Thoughts and reflections on teaching and learning – Cohort 21 Member Blog
Written by Garth Nichols
One of the most provocative things I was told was to “sell your Smartboards, and buy 3D printers!” (Richard Byrne at the ECOO conference keynote address), and I’ve been exploring this idea ever since…big time! Reading, researching, attending the Toronto Maker-Faire, and visiting MakeLab in Toronto. I’ve discovered some incredible things about 3D printing: 1) The […]
Written by Garth Nichols
I was thrilled to be the keynote speaker at FIRST Lego League‘s Kick off event – hosted by my school at Bayview Glen – this past Saturday. The project mission this year is to: “create something that will help people learn better.” FIRST Lego League is accomplishing this already by its very strucutre – it […]
Written by Garth Nichols
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, reading and exploring about educational leadership over the summer in preparation for my new role as Director of Teaching and Learning. There are some things that I really want to make sure I make habits of mind. The first is to be a Learning Leader. For me, […]
Written by Garth Nichols
These past two weeks have been a prime time for Educonferences – there was a great one at St. Clements in Toronto, The Klingenstein Summer program in Lawrenceville, and of course the ISTE 2014. But I was at none of them…or was I? I have colleagues who attended each of these conferences, and we were […]
Written by Garth Nichols
I have continued to make good successes in engaging students on their blogs. Currently, I have 98% of grade 7, 8 and 9 students on blogs, and 100% of advisers are blogging. But more importantly, we are discussing the struggles with the students that are reticent to blog, and with the whys and hows of […]
Written by Garth Nichols
Over the winter holidays, I wanted to focus a little more on the question of “why blogging?” I want to ensure that as my school adopts blogging and the Eportfolio, we are doing so deliberatly and in a way that is well-informed. Also, I want to make sure that it will have its focus on […]
Written by Garth Nichols
I came across this great article in Edutopia about Creating a Culture of Can. I was reading it with an eye to creating a culture of blogging, and thought that the article could inform and support the approach that I have adopted. I’ve started getting the lead-advisers into the role of blogging. I’ve provided over […]
Written by Garth Nichols
This first report card is always a bit of a wake-up call for students and teachers alike. It’s a time to reflect on the work that has been done, the learning that is happening in the classroom, and as such, it serves as a launching pad for the rest of the year. Using the concept […]
