classroom. Further to CLIPS, another resource, Gap Closing, is designed to do specifically that – close the gap. It was created to help students who need additional support in math, and there is an ePractice section that is meant to help build mathematical confidence in students that struggle in math.

While I have not had the opportunity to explore Edugains much outside of the available math resources, clearly this website has applications to a variety of different subject areas and grade levels, and as such I thought it would be useful to describe to you all!

Corkboard.me (now NoteApp)

I recently discovered a new collaborative tool called NoteApp (formerly known as corkboard.me). It is pretty neat as it is essentially an online, collaborative collection of stickies.

Feel free to check out the start of my board and help me fill it with more stickies!

https://noteapp.com/bW7p6gQfQ3

Web 1/2/3.0 Comparison

In recent years, there has been a shift from Web 1.0, which was essentially a set of webpages that provided static content, to Web 2.0, which are websites that use technology beyond simply providing static content. Web 2.0 pages typically allow users to collaborate with each other using some type of social media platform, be it social networking, blog, video sharing or other. Currently, I would say we find ourselves in what many people call Web 2.5, which is an intermediate state between Web 2.0 and Web 3.0. We are somewhere between technology being cautiously adopted, and technology being prevalent everywhere. 

This has several implications for education. A quote I read recently said “Students can take advantage of learning materials online, through games and programs they may have on systems at home, and through their extensive – and constantly available – social networks.” Clearly, we need to work on having a good mix of traditional and non-traditional learning taking place. Having students who are used to a digital universe also provides opportunity for students to produce course materials, and perform self and peer assessments. Further, I think that web 3.0 seems to be gearing itself to be more self-directed, where learning can happen from teacher to student, student to student, or student to teacher rather than simply being teacher dictated.

Currently, the feeling that I get from a lot of parents is that they view most of education as daycare. This new shift in the style or learning and assessment will help parents see that schools can be more than a daycare, and it is my feeling that web 3.0 tools will enhance learning in amazing ways.

21st Century Skills & Traits: Leadership & Learning

I spent some time researching the idea of a ‘21^st Century Leader’. The funny thing about it is, I read a lot of conflicting opinions. Many say that the idea of leadership has changed a lot in the last 100 years, while others suggest that the idea of a leader has not changed much, if at all. I tend to agree with the opinion of the latter – what makes a good leader has not really changed, it is just that we are finally realizing all of the traits that were necessary to make a good leader. Obviously, when I say a leader, I am not talking about a boss - being a boss is about authority, whereas being a leader is more about behaviour.

In my mind, there are several traits that I feel make up a good leader. Below are a few that I consider especially essential to the 21^st Century leader:

1) Creating Mutual Ideologies – the most difficult task any good leader will have is to try to align everybody around a common goal and a common mission statement. This is especially true in schools. While teaching philosophies may differ, if those around a leader commit to the mission at hand (the school as a whole, specific projects, etc), then they become a part of something much greater.

2) Empowering Those Around Them – In order to reform a school, or even education in general, requires a leader to allow for empowerment of those around them – in the form of shared decision making. We often discuss the idea of providing students with ownership over tasks that they are performing in class. That same idea applies outside the classroom and in any leadership setting. If a leader is surrounded by people around them who feel empowered, those people will be more likely to commit to self- improvement, and in doing so will have more success in the classroom. Further, if a leader manages to empower those around them, then these people will feel a sense of collective pride, which is so important for a successful school.

3) Being Good Collaborators – The challenges that education faces these days are too complex to be solved by one person alone. To achieve lasting solutions, and in education, lasting success, a leader must foster the idea of collaboration. If people have an open, honest environment where everyone is free and encouraged to speak their mind, then they will be more likely to co-operate, and co-operation typically provide nothing but good things.

In a similar manner, we often refer to the skills necessary to be a 21^st Century learner. While the tools that students are using have definitely changed over the years, and it is important that we provide them with access to these tools and technologies to prepare them for the world to come, the actual skills that students need have not really changed at all.

To me, there are two main components of being a 21^st Century learner, and these are skills that have been part of human development through most of history. It is not so much the skills that have changed, but the focus on actively preparing students for these skills.

1) Learners need to be good problem solvers: There will be many times where it will be important for a learner to think critically. The ability to think clearly and rationally will be important in whatever a learner chooses to pursue.

2) Learners need to be resilient: Learners need to be able to face, overcome, and be strengthened by the challenges and adversities that they face in life. If we can help learners to be able to deal with changes quickly and effectively, then we are providing them a lifelong, useful skill.

While we certainly spend a lot of time looking at 21^st Century tools, and web 2.0 tools in this course, it is the three traits that I’ve identified required to be a 21^st Century leader, and the two skills that I believe learners need to be provided, that can really help us be successful in educational settings, and allow us to prepare our learners for an ever changing world.

Fair Use in Instructional Leadership

As we continue to have increased access to technology, it becomes ever simpler to reproduce content, be it video, audio, print, or web based materials. It is imperative that we, as educators, and as leaders, both understand and follow copyright laws.

One of the principles of being a good instructional leader is that we develop a culture of public practice and reflective practice. In other words, to be an effective leader, we need to practice what we preach – whether it be with students or with other teachers. If we are not modelling appropriate behaviour to those around us, how can we expect that they will, either?  When it comes to fair use, that implies that we need to do a good job educating those around us about copyright law.  

A good way to educate those around us about the concept of fair use is to examine the following four point test:

1. Are the materials being used going to be used for a non-commercial, educational purpose? The nature of how these materials are being used is consequential to our ability to use them.

2. Is the work published or unpublished? Is it factual or creative? The expression of facts, as well as unpublished works tend to have stronger protections.

3. How much work is being used? Typically, the more that is being used, the less likely it is that you are using it fairly.

4. Is the copyright owner being deprived in some way? If everyone else uses the material in question in the same way that we are, would this do any harm? If so, it is not likely to be a fair use situation.

While this certainly does not cover all cases of fair use in Canada, it is a good benchmark by which to start.

Creative Commons is, to be honest, something that was completely unknown to me, and likely would still be had I not taken EDUC9F62/61 previously. Likewise, having informally polled people at my school’s staff meeting tonight, there was not a single hand that indicated having used or heard of Creative Commons. It is something that I intend to incorporate into a future staff meeting as a brief presentation, as well as something I intend to educate my students about to benefit them in their future.