Happy August happy teachers!
I am hoping that many of you have taken a break, got a bit of sun, have been out hiking, swimming, boating - or really - whatever floats your own boat!! I have been blessed to take a few days off - but really - I've been generally appreciating my new surroundings, walks along the seawall - or heading down to the States on a whim & getting my sun in where I can, all the while getting prepared for the very busy August coming up!
at Pike Place Market - Seattle
I personally have been impressed with the dedication of many teachers, several in Alberta whom I have been in touch with - who are hard at work on lessons for 2011-2012, or those who are pursuing Masters Degrees or even those who have a stack of books, journals etc... with them while on the beach or at the lake. Here in BC - I have been fortunate to run some training sessions for some very dedicated teachers already, with a second set of training sessions coming up on August 15 & 16. (Check out the Education Workshops - Vancouver if you're interested in joining me for a great time!!)
In addition, I was fortunate to be a part of a news report on one the schools Sharp's Audio Visual has been working closely with - Christ Church Cathedral School. (check them out here - http://www.cathedralschool.ca/
We have been helping this school build their capacity for SMART Boards & are finishing installations this summer - every classroom will have a SMART Board come September! There are only a handful of schools on the island that have this kind of technology - it's so exciting to see!!
One of the driving forces behind the SMART adoption in this school is the Vice-Principal & Grade 1 Teacher, Tobi Blue. I had the privilege to watch Tobi & some of her students from the past year run through a few lessons on the SMART Board for this A-Channel news spot - and she's hit it right on the money. Tobi's kids are the ones up at the board, interacting & learning & are the driving force behind the content that comes into this classroom. I can see why the rest of the school is inspired to get going - as these students are true 21st Century Learners & were soaking up the learning - even on the Friday before the August long weekend!
I am excited to spend some time with Tobi and the rest of the staff at Christ Church Cathedral School starting at the end of August - to continue to help build teacher capacity for technology integration in the school, including getting out some Response clickers for these kids!!
Check out the news report from the A Channel below & continue to soak up those rays, relax & keep learning!
http://www.youtube.com/user/ANewsVanIsland#p/u/5/anvZfoLv2Rg
Sasha 
