From Snow Sports to iPads

It was a treat to visit Summit Lake Ski Hill yesterday and chat with parents, staff and students about how things have been going on the ski hill. Since I have been away in Vancouver for almost a week, it was nice to catch up on how things have been going at our schools, as well. My trip to the coast was very productive, with sessions and meetings on school collaboration, special needs inclusion, adaptive technology and library resources, as well as a number of valuable professional conversations. While I was traveling I was able to preview a huge number of apps for our new iPads. It's amazing what these tools can do.

It's great working in our Southern Zone schools, because I get to see such a breadth of learning, from quality applications of educational technology, to serious snow sports and environmental experiences. I am sure that these apparently completely different kinds of activities are not really that far apart. Snap a picture on an iPod or iPad while out in nature, include a voice-over commentary with your observations, questions and wondering, and the artifact of outdoor learning you captured using a digital tool can take everybody's learning further when you get back to your classroom to share what you found and thought.

I really appreciate the balance our teachers are managing to strike between technology and nature-based learning. Both are crucial for our young people as they grow into global citizens, with a complex world to take care of. 21st Century learning is about finding ways for digital technology to interact with environmental stewardship, physical fitness, global citizenship and community building. In case you haven't noticed, I'm pretty excited about all the possibilities for education that are emerging in these amazing times. I say it often as I play show and tell with technology in my professional and personal life - we are living in the future.