Professional development Archives

Workshop 2: AI and Disinformation

Lessons and activities that help learners develop strategies to verify information in a landscape where
AI is used to create content.

Links shared in Workshop 2

Links shared in chat

From Tracey Mollins: I did not share the link but I mentioned this.
- Perry Carpenter and FAIK – https://www.thisbookisfaik.com/
- He is selling a book but there are some good articles under the resources tab. This one describes the FAIK framework: The FAIK Factor: Your Shield Against Digital Deception
- It is basically lateral reading and very similar to the SIFT framework that CTRL-F uses but some of the ways he talks about emotional intelligence is interesting.

Links from AI in Daily Life Workshop 3 slides

Workshop 3: AI Ethics and Bias

Lessons and activities that help learners explore ethical questions
about using AI and how AI perpetuates biases and
stereotypes.

Links shared in Workshop 3

Links from AI in Daily Life Workshop 4 slides

Workshop 4: AI in the Classroom

Lessons and activities for discussing AI guidelines and using
AI to complete tasks.

Links shared in Workshop 4

AlphaPlus AI resource list
AI to Create and Manage Learning Activities by Shawn McCusker: 2024 12 AI for Educators

AI and Climate

Reducing AI Waste – EdTech Center
The AI data centre boom is coming to Canada — and it’s thirsty

AI and intellectual property (copyright) transparency

Citing generative AI – U of Ottawa
This page is in French but for English speakers, a description of the logos is available in English.

AI Literacy Day

An initiative from MediaSmarts at https://mediasmarts.ca/canada-ai-literacy-day

Workshop 4 Slides

This resource from AlphaPlus was created by Tracey Mollins after a workshop series called AI in daily life: Exploring Learning Resources.

Visible Thinking Routines

What are visible thinking routines?

Project Zero (at Harvard) defines a thinking routine as a set of questions or a brief sequence of steps used to scaffold and support student thinking. Thinking routines are designed to deepen students’ thinking and to help make that thinking “visible.” Visible thinking refers to any observable representation that documents and supports the development of a learner’s ongoing thoughts, questions, reasons and reflections. Examples include mind maps, charts, lists, diagrams, worksheets — anything that reveals learners’ unfolding ideas as they think through an issue, problem or topic.

Visible thinking routines and adult learners

Adult learners bring a wealth of life experience but also unique challenges (such as fear of failure due to past schooling experiences, or gaps in foundational skills). Thinking routines offer a supportive framework that respects adult learners’ perspectives and promotes active learning, rather than the passive, lecture-driven methods some adults may recall from school.

Visible thinking routines workshop series

In these workshops we looked at how visible thinking routines can be incorporated into adult literacy instruction. Using existing instructional materials, these routines can enhance learners’ ability to activate prior knowledge, make connections and predictions, retain information, think critically, and more. We explored ways that educational technologies can enhance the impact of these strategies and make lessons more engaging.

You can find links to all the resources we used in the workshops in this document.

Workshop Resources

Workshop 1:

What are visible thinking routines, how do they help learners, and what do they look like in action?

Workshop 2:

How can educational technologies enhance visible thinking strategies?

Workshop 3:

How can I utilize visible thinking strategies with my existing resources?

This resource from AlphaPlus was created by Tracey Mollins after a workshop series called Enhancing Literacy Skills with Visible Thinking Routines.

Learn Together: Creative Writing (Poetry) – Express yourself creatively

In June 2026 we facilitated a 3-part exploration of how to keep creativity flowing in the literacy classroom. We are going to take a dive into resources, tools and approaches that support creative writing instruction. We

Explored lesson plans that encourage creative expression, reading and writing.
Provided opportunities for participants to into your their creativity.
Expanded participant lists of Open Education Resources.
Experimented with digital tools that can support writing skills and the development of digital competencies.

We took a look at learning resources that:

Enhance our knowledge of how AI works and how to evaluate its outputs
Expand our capacity to detect images and content produced by AI
Encourage learners to reflect on the use of AI in their learning journey

These resources include teacher-facing guides, instructions, objectives and/or teaching tips and support instructors to:

Cover a topic comprehensively.
Build a series of lessons that flow together.
Co-learn rather than feel pressure to be the expert.

Workshop Outline

You can find links to all the resources we used in the workshops in this document.

Workshop Resources

Workshop 1:
Creating something from something

We explored how we can create poetry even if we have never read or written a poem
before. We looked at

how creating something from something fosters a growth mindset.
two resources for learning about what poetry is;
two forms of found poetry that are a place to start;

Workshop 2:
Quiet observations and form poems

We explored how we can create poetry from our own experiences and our own lives.
We looked at

a poem created from an observation and a question;
how that poem inspired action;
how images can inspire creativity;
how form poetry can help us start creating;
and a little on how to find images that we can use.

Workshop 3:
Poetry grows our hearts

We explored how we can learn about poetry by experiencing it in different formats.
We looked at

how poetry gets in our hearts;
places to read and hear poems;
how reading poems, listening to poems, and reading poems out loud help us to understand poetry.

This resource from AlphaPlus was created by Tracey Mollins after a workshop series called Resources and tools to support creative writing instruction.

How can we (literacy practitioners) use what we know about learners’ daily lives to better answer their learning needs?

In a series of 3 workshops on Wednesday, January 14, 21, 28, 2026 we explored different ways to use learners’ daily digital tasks to create activities that develop digital skills, other skills and knowledge.

We looked at how to go from a simple daily activity such as using a web mapping app to identify digital skills that can be developed through various means and

Develop a practice of integrating daily life apps and websites into curriculum and lesson plans

Explore how integrating daily-life technology supports literacy learning

Expand your list of apps and websites that support learners in completing daily life tasks and accessing resources

Workshop 1: Search

Basic searches, AI augmented searches and using chatbots to get answers to questions, using search skills on websites.

Links shared in Workshop 1

Learn about basic search

Basic Search – 3 lessons and a practice: Search engines, Basic search, Ads in search results.

Learn about AI-augmented search

AI-Augmented Search Lesson Plan – CTRL-F Online Search Skills Lesson 2

Lateral reading: CTRL- F has a series of lessons and videos based on the SIFT method.

Learn about chatbot search

Coding Ireland Digital Skills Curriculum: Using AI for Web Searches

This lesson explores how AI is transforming the way we conduct web searches. The lesson gives learners the opportunity to compare traditional search engines with AI-powered tools and discuss the appropriate situations for using each.

PBS News Hour Classroom: AI Unlocked — finding facts with generative AI search

This lesson teaches students how AI responds to different types of prompts and how prompt engineering might be able to help them generate additional information.

Using Search skills on websites – Housing Rights

Steps to Justice website from CLEO (Community Legal Education Ontario)

Free information about legal problems in Ontario.
Reliable, practical, and easy to understand.
Written by lawyers and edited by trained plain language editors.

OJEN (Ontario Justice Education Network) A Foot in the Door

This 6-module resource, produced by the Lawyers’ Professional Indemnity Company (LAWPRO) and the Ontario Justice Education Network (OJEN), provides an introduction to real estate and housing law in Ontario, including the various considerations and processes involved in purchasing and renting a home.

Workshop 2: Reading

Reading the news and using the library.

Links shared in Workshop 2

Reading the news

Media Smarts lessons

Libraries

Library scavenger hunt

Using the Libby app

Links from the chat

Workshop 3: Creating

Creating a budget, using a shopping app and storytelling with Google maps.

Links shared in Workshop 3

Budgeting and shopping

Maps and stories

Learn about mapping

Google: Create or open a map

Maps and stories lesson plans

Google Applied Digital Skills – My Maps activities

The GFCGlobal link in the slides that went missing can be viewed in the Wayback Machine (crawled on December 31, 2025) here: https://web.archive.org/web/20251231202220/https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/google-maps/

I tried to replicate the tutorials here: LearnFree Maps Tutorials

Links from the chat

Government of Canada Budgeting Site
- (in English)
AlphaPlus Information Literacy Resources
Google Applied Digital Skills
- Google Applied Digital Skills Lessons
- Teacher Guides: Applied Digital Skills
AI for Educators (AlphaPlus and EdTechTeacher workshops):
- Slides
- Recordings

This resource from AlphaPlus was created by Tracey Mollins after a workshop series called Digital Technology in Daily Life.

In this Lunch & Learn session, delivered on May 12, 2026, we focused on the essentials of modern sign‑in security in clear, everyday language. Whether you consider yourself tech‑comfortable or tech‑cautious, this session was designed to help you build stronger, safer digital habits.

PRESENTATION SLIDES

VIDEO RECORDING

In this Lunch & Learn session, delivered on April 7, 2026, we focused on Canva for Education, a platform that offers a wide range of activities, presentations, whiteboards, and courses one can use directly with learners. While full access is currently limited to school boards, many of Canva’s educational tools and templates are also available through nonprofit accounts.

PRESENTATION SLIDES

VIDEO RECORDING

SOCIAL MEDIA & MARKETING TIPS AND TRICKS Q&A

In this Lunch & Learn session, delivered on February 10, 2026, we focused on setting up a free Google Business Profile so customers can find you on Google Search and Maps, exploring current social media trends, finding out whether hashtags still matter, and discovering tools for content creation and graphics management, and more.

PRESENTATION SLIDES

VIDEO RECORDING

In this Lunch & Learn session, delivered on January 6, 2026, we focused on new and innovative AI tools, advancements in assistants like ChatGPT, Copilot, and Gemini, tips on how to apply AI in your daily work, experimenting with prompts, and more.

PRESENTATION SLIDES

VIDEO RECORDING

How to build a Personal Learning Network

What is a personal learning network?

Personal Learning Networks are formal and informal networks of people with similar goals and interests who interact using digital tools to share information, learn from each other, problem solve and collaborate.

Personal Learning Networks are curated lifelong learning opportunities for professional development. They support practitioners who want to activate their intellectual curiosity in the company of others in a world of rapidly changing information.

Why do I need a personal learning network?

Diversity matters: personal learning networks create space for a variety of experiences and perspectives and can help us find interesting ways to innovate in our practice.
Teaching can be isolating: personal learning networks help educators to escape the isolation that can become part of the profession.
Connect anytime, anywhere: a virtual personal learning network can help you overcome networking barriers related to time, place, and distance.
Opportunities to reflect: online discussion forums, blogs, and courses can prompt you to reflect more regularly on your teaching practice.
Finding information or support: as a seeker of information, your personal learning network can help you solve challenges, learn about how other practitioners are applying methodologies and resources, and find mentors who might not be available locally.
Sharing your expertise and ideas: as a creator of information, you can help others by talking about your experiences, interesting experiments and what you are researching. Participating in virtual discussions, workshops and courses helps others get to know you and benefit from your professional wisdom.

How can I get started?

Here are some ways to get started building a personal learning network that meets your own specific needs.

Open the PDF

This resource from AlphaPlus was created by Tracey Mollins after a workshop series called Maximize your limited time for PD with a personal learning plan.

This AlphaPlus Lunch & Learn session, delivered on November 4, 2025, focused on powerful tools in Microsoft 365. We explored Clipchamp, the integration of AI-powered Copilot across apps, transcribing and translations in Teams, Planner, and more.

PRESENTATION SLIDES

VIDEO RECORDING