Sonya's Teaching Blog

Students these days live in a digital world. They learn, play and communicate using computers and technology in ever changing and evolving ways. Unfortunately, many of us tasked with teaching children to safely and ethically navigate this digital world, including parents and teachers, were not raised with the use of these same technologies. So how are we to teach digital literacy if we ourselves are still, in many cases, learning these skills ourselves? Thankfully, there are many tools and lesson plans available for teachers and parents out there. Below, I have rounded up a few useful links and lessons for those wanting to help educate kids on how to navigate the digital world. If you're just looking for ready-made lessons, the most thorough and recommended ready-to-use resource I found was a program called My World . This tutorial set gives students tasks using tools they are likely familiar with - such as a search engine and a social media site - to help them navigate differ...

I have always loved to read a wide variety of books. I equally enjoyed the YA fiction pulled out of the library, the "intellectual" books given out as required reading, and the random novels in my mother's bookshelf. However, I am well aware that not all young people share this interest. Those of us who have worked in a Secondary School Environment can imagine the following scenario all too well: A grade 10 student comes into the library weary because he has to submit an intended reading list and goals for the year. The teacher is excited about his/her new syllabus and is making attempts to slowly integrate more choice in reading in combination with the required novels assigned.  The only novels he has ever finished, reluctantly, have been the ones that were required reading in class. He dislikes reading and the idea of finishing one novel let alone a pre-determined list for the year is overwhelming. He is thinking of dropping the class. How do we take this situation...