INBOX
GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR APPS 2
A SUMMER OF LEARNING
After a successful inaugural year in 2017, OECTA’s technology conference, Get Your Head Out of Your Apps, returned this past summer. It was held over two days in Toronto, and provided attendees and instructors from units all over the province with a valuable opportunity to collaborate, learn, and share their experiences on all things education technology.
This summer, more than 300 teachers registered for OECTA’s one- and two-day Summer Institutes and workshops. Sessions were offered in key areas, including Kindergarten, well-being, and technology, in both face-to-face and online formats. The online option certainly sparked a great deal of interest, with each offering filled to capacity!
The conference began with a welcome address by President Liz Stuart, followed by a positive and inspiring keynote from Anthony Carabache, and a fun interactive session with Belinda Russo, both Staff Officers in the OECTA Professional Development department. This set the tone for two days filled with activities, discussion, and even a very competitive Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament.
The Kindergarten Institutes focused on extending teachers’ understanding of the program, as well as documentation, noticing and naming the learning, and much more. Activities and rich conversations dominated the sessions.
Attendees broke off into smaller groups for an array of tech workshops, spanning topics like video production, coding, and how tech fits into a faith-based learning environment. Instruction was also given on a variety of practical tech tools, like Padlet, Flipgrid, and Google Apps, with the goal of enabling teachers to use them in their classroom right away. Breaking off into smaller groups enabled attendees to choose the workshops they were more interested in, and allowed for deeper discussion. For many teachers, using tech in the school or classroom can seem daunting – a teacher-focused tech conference is truly an effective way to open discussion and inspire. Thanks to all the organizers, instructors, and participants for making Get Your Head Out of Your Apps 2 such an awesome event.
In the well-being workshops, participants discovered new techniques and practices that work to bring self-awareness and calm to the classroom. Through yoga, meditation, mindfulness, reflection, and prayer, teachers explored a multitude of practices that work to improve well-being. Online technology workshops allowed participants to refine their Google Apps skillset and find opportunities to integrate new applications into their practice. The face-to-face Technology Institute revealed the principles of effective video production, while participants scripted, shot, and edited a scene. Additionally, almost 100 members participated in the innovative WebExperience sessions that were offered over the summer on the topic “Interview Skills.” Participants were provided with information and strategies on how best to prepare for an interview, understand the information/responses employers are seeking, and boost their confidence. These interactive online sessions, accessible from wherever you are, remain a very popular method for members to undertake professional learning.
OTF FELLOWSHIPS Two Catholic teachers have been named Ontario Teachers’ Federation (OTF) Fellows. OECTA President Liz Stuart received the honour alongside Victoria Hunt, former Department Head in the Government Relations department at the OECTA Provincial Office. The fellowships were created in 1962 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of OTF, and they are awarded every year in recognition of nominees’ service to OTF and the teaching profession. Congratulations to both of this year’s OECTA honourees!
OCTOBER 2018 | CATHOLIC TEACHER 7