I recently worked on a mind map for a Differentiated Instruction assignment.
Here is the final map.

Ms. Shirany Yogendran's blog has some great resources and I absolutely loved her link to the TED Ed video on "Can you solve the Bridge Riddle?".  A great resource to help students develop their critical thinking skills in co-operative learning groups.

http://syogendran.blogspot.ca/

Ms. Ashleigh Williams is an elementary teacher with loads of resources on her blog to make student learning and teacher lesson design fun and interactive.  Check out her blog for great info on Google Slides, creating your own YouTube channel, Quizlet, Instagram, Green Screen Technology and many more....!

http://awill13.blogspot.ca/

Showcasing another great fellow teacher's blog, I invite you to check out Daniel Rasquinha's blog.

He has been very involved in making interesting and engaging instructional videos on topics that all teachers struggle with when trying to integrate technology into the classroom; Quizlet, Instagram, Google Drive, Google Slides, Meme Generator, Breakout EDU... and many more. Happy Viewing!

http://mrrasquinha.blogspot.ca/

A fellow traveller in the journey of educational technology (albeit one who is far more advanced in her journey than I) Angela Kurmey, runs an excellent BLOG on Integrating Technology in the Classroom.

A veteran of Technology use in the Classroom, Ms. Kurmey's blog includes tutorials on how to navigate and master GAFE programs such as Google Forms and Extensions for Teachers, as well as other tools such as Coggle, SumoPaint and PowToon.  Enjoy!

http://adkurmey.blogspot.ca/

Over the past year, I've been activity searching for links that my students could use to help them in understanding concepts in chemistry.

Below I am sharing a few Symbaloo Webmixes of Chemistry links that I have found helpful for my classes.

Feel free to review and comment on their helpfulness in understanding chemistry lesson topics.

Symbaloo Webmix 1

Symbaloo Webmix 2

Symbaloo Webmix 3

In my research, I came Across the Youtube Channel of Tyler DeWitt.  You can find a link to his Tube Channel on the Symbaloo shared earlier or link to it here.

He's a fellow Chemistry teacher that has gone above and beyond in creating simple, easy to understand short videos to explain topics that some students find challenging in senior level chemistry classes.  In 2013 he was invited to present a TED Talk on his unique approach to reaching his students and the source of his motivation.  An excellent talk that resonates with all invested teachers.  :)

Tyler DeWitt: Hey science teachers -- make it fun

This TED Talk speaks to me as an immigrant.

For every complaint we level at overseas labour, we fail to consider the desperate circumstances of our fellow human beings living there, and the desperation of their families to push them towards a better life. Technology has emerged as the driving force of economic mobility in many countries but it also brings with it challenging social change that can place immense pressure on individuals and traditions.

The interesting story of our educational system | Adhitya Iyer | 

I put together this Symbaloo Webmix for Additional ICT Resources of links I found especially useful.

Please review and let me know what you think.

So things got interesting these past few weeks.... I've decided that my next steps will be to flip the classroom.

I have, over the years, encountered serious backlog over the lack of time to properly review and take up problem-solving questions in class.  This has mainly been hampered by the insane amount of curriculum that is expected to be covered at the gr. 12 chemistry level.  

How is this related to Hangouts...?

As part of my Assignment in my ICT class, I had to present Google Hangouts on Air. I've noticed some of my more savvy colleagues have begun to create instructional videos in place of the traditional notes and verbal instructions.  

I thought, why not me?  

And so I made my first instructional Video on Google Hangouts... and 

I WAS HOOKED!

I see so much potential with this technology.  Even if I start with just creating short videos outlining the curriculum, I could use classroom time to do actual problems in class and help kids where they need it most; in the practice and problem-solving portion!

Enjoy my Hangouts video :)  Next Project:  Flipping the SCH4U classroom!

I recently came across a short TED talk by a 12-year old boy who has created and developed Apps.  An inspiration to both students who want to develop Apps and teachers who want to support them.

A 12-year-old app developer | Thomas Suarez

As classrooms get bigger, funding gets tighter, resources dwindle, and students come in with a broader spectrum of struggles and strengths, blended learning through Intelligent Adaptive Learning (IAL) technology is a method of supporting teachers in the classrooms in this resource-tight and time-restricted environment.

Blending technology and classroom learning: Jessie Woolley-Wilson at TEDxRainier

As an educator, I have a keen awareness that not all students exhibit positive classroom behaviour. Sometimes it is that they are simply having a bad day; the could have had a fight with their parents, their friends, their boyfriends... They could just be sore over the fact that they skipped breakfast and the cafeteria ran out of their favourite sandwich this morning.

And many times, their lack of motivation, their distractedness and bad behaviour, can stem from a very real and profound trauma that they have not been able to process or get over.  I realize that I cannot fix the world's problems but, it still angers me that as a society, we are reactive rather than proactive.  We cannot help children if we suspect a bad situation because the laws say that we have to wait for something bad to occur, have evidence, before we can step in.  Maybe this is why this TED Talk hits so close to my heart as an educator and as a parent.

I hope this video can spread the message for change.

How childhood trauma affects health across a lifetime | Nadine Burke Harris