Last week we had the privilege to attend two Focused Ed Professional Development (PD) online sessions with teachers and school staff members. I joined one on The Digital Classroom with Lisa Read, and another on student cybersecurity with Mike Silverton. Both sessions felt very relevant to our future classrooms.
The Digital Classroom session walked us through different online resources available to schools and how to navigate them effectively. I appreciated how practical it was. One resource that stood out to me was 4 Canoes, because it was created through collaboration with Indigenous communities and elders. As a future teacher, I think it is so important to use authentic Indigenous resources, so learning about this platform was really valuable.
The cybersecurity session also made me think more deeply about digital literacy. It focused on topics like strong passwords, digital footprints, and online safety. I realized that we cannot assume students automatically know how to protect themselves online just because they grew up around technology. Overall, these sessions reinforced that teaching with technology also means teaching students how to use it responsibly and safely.
Link to Focused Education Resources: