Ontario Curriculum and Technology Integration

1. Which expectations caught you off guard?

I have to say, I was pretty surprised to see coding pop up in Grade 7! The idea that kids are reflecting on their emotions while tweaking code with subprograms feels like such a cool blend of math and computer science. I didn’t expect that kind of techy twist in a junior high math class. And in Grade 8, the mention of design and drafting apps for making scaled drawings was a bit of a wow moment. It’s not every day you think of middle schoolers using something like CAD software to personalize a math project, like designing a room that reflects their style. That’s next-level stuff!


2. Were there any expectations or skills you thought would be there but weren’t?

I was kind of expecting to see more shout-outs to specific gadgets like tablets, computers, or handheld devices—you know, the stuff kids are glued to these days. But the chart showed zero mentions of those terms, which was a bit of a letdown. The curriculum leans on vague terms like “electronic learning tools” instead. I also thought there’d be more direct nods to tools like Google Suite or Canva for things like creating infographics in Grade 8. It’s hinted at, but they leave it super open-ended, which makes sense but left me wanting a bit more specificity.


3. What surprised you about this whole process?

Honestly, I was shocked at how few times techy words showed up in the curriculum—check out the graph! Only two mentions of “technology” and “electronic,” and just one each for “digital,” “coding,” and “software.” I thought we’d be swimming in those terms, given how tech is everywhere in schools now. Another surprise was how the curriculum weaves technology into real-world issues like poverty or health through infographics. It’s not just about crunching numbers; it’s about using tech to explore big topics and build emotional skills, which feels so fresh and meaningful. The graph was a fun way to see those low numbers pop out visually—it really drove home how the curriculum keeps things broad but impactful.

See link for an example Infograph:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/18GLI7ZIR1o5joYmS0murZiLSWxfFxK4L/view?usp=drivesdk




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