Ancestry Project Blog: Canadian Culture & History Meets Education & E-Learning
COVID and Culture: Is Namaste or Bowing Better than the Handshake?
Ever since SARS I have felt reluctant to shake hands and touch objects like subway handrails. Now that we are deep into the first round of the pandemic it’s worth asking questions about how we will interact in the future. Is the handshake doomed? Will people drop the custom and replace it with namaste or bowing?
Zoom Fatigue: How Educators Can Replace Live Video Lectures with Asynchronous Course Work
Teachers are tired and stressed. Traditionally, they have had worries about job security. safety at schools, whether they will be paid for prep work and extracurricular activities and a host of other aspects in their routines. But now, in the age of pandemic, the worry turns to tech and issues of time. How does this software work? How will it help me? How will I find the time to learn how to use it?
Mike’s Guide to Online Meeting and Video Conference Software (Zoom, Skype, Meet, Teams)
How Can You Choose Between Online Meeting and Video Conference Software? (Zoom vs Skype vs Meet vs Teams) In the age of COVID-19 there’s a new interest in online meeting tools. Whether it’s a kindergarten or university class, chat between friends or business meetings,...
Reflections on Black History Month (Plus 5 Free Resources for Teachers)
Above: Michaëlle Jean and Donovan Bailey, tow of the immigrants featured in Mike’s Famous Caribbean Canadians unit. February is Black History Month Black History Month is an important education opportunity that comes every February. What does Black...
Podcast Launch Features New Year’s Resolutions
We are pleased to announce the launch of the Ancestry Project podcast. The first episode is “New Year’s Resolutions” and features student and teacher PDF and audio streams and downloads (free MP3 download for registered users). The episode discusses...
Teaching and Studying In Flanders Fields and other Poetry
Introduction This post was inspired by the process of creating the combined Ancestry Project document, “Famous Canadians: John McCrae / Poetry Study: In Flanders Fields and Other Poems by John McCrae” Access the document by registering and downloading the full...
“I Have a Message for You” – Miracle Holocaust Story in New York Times Op-Docs (Video)
“To escape Auschwitz, she left her father to die. Decades later she got a message from him” This incredibly moving documentary is by Matan Rochlitz, a filmmaker and a musician based in Rome, Italy. The subject, Kara, is the 92-year-old neighbour of his...
How Narrative and Storytelling Engage Memory and Inspire Learning
The Edutopia article “The Neuroscience of Narrative and Memory,” by Judy Willis, offers some insights into the value of storytelling in classroom instruction. Willis is an author, neurologist and educator, who has presented on video games and education at...
Remembrance Day and Famous Canadians Resource: John McCrae (In Flanders Fields)
Reading and Listening Resources: Preview Available Now There may be no finer Canadian to profile for the “Famous Canadians” units than John McCrae, the soldier poet who penned the infamous “In Flanders Fields,” a poem of international renown....