student engagement

Being Better

/ Dave Eberwein / 2 Comments

“Being better tomorrow than we are today” is something I talk about a lot — in my daily interactions, my blog posts, in all sorts of meetings …

But, what does it mean to be ‘Better’?

I explored this this topic the other day with our school trustees and thought it might also make for an interesting blog post. So, here we are …

When I engage others in conversation about our road to improvement, I reflect on a reminder I have above my desk about the need to move forward:

“It’s OK to be where you are right now. It’s just not OK to stay there.“

These concepts of ‘being better‘ and ‘finding ways to move forward‘ form an important part of my mindset on personal and organizational growth. But, the question still remains … what does BETTER actually mean?

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Virtual & Augmented Reality – Are They Really Worth the Hype?

/ Dave Eberwein / 2 Comments

Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) are slowly making their way into schools.  Depending on the quality of the needed device a VR headset can be a few dollars (i.e. cardboard cutout that uses your smartphone) or a very expensive one costing hundreds of dollars per unit.  AR headsets can be just as expensive.

 

I’m admittedly a bit cautious when new tech is touted as the next ‘best thing’ for education.  Are these headsets just a gimmick with lots of fun entertainment value or are they really a way for students to actually go deeper with their learning?

Like most everything, I suppose it depends on how and why you use them.

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Pure Joy & Teenagers

/ Dave Eberwein / 2 Comments

I am sometimes asked by others what my favourite job has been in education.  I can honestly say that I’ve loved all of them — Teacher, Science Department Head, Vice-Principal, Principal, Director of Instruction, Assistant Superintendent, Deputy Superintendent and now Superintendent.

chemistry

I Loved Teaching Chemistry

But the one with the greatest Pure Joy has to be teaching — being in my own classroom and interacting with my students was awesome!  I was a ‘substitute’ teacher (now known as a TTOC) in my first year and then taught in 3 different schools for the next 9 years.  Those 10 years in the classroom at the beginning of my career were magical.

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