They’re back: OTF Connects webinars
OTF is pleased to announce our newest series of excellent OTF Connects webinars. Over the coming weeks and months, OTF’s newest series of webinars will feature tips and tools to support you on your teaching and learning journey, across divisions and subject areas.
Our easy-to-use webinar platform provides you with free, effective professional learning accessible–from a distance–across multiple types of devices. You will leave each session with strategies and tools you can transfer to your own learning context. Registration for each webinar is limited, so sign up early to avoid disappointment.
February/Février
Financial Literacy for Grade 7 – 12
(en anglais seulement)
Date: February 3, 2026
Time: 4:30 p.m.–5:30 p.m.
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Stressed about teaching about money and finances? We’ve got you covered. In this webinar the Bank of Canada Museum will walk you through their free financial and economic literacy lesson plans, activities, quizzes and videos. Students will learn how to think like an economist, build budgets, investing in their future, and more. You’ll be provided with tools and strategies you can use right away in your financial and economic literacy units in math, or in social studies, business and economics classes.
Meet your Presenter
Adam Young works in education and evaluation at the Bank of Canada Museum where he creates new resources and partnerships to help educators teach about the world of finances and economics. A former classroom teacher and now part-time instructor at the University of Ottawa, his work looks at curriculum, assessment, and inclusion.
Turning the Page – Highlighting Key Resources from the Right to Read Writing Project
(en anglais seulement)
Date: February 10, 2026
Time: 4:30 p.m.–5:30 p.m.
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The literacy pendulum has often swung from science of reading to whole reading. The recent shift back to the science of reading is essential, but the OHRC’s Right to Read Literacy Report talks about more than just the building blocks of words – it talks about words as building blocks for identity, equity, and access to critical literacy. CODE developed Turning the Page resources to support educators to encompass both of these goals. This webinar will highlight the creative pedagogy used to create access to literacy and reading while engaging the whole human, and provides educators with tools to better meet the needs of students with diverse needs.
Meet your Presenter
Cheri-Anne Byrne is an Ontario Secondary Drama and Dance educator with over 19 years of educator experience, and is the current Treasurer of the Council of Ontario Drama and Dance Educators. Her teaching practice is anchored in infusing anti-oppressive and anti-colonial approaches to breakdown bias and barriers in educational spaces. She graduated from the University of Waterloo with an Honours degree in Drama and obtained her B.Ed. from Ottawa University. Cheri-Anne has facilitated professional development at multiple CODE on the Road conferences, Algonquin-Lakeshore, Hamilton-Wentworth and Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board (DPCDSB). Currently, she is a consultant in Indigenous Education with a focus on supporting Indigenous Youth in DPCDSB.
Train Your AI Brain: Customizing AI for Planning and Productivity
(en anglais seulement)
Date: February 24, 2026
Time: 4:30 p.m.–5:30 p.m.
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Discover how to make AI work for you. In this hands-on session, learn how to personalize AI tools like ChatGPT, Copilot, and Gemini to match your teaching style, workflow, and curriculum needs. You’ll explore how to “train” your AI to anticipate your planning routines, resource preferences, and communication tone so it becomes your time-saving, thought-partnering, feedback-generating sidekick. Whether you’re a planner, creator, organizer, or dreamer, walk away with practical strategies and ready-to-use prompts to boost productivity.
Meet your Presenter
Lidia Fumo is an elementary teacher librarian passionate about inquiry-based learning, literacy, technology, AI, and STEAM. She is a published author and runs the website www.theartofinquiry.ca and Instagram @the.art.of.inquiry. Lidia brings a tech-savvy, curiosity-driven approach to teaching, using tools like AI, coding platforms, and digital media to spark student engagement. Her classroom is a space where questions lead the way, creativity is celebrated, and learning feels more like exploration than instruction. She empowers students to connect their learning to real-world issues through the UN Sustainable Development Goals, turning inquiry into action that matters.
March/Mars
Empowering Student Voice Through the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) and AI
(en anglais seulement)
Date: March 5, 2026
Time: 4:30 p.m.–5:45 p.m.
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Ready to supercharge your classroom with the power of AI? This session explores how student-facing AI tools, like writing assistants, image generators, and adaptive platforms, can enhance creativity, deepen thinking, and support cross-curricular learning through STEAM. You’ll learn how AI can elevate student voice, personalize learning, all while connecting to real-world action through the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). With practical tools and examples, we’ll show how AI helps students research, reflect, and design with purpose, while aligning with curriculum expectations and fostering equity, agency, and authentic engagement.
Meet your Presenter
Lidia Fumo is an elementary teacher librarian passionate about inquiry-based learning, literacy, technology, AI, and STEAM. She is a published author and runs the website www.theartofinquiry.ca and Instagram @the.art.of.inquiry. Lidia brings a tech-savvy, curiosity-driven approach to teaching, using tools like AI, coding platforms, and digital media to spark student engagement. Her classroom is a space where questions lead the way, creativity is celebrated, and learning feels more like exploration than instruction. She empowers students to connect their learning to real-world issues through the UN Sustainable Development Goals, turning inquiry into action that matters.
Getting Moving with Google’s AI Tools
(en anglais seulement)
Date: March 31, 2026
Time: 4:30 p.m.–5:45 p.m.
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Join Cameron Steltman (TechTips with Cameron), a K to 12 Tech Lead for the Halton DSB, as he walks you through the foundations of using AI to support your practice and reclaim time in your day for what matters most in education: human connection. This hands-on session is designed for educators who are curious about AI but want to start from a place of safety, privacy, and purpose. You will explore how Google tools such as Gemini and NotebookLM can be used in practical, low risk ways to support planning, content creation, and everyday workflow. Together, we will look at examples such as automatic slideshow creation, image generation, and the development of custom visuals, all through an educator lens that prioritizes responsible use. By the end of the session, you will have a clearer understanding of how AI works within Google’s ecosystem, concrete strategies you can use, and resources to continue learning beyond the session. This session focuses on building confidence, reducing friction, and showing how AI can support your work while enhancing the human side of teaching.
Meet your Presenter
Cameron Steltman is a K to 12 Technology Lead with the Halton District School Board, bringing 16 years of experience across classroom teaching and system level leadership. He holds a Master of Education and is the creator of the YouTube channel Tech Tips with Cameron, which offers practical, classroom ready guidance on using technology to enhance teaching and learning. Cameron has taught Kindergarten through Grade 7 with the Halton DSB and has held roles as a teacher librarian, technology integration teacher, and computational thinking teacher. Cameron has been featured on CBC’s The National for his innovative work with computational thinking in the classroom. He is an AQ instructor for ETFO in both the IICT and Teacher Librarian Courses, and is a frequent presenter for ETFO and OTF, as well as various Faculties of Education. A passionate educator, Cameron’s motto is “engage, inspire, learn,” a philosophy that guides his presentations and day to day practice.
April/Avril
The World with AI: Explorations through Drama
(en anglais seulement)
Date: April 16, 2026
Time: 5:00 p.m.–6:30 p.m.
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As teachers consider the ways that digital literacy needs are expanding because of the growth of Generative AI use among students, the Council of Ontario Drama and Dance Educators proposes that drama and dance can provide gateways to making sense of this new world alongside students while keeping student well-being front and centre. By exploring themes related to the way Gen AI behaves and the role Gen AI takes in relation to human beings, students will build deeper understandings of the limits of AI and how important fluency is for engaging with AI in responsible, safe, and ethical ways.
Meet your Presenter
Tessa Lofthouse (she/her) is an educator with experience in both elementary and secondary contexts whose practice focuses on social justice, anti-oppressive pedagogy, integrating subject areas and using the arts for liberatory education. Tessa is the current President of the Council of Ontario Drama and Dance Educators, the writer of Western University’s revised Dramatic Arts AQ courses, has contributed to various writing projects and has presented in school boards across Ontario. In 2024, she was awarded an MEd from York University for writing a thesis about the Ontario French as a Second Language curriculum’s discourses of intercultural understanding.
Diving Deeper with Google’s AI Tools
(en anglais seulement)
Date: April 21, 2026
Time: 4:30 p.m.–5:45 p.m.
REGISTER NOW
Join Cameron Steltman (TechTips with Cameron), a K to 12 Tech Lead for the Halton DSB, as he takes you beyond the basics and into more intentional, creative uses of Google’s AI tools to support teaching and learning. This session is designed for educators who are ready to move past exploration and begin shaping AI to meet instructional goals.
You will dig into tools such as Custom Gems and explore how AI can support the creation of curriculum connected content, including websites, games, and interactive learning experiences. The session will also open up practical conversations around student use of AI, including benefits, limitations, and safety considerations, with a specific focus on how AI can support Multilingual Language Learners by increasing comprehension and supporting language development.
This session is hands on, with time built in to play, experiment, and reflect in a supported environment. You will leave with concrete examples, classroom ready ideas, and resources to help you continue building thoughtful and responsible AI use in your teaching practice, alongside your students.
Meet your Presenter
Cameron Steltman is a K to 12 Technology Lead with the Halton District School Board, bringing 16 years of experience across classroom teaching and system level leadership. He holds a Master of Education and is the creator of the YouTube channel Tech Tips with Cameron, which offers practical, classroom ready guidance on using technology to enhance teaching and learning. Cameron has taught Kindergarten through Grade 7 with the Halton DSB and has held roles as a teacher librarian, technology integration teacher, and computational thinking teacher. Cameron has been featured on CBC’s The National for his innovative work with computational thinking in the classroom. He is an AQ instructor for ETFO in both the IICT and Teacher Librarian Courses, and is a frequent presenter for ETFO and OTF, as well as various Faculties of Education. A passionate educator, Cameron’s motto is “engage, inspire, learn,” a philosophy that guides his presentations and day to day practice.
PAST WEBINARS 2024/2025/2026
Addressing harmful and discriminatory language in our school communities
The Teachers’ Gateway to Special Education, K-12
Power Point Presentation Document
An Introduction to Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI): How does it work and how might it impact my work as a teacher?
Métis Days of Significance
Expression Matters: Building Student Well-Being through Drama and Dance
Generative Artificial Intelligence: A Revolution in Action for Teachers
Enhancing Classroom Practices with Generative AI – Part 2
L’intelligence artificielle générative -2ème partie
Elementary Money Math Made Simple
It Starts with Words..Commemorating the Holocaust_2026
Favoriser les connaissances financières à tout âge : à la découverte du monde de l’argent, de la finance et de l’économie