Professional development at pub
Catholic district educators, staff tweet with bar-based colleagues across Canada
Evan Kiyoshi French
Northern News Services
Friday, February 26, 2016
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Mixing alcohol and Twitter did not concern the Yellowknife Catholic Schools district staff who took part in a coast-to-coast education-themed Twitter event while sipping beverages at the Black Knight Pub last Thursday.
Weledeh School teacher Holly Kavanaugh joined Yellowknife Catholic Schools administrators Claudia Parker, superintendent, and associate-assistant superintendent Simone Gessler at the Black Knight Pub Feb. 18 for a cross-country education-themed Twitter event, #pubpd. - Evan Kiyoshi French/NNSL photo |
Simone Gessler, associate assistant-superintendent for YCS said the organizers behind #pubpd wanted to get the nation's educators talking about common issues and chose to send them to their local pubs and taverns in order to inspire sociability.
"I think it's just about the social aspect (of being in a pub)," said Gessler, looking over her laptop screen at a crowded table of YCS staff members. "The location is totally irrelevant."
Superintendent Claudia Parker - after announcing YCS staff would participate in the event during a meeting of trustees last week - said those attending were going to talk about education, not for an evening of drinking.
"I want you all to know that we're not just going to a pub," she said.
On Thursday evening, Parker said YCS participants were focused on the digital conversation they were involved in.
"Not too much drinking," she said.
The participants were asked to introduce themselves, to state what their ideal professional development (PD) looks like, how they keep current with ongoing advancements in education, what professional development grants are available to them in their areas, plus more.
Parker tweeted about the opportunities for personal development for NWT teachers.
"We have great PD opportunities. Each teacher has their own personal PD account. They can save up their funds for two years," she wrote. Later, she added teachers can attend afterschool workshops to earn $25 per hour toward their personal development account, funding their allotment for training and research, which helps them improve their programming.
Seanna Stewart, a Weledeh teacher who attended the pub event, tweeted her excitement at having Parker tweeting away next to her.
"This is so important to YCS that we have our superintendent tweeting with us!" she wrote.
On Friday, Gessler said the evening was especially rewarding for Stewart.
"Seanna Stewart, one of the teachers who participated in the hour-long live Twitter chat, won a free registration to any EdTechTeam Summit in Canada in the next year," she wrote in an e-mail.
Gessler's tweets focused on grant money.
"I agree @tomshepp. Always looking for grant money and there is very little in Canada. It's frustrating," she wrote. "We do have government funding for different initiatives at the territorial level that you can apply for."
Parker said the group behind the tweeting session - MapleSyrupEDU.ca - plans to hold further sessions in the coming months. For the first session, only YCS staff were involved but organizers hope it will grow, said Parker.
A spokesperson for MapleSyrupEDU did not respond before press time.
