My first Pro-D day!

Yesterday was Professional Development day in Vancouver where teachers and administrators have the day to attend workshops, conferences, seminars, take courses, etc.  I chose to attend the BCTLA Conference which stands for BC Teacher Librarians' Association.  I figure after a couple years down the road  and having some teaching experience, I would take courses at UBC to become a teacher librarian. That's my long-term plan.  I've always loved reading books as a kid and a teenager.  It's sad that I don't have the time to anymore since the teaching program I'm in is intense! I have a page long list of books I want to read! Hopefully, during my Christmas break I'll get a chance to read a few books.

http://bctf.ca/bctla/

The conference was unbelievable! The conference was sponsored by kidsbooks and there were over 30 vendors present.  It was held at Burnaby Mountain Secondary School (BMSS).  There were many student volunteers available to help out for the event.  We were provided with boxed lunches, coffee, croissants, danishes, brownies, fruits, and more. It was catered by BMSS students in the catering program.  I thought they did a fabulous job!  I also bought an Art book for my nephew for Christmas.  It's called Art Treasury and it's absolutely wonderful!  He's been painting since he was two!

http://sd41.bc.ca/programs/career/pdf/cook_training.pdf

The three workshops I chose to attend were: 1) Great New Books for Grades K to 8. 2) The 35 Best Web 2.0 Classroom Tools: Prezis, Glogs, Blogs, Museum Box, Popplets and More! and 3) Creativity: THE 21st Century Skill. I enjoyed them all! Especially the first one.  Here is a list of New Books for 2011 from kidsbooks.

http://www.kidsbooks.ca/default.aspx

Picture Books

Brown, Monica. Waiting For the Biblioburro.  Tricyle, 2011
Bruel, Nick.  A Bad Kitty Christmas.  Roaring Brook, 2011
Cutbill, Andy.  First Week at Cow School.  HarperCollins, 2011
Jeffers, Oliver.  Stuck.  HarperCollins, 2011
Lester, Helen. Wodney Wat's Wobot. Lynn Munsinger. Houghton Mifflin, 2011
Lewis, J Patrick.  And the Soldiers Sang. Gary Kelley. The Creative Co, 2011
Offill, Jenny.  Experiments That Failed.  Schwartz & Wade, 2011
Reid, Barbara.  Picture a Tree.  Scholastic, 2011
Reynolds, Peter.  I'm here.  S & S, 2011
Rosenthal, Amy Krouse.  Al Pha's Bet.  Delphine Durand.  Putnam, 2011
Rosenthal, Amy Krouse.  This Plus That.  Jen Corace.  HarperCollins, 2011

Non- Fiction

Carle, Eric.  The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse.  Philomel, 2011
Hoffman, Mary.  Great Big Book of Families.  Frances Lincoln, 2011
Say, Allen.  Drawing From Memory.  Scholastic, 2011
Williams, Marcia.  Ancient Egypt Tales of Gods and Pharoahs.  Candlewick, 2011
Young, Ed.   The House That Baba Built.  Little, Brown, 2011

Fiction
Angleberger, Tom.  Darth Paper Strikes Back.  Amulet, 2011
Avi.  City of Orphans.  Atheneum, 2011
Banks, Lynne Reid.  Bad Cat Good Cat.  HarperCollins, 2011
Carey, Benedict.  Island of the Unknowns.  Amulet, 2011
Clements, Andrew.  Trouble Maker.  Atheneum, 2011
Deedy, Carmen Agra.  The Cheshire Cheese Cat.  Peachtree, 2011
Gibbs, Stuart.  Last Musketeer.  HarperCollins, 2011
Meloy, Maile.  The Apothecary.  Penguin, 2011
Mills, Claudia.  Fractions = Trouble.  FS&G, 2011
Morpurgo, Michael.  Elephant in the Garden.  HarperCollins, 2011
Selznick, Brian.  Wonderstruck.  Scholastic, 2011
Sparkes, Ali.  S.W.I.T.C.H. series.  Oxford, 2011
Willems, Mo.  Happy Pig Day!  Hyperion, 2011
Wolitzer, Meg.  Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman.  Penguin, 2011

What a great selection of books and all contained themes and lessons!! The book "First Week at Cow School" was for kids who didn't quite fit the perfect mold.  "Wodney Wat's Wobot" had issues on self-esteem.  "Stuck" is about a cause-effect disaster.  "Happy Pig Day" is great for preschoolers and children just starting to read.  "I'm here" is about a child who is autistic and feels disconnected from other children.  "This Plus That" is about little mathematical equations.  "Al Pha's Bet" shows how the Alphabet got its name (fiction).  "11 Experiments that Failed" gives hilarious examples of experiments you may or may not want to try out.  They were all great!

My goody bag!

Sensory Rooms

Today, for my practicum observations I was at Van Horne elementary school.  One of the really neat things I learned was that they had a sensory room.  Unfortunately, during the time I went to check it out on the ground floor, the room was locked and not being used.  Sensory rooms are used as therapy rooms for children with autism and other developmental disorders.  A typical sensory room may look like a playground of light, color and sound but for children with autism and other developmental disorders, it is a place of comfort.  Besides having sparkling lights and soothing music, the room may also contain soft play furniture such as a trampoline, a rocking chair, mirrors, a waterbed, a large board, as well as other areas for work or play.

Some examples:
http://www.leaderpost.com/Health/Photo+gallery+Jean+Vanier+sensory+room/1593342/story.html?id=1593342

Smart Boards

Today, I went to David Livingstone Elementary school for my 2nd week of practicum observations. We are rotating between four schools before we get our placements at the end of October.
Last week, I went to Collingwood Neighbourhood school which was a cute little school that taught Kindergarten to Grade 3.

What's interesting about David Livingstone is that every single classroom has a smart board.  A smart board is an interactive white board.


David Livingstone Elementary School located in beautiful Vancouver were the pioneers to use smart boards in BC.  In 2003, they were the first to have it in their classrooms.  Today, numerous schools throughout BC have smart boards in their classrooms.

I think they are absolutely amazing!  I believe it revolutionizes the way a teacher can teach students.  It engages students and can support diverse learners.  You can do so much with it.  You can get your students involved during the lesson and have them highlight words and choose the right answers, etc.  You can show video clips, read books, show pictures, play games, movies, and so forth.  And, it allows you to be creative with your lessons.

I have to admit I'm extremely inept when it comes to technology but I would really like to excel using smart boards.  Gone are the days of screechy chalk against the blackboard or getting markers on your clothes!