Newsletter

September Newsletter

Welcome back! Summer is a time for rest, reflection, recharge, and re-focus. I hope that your summer provided this opportunity for you. It did for your CANeLearn board and leaders. This issue provides news about changes at CANeLearn and some great resources to explore. Watch for more being added to our new site: members.CANeLearn.net

In this issue…


  • 2017 CANeLearn Symposium – April 5-7 Vancouver – Call for Proposals
  • Alberta blendED 2016 – October 23-25 Edmonton – Program Launched
  • CANeLearn Annual General Meeting – September 13
  • Global Collaboration Day September 15 – Event Submission by September 11
  • iiE Gathering – November 4-6, VIU, Nanaimo, BC
  • Worth a read…

Featured Events

2017 CANeLearn Symposium (& BC DL Conference): April 5-7, Vancouver BC

  • Opening Keynote: Michael Furdyk
  • Call for proposals is open – limited session opportunities!

blendED 2016: October 23-25, Edmonton AB

iiE Gathering: November 4-6, VIU, Nanaimo BC


Stay Connected!


In the news…

CANeLearn AGM

Global Collaboration Day – September 15

  • Educators and organizations will be hosting simple online events on September 15th in order to demonstrate what global collaboration looks like.
  • Events are designed for a variety of audiences including teachers, students, parents, and organizational leaders.
  • Event submission by September 11
  • More information at http://globalcollaborationday.org/ or at https://tackk.com/gcd2016
  • Follow #globaled16

Membership Fee Changes

  • With the launch of the inaugural CANeLearn Symposium, the board set the Associate Membership fee at $50 to encourage symposium registrants to join our network
  • Organizational renewals were sent to registered voting member organizations
  • Interested in joining? – see https://new.canelearn.net/membership-account/membership/

Board of Directors Retreat – Outcomes

  • CANeLearn board met July 6-8 to set strategic direction for the network
  • Website updates were completed, including a more responsive site and shifting State of the Nation Report data to its own site (currently underway)
  • A members site, symposium site, and shared documents options via Google were launched
  • Committee and Board terms of reference were established (to be ratified at the AGM) – see https://drive.google.com/open?id=0By0rhqY_I26dcF95dWxaWVhqN0U

New Members Site

  • members.canelearn.net is a new Google site (still in building stage) open to members
  • The site will house member info, board info, and other shared documents from the CANeLearn Google Drive
  • Sharing options within Google will allow us to manage public, member, and board only content
  • Feedback on the site is welcome – email info@CANeLearn.net

From Contact North

A Series of Four Short Videos

  • 12 minute videos on
    • Five Challenges of Teaching Online
    • From In Class to Online
    • Rapid Course Development
    • Four Developments in Assessment
  • Dr. Stephen Murgatroyd, Contact North | Contact Nord’s Chief Innovation Officer, developed a series of four short videos (10 – 12 minutes in length) to help instructors teaching online and at a distance address these four critical issues.
  • Click here for more

What is Next for Mobile Learning?

  • In December 2015, there were 4.3 billion mobile phone subscribers in the world. Learning through mobile devices is possible anywhere and at any time and is happening now.
  • Read Learning on the Go and uncover what’s next for mobile learning.

Ten key developments shaping the future of technology-enabled learning

  1. Student Expectations and Requirements Are Changing
  2. Flexibility is Shaping New Ways of Delivering Programs and Courses
  3. Competency-based and Outcome-based Learning Are Growing Quickly
  4. Technology is Enabling New Approaches to Pedagogy
  5. MOOCs are Offering Expanded Routes to the Delivery and Recognition of Learning
  6. Assessment for Learning and Assessment of Learning Are Changing
  7. Governments are Re-thinking Quality and Accountability
  8. Equity Remains a Challenge, Despite Massification
  9. e-Portfolios Are Emerging as Critical Resources for Students
  10. The Role of the Faculty Member/Instructor is Changing

Worth a read…

Survey Finds Most Teachers Not Sharing OERs Online

  • A survey of 1,000 educators conducted by the for-profit TES.com found that despite rapidly increasing interest in OERs, there are many missed opportunities because a majority of teachers do not share their own work – 83%
  • 60% don’t share their original work, while 23% say they only share occasionally
  • 61 percent said finding relevant resources, such as ones that are standards-aligned and age-appropriate, is the biggest challenge when finding digital resources
  • 50 percent said that finding materials that are engaging to students is also a top challenge
  • Read more here

Back To School: 20 Websites that Will Help You Learn Every Day

  • Life-long learning is important for happiness and health. You can satisfy your curiosity in just a few minutes a day with these websites and apps
  • They each provide you with small chunks of information on a given topic so you can learn gradually and in a way that fits with your schedule
  • Read more here

Learning Online – from Contact North (Teachonline.ca)

  • Means, B., Bakia, M. and Murphy, R. (2014) Learning Online: What Research Tells Us About Whether, When and How. London: Routledge
  • This book explores some key developments in online learning – self-paced, adaptive instruction; competency-based learning; blended learning; learning analytics; and MOOCs – and their implications for learning systems, organizations and students.
  • Full of examples and cases, it provokes policy makers and administrators to think about what is next. Grounded in practice – there is not much speculation here – it will help policy makers think back from the future and shape the actions they take now.
  • Purchase here

To view all past selections in the Teachonline.ca series, visit the Worth Reading page

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