Another week begins at school, and the beginning of #ETMOOC looms! There are so many things going on, so much change. Our district is completely revamping how it conducts its business, moving from a board governance model to a strategic governance model, changing the roles of senior management, and looking at a strategic plan. Within that plan are expected changes to facilities and how they are used, along with the introduction of new models to support student learning. These include Response to Intervention, and Project Based Learning. All of these bring challenges and new opportunities to learn, especially as ours must be one of the oldest (teachers' average age) districts in the province.
I've been involved as an Athletic Director in the district for 8 years now, and I'm feeling like its time to make some changes. I've found that this job has taken up much of my time, taking away from some of the time I perhaps should have spent growing and learning professionally. This begins to change this week as #ETMOOC gets rolling. I'm excited to learn about technology and its applications from the wide and diverse group of learners that have become part of the #ETMOOC community. I've also enrolled in a course through Coursera, from the University of Toronto, called "Aboriginal Worldviews and Education." Hopefully these opportunities will help me become more involved in the changes that are happening right now in my district.
My two daughters are 10 and 7, so I want to be at the forefront of these changes so I can help them as they navigate through their educational experiences as best as possible. I will continue to coach, of course, as the value of extra-curriculars in secondary schools is too great to measure, and I believe it is so important to add to the culture of schools, but hopefully my shift in focus will allow me to keep up with the massive changes occurring in education not only here, but world wide as we fully embrace the 21st Century and move past the traditional ideals of views of what schools should be.
