Canada Moodle Moot 2018

February 21-24, Toronto YorkU

Program details & registration at moodlemoot.ca

===========================================

BC Digital Learning Symposium

April 18-20, Richmond, BC

Annual Digital Learning Symposium brought to you by the BC Partners in Online Learning and the Canadian eLearning Network
Frontiers of Innovation: Curriculum Change in Online Learning Environments. 
Dialogue, networking, sharing, creating, and learning
https://new.canelearn.net/symposium/

• Use #CANeLearn to stream specific items of interest to members. Join the conversation!
• Follow us on @CANeLearn, “like” us on Facebook, subscribe to our YouTube Channel
• Check out our Members’ Site
• Join CANeLearn – only $50 for associate membership!

Bookmark for your holiday reading…

Personalizing Literacy Through Blended Learning

• Simply adding technology to the classroom will not instantly garner engagement between teachers and students or improve the quality of learning; it is all about how that technology is applied to your instructional goals.
• In this online guide, best practices for instructional leaders looking to personalize literacy instruction through blended learning are reviewed.
• Written by Eileen Murphy and Kavita Venkatesh, Ph.D
• Read more here…

How employers view an online education

• By Daina Lawrence, Special to The Globe and Mail
• “While employers are not balking at a candidate’s online education if it is from a recognizable source, they may question if the person has the interpersonal skills that many jobs require”…
• Link to the Globe and Mail article here…

‘Why does Canada have so much online learning?’

• By Tony Bates
• Musings from his Denmark presentation and research into online learning in Canada’s post-secondary institutions
• Check out his blog post with additional links here…
• Online learning is now a core form of delivery for Canadian universities and colleges, according to the report on the research that was released at the World Conference on Online Learning in Toronto
• Click here for the summary news release…

The Blended Learning Ecosystem: Taking Control And Orchestrating Learning Pathways

• Ebba Ossiannilsson, Vice President of the Swedish Association for Distance Education, Vice President of the Swedish Association for e-competence, ICDE OER Advocacy Committee, ICDE Focal Points of Quality, ICDE_ON_BOLDIC, EDEN EC, EDEN Fellow, EDEN SIG on TEL Quality Enhancement, Open Education Europa Fellow and Ambassador
• This ICDE Insight Paper on blended learning, state of the nation, targets a broad audience, especially practitioners, policy makers and leaders. It provides awareness, inspiration, insights, and dialogues into blended learning and the current debates.
• The report explains that blended learning is based on a pedagogical approach rather than on technology.
• Full paper (PDF) here…

Where is OER now and where is it going?

• Blog post from Dr. Connie Blomgren on the state of OER for K12 – directions and future opportunities
• Click here to read the post…

OLTD/MEDL Major Project and Process Papers

• Recent Masters papers on topics related to blended and online learning from Vancouver Island University
• Read more here…

From the MVLRI Library

• Statewide Blended Learning Implementation (PDF) – seven themes identified as crucial for meaningful blended learning implementation at the district level.
• K-12 Blended Teaching Readiness: Phase 1-Instrument Development (PDF) – unique competencies for educator preparation programs
• Michigan’s K-12 Virtual Learning Effectiveness Report, 2015-16 (PDF)
  Findings presented are based on data reported to the state by Michigan public schools, including those from LEAs, PSAs and Intermediate School Districts.
• The Changing Roles of Educators Series: The Blended Teacher (PDF)
  This study, the second in a series examining the shifts in the roles and responsibilities of K-12 educators as a result of evolving instructional models, focuses on teachers implementing elements of blended learning in their classrooms.
• Student Pathways Through Online Algebra 1 Courses (PDF)
  In 2016, the Institute for Learning Technologies (ILT) at Teachers College, Columbia University, received a fellowship from MVLRI to investigate learning pathways in Algebra 1A courses offered by Michigan Virtual School.
• Examining Credit Recovery Experience at a State Virtual School (PDF)
  This report begins discussion on the topic of credit recovery by testifying to the concept that students who have different reasons for taking online courses perform differently.
• iEducator 21st century Digital Learning Corps: iEd Blog Network Analysis(PDF)
  As discussed in Educator 21st Century Digital Learning Corps: Program Design and Reflection, (part one of the series) participants were asked to contribute regularly to publicly available blogs (the focus of part two of this series).
• Public Awareness and Views of K-12 Online Learning in Michigan 2016 (PDF)
  From December 7 to 12, 2016, Public Sector Consultants Inc. (PSC) conducted a telephone poll with 800 adult residents of Michigan to obtain their opinions about online learning opportunities for public school students in the state.
• Games Used in K-12 Schools: A Research Perspective (PDF)
  This report provides an overview of the literature on the use of digital games in education with a focus on K-12 students and will provide practical recommendations on the use of specific games, game genres, and categories.
• Helping Online Students Be Successful: Mentor Responsibilities (PDF)
  As online enrollments increase, there is a growing need to examine strategies with the potential to improve course outcomes, especially since students in online courses tend to have less success compared to their face-to-face counterparts (Freidhoff, 2016; Miron, G., Gulosino & Horvitz, 2014). One strategy that shows promise is to provide students with an on-site mentor in addition to their online teacher.

Happy reading!