I definitely agree that we need to put effort into learning about in order to improve teaching and learning. It is difficult because it feels like another thing teachers have to do during their spare time however, I feel more motivated to bring attention to the importance of digital equity.

I think this would be another challenge when is comes to having technology in the classroom. After this quote it talks about the documentary that compares two neighbouring schools where one has access to a lot of technology and the other one does not and the implications of that. I can relate to this documentary a little bit because even within my school some departments have several chrome carts for their classes whereas my department does not have any chrome carts (we have just never applied for funding and departments don't usually like sharing technology). However, my point is even within my school we have this divide and sometimes I feel like the students who have access to the chrome books in their other classes get a better education because they have access to more advanced technology.

I try to tell my students everyday all the ways they can implement what they learn in the classroom into their everyday lives. I feel like it makes it a lot more real and easier to remember when the students make those connections. Since I teach French and Spanish I would also love to teach my students how to build their language skills using technology other than using google translate.

This is an excellent point! I often just assume students will know what to do when technology is placed into their hands however, if I took some time to learn effective ways to use iPads in the classroom and for learning French/Spanish I think that could really expand student's learning. On top of that whatever we do in class they could potentially do on their own at home. We even have a mac cart at work so it would be very easy to implement.

This is an amazing idea. I would have never thought to start a movement where teachers would come together and have a coherent vision when using technology to support learning. If we implement that vision I think it could help with some of the challenges we face when using technology and it would help students to see the value of using technology in the classroom for learning.

I really do think technology has enhanced learning and I honestly don't know what I would do without it. Everything from, Kahoot to google classroom to youtube clips it has made learning in the classroom more engaging and my life easier. That being said technology does come with its challenges and is not always assessable to everyone.

I wonder if it particularly the case for females because woman are encouraged to share how they are feeling a lot more than men are and therefore are more vocal about feeling anxiety.

I feel like one of the reasons why we don't know a lot about how to support and accommodate anxious children at school is because a lot of the anxiousness starts at home. The education system can do a lot to help students with anxiety, and I think we should do everything we can to help these students, but at the end of the day if something doesn't change at home, how much can we really expect things to improve at school?

Hi Adrienne, did this work?

The doctor being interviewed talked about how children and teens cope with anxiety and the importance of recognizing and understanding that their anxieties are real to them. It was a good reminder to not only validate my students in their academics but also in how they feel.

I wish I had read this when I started teaching. Sometimes my ways of thinking were so old school. If a student skipped my class I immediately assumed it was because they didn't want to be there, they didn't like me, they thought the class was boring. What I should have done was think about other reasons why a student would not come to class, especially if they are consistently not showing up to class.

It is encouraging to read how we are learning more about trauma. It is something we need to be talking about more in schools and provide training on. I recently organized a Pro-D with a workshop on Trauma Informed Practice and we plan on continuing with this topic for our summer Pro-D. I used to think trauma was only for those who experienced a catastrophic or life-threatening event but now I know that is not always the case.

I never really understood anxiety until my recent years in teaching. Especially how “anxiety presents in our students in many ways. Some examples are: not attending school, refusal to ride the bus, difficulty being in a full classroom, afraid to leave their parent each day, anxious about working on academics that they struggle with and more” (Preibisch, 2016, p.5). I used to not realize that my students would feel anxious about things I have never felt anxious about. I have also learned that everyone deals anxiety on different levels and we all have different coping strategies to deal with it and sometimes we don’t even realize the things we do every day are our way of coping. For example, binge watching tv shows, playing video games, online shopping etc.