麻豆视频

WEYBURN - The ever-evolving world of curriculum development and instructional technology has been in Michael Graham’s world for the past nine years.

Curriculum co-ordinator is his job description and Graham spent time during a 45-minute presentation to the 麻豆视频 East Cornerstone Public School Division’s board meeting on March 25, talking about this evolution since he came aboard as co-ordinator in 2017.

He spoke about career development counsellors and facilitators, plus instructional coaches, help desks and education technology coaches who not only attack regular curriculum needs and assessments but also items such as alternative pathways and credits that can be achieved through that process.

He also spoke about supports for new teachers in the public school division that encompasses all of southeast Saskatchewan.

The roles embrace teacher accreditation processes, band programs, professional learning communities and mentorship for teachers, among other things.

He noted how the help desks stretch out to student information systems and app approvals, division licences, software licensing, library systems and software approvals.

Graham introduced the curriculum and technology team through his accompanying video presentation and noted how the title remained the same but his role has changed and how it has evolved over time.

He spoke briefly about the challenges brought about by the COVID outbreak five years earlier that put a halt to many progressive activities that were picked back up following the return to a more normal environment following the pandemic.

Then Graham spoke of a few “shake-ups” in the role around 2023, with some changes to the instructional technology side and career development options.

“It’s about getting technology out and into the schools,” he said, adding the technology team ensures this is happening.

Teacher mentorships have been popular, usually for the new teachers entering Cornerstone from elsewhere, and first-year educators.

The curriculum renewal processes are ongoing with writing groups and teacher pilots being involved as curriculum renewal is “underway in Saskatchewan”, he said. That includes updates on Indigenous education fronts.

There has also been the introduction and expansion of financial literacy pilot projects that are now part of the regular curriculums on a growing pattern with pilot teachers taking hold and working with the Ministry of Education.

Graham added that new and repeated software licenses and access is an ongoing issue as well, and gave examples by noting how many users there are for up to eight different software packages, one of them being new just this year and being accessed by 557 users so far including teachers, coaches, senior leadership personnel and speech-language pathologists.

He also brought a video example of students within various age groups being fully engaged with a “merge cube” that takes them to a virtual world. He said the division currently has 15 of these cubes being used to spark additional interest and engagement among the student body and their instructors.

Graham also spoke briefly on credit courses and options such as apprenticeship and special project credits students can gain, as well as credits for volunteerism and roles that career counsellors play within SECPSD.

He saw double duty on this particular day since shortly after making his solo presentation on curriculum to the board, he was asked to join the team of presenters who spoke to the board members during a wall-walk presentation that featured items he was engaged with in terms of Indigenous education processes. (A future story will have more information on the wall walk).