Ten Things I Learned – December 5, 2023 Update

I was sad to hear of Myles Goodwyn‘s death. Myles was the lead singer of April Wine, a Canadian band that had quite an influence on my musical tastes.

Want to your open WordPress links in a new tab as the default? “External Links in New Window / New Tab” is your solution.

Google has a speed test webpage. (I’ve added it to my Google A-Z page.)

Continue reading “Ten Things I Learned – December 5, 2023 Update”

Tech Ed AQ and ABQ Courses – Fall 2023

Course: Communications Technology Grades 9/10 (Queen’s)
URL: https://www.otffeo.on.ca/en/learning/pd-calendar/events/communications-technology-grades-910-abq-queens-fall-online/

Course: Honour Specialist Technological Education (Queen’s)
URL: https://www.otffeo.on.ca/en/learning/pd-calendar/events/honour-specialist-technological-education-aq-queens-fall-online/

Course: Technological Design Grades 9/10 (Queen’s)
URL: https://www.otffeo.on.ca/en/learning/pd-calendar/events/technological-design-grades-9-10-abq-queens-fall-online/

Course: ABQ Communications Technology, Grades 11 and 12 (Windsor)
URL: https://www.otffeo.on.ca/en/learning/pd-calendar/events/abq-communications-technology-grades-11-and-12-windsor-fall-online/

Course: ABQ Communications Technology, Grades 9 and 10 (Windsor)
URL: https://www.otffeo.on.ca/en/learning/pd-calendar/events/abq-communications-technology-grades-9-and-10-windsor-fall-online/

Course: ABQ Green Industries, Grades 11 and 12 (Windsor)
URL: https://www.otffeo.on.ca/en/learning/pd-calendar/events/abq-green-industries-grades-11-and-12-windsor-fall-online/

Course: ABQ Green Industries, Grades 9 and 10 (Windsor)
URL: https://www.otffeo.on.ca/en/learning/pd-calendar/events/abq-green-industries-grades-9-and-10-windsor-fall-online/

Am I missing any? If so, please let me know in the comments below or at the site formerly know as Twitter at @pbeens or Mastodon at mstdn.ca/@pbeens. Thanks!

Why AI Won’t Be Replacing Teachers Anytime Soon

Read the original article here.

While AI has made significant progress in recent years, it is unlikely to replace teachers anytime soon. One reason for this is that AI lacks the ability to understand human emotions and social cues, which are essential for effective teaching. Additionally, AI is not capable of providing the same level of personalized attention that human teachers can provide.

Another reason why AI is unlikely to replace teachers is that education is not just about imparting knowledge but also about developing critical thinking skills and creativity. These skills are difficult to teach using AI, which relies on pre-programmed algorithms and lacks the ability to think outside the box. Furthermore, AI cannot provide the same level of feedback and guidance that human teachers can provide.

Despite these limitations, AI can still play a valuable role in education. For example, it can be used to automate administrative tasks such as grading and record-keeping, freeing up teachers’ time to focus on teaching. Additionally, AI can be used to provide students with personalized learning experiences by adapting to their individual needs and learning styles.

In conclusion, while AI has made significant progress in recent years, it is unlikely to replace human teachers anytime soon. While it can be used to automate administrative tasks and provide personalized learning experiences, it lacks the ability to understand human emotions and social cues and cannot provide the same level of feedback and guidance that human teachers can provide.

(Article has been summarized using Bing Chat)

Tech Ed Courses Offered Summer 2023

Institution: Brock
When: Late Summer 2023
Course: Construction Technology: Grades 9 & 10
Event URL: https://www.otffeo.on.ca/en/learning/pd-calendar/events/construction-technology-grades-9-10-abq-brock-late-summer-online/

Institution: ETFO
When: Summer 2023
Course: Science and Technology, Grades 7 and 8
Event URL: https://www.otffeo.on.ca/en/learning/pd-calendar/events/science-and-technology-grades-7-and-8-etfo-summer-online/

Institution: ETFO
When: Summer 2023
Course: Science and Technology, Primary and Junior, Part 1
Event URL: https://www.otffeo.on.ca/en/learning/pd-calendar/events/science-and-technology-primary-and-junior-part-1-etfo-summer-online/

Institution: OISE
When: Summer 2023
Course: Technological Education Honour Specialist
Event URL: https://www.otffeo.on.ca/en/learning/pd-calendar/events/technological-education-honour-specialist-aq-oise-summer-online/

Institution: Queen’s
When: Summer 2023
Course: Communications Technology Grades 11/12
Event URL: https://www.otffeo.on.ca/en/learning/pd-calendar/events/communications-technology-grades-1112-abq-queens-summer-online/

Institution: Queen’s
When: Summer 2023
Course: Communications Technology Grades 9/10
Event URL: https://www.otffeo.on.ca/en/learning/pd-calendar/events/communications-technology-grades-910-abq-queens-summer-online/

Institution: Queen’s
When: Summer 2023
Course: Computer Technology Grades 9/10
Event URL: https://www.otffeo.on.ca/en/learning/pd-calendar/events/computer-technology-grades-910-abq-queens-summer-online/

Institution: Queen’s
When: Summer 2023
Course: Green Industries Grades 9/10
Event URL: https://www.otffeo.on.ca/en/learning/pd-calendar/events/green-industries-grades-910-abq-queens-summer-online/

Institution: Queen’s
When: Summer 2023
Course: Green Industries, Grades 11 & 12
Event URL: https://www.otffeo.on.ca/en/learning/pd-calendar/events/green-industries-grades-11-and-12-abq-queens-summer-online/

Institution: Queen’s
When: Summer 2023
Course: Honour Specialist Technological Education
Event URL: https://www.otffeo.on.ca/en/learning/pd-calendar/events/honour-specialist-technological-education-aq-queens-summer-online/

Institution: Queen’s
When: Summer 2023
Course: Technological Design Grades 11/12
Event URL: https://www.otffeo.on.ca/en/learning/pd-calendar/events/technological-design-grades-1112-abq-queens-summer-online/

Institution: Queen’s
When: Summer 2023
Course: Technological Design Grades 9/10
Event URL: https://www.otffeo.on.ca/en/learning/pd-calendar/events/technological-design-grades-910-abq-queens-summer-online/

Institution: Windsor
When: Summer 2023
Course: ABQ Technological Design, Grades 11 and 12
Event URL: https://www.otffeo.on.ca/en/learning/pd-calendar/events/abq-technological-design-grades-11-and-12-windsor-summer-online/

Institution: Windsor
When: Summer 2023
Course: ABQ Technological Design, Grades 9 and 10
Event URL: https://www.otffeo.on.ca/en/learning/pd-calendar/events/abq-technological-design-grades-9-and-10-windsor-summer-online/

Am I missing any? Please let me know @ peter@beens.ca or comment below.

Ontario Curriculum Archive

Ontario educators, I’ve attempted to archive all curriculum-related documents here.

Please let me know if I’m missing anything.

If you have any old documents in your possession, please reach out to me via the comments below (or Twitter) and I’ll send you my email address.

If you wish to respond by Twitter, you can do so here.

https://github.com/pbeens/Curriculum/tree/master/Canada/Ontario

The 26th Annual Zoom International Student Film Festival

From an email shared on the Communications Technology email list:

The 26th Annual Zoom International Student Film Festival is now open for submissions! The festival is open to all high school students worldwide between the ages of 14-18 and it’s free to enter. It’s a great opportunity for students to showcase their work on an international scale! The festival will take place on April 20th @ 7PM. Deadline to submit a film is April 14th. For more information about the festival and/or to submit a film go to: https://earlhaig.ca/zoom/

Snippets #4

 

Welcome to the 4th in my series of “snippets” blog posts. See here for previous ones.

GitHub and Macs

Are you using GitHub and on a Mac? Here’s an excellent .gitignore file you can use that will keep all those pesky ._ files out of your repository:

https://github.com/github/gitignore/blob/master/Global/macOS.gitignore

Need to Record System Audio Using Camtasia on a Mac M1 Computer?

Setting up to record system audio using Camtasia on a Mac M1 computer is a bit of a nuisance. See here for the instructions:

https://support.techsmith.com/hc/en-us/articles/360055945312

Data Analysis Content in the Ontario Curriculum? 

My tweet:

https://twitter.com/pbeens/status/1374460114241921028

There were lots of responses! You can check them out here.

Keyboard Shortcuts on a Mac

I recently bought a new Mac but my Mac keyboard shortcut skills are quite rusty. This page has helped me immensely to get back in the groove.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201236

Today’s coronavirus news: Ontario reports record 4,456 COVID-19 cases, 21 deaths; 1,513 patients are currently in Ontario hospitals due to the virus, with 605 in intensive care

It’s pretty sad that Canada’s per-capita rate of Covid is higher than the US. Please, stay home everyone, and get vaccinated as soon as you’re eligible.

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2021/04/11/coronavirus-covid-19-updates-toronto-ontario-canada-april-11.html 

Your Moment: Getting You Ready for Retirement (OTPP Retirement Planning Webinars)

Join the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP) for a virtual presentation to learn about one of your most important financial assets: your pension.

You have been contributing to your pension throughout your career. Now that you’re thinking about retiring, find out how this asset fits into your financial picture.

This interactive and informative presentation will provide you with everything you need to know about preparing for retirement, and what to expect throughout the retirement application process.

You have 10 dates to choose from. Each presentation will be the same, so please choose a date below and click on it to register. Each session is about 1.5 hours with a Q&A session. Two days before the date you selected, you will receive another email with information on how to join the virtual presentation.

March

April

May

Source: OTF Mail List