If you are an educator or a School Counsellor I know you love resources so I collated a few for you to use as you start the school year. Save these on your desktop as you will want to go back to them often.
School Counsellor resources were created because of a fabulous Math resource I saw on Twitter created by @beatris_mata which you can find here.
When we share we are better. If you remix mine and make it better which I know you will please share back with me @sspellmancann. Who doesn’t like resources?
What is Open Educational Resources and why should School Counsellors contribute to the #oer commons? “The term “Open Educational Resource(s)” (OER) refers to educational resources (lesson plans, quizzes, syllabi, instructional modules, simulations, etc.) that are freely available for use, reuse, adaptation, and sharing.”
As an educator I have always been willing to share my work freely. If anyone asked and even when they did not I was always willing and happily shared anything I created. In 2013, I joined Etmooc and developed a new understanding of being an open educator and what a creative commons license meant.
This year a School Counsellor on twitter was asking for a place to collate school counselling materials and @verenanz one of my friends and fellow etmooc ‘er suggested the oercommons. I was excited a place to share freely.
Megan from the commons quickly connected and offered to assist. So here we go the first School Counsellor group on the commons . School Counsellors from Across The World. You too can contribute and join this group.
It’s easy to create and share on the commons and you can feel free to remix any of my work. I say if i can do it , so can you and I am willing to help any of you learn how to just DM me on twitter @sspellmancann.
Megan has also offered to set up PD as well, so be on the lookout in September around the 16th for some great PD.
Need more reasons to contribute ? Watch this …
So School Counsellors join in. We can model for our students why #oer is important. Collaboration is key and we can help each other by working together to share, remix and help each other.
There are so many reasons to use oer. The most important thing about OER is it enables the best quality knowledge material to travel free of charge to the most remote and underserved places in the world. Who doesn’t want to be a part of that?
I have been wanting to find a space that could house School Counselling Resources and share freely with others from around the world. Erin @ehordyskiluong and I met with Megan and came up with some amazing possibilities using the OER commons. I look at this as another retirement project as I always want to give back to School Counsellors. They dedicate their careers helping others, so if I in some small way can help them at this time I hope to do so.
I have much to learn ,but I have uploaded four potential new resources and am inviting School Counsellors from around the world to join in.
I am grateful to work for a district that supports School Counsellors and School Counselling . Today I get the honour of presenting to my colleagues who make a difference every day. Thanks for all you do! You can find the link to my slide deck here.
Canva is an amazing tool for School Counsellors. You are often the one to help organizes special events, make posters that are relevant to School Counselling , share ideas etc. Canva can help you create all the resources you need.
Twitter is one of the best resources there is for School Counsellors . You can connect with and share resources with other School Counsellors worldwide. Access is immediate and you never know what great connections you can make that help you be better at what you do. You can follow the ATA of School Counsellors and the president of the Council @ehordyskiluong. Check out #scchat here .
Teacher Pay Teachers is an inexpensive wonderful resource for School Counsellors. I did not always support this resource as I felt educators needed to share freely, but now I understand what hard work goes into making these resources and really they are very inexpensive for the work being done. School Counsellors why reinvent the wheel when it is already invented? Check it out on TPT .
Haiku Deck : This is and always has been my favourite app to use for so many reasons. School Counsellors Put A Positive Spin On Your Day .
APPS: There are so many apps that can make a School Counsellors life easier. Here are just a few.
RESOURCES: There are so many great resources and people are the best resource so get connected and share share share. School Counsellor Online Professional Exchange is a resource that you won’t want to miss thanks @ecmmason for creating it! SCOPE
Blogging: There are so many fantastic School Counsellor Blogs. Each one is different ,but most have tips and resources you can use tomorrow. Creating your own blog can help other School Counsellors and students
With the new emphasis on digital leadership , I strongly believe we as parents and educators need to learn how to develop our own digital identity. How can we truly help guide students to learn concepts of digital citizenship , becoming a digital agent, a digital interactor, etc?
How can we help young people learn how to create change in their community or how to make the world a better place online if we don’t fully understand how to do so ourselves?
Learning how to be digital leaders starts the day children are born and is a never-ending lesson. How do we celebrate all the good that our youth do while teaching them about privacy, collaboration and how to vet online sources? How do we become the models they need?
Let it begin with me I say … and yes it is never too late. I started learning how to become a good digital citizen almost five years ago after joining #etmooc. I am still learning today and take every opportunity I can to learn. I have made many mistakes along the way just as I did in my own parenting, teaching and counselling , but I really try to learn from those mistakes and model for others what I am learning daily.
I think we need to give educators the time during their days to learn along with their students. Being proactive means we need to learn alongside the students trying to master these skills we want them to have. They can teach us and we can teach them. If we want to drive change through technology we need to face the fear ourselves and take positive risks online. You may wish to join communities like #immooc, where you will find educators learning every day.
Digital citizenship is essential to what educators do. Join me as I learn along the way. You may find a few tips here .
Digital Citizenship Lessons are vital. Empowering proactive digital learners is a process. If we know how to do it , they will too . What do you think?
As I reflect on Seth Godin’s blog today I am thinking about all the educators and what they are doing each and every day as they start a new school year.
Seth reminds us
that digital learning is a revolution that can transform people faster and with more impact
to play as if it matters
that dreams are difficult to build and easy to destroy
What do you think school is for and how will you make it better for students?
Ken Robinson always makes us think and I hope he does you too. Both Seth and Ken challenge us to move away from compliance and conforming to celebrating students learning. No learning … no education going on says Ken Robinson. So how do educators best go about helping students learn?
Ken reminds us
that human beings are naturally different and diverse
“Nothing leaves a deeper impact on students than actually allowing students to see proper social media usage modeled daily by respected adults (parents, teachers, administrators) and by allowing students to use social media properly in the actual space” says Nikki D Robertson in her article Don’t Ban Social Media.
Digital Citizenship becomes even more important daily as students and adults figure out what matters online. As School Counsellors you can take the lead in this area. If you know how to navigate and model proper social media usage , then you will be able to assist the students you serve to do so too.
I know for me learning all the ins and outs was not easy ( and still isn’t ) , but the lessons were so important for me to learn as a seasoned School Counsellor. I am here to say we are never too old to learn and we should indeed continue to discover and educate ourselves. Every day I continue to master new ideas and believe we must start early to teach all students and all staff about digital citizenship.
Daily online, I see school administrators, counsellors , teachers and students who do not understand the basic concept of EVERYTHING ONLINE IS PUBLIC. Even if you believe it is private … it is not. Many fall into the trap of the Illusion of Privacy.
If you’d like more articles on digital citizenship you can check out my online School Counsellor Talk weekly here.
I hope to see many more School Counsellors take the lead when it comes to this most important area in a comprehensive school counselling program plan. Won’t you join me on this learning journey?
I love #IMMOOC and all the learning and connections in it, but keeping up isn’t easy in a MOOC and it is not supposed to be. The reality of everyday life kicks in. School gets busy, family responsibilities and life gets busy especially in the fall. We are all back to reality.
The nice thing about a MOOC is you can take what you like , do what you like , connect with people that you like ,when you like, how you like.
There are no failures!!!! Learning for the sake of learning is your option … without guilt.
I am grateful that I can particpate on voxer because it suits me to check in anytime from anywhere.
I also like that I can choose when to respond and where to respond and that I don’t have to do it all ( although I am tempted to want to ). So step into the reality and enjoy the learning along the way. If you learn 1 new thing or 100 new things it does not matter. Enjoy the process.
My goals:
Connect and share on voxer .
Read at least two blog posts and make comments.
Join in the live sessions as much as possible.
Blog once a week.
Put into practice somethings I have learned at work.
Follow the twitter and facebook feeds and learn from the posts.
Thanks to all for sharing . I especially love the live posting on twitter. Voxer peeps you rock , love all the learning. Amazing job Emily Clare @EClare_AHS for organizing and keeping the learning going.
Reality : No matter how much or how little you do in #IMMOOC … YOU MATTER … YOU ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE . You are taking the time out of your life as an educator and person to learn and help others knowing in the end that you will help students … How great is that?
For any of you who are School Counsellors , I know that this week you may have saved a students life that is your reality … so thanks just in case no one has noticed .
Letting go while still feeling extraordinarily passionate isn’t easy, it is a process. I need to take my own advice and trust the process. This year will be a year of reflection and change. I am retiring in June , but still absolutely love what I do.
I am embarking on another powerful , innovative journey in #immooc with people from all around the world. I know already I will be changed because of it. ETMOOC and the people in it profoundly changed me. I believe I am a much better educator and person because of the people who influenced my thinking and my skill level. It is hard to put into words all the amazing things I learned , but trust me I am transformed.
Today I changed the name of my blog, not as easy as some people might think, but in doing so I have let go of some things to be ready and open to new challenges and experiences.
IMMOOC I look forward to all the possibilities ahead and learning new things that will affect the way I assist students in their journey this school year. What are you prepared to let go of in order to create , make or do something even better?
It’s summer time and I know I should be resting and believe me I do ! I have so much inside of me that I want to share that it is sometimes hard to know where to begin, but for today I’ll share what has been on my mind. I have been following ASCA’s twitter #ASCA16 feed over the past few days as I was unable to go this year. A couple of reflections come to mind.
Gratitude … Collaborating with others has brought the passion of what I love to do to the forefront. I am so grateful that I connected to @ecmmmason and #scchat only a few short years ago . Yes, #scchat was the first School Counsellor hashtag I followed and it has changed everything . Thank you Danielle Schultz and Erin Mason. I got and still get so much inspiration from seeing and getting help from all those who posted to the hashtag. I know that is why I am so passionate about others joining in with us as we collaborate this fall on a joint venture. See more here School Counsellors Collaborating as Leaders Worldwide. I care about the future of School Counsellors and School Counselling. I want to give back and so I continue to engage with others who are as passionate as I am.
Refirement not retirement.Yes, I am retiring next year, but I want to go out making it my best year ever. I still really love what I do. I am retiring because it is time to. Time to refocus and engage my energies in other directions, but for now I will stay focused on the present and possibilities. I am very excited about all the new ventures I will be taking on next school year.
Supervise and mentor a new School Counsellor ( I have been doing this for years ). My way to give back while continuing to learn.
October
Start a Ted X Youth Club with my fabulous colleague Amy Webster @AmyNoraWebster . We look forward to the many wonderful things our students will create.
Working with Empowering Minds EMLeadership and the most fabulous Cleopatra to create Leadership opportunities for students.
Continue to work and create ideas with Connex support.
Sept. to June
Continue to work with students to develop ideas around anti. bullying #whosfrankyyc #carrollculture . Click here for more information.
Continue to refine and work on our book Colour Your Way To A Healthy Mind : High School Students Creating Change Would love to find a publisher . Anyone interested?
Really there are so many possibilities. This is an amazing time in education and these are but a few things I plan on doing in my retirement 2016-2017 school year. Over the summer you may want to consider giving to the Mario Couros Bursary . It is because of the gratitude we in #etmooc feel and it will help a future educator!
To all of you who take the time to read my blog may your summer be filled with gratitude, ideas and opportunities as well as time to enjoy your family and friends. Rest,relax and rejuvenate! I plan to . Hitting the beach very soon!
Counsellor Talk : Creative Collaborative Connections 