Cohort 21: Early Days

This past Saturday, 20+ expert teachers from CIS schools across the province, marked the official inauguration of Cohort 21.  The day centered on defining creative and pragmatic uses of digital tools to enhance teaching and learning in 21^st century classrooms.

Garth Nichols (Greenwood College) and Justin Medved (York School) provided an inspired and dedicated day of enrichment.  Tools such as Diigo, Word Press, and Twitter were positioned as vital tools every educator must have in his or her toolkit.  The importance of cultivating and actively contributing to a Professional Learning Network (PLN) gave focus and meaning to our first face-to-face session.  The experience was a positive one and left cohort members thinking about 21^st century curriculum, classrooms, and the roles teachers and students play in each other’s learning. Thank you to  The York School for hosting the first face-to-face session.  The school’s library provided the prefect venue, a mix of print and pixel, on a rainy Saturday afternoon.

As an English teacher and Director of IT, I am interested in exploring multiple literacies and am sensitive to the perils inherent in the strip-mining process of digital technology.  In order to learn, students must be connectors in knowledge, not merely collectors of information.  While it may be true that many of our students are pioneers in Cyberspace, they still need the guidance of teachers who understand the language and who can help them sift the grain from the chaff, to locate truth in the techno-towers of Babel.  As a teacher, I want to guide and be led at the same time.  I left the first face-to-face session feeling inspired and hopeful that work produced out of Cohort 21 will enable me to be better at that.