July 2009
July 31, 2009
Quote of the day
Did you ever notice how difficult it is to argue with someone who is not obsessed with being right?
Wayne Dyer
Indecisive
July 30, 2009
Loves you
Quote of the day
What do elephants and plums have in common? Everything, except that one is an elephant and one is a plum.
July 29, 2009
Imagination
Quote of the day
Things are more like they are now than they have ever been.
Gerald R. Ford:
July 28, 2009
Quote of the day
"Innovation doesn't happen by following the rules."
Miserable
July 27, 2009
Works
Quote of the day
"Kids today don't have short attention spans...they just have short attention spans for old ways of teaching"
July 26, 2009
Learn
Quote of the day
"Excellent traditional writing skills are not enough to be an effective communicator in the digital age"
July 25, 2009
SWEET MUSIC, TIPS IN A BUCKET, AN OLD VIOLIN
Our students report back for school next week. They will pass by in search of sweet music that genuinely stirs them. I for one, will not abide the adults that rush them past when they only want one glimpse of that brilliant virtuoso that seems to give life a fleeting instant of meaning; or they pop their IPod headphones out to listen to a song whose name they cannot pronounce.
SWEET MUSIC, TIPS IN A BUCKET, AN OLD VIOLIN « "El Milagro Weblog"
Worry
Quote of the day
"Forgive your enemies...but NEVER forget their names."
John F. Kennedy
It is so true
July 24, 2009
SCCS makes me proud.
When you see it all written down, it makes me proud to be a part of this educational endeavor. It also makes me proud to be associated with such a staff that has had the ability to create so much is so little time. With all the difficult changes we have had in the last year it is a good practice to stop and see the forest, even though it seems a few trees are falling, we are still one heck of a beautiful forest...Keep up the good work, and we will continue to develop the future of education.
Awards
2001-2005 Innovative website and education web awards (27 different sites recognized SCCS with their web awards)
2001 Nominee Premier's Board of Education Award for Innovation and Excellence in Education
2004 Winner of the Edublog Award Best technology meets pedagogy blog.
2005 Educator of Distinction Award (Darren Cannell)
2005 Innovation Award in Education for Integrating Persons with Disabilities
2005 Nominee Premier's Board of Education Award for Innovation and Excellence in Education
2006 Nominee National Technology Innovation Awards: The Learning Partnership
2007 Microsoft National Innovative Teacher Award (Kelli Boklaschuk, Darren Cannell and Maureen Romanchuk)
2008 Microsoft National Innovative Teacher Award (Ryan Hauber)
2009 Blackboard International Exemplary Course Award (Reginald Nakoneshny)
2009 SIGtel Online Learning Award Highly Commended (Kelli Boklaschuk)
Rub it in
Quote of the day
Can't we just support the emotional needs of all children, rather than only the neglected or gifted ones?
10 Steps to Moving It Forward Step Ten
July 23, 2009
What makes SCCS so special.
A reality in our dynamic and complex society is that students need to be given the opportunity to conquer challenges and embrace their futures. A future in which information and communication technology have become a reality for education. The goal of the cyber school, like all other schools, is to put student learning first. The shift in the educational process from teacher centered instruction to student centered learning will allow students to learn and demonstrate mastery of technology to access, process, organize, communicate and evaluate information to answer questions, to solve problems and to create knowledge . This project allows students the opportunity to complete courses via the internet, engage in critical and creative tasks that are authentic, challenging, multi-disciplinary and global in nature. It also allows students a chance to explore diverse resources and learning opportunities beyond the traditional formats and locations.
The Saskatoon Catholic Cyber School is continually searching for new ways to aid in the development of online education and education as a whole. We grow in size each year and with that growth comes change. We embrace change and look forward to sharing our ever changing cyber world with you.
As a result our innovative programs have developed over the years. The following is a simple description of some of the main innovations we have developed over the past 8 years.
Saskatoon Catholic Cyber School - Innovative, Unique, and First-Class Education
High School
1. Students can start their courses at any time.
2. Students have 150 calendar days to finish a course and can work on the course 24 hours, 7 days a week.
3. Students can even take their final exams online.
4. Students can achieve a regular grade 12 standing without ever stepping foot inside a brick and mortar high school.
5. Students can easily upgrade marks needed for University.
6. Allows students to experience the independence needed to succeed in post-secondary educational environments.
7. The online courses and classroom allows students from a variety of different situations the opportunity to contribute actively in class discussions and complete courses.
8. Hybrid courses to educators in other locations who would like to use the Cyber School courses to expand and enrich their own courses or to provide a course that may not be offered in a particular school.
9. All students involved in Cyber School have access to an Online Chapel and Student Lounge monitored by our own Chaplain and school counselor.
10. Over 3400 have taken Cyber School courses.
Cyber Planets- elementary School
1. Cyber Planets are for students in grade 2-8..
2. Cyber Planets filter and categorize all activities and resources by grade and subject area.
3. Cyber Planets include locally developed technology lessons using video audio and text.
4. Grade 7 & 8 Cyber Planets include locally developed math resources.
5. Over 3500 students use the Cyber Planets.
Learning Communities
1. Learning Communities serve as a collection of useful resources for grade levels from kindergarten to grade 12.
2. Learning Communities encompass all subjects; from Physical Education to Aboriginal/First Nations Education.
3. The resources are for both online uses as well as printable copies for classroom use.
4. There are over 85 participants in each of the over 40 Learning Communities.
Blogs
1. SCCS is now hosting blogs for educators, schools and parishes
2. Blogs allows for a simple way to communicate, via web site and or email, with students, parents and the community.
3. SCCS Hosts image archives and time capsules in blog format
TADO (Teaching and Developing On-line)
1. Started by SCCS Staff in January 2005
2. TADO's goal is to provide a location where K-12 online educators, developers and administrators can gather.
3. This virtual community offers environment conducive to communication, resource sharing and team building.
4. Currently the TADO has members from four different continents around the world.
TADO PD Lounge
1. An on-line PD regarding educational technology integration and software tutorials. The Lounge offers guided and self-directed on-line courses. The lounge is open to educators around the world and is a partnership with other school divisions.
2. To provide effective on-line pd for all educators using video and printable tutorials.
3. To stop re-inventing the wheel and instead develop an community of sharing.
With all of these developments The Saskatoon Catholic Cyber School serves to break the cultural, spiritual, and spatial barriers that are presently straining our society.
Doubt
Quote of the day
A smile is something you can give at no cost, yet it enriches everyone it touches
10 Steps to Moving It Forward Step Nine
July 22, 2009
Nostalgia
Quote of the day
I told my doctor I broke my leg in two places. He told me to quit going to those places.
Henny Youngman
10 Steps to Moving It Forward Step Eight
July 21, 2009
10 Steps to Moving It Forward Step Seven
Succeed
Quote of the day
"The notion of PLN has already descended into a level of self-parody."
-Gary Stager
July 20, 2009
10 Steps to Moving It Forward Step Six
Knowledge
Quote of the day
The man who really wants to do something finds a way, the other finds an excuse."
~ Unknown
July 19, 2009
10 Steps to Moving It Forward Step five
Christian
Quote of the day
Worth
Just because you're necessary doesn't mean you're important.
July 18, 2009
10 Steps to Moving It Forward Step Four
Misery
Quote of the day
Vision
How can the future be so hard to predict when all of my worst fears keep coming true?
July 17, 2009
10 Steps to Moving It Forward Step Three
Marriage
Quote of the day
Tradition
Just because you've always done it that way doesn't mean it's not incredibly stupid.
July 16, 2009
10 Steps to Moving It Forward Step two
Live Forever
Quote of the day
Failure
You can't spell it without U R A
July 15, 2009
10 Steps to Moving It Forward Step One
Beat them
Quote of the day
Blogging
Never before have so many people with so little to say said so much to so few.
July 14, 2009
If only it was not so true
Middle Name
Quote of the day
Facing adversity can make you stronger. It can also land you on top of a witch who has a sister with flying monkeys.
July 13, 2009
Successful
Quote of the day
Regret
If only you'd let that car salesman talk you into that TruCoat sealant
Innovative Teacher Final Gala
July 12, 2009
Quote of the day
A word to the wise ain't necessary - it's the stupid ones that need the advice."
~Bill Cosby
Blame
Quote of the day
To be yourself in a world that's trying to make you somebody else is the hardest battle you're going to fight. Keep fighting
EE Cummings
July 11, 2009
Emergency
Innovative Teacher KL movie
Innovative Teacher Hong Kong Video
July 10, 2009
Horse Sense
Quote of the day
A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small bundle.
~Benjamin Franklin
Innovative Teacher Ryan
July 9, 2009
Blame
Quote of the day
There's a fine line between fishing and just standing on the shore like an idiot.
STEVEN WRIGHT
Innovative Teacher KL Supper
Closing the Student Information Gap
Electronic student records (ESRs) for all K-12 children would improve accountability, achievement, and the continuity of each child's schooling experience. Right now, we have no cohesive national system for keeping track of what students have done over their educational careers. As a result, we lose incalculable opportunities to provide individual student support, all the while creating a vacuum of institutional knowledge.
Teacher Magazine: Closing the Student Information Gap
July 8, 2009
Voices
Quote of the day
We already live in a time of disconnect, where the classroom has stopped reflecting the world outside its walls. The classroom is born of an industrial mode of thinking, where hierarchy and reproducibility were the order of the day.
Innovative Teacher South
July 7, 2009
Quote of the day
"Leaders don't create followers, they create more leaders."
Tom Peters
Conscience
