December EdTech Monthly Newsletter

Can you believe it's already December?

We hope that you have a wonderful rest of December and that you have a wonderful winter break. Thank you all for subscribing to the TIPS EdTech Monthly Newsletter. We hope the newsletter continues to bring you some great technology tips and updates, and we look forward to connecting with you all again in the new year!

Every month, we will be featuring a person, school, or event to showcase inspiration, innovation, and/or leadership in the technology space.

Fred Kong, Assistant Principal at Old Scona Academic School, is on a mission to make education smarter (and a little more fun) with AI. From speeding up reference letters to designing personalized lessons, Fred uses tools like Google Gemini, NotebookLM, and ChatGPT to save time for what matters most: students and staff.

Gone are the days of agonizing over every word in a reference letter—thanks to generative AI, Fred cranks them out faster and reclaims weekends for important things—like watching cat videos with his kids. Seeing how AI works wonders, Fred organized PD sessions where teachers learned to streamline tasks, give meaningful feedback, and even create chatbots. Once skeptical, teachers are now onboard, seeing AI as a partner, not the second coming of Skynet, ready to wipe out humanity—starting with teachers.

Fred’s journey with AI has been all about “playing in the sandbox.” By experimenting with tools, attending sessions, and diving into online courses, he’s learning right alongside his staff. His goal? To help everyone embrace AI to enhance learning, boost creativity, and, most importantly, free up time for more important things—like watching cat videos. Looking ahead, Fred’s excited to see how AI will continue to improve teaching, learning, and growth at Old Scona.

The NotebookLM podcast recording is back again, this time going through the highlights of this December Newsletter. This is just a taste of what NotebookLM can do - it can transform text into engaging audio experiences, opening up new possibilities for learning and communication.

Check out our After School Tech Tips Playlist weekly on Wednesdays at 3:45 PM. These videos can also be found on our PL Calendar. Subscribe to our channel to get all of the updates. The lineup for December is:

• December 4th: Integrated Gemini for Education Upgrade with Google Workspace (Google Docs/Sheets/Slides)

• December 11th: Integrated Gemini for Education Upgrade with Google Workspace (Gmail and Drive)

• December 18th: Integrated Gemini for Education Upgrade - Creating Your Own Custom Chatbot with Building Gems

This online after school session introduces attendees to the principles of building positive digital schools, grounded by the 5 Digital Citizenship competencies as the groundwork for holistic planning for school implementation. Participants will reflect on the value of building relationships when considering ways to empower students to be responsible, participatory or justice oriented digital citizens in the school community and beyond. Registration via PDR.

In today’s digital age, students need skills such as critical thinking, discerning fact from fiction, effective communication strategies, and reflective technology and social media use. Cultivating a Positive Digital Culture from K-12 is a four-session series (January 22, February 25, April 9, and May 14) designed to help schools create plans and strategies to help K-12 students gain skills necessary for the digital age, foster a safe and responsible digital environment, and tackle online situations of concern. Through learning, conversations, collaboration, and an action-research plan, this session is designed for leaders at all levels. Registration via PDR for this Leadership Series

For schools that want to live stream school events, the two Division supported platforms are Google Meet and YouTube. If you are looking for more information on these, check out our live streaming resources.

Want to keep up to date with technology tips and tricks or hear more TIPS updates?

• Click the "Subscribe" button at the bottom of this newsletter (if you're not already subscribed)
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More Questions? Looking for technology PD for your school? Email the TIPS team or connect with your TIPS team member directly. Bookmark our TIPS.epsb.ca website for more updates and resources.