In the Loop – April 4, 2024

April 4, 2024

KEY RESOURCES IN LANGLEY

HONOURING TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION

Announcing RCtv: Honouring Truth and Reconciliation | More info
Join us for a nationwide conversation reflecting on Canada’s legacy of Indian Residential Schools and pathways towards reconciliation. Showcasing a powerful short documentary by legendary Abenaki filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin, the programme involves three simple steps:

  1. Watch Honour to Senator Murray Sinclairwith your class between April 3 and April 17
  2. Join the discussion with special guests on Wednesday, April 17
    (see time below)
  3. Ask questions through our online platform

The programme also includes lesson plans, sensitivity support resources, extension activities, and access to the film – all completely FREE OF CHARGE. Can’t make the date? You can still watch an interactive recording any time afterwards.

DISTRICT PROFESSIONAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
To see our full calendar of offerings, visit www.thinklangley.com

The Path to Reconciliation: Embedding Indigenous Cultural Safety and Humility into Our Schools with Len Pierre | On-Demand Learning Feature
In this second session in our Ensouling Our Schools series, Len Pierre focuses on decolonization, reconciliation, and cultural safety in schools. Setting out with the intention to focus on good, culturally safe practices for educators, Len outlines a number of cultural strategies for school districts to embed in their practice at the classroom, school and district and district level. As well, Len also shares some exciting, promising practices and resources that he has encountered in this work that offer continued hope for ensuring cultural safety lives in our classrooms and schools.

NEW! Nurturing Young Writers – Matt Glover session 2  | On-Demand Learning Feature
One of the ways that anyone can learn to do anything is by studying a more skilled mentor. In writing, writers at any age can become better writers by studying the published authors use. Writing conferences are at the heart of teaching students to write well. They’re also challenging since they require teachers to make responsive, in the moment decisions. In this session we will use writing samples and video clips to examine strategies for more effective conferring with students.

NEW Workshop! Nurturing Young Writers (K – 3) with Matt Glover – Session 3 | April. 16, 2024 I Register
One of the challenges teachers face is determining what to teach each day during a unit of study in writing workshop. Even when teachers have curricular plans and resources that give teaching possibilities, only teachers can determine what their students need each day. In this session teachers will learn and use a process for designing writing units that meet curricular goals and respond to the individual needs of their students

EXTERNAL PROFESSIONAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

UFV Master of Education Info Session | April 23, 2024 and May 8, 2024 | More info
UFV is hosting an Info Session for their MEd program. The program is designed for K-12 educators who want to pursue leadership and mentorship. During the session you will learn about the design of this unique MEd program and have a chance to meet MEd instructors, current MEd candidates, and MEd alumni. Please make sure to register your attendance.

LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR STAFF/STUDENTS/CLASSES

SmartMoney National Virtual  Event for Students | Enriched Academy | April 24, 2024 | More info
Enriched Academy is hosting it’s 5th National Financial Literacy Event for all Canadian Grade 4-12 students and teachers. They will live broadcast an exciting, interactive money management program for grades 4 to 12 on April 24th, 2024. SmartMoney is a fun and exciting 30-minute session and a great option for teachers looking to get their students motivated and ready to tackle this critical life skill.

The Sky’s No Limit – She is Anything! 2024 Aviation, Aerospace, Marine & Defence Diversity Outreach Event | April 27-28, 2024 | More info
The world’s largest Aviation, Aerospace, Marine & Defence diversity outreach event at the Abbotsford International Airport is being held on April 27-28, 2024. An epic, hands-on event for the whole family. There is opportunity to meet a NASA Astronaut in person and learn about space, as well as free flights for first time female fliers (any age). Industry partners bring personnel, vessels, vehicles, aircraft, and other hands-on equipment and displays to showcase the various aspects of their activities.

Fort Canoe Kayak: Field Trip Learning Outcomes | More info | Website
Field Trips are offered to introduce students to a new water sport where there is a new environment to learn about safety and teamwork!  Throughout the day students will go through different stations of Canoeing, Kayaking, and Dry Land games where they are able to learn about their physical capabilities. Communication and safety are also big topics during the day to get the best outcomes on the water! Coaches will encourage students to learn how to work together on the water and more!

Jess Dance, Education Beyond The Body | More info
The popular Indigenous Powwow and Métis Jigging  programs are available for school bookings! Jess Dance is dedicated to help re-visiblize our first peoples, and the unceded land on which we live by connecting schools with culturally rich experiences! We would like to honour all they have to offer by sharing their gifts with school students all year round!  It would be inauthentic for us to only share these wonderful opportunities with schools for special Indigenous dates. Our available dates are May/June for Powwow (performances and workshops) and October/November for Métis Jigging workshops.

Royal BC Museum Digital Field Trips & Outreach Kits for Educators | More info
The Royal BC Museum’s learning department offers learning opportunities for children across the province including live, two-way, interactive digital field trips and outreach kits. Learn about the B.C. Gold Rush, mammoths, spindle whorls, and more by booking a live, interactive virtual learning experience through the Royal BC Museum’s digital field trip program. These 30-minute programs are designed to extend students’ learning of B.C.’s Natural and Human History, while also connecting to the B.C. Curriculum. Outreach kits bring stories and objects from the museum to the classroom. These free to borrow kits include inquiry based hands-on activities and resources from a wide range of themes including bats, Chinese Canadian historical wrongs, and species at risk. For more information, contact outreach@royalbcmuseum.bc.ca.

Spring Has Sprung | Vancouver Aviation Research Centre | Book now
As the world awakens to the vibrant colours and melodies of spring, we are thrilled to introduce our engaging Backyard Birds presentation, perfectly tailored for students in grades K-3. Delightfully adapted for each age group, this interactive session celebrates six local bird species found throughout the province. Join us in embracing the spirit of the season and fostering a love for learning about the natural world! Each presentation come with its own special teachers package full of crafts, activities, and handouts. Presentations take approximately 1 hour, including the presentation and question/ conversation time.

LEARNING RESOURCES

Go Planet | Environmental Science Video Series | Curio log in
What will you be doing to celebrate Earth Month and Earth Day (April 22) with your students? We’d be thrilled to support your environmental science curriculum with our extensive selection of titles, many of which might help in guiding conversations around this years Earth Day theme, “Planet vs Plastics”. Log in to learn more and watch these videos:

  • Climate | Elementary (age 8-11) | Video
    CBC Kids News explains why the planet is warming up and why that’s a problem.
  • Environmental Science | Secondary | Video
    Investment in green energies like solar, hydro and biomass is now surpassing oil. Learn more in our News in Review section (with guide).

Power Smart for Schools | More info
April 22 is Earth Day and this year’s theme is “Planet vs Plastics.” Power Smart has developed hands-on, K–7 curriculum-aligned activities to raise awareness of how plastics affect all living things. Take part to inspire your students to be sustainability leaders. Activities are available in English and French. Please complete the activities and submit photos of your students’ work for a chance to win our Earth Day prize package including:

  • Classroom visit from Science World and BC Hydro
  • Eco-friendly wildflower seed kit
  • Sustainable bamboo utensil kit

Playing with Privacy: protecting personal information while online gaming | 4edu.ca | More info
Start a classroom discussion on how to protect privacy while gaming. Share and discuss these tips on protecting privacy while online gaming, which explain the best ways to stay ahead of the game and help foster digital literacy. Visit our educational resources for teachers for more privacy-related teaching tools.

The Memory Project: Patrolling the Green Line | Historica Canada | Video | Article | Book a Speaker 2024 marks the 60th anniversary of the beginning of the UN peacekeeping mission in Cyprus. Canadian Peacekeepers were the first to arrive on the ground in 1964, and Canada has maintained involvement in the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) ever since. To commemorate this milestone anniversary, the Memory Project has created a new video as part of the Canadian Military History: In Their Own Words series.

TECH TIPS

AI Tool Report: OpenAI has launched a voice cloning AI model called Voice Engine, which can replicate a person’s voice from just a 15-second sample.

Key Points:

  • Voice Engine has been in development since late 2022 and can produce synthetic voices that read text prompts in the speaker’s language or other languages, broadening its application scope.
  • Initial access is granted to select companies, including Age of Learning and HeyGen, showcasing the model’s potential in educational and storytelling contexts.
  • OpenAI emphasizes the importance of ethical usage, requiring partner companies to obtain consent for voice cloning and to inform users about using AI-generated voices (although this will do little to deter those with malicious intent).

Why you should care: Ethics are paramount to promote with students. OpenAI’s Voice Engine represents a significant advancement in voice cloning technology, highlighting the potential for innovative applications, and addressing ethical and security challenges.

Trends from Common Sense Media: #TikTokBan
What?

  • In mid-March 2024, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which would remove TikTok from app stores. The Senate hasn’t voted on the bill.
  • The CEO of ByteDance (TikTok’s parent company) posted a video about the value of TikTok while urging users to voice their opposition to a ban. Users followed suit, sometimes seeming to follow the same script.

Now What?

  • Educators can examine the motivations on both sides: How and why is TikTok different from other social media apps? What are the concerns and the stakes?
  • From a media literacy angle: If users of TikTok are truly following a script to oppose the ban, where might it be coming from? Do students find posts like this persuasive? Why or why not?

Roblox and the Metaverse
What?

  • In addition to playing and creating games, Roblox users can attend events, visit virtual destinations (like a virtual Chipotle), and other experiences as a part of the “metaverse.” A recent addition is Slivingland, bearing Paris Hilton’s name and set in a virtual Hilton hotel lobby where visitors can find collectibles, earn real-world rewards, and more.
  • Roblox has had its own currency (Robux), but has now expanded its fund for creators to make real money, and has integrated generative AI tools.

Now What?

  • Ask students what the purpose of these virtual destinations and experiences is: Who is creating them, and why? Does that kind of experience appeal to them? Why or why not?
  • Roblox was originally created to let kids play and create games by learning how to code. Do you think Roblox is being improved by adding branded experiences and including AI tools that make it easier to create games?

Character.ai as Therapist
What?

  • Among other chatbots, the website Character.ai has almost 500 bots with keywords related to therapy or psychology in their names. The “Psychologist” bot—created by a psychology student—has gotten over 78 million messages in the past year, including from kids and teens.
  • Though some users report that the bots have helped them, psychologists warn that AI is unpredictable, and could give bad or inaccurate advice, or could exhibit harmful bias.

Now What?

  • First, address student’s digital well-being when possible. Point students and families to accessible school or community professionals and resources, and offer these tips. Then encourage AI literacy so students understand the potential risks of sharing personal information with a chatbot.

Be curious about why a bot might be appealing to someone who is experiencing mental health issues. Does the text-based experience appeal to them? Does it matter that a bot can’t experience real empathy?

Instructional Services | #Think35

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