Children Working with Technology Outside Beside a Lake – Thanks Bing Image Generator……..

Theme Identified? Looking back on the previous post; its apparent, I am bit all over the map and touched on several themes:

Theme 1: Q-Hut: How to use technology to get rid of old technology and other resources

Theme 2: Driving Sim: How to track the use levels of technology

Theme 3: Shelfed Items: How to track stored items that have been forgotten about

Theme 4: Wetlands: How to involve students (vision, creation, implementation) in non-standard projects/initiatives

Preamble & Comments: Starting to think about some of form of web-tracking capability to address themes 1 to 3

How to use technology to get rid of old technology – per Theme 1 above

Its an issue of concern that is seemingly growing year over year. Our SD91 Virtual Clearing House site is one cog in the wheel to tackle this issue. The platform allows schools to flag items prior to public sale for use in their respective schools. The goal is to hopefully reduce the flow of items to the landfill by increasing internal sharing in and then allowing the general public to bid on the surplus items as well.

Washington Post Article

What Can We Do About the Growing E-waste Problem?

Educational – Inventory Management – per Themes 2 to 3 above

Top Tools & Providers 2023

SCHOOL MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS

No shortage of educational management software options when it comes to all ranges of student tracking and/or day to day school operations. However, in terms of inventory/resource management tools for schools, the search net needed to be cast a little wider to get a hit. Two for a cost, one free, and an option to create your own App via M365.

education new

https://www.dadcrm.com/inventory-software-for-education/

Main

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/track-inventory-with-the-asset-tracking-web-app-469c65d1-824f-4536-80f6-ed8eaabf4fd6

What does the Literature Say?

RE: How to involve students (vision, creation, implementation) in non-standard projects/initiatives?

The challenge on this front will be the search refinement process to find relevant literature. However, I found the literature below provided a couple highlights that may of value if I was to pursue this deeper.

Student-led Initiative Promoting K-5 Hands-on Engineering Education

Due to the rise of technical careers and increasing demand for job applicants with strong STEM backgrounds, integrating hands-on STEM into early education is especially demanding for teachers with non-STEM backgrounds.

Hands-on STEM Engagement Activities with Positive STEM Dispositions in Secondary School Students

1. Self-motivated/naturally inclined
2. High-quality/motivating teachers
3. Parent/family member
4. . High-quality/motivating teachers

The Effectiveness of Hands-on Pedagogy in STEM Education

Some schools in the district practice hands-on instruction, there are
inadequate teacher preparation, insufficient hands-on instruction materials, and
superficial understanding of hands-on instruction practices.

Podcast

Getting Kids Outdoors With Technology | Edutopia

Site offers five online tools that encourage students to get hands-on experience with nature. The Journey North and Project Noah piece offered some insights about how to approach our outdoor learning centres, especially when it comes to students reporting their sightings and/or sharing pictures for various science based projects or missions across the world.

Its the proverbial “white elephant” problem, the sounds cool problem and lets do it anyway problem all wrapped up into a loose theme……..

What doth you mean by this Darren?

Well – my role is to provide career programing/resources to support innovation (aka technology in all its many facets) championed by educators across the district. With that has come many great successes and no shortage of less than ideal results – which few ever elect share by the way. Fortunately, risk taking has been supported and encouraged in my position, however, I am still saddled from time to time when it comes to resources (especially technology based ones) becoming very expensive dust collectors. Either due to the march of technology, poor rollout and/or the over centralization of expertise.

Join Darren on a multi-stop journey Click Here as he attempts to share/riff/juggle the concept of technology — its disposal, its envisioned purpose, and the roles students are intended to have along the way.

It started with a topic but morphed into a theme.

Welcome to the Q-Hut

https://auction.sd91.bc.ca/

The WLM Education Centre – Opening Soon!!!

Driving Simulator w/Complimentary Random White Elephant Observation

Lets Take a Drive: Richard & Nancy Martens Education Centre

Redmond Wetland – Let’s Wrap it Up!!!

https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/virtual-reality-education-1.4152384

https://www.zdnet.com/article/uk-schools-waste-millions-a-year-on-useless-gadgets/

First crack at posting:

Certainly looking forward to the coming challenge with all the associated parts of jumping into the game as it were — aka “back to school” or “Insert a million other adages”

Incoporating/understanding technology in the modern work place and its pace of change is duanting enough. Striving to align educational programs, initiatives and supports will be a challenge on a good day for jurisdicitons near and far. Looking forward to inputs from the many, far and wide to futher shape and refine my understanding and how it may be applied to my current practice..