Big Ideas in Education Blog

Category: Educational Technology

  • SAMR, Collaborative Inquiry & Tech enabled Learning

    Earlier this year I began a collaborative teacher inquiry that would set up a technological framework for supporting literacy in the lives of our students, and increasing knowledge. My framework fit very nicely with Ruben Puentedura’s SAMR model. The following is an example of one way I am incorporating the SAMR into literacy. Different Entry…

  • It is not about the technology. It is about what we do with it.

    This year I have been greatly inspired from a Teacher-Librarian at another school, who has been an expert at garnering support for reading amazing Canadian Literature!  More specifically – The Forest of Reading from the Ontario Library Association.  What I love most about what she does, is that she has built a strong global sense of community…

  • Edtech, Pedagogy, Boundaries of Competence

    When educators talk about all of the great ways to incorporate technology into the classroom, and when companies effectively advertise their products, it is easy to make education about the technology and not the pedagogy, curriculum, or student. However, it is not wise to merely start with the technology, but with the learning goals, and…

  • Information-Processing in the Digital Age: Beginning with Content Curation

    The process of finding information and creating new knowledge involves key skills that are important for all learners. In the 21st century, the amount of information that our students must process has grown exponentially, and will continue to grow. This is one area where we need to build capacity with our educators. In the 21st…

  • Top 10 Criteria for Choosing Edtech

      There are important considerations that need to be at the forefront of our decision making when it comes to choosing edtech. When we metaphorically ‘grab’ onto the technology and use it without thought as to how it affects our pedagogy, we may be putting our learners at a a disadvantage. Therefore, there are several…

  • It is not about Technology. It is about Pedagogy.

      In this era of rapid evolution of informational technology, new pedagogies are necessary to meet the demands of our connected world. This includes providing equal access and opportunity for students to partake, share and build knowledge in virtual spaces. Educators are creators, facilitators, curators and collaborators of knowledge in the 21st century, and technology plays a…

  • Technology in Education : BYOD & Equitable Access

      BYOD is an initiative that more and more individual schools and boards are considering to run within schools. While it promises many benefits for students, teachers and school boards, it is an initiative that is not without issues and ethical considerations that should be thoughtfully considered by teachers and boards alike. Equity and access…

  • Mobile Technologies and The Changing Ecology of our Schools

      Advancing mobile technologies and information access in the 21st century require ecological changes of classroom structure.  Increasing numbers of schools are experimenting with various versions of BYOD programs, and purchasing mobile devices for students to use. It is necessary to acknowledge how these developments will ultimately change the ecology of the classroom, how teachers teach, and…