February 2022
Voc Talk DIY workshops
After last months' monologue about conferences and how they are kind of meh for vocational teachers because we love the practical, hands-on empirical learning situations, I thought about how great it would be to have more hands-on workshops, where we can create or adapt teaching tools that we will use. A new segment to the Voc Talk world is the DIY How to apply good andragogical practices in real life workshop. Every month I will host a live workshop where I will take the cool teaching tool featured in the newsletter and walk you through how to make it. On the spot! Live! You will leave the workshop with your own version of the tool and the guidelines on how to use it in your teaching! How cool is that? If you can't make it, don't worry. I record and create the DIY video that is available in the newsletter and on my YouTube channel.
Here is the handy-dandy printable list of workshops coming up. If you would like to attend, just click here drop me an email with your name and the workshop you would like to attend and I'll add your name to the list. I will send out the conference link the day before the workshop.
See you there, and happy tech tool building!
📱👩🍳 Robin
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Want to see how I made it? Here is the how-to video!
15 minutes - but don't worry! I created chapters so you can watch it in bits and pieces!
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How to create a guided student research activity with Google slides or Microsoft Powerpoint
All too often we do all the work sleuthing the internet for resources about a subject. You know that you want the students to learn about a subject, but flip the classroom - instead of presenting them with a list of YouTube videos to watch, make them create their own list! In this month's DIY column, we are going to look at an activity that gets the student to engage with learning by guiding them to find a range of good-quality sources of information about a topic. This is a great activity to see UDL in action because it empowers the student to decide on the digital medium of their choice but keeps them focused on the content to learn. Would you like to see the tool? Click on the button below!
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Documenting student learning with Tictok 38 min
Geoffrey Alleyne & Yohan Tatchim
DEP Installation of Telecommunications Equipment
LBPSB
⬅️ Are you ready to listen to the interview? Click on the beans!
Would you like to explore the tool yourself? Click here to see Yohan's tictoks about telecommunications!
Awesome, huh? 👍
Are you doing something in your class that your students respond well to? I would love to hear about it! Do you know of a teacher that is doing something cool that I could interview? Either way, click here to email me!
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Have you heard?!?
The ACE conference is around the corner and James is doing not one but TWO workshops just for us voc teachers! Woo hoo! The first one is an exploration of different digital tools but through the lens of Bloom's taxonomy. Do you want your students to remember a procedure? understand vocabulary? Analyze a process? Check out his Referencing Bloom’s Taxonomy to Examine Educational ICT Applications. Nice!
Have you ever been in a situation where you wanted to create breakout rooms by subject matter rather than by who was online? Do you want a chiller vibe to your online classes than what Teams offers? James is coming through again with his workshop on socio-affective meeting space: Gather Town and Kumospace. Awesomesauce!
Do you have a tech tool question and want to talk to them about it? Click here to book an appointment with them on their website, or sign up for their newsletter to receive updates about cool tech tools and workshops.
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What is digital competency?
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Ah, here is an area that we voc teachers are familiar with - competency. This is the vocabulary that we use to say whether a student can or cannot do something. Can the student make a carrot soup? Yes? Well then, they are competent at making cream-based soups. Can the student write an algorithm to create 1000 properly-labelled folders at once? If yes, then they are showing competency at using a programming language. Can the student name all the different electrical components of a circuit? Yep, you get it. They are demonstrating competency distinguishing components. We understand that being competent is about being able to do something that achieves the desired result that everyone recognizes as a good job. We also understand that there are levels to that competency - doing a good job is not the same as going a great, amazing or mind-blowing job. In vocational education, competency is based on entry-level skills, so the good job is just that: it gets the job done, safely, adequately, and autonomously. In the workforce, we understand that the entry-level skill of doing a good job will, with time and repetitive practice, go from good to great and possibly beyond.
So, how does competency apply to a digital environment, regardless of if that world is in a school or at work? Is there a digital literacy program of study with competencies, elements and criteria?
No, but that would be AWESOME.
Like our trades, the 'entry-level skills' of digital literacy change as technology advances. What was considered the basics a decade ago has morphed into something else as artificial intelligence takes care of the mundane. (When was the last time you actually 'saved' your work by clicking on the save button?) There is the idea that the trade will have expectations of basic digital literacy skills. Depending on your industry, those digital basics might be different. Let's look at digitization and professional cooking through food-ordering apps. We all use them, they are VERY convenient because they allow us to order food more efficiently. When I started as a cook, If you wanted to order food, you called up the restaurant, someone took your order and then shortly thereafter, food showed up at your doorstep. Pretty obvious that no digital skills are necessary. Today, that same cook has to know how to interact with the app and the device to access the information about the order, how to notify the client/delivery person of timeframe, food allergies or substitutions, and what to do if they encounter difficulties with the hard- or software. The level of digital literacy just increased for that entry-level position.
There is no one governing body that decides on what digital literacy entails, which makes it hard for the individual to navigate the different approaches. The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) is a recognized leader in digital literacy in education, and they break it down into five categories (Inclusive, Informed, Engaged, Balanced & Alert). Google does the same with their Be Internet Awesome program. Here in Québec, industry collaborations like Aéro Montréal are creating professional development roadmaps that target specific digital skill upgrades necessary for their workforce, and the Ministry of Education has come out with a framework that presents digital competency in 10+2 elements that can be applied to both an educational and workforce environment.
All that to say that digital literacy is not a result, but a continual process. A huge part of it is done through connecting, collaborating and problem-solving with partners. We learn enough to motor along for the time period in which we find ourselves, but we understand that the digital world is a shape-shifting metaverse with many actors that we have to constantly adapt to. To stay on this digital competent escalator in my trade, it is crucial to be aware of trends and tendencies through newsletters, conferences, in situ stages, workshops and trade shows. As tradespeople, we must be aware of the digital world in our industry in order to better orient our students.
Next month - let's take a look at some of those digital skill program initiatives in detail to see how we can adopt some of the structure into our teaching.
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Comings & Goings
March 8, 2022 Join me for the first Voc Talk DIY workshop where we will be creating a guided student research activity that engages the student by appealing to what the student wants to learn! We will be using presentation software (slides or ppt) to make a visually appealing document. A great example of UDL in action! Click here to sign up to Google it! UDL in vocational education with a student research activity
March 16, 2022 Want to know how to choose tech tools based on Bloom's taxonomy? What about better understanding the dyslexic adult learner? How about using empathy when building a team culture? This year's ACE conference presents lots of interesting ideas, concrete examples and creative workshops! Click here to sign up & see what will be presented! 🤫 psst - Voc Talk will be there - come check out our workshop on teaching strategies! 😎
March 31, 2022 Do you teach mathematics in your trade? Are some of your students struggling with simple math concepts, codification, and mathematical vocabulary? Is English a challenge for your students? Click here to check out this workshop from the guys over at AGE - they will present reading strategies in mathematics. Nifty!
April 12 -14, 2022 Would you like to explore what innovative ways teachers around the province are integrating technology into learning environments? Check out the 40th AQUOPS conference! This year it is offered hybrid (online and in-person) and has some interesting presentations for vocational education. How do you leverage a digital environment to teach math skills for vocational education? How can you record video using Powerpoint? Here is one for the teacher - how to organize your computer! Oh yes!
May 19, 2022 QACVE online conference This year, QACVE will showcase all the great work that teachers did to quickly adapt to teaching online and highlight the good teaching practices and strategies. It will be a one-day mix of conferences, workshops and discussions. Stay tuned for the program!
🎉🎤 Voc Talk Live 🎤🎉
11:00 - 16:00
Come on down and let’s have a chat about teaching! What cool things are you doing? What knots are you trying to work out? What tech issues are you or your students having? I would love to hear about it and help brainstorm some solutions! Would you like your centre to host a Voc Talk live? Drop me an email!
Link to join virtually: Click here to join the meeting
Dates and locations: Click here to see it in calendar format
- Feb 22@ VACC
- Feb 24@ PEC
- March 8@ Laurier MacDonald (Jean Talon campus)
- March 10@ Laurier MacDonald (Grand Prairie campus)
- March 15@ PEC
- March 17@ SHADD
- March 22@ VACC
- March 24@ SHADD
- March 29@ Laurier MacDonald (Jean Talon campus)
- March 31@ Laurier MacDonald (Grand Prairie campus)
Would you like to subscribe to the calendar with the dates, location and virtual link? Click here!
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That's all for this month. If you have any comments, suggestions or points to discuss, please send me an email by clicking on the link below. Better yet, come and see me at a Voc Talk Live session!
Have a great month,
📱👩🍳 Robin
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