After more than 20 years, I finally succumbed (succame?) to one of the many Alumni invitation emails my Alma Mater sends, and registered to attend a few events for this year's Spring Reunion at U of T.

The first, a "Soiree" for LGBTQ alumni, was held at the 180, near Bay and Bloor.

The 180, a resto-bar-lounge atop one of Toronto's tall buildings, offered a lovely view of the city, and since the weather was so fine, we soon installed ourselves at a table out on one of the venue's two decks.

Sadly, this first reunion event was a bit of a bust socially, as I had to run off within an hour of arriving, to attend the keynote of a conference I was signed up for with ETFO.  While that conference itself was amazing (and the guest speaker in some sense ironically suitable for the evening), I was sad to have missed the opportunity to get to know some fellow graduates from my "tribe" in a focused social context.

After registering at King's College Circle (and picking up some U of T swag for my students at school), Tats, the boys and I headed over to the archaeology department, where we were invited to explore some skull replicas, and identify which skull did not belong (one was a chimp skull, it turns out).  Then we had to order the remaining skulls from oldest to most recent.

Next it was off the astronomy lab, where we were treated to an amazing, 1/2-hour presentation by a grad student whose specialty was exo-planets, and who led us to awe and wonder with his digital show displayed on the dome of a mini-planetarium in the form of what looked from the outside like a large, black bouncy castle (sorry, didn't think to snap a photo of that one!)

After the planetarium, we got to check out the old telescope and take in the view atop another of Toronto's tall towers...

As we exited the telescope show, we found ourselves outside the next "family" event, an array of physics experiments and hands-on activities in the lab next door.  The boys really enjoyed exploring and learning about fiber optics, superconductors and more.  There was even an invisible light bulb!

Following our brush with science, we stumbled upon the BBQ tent, where a wide array of free lunch (yes, even for vegetarians) awaited us.  Tired, hot and hungry, we gratefully sat at a flower-adorned table under a large, airy tent, and ate lunch together.

After a quick stop at the photo booth, we left Spring Reunion, and headed up to Spadina and Bloor, to grab an ice cream at Greg's (which I had first discovered when I was doing my undergrad at U of T!)

We didn't have a chance to talk with many other alumni, but I felt really good about the students we spoke with.  They were bright, engaged in their topic, and seemed like interesting, kind people.  I was pleasantly surprised by the breadth and depth of at least few students' understanding of equity and social justice -- while I myself loved the university experience at U of T, I also know that University in general is a class divider, and I was pleased to see that at least some of my alma mater's current science students were aware of and could speak articulately about the impact of social structures on such things as gender, for example.

Tats laughed at me when I got a little teary-eyed while eating a burger during lunch... "They just want you to make a donation, you know!" she reminded me.

Maybe so, but given the manner in which we were well and authentically dined and treated as a family on Saturday and as a lesbian couple at the event the week before, then isn't this the kind of university I would want to make a donation to?  

With great anticipation I awaited liftoff from Pearson; although my time on the island this May would be extremely short (2 nights), I was looking forward to breathing in the tranquillity that I knew was awaiting me there... this little taste would tide me over until I return in August for my usual month-long stint.

A female FO on the West jet flight and a host of fluffy clouds viewable from my window seat promised good things to come...

A first sight of the island less than two hours later did not disappoint; into view came the much anticipated red soil and patchwork of carefully sectioned-off farmers' fields so charmingly ubiquitous on PEI.

The barely-audible-yet-distinct little sighs of passengers around me confirmed that I was not the only one on board completely smitten with the view.

Sighs turned to delighted chuckles when our pilots informed us over the aircrafts loudspeaker that it was a balmy 26° locally!

Not long afterwards, we landed in Ch'town, where the vast majority of those disembarking were greeted by some friendly islander with whom they were lucky enough to be connected. Among them was Brian, "our" islander, a neighbour and friend. Soon we were installed in his car and rolling along hwy 2 towards our little corner of the island.

Upon our arrival at the house, I found my first task awaiting me: The good people from the census department had been by a few times, it seemed; several "friendly reminders" to complete said document had been stuck in the door, the first two having been removed by our friend and the cleaner before him.

I had already done my legal duty and filed one such in Ontario, so punching in the I.d. number and explaining that this was a seasonal property only was a fairly brief intrusion on my short holiday in Paradise.

The next morning before breakfast, it was off to our local beach!

There we discovered that the usual beach access had been blocked off due to the fact that the fellow who owned the vacant lot there had finally decided to come home to roost. This was evidenced by the in-progress foundation and the mock-up that was miraculously on display despite somewhat windy conditions. And by the porta-potty blocking the path to the beach!

After we found our way to the ocean via an alternate access, we walked for some time along the water, and I took the opportunity to try out the panoramic photo feature on my phone's camera!

After our beach walk, I enjoyed a nice nap in the hammock, following which I set up my drums in the music cabin and warmed up my rusty chops!

A quick walk in the back field after my drumming session revealed the trees were still standing, the purple lupin were coming in nicely, and a few critters had set up their homes out back!

My girlfriend, meanwhile, texted a photo of Sneakers; back home in Toronto, she (the dog) had just successfully graduated from Part Two of her dog training course: The biting wildebeest could now successfully be told to "go to your pillow", and generally stayed there for up to 2 minutes -- especially if treats were involved!!!

For us weekend islanders, though, it was time to head next door and attend to the reason for the season: the annual community lobster dinner!

As has been our custom for some years now, a group of summer islanders and year-rounders gathers to enjoy the first lobster of the season (and numerous salads, deserts, baked goods and beverages) together and welcome spring back to the island.

​The atmosphere was thick with excitement; most of us had not seen one another since new year's, and many not since last summer -- everyone was eager to catch up on local news and of course to eat, drink and partake of general merriment.

​Approximately 40 people gathered to enjoy the warm spring evening, some of us even eating together in the screened in porch!

Another opportunity for a panoramic image also presented itself in the twilight sky that is one of the single most impressive views on the island... yesterday's golden sunset had been replaced by a magnificent canvas of magenta, rose and indigo hues.

I paused to admire it for a moment before returning to the jovial conversations inside.

The next morning, we took a different route to the waterfront, again enjoying the fresh morning air on the island.

​The same harbour offers an unlimited assortment of vantage points, each one featuring its own unique brand of awe and wonder. Still, silent sometimes, the rural parts of the island provide almost constant inspiration for personal reflection. To be here is to engage with one's innermost thoughts, hopes, dreams, fears... one is constantly musing, about life, about human relationships, or about oneself.

All too soon, it was time to go.

After a quick lunch and a handing-off of leftover groceries to the neighbours (during which brief interlude we witnessed a low-flying eagle being chased out of the area by two angry and possessive crows, and a bushy-tailed red fox on the prowl for the same mouse or rabbit that the eagle had probably been hunting), we packed ourselves into Brian's car for the drive back into town.

We were not headed directly to the airport as we had to make a VERY important stop in Charlottetown, first! ;-P

Important and much sought-after provisions having been procured, it was finally time to leave the island for real; we ate a simple supper at the airport restaurant before heading through security and into the waiting area to take our seats along equally unenthusiastic island-leavers, and waited dully for our boarding call.

PEI departure shots from the aircraft are too sad; also I did not have a window seat on the way home, unfortunately. So I did not take any pics out the window.

Let us leave the weekend memories at red foxes, beach walks, musical reunifications and nice chats with island neighbours and friends. A refreshing weekend promise of the summer to come, and a much-needed infusion of rest and relaxation to get me through the final six hectic weeks of school!

Those of you who have been following my blog know that I've been playing with online teaching/learning a considerable bit this year, largely by posting my classroom on  Edmodo.  

Although organizing my classroom materials virtually has been a beneficial organizational process/tool for both me and my students, the main reason I wanted to explore online classroom settings was to experiment with and develop my understanding of digital collaboration.  Lately, with the help of an Australian colleague I met through one of the professional groups I belong to on Edmodo, we've been able to do this.

For those of you who have heard of Google docs/slides but haven't really taken the plunge yet, this blog post is for YOU!

Collaborating with my Australian colleague to develop and support an global financial literacy project for our combined students has been an interesting challenge, but a combination of virtual tools and personal perseverance and passion is making our idea a reality.  

Step One: Co-Developing an Assignment

After some full class and small inter-class group mini-assignments to get to know one another and explore media tools, my colleague and I decided it was time to dig into the meat of the matter, and finally put together a robust collaborative project on the initially-intended topic: Financial Literacy.

Through the use of Google docs, we were able to collaboratively develop and edit an assignment for our students (and a modified version for some of the groups).

Having just begun the Google journey myself, I was amazed at the ability to simultaneously edit and add ideas, and comment on one another's work as we went!

Step 2: Crafting Small Groups

The previous tasks we had assigned online helped us to notice who worked well together and which students were keen about online collaborative learning.  We based our groups largely on those observations, also putting together students in some groups who would -- for English Language Learning challenges or other reasons -- benefit from a more scaffolded assignment.

​My colleague began a list on google docs of her students with first names and brief anecdotal comments, then shared the doc with me so that I could add to it.

Using that combined list, we put together 13 small groups between our two classes, with roughly two of her students and two of my students in each group.

Step 3: Introducing the Assignment

Once we had agreed on the small groups, we created them under our shared class in Edmodo, and posted the assignment document in each small group.

We also printed out hard copies of the assignment, and shared them with students in class.  This gave each of us time to review the project goals and expectations with our respective students, and respond to any initial questions in person.  Then the assignment was sent home for students to share with their families and be signed and returned, so that we'd know the people at home were aware of what we were up to.

(click any photo above to enlarge)

​Amazing Cross Cultural Beginnings

As evidenced by the thread samples posted in the images above and the work samples below, students really got into the project, and began working on the various tasks (there are 10 in total, 5 for the modified groups) right away.

Google Docs/Slides for Project Management

As I had discovered by a few team projects I'd worked on over the past few weeks, Google docs allows users to collaboratively develop a document or slide show:  Two or more users who have access to the same document in Google can be writing and crafting material simultaneously or at different times on the same document or slide show.  One can also highlight items and make comments in the side bar, which other group members can then read and respond to as needed.

Using shared documents like this enabled students to work together across the world from different computers at different times, and allowed us as teachers to snoop on their progress to leave comments and make suggestions as students work on their projects.

Click one of the images below to see some samples in progress, along with the comments....

This padlet with its access to all 13 groups' work had the added bonus that it allowed all students to see all the other groups' work.  This meant they, too, could provide feedback comments if they wanted to, and be inspired by the ideas that others had begun to incorporate into their doc or slides. (Unfortunately, it also meant that others could potentially sabotage the work of their peers, as they could randomly and anonymously erase work done by another group -- a great deal of trust had to be established, and this certainly offered an opportunity to practice honesty and integrity!)

Key Skills Developed 

​Although the access thing was a bit of a nuisance for us at first, we saw it as an opportunity to practise and model perseverance and tenacity with and for our students.  Rather than giving up when one thing didn't work, we tried another, and another, until a solution could be found.  By climbing through windows when we found doors closed, we have been able to model real life problem solving situations for our students.

In addition to fostering collaboration and problem solving skills, and developing an understanding of financial literacy, this project is also helping students develop their digital citizenship and  negotiation skills:  As they do not know one another "in real life", it can be easy for some students to simply "walk away" mentally from a task or online disagreement.  As teachers, my colleague and I have been able to moderate conversations with one another's students as well as our own, and mitigate disagreements by turn in person and online as needed.

Deadlines, format and structure also have to be negotiated, and the students are really stepping up to the plate!

While we are looking forward to seeing their finished products in June, my colleague and I are also enjoying the journey; watching our students grow as collaborators and global, digital citizens has been a rewarding if admittedly-somewhat-frustrating-at-times experience.

Overwhelmed or Excited? Seek Help!

I am a digital immigrant.  My initial resistance to this sort of online collaboration was due largely to my own inability to comprehend conceptually how it could work.  My schema dictated what I was able to imagine, and most helpful for me have been the conversations I have had over the past few years and especially the past few months with people younger and more experienced with learning technology than I am.  Experiencing, failing, and trying again have been valuable for me, both in the sense that I have been able to learn more about how it works so that I can teach others, but also in that I have been able to model resiliency and risk taking for my students, who are NOT digital immigrants, but who may lack a working understanding of how to use technology effectively as a learning tool.

Although I found Google docs overwhelming at first, I am increasingly seeing the value of tools like this to foster the sorts of competencies and habits of mind our students will benefit from in the world they are growing up in.

If you are a newcomer to "all this stuff", I strongly encourage you to find mentor in your school (bring chocolate!!), a coach in your board, or a summer course online or in person, and learn a little more.  The world will become a bigger, brighter, more exciting place for you -- I promise!

Managed to squeeze in another great OTF Connects workshop this evening between dinner and bedtime; tonight's theme was Financial Literacy for Grades 4-8, and wow, was it resource-rich!

First of all, in case y'all don't know, the Ministry's new financial literacy resources are out and available for the browsing, along with some excellent videos and lesson plans.  You can find it all right here on the Edugains website!

Secondly, here's a wonderful resource co-developed by the Ontario Teachers' Federation, with lesson plans for teachers, games and activities for students, and resources for families as well.  You can search by grade and subject area.  All to support financial literacy -- who knew?!

Finally, recently updated with a rich variety of virtual manipulatives, learning supports for students and resources for parents, mathies.ca invites a mathematical entry point for all!  In particular, this Canadian currency money playground may be of interest to those looking to develop their students' financial literacy.

I'm pretty excited to supplement what my Australian colleague and I have been working on with our students through a digital collaboration with some of these additional resources!