Teaching Philosophy
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PRESENTATION RESOURCES
Minecraft for Classroom Engagement
Rundle College PD Presentation
February 2023
You might know about the Minecraft game that students play - but did you know that Minecraft Education has built-in lesson plans to help with your lessons? Engage your students using this platform! In this session, I share some beginner instructions, tips and tricks and reflect on how to deepen student engagement through hands-on learning in Minecraft!
This session is in 2 parts - come for part 1 to find out about Minecraft in the classroom, stay for part 2 for a hands-on look as I walk you through where to start, and ideas/lesson plans to help you to introduce this in some core subjects.
Python for Middle Schoolers
Alberta Technology Leaders in Education
October 2022
How can we bring Python coding into the classroom? What does assessment look like? How difficult is it to learn? How can we help our students develop crucial 21st Century skills in computational thinking? Part hands-on, part sharing, this session is for teachers wanting to bring Python into their classrooms with some plug and play resources.
Pedagogy meets the Fourth Industrial Revolution
Codebreaker EDU Summer Camp
August 2021
We live in a time of constant technological change, now deemed the 'Fourth Industrial Revolution'. How are we bringing an understanding of technology and our globalised world into our classrooms? How are we helping our students understand and prepare for the impact of this technology on our own lives?
Session Video (Youtube Link)
The Forgotten Power of Hands-On Learning
TEDxYYC 'Adjacent Possible'
June 2018
A real honour to present my 'idea worth sharing' at the TEDxYYC event. As a facilitator at Telus Spark I worked with guests of all ages - and I brought those examples to this presentation. In the context of our digital age, I addressed the (potentially forgotten) importance of the power of hands-on experiences for our brain to build synapses, which helps us make literacy and numeracy connections.
Digital Citizenship - Advocating for Balance in the Age of Screen Time
Association of Independent Schools & Colleges in Alberta (AISCA) Conference
Feburary 2020
How much screen time is 'too much'? As technology is increasingly employed in our classrooms, it is important to strike a balance between the digital and the analog world. In this presentation, I shared insights on navigating that balance, gave ideas for combining plugged and unplugged activities using Micro:Bits and addressed the language we use when talking about 'screen time'.
Teacher Resiliency Forum
Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary
February 2020
I was invited to open and MC this event. I presented the perspective of the first-year teacher in the context of teacher resiliency. Teacher resiliency is a complex construct - with numerous contributing factors. Panelists at this event included Mr. Jason Schilling (ATA), Professor Dianne Gereluk (U of C) and Mr. Allen Davidson (CRC & Foothills School Division).
Play & Learning Think Tank
Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary
2019
Facilitated discussion for the 'Community' Group as we look at the importance of play in developing literacy. This was a SSHRC Connections Project intended to bring together the brain science, and the practical applications of the value of play, designed to inform educators and teachers in the community.
Escape Rooms & Curriculum
WESTCAST
February 2019
How can we use escape rooms as a way to engage students in curriculum? In this presentation, I provided some practical tips and tricks on creating curriculum-based escape rooms in our classrooms.
