 This day, September 30, 2021, marks Canada’s first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation designated to honour the lost children and survivors of residential schools, their families, and communities. The coloured cloths placed on the trees above reflect Canada’s social solidarity and rich diversity that is yet to fully embrace orange – the colour of the Indigenous-led grassroots movement to share the truth of the stripping away of culture, freedom, and self-esteem experienced by Indigenous children over generations. As we commemorate on this day and move down the path of reconciliation, wear orange, reflect and share Indigenous stories and culture, and donate to organizations seeking to support Indigenous projects, movements, organizations, and Nations. We can, and we will, be one nation under Canada. As October arrives, there are many professional learning opportunities to take advantage of, and some CANeLearn partner events are listed below. As we all steel for yet another year of the pandemic, we must continue to lean on each other, share as we can, and know that caring and providing for the safety, health, and well-being of our students is first and foremost as education professionals. photo credit: Ellen Kinsel  October 22, 2021 – Provincial PSA DayFully Virtual/Online ConferenceJoin us for an amazing day of professional learning online on Oct. 22, 8:00 am – 3:30 pm
12th EdTech Leadership Summit 2021October 27-28 — Hybrid Event!
Announcing the 2022 Digital Learning Symposium! Mark the dates! April 6-8, 2022 – A return to the Delta Burnaby Hotel for in-person learning!More information soon! 
Photo by @felipepelaquim on Unsplash Searchable Directory of Selected Journals in Online and Distance LearningJournals play an essential role in online and distance learning, crucial tools for sharing the latest in research, innovation, theory, practices, and events. Educators find ideas and connections, building a collective academic knowledge base that advances teaching, learning, management – and student success. This list is a work-in-progress, offering a non-exhaustive list of journals of interest to faculty, instructors, instructional designers, managers, technologists, and others exploring the world of online learning. Access the list here Research Showing that Virtual Learning is Less Effective than Classroom Teaching — Right?A recent blog post, based on several studies of post-secondary student performance comparing online learning with in-person teaching, argues that online coursework generally yields worse student performance than in-person coursework. Or does it? Check out Tony Bates’ post that offers an analysis of just what the studies looked at and what was labelled as “online learning”. Be wary of the ‘sound bytes’ and headlines in social, news, and even academic media. Read the full article here Student-Centered Learning In Michigan K-12 Schools: Factors that Impact Successful ImplementationWhile the more traditional teacher-centered model of education does work for some students, it does not work for all. By connecting with district administrators, school administrators, and teachers through both a survey and interviews, this study aimed to capture the ways in which some Michigan K-12 schools are implementing student-centered learning practices along with the factors that impact the successful implementation of such practices. It is the hope of the study’s authors that the effective practices, guidance, and advice gleaned from the many innovative educators who so generously gave their time to participate in this study will help other schools and district personnel overcome their own barriers to the successful implementation of a more student-centered approach to learning. Read the full article here It’s Time We All Use Common Definitions for Key Concepts in Online LearningWhat do the terms “blended” and “online” mean? And where does “hybrid” learning fit into the emerging lexicon? There are no common definitions across Canada’s education system, which makes it difficult for learners to understand their choices and for policy-makers to compare developments in different jurisdictions. The situation is confusing, with varying definitions of what kind of learning is on offer within institutions as well as between them, even in the same geographical area. Read the full article here Classroom ActivitiesOnline or Face-to-Face Crash CourseCrash Course is one of the best ways to educate yourself, your classmates, and your family on YouTube! From courses like Astronomy to US History and Anatomy & Physiology it’s got you covered with an awesome variety of AP high school curriculum topics. With various witty hosts at your service, you won’t even notice you’re getting smarter. Access the website here Crash Course for Kids covers topics aimed at elementary science students. Access Crash Course for Kids here Common Sense EducationFree advice, articles, and tips Access the website here The Cobblestone Collective – Take an Adventure with UsThe Cobblestone Collective team joined thousands of classes across Canada through a co-taught lesson series. They explored Sustainable Development Goals, the Design Thinking Process, digital citizenship, mindfulness, and gratitude. Students coded in CS First and Minecraft, looked at using PowerPoint as an art canvas, Sway as a storytelling platform, and Google Sites as a new resume! Lessons are either 60 or 90 minutes and recorded so you can still use them with your students at any time. These lessons are great whether you’re teaching in-person (project on your screen) or virtually (send the link directly to your students). Each YouTube video’s description provides any instructions you may need. Access lessons here (click images in graphic) More Cobblestone Collective info
Resources for the Digital ClassroomBack to School 2021-2022: Create a plan that leverages tech effectively and supports students’ digital well-being Identify the best teaching tools for your classroom. Engage students and families around positive tech use. Support students’ emotional development as they use media for learning and for life. Links to resources. From previous newsletters… Videoconferencing Alternatives: How Low-Bandwidth Teaching Will Save Us All
When we try to replicate classroom experiences in an online environment, it’s easy to think of video conferencing as our go-to tool for all sorts of learning objectives—and for good reason. Most of us have participated in a video conference at work or had a video chat with friends or family at some point. We like the idea of being able to see and hear our students while interacting with them in real-time just like we do when teaching face to face. But there are two key factors that make this approach problematic. Teaching Online Resources
The online teaching experience involves pedagogical methods that can be very different from those that many instructors are accustomed to using in a face-to-face environment. Fostering self-directed learning in a digital environment, conceptualizing the learning goals and methods of assessments, requires learner-centered practices and intentional instructional design. Includes resources providing foundational support for teaching online. Frameworks, Tools, Resources
A directory of links to resources compiled by BCcampus. Updated frequently. Information Directory: Blogs and Opinions, Books and Videos, News, Research and Reports
An information directory created to fill the need for Canadian-based information, specifically British Columbia, on open education; however, content from many English-speaking countries is included. This is an ongoing resource that is updated as information becomes available. Embracing Ways of Knowing
BCcampus supported the co-creation of the OER Pulling Together: A Guide for the Indigenization of Post-secondary Institutions. These resources are designed to - Engage with varying audiences, including administration and educational leadership, teaching faculty, student services personnel, researchers, and instructional designers;
- Include resources and considerations on meaningful and authentic engagement;
- Supplement rather than replace training currently offered.
Conferencing Tools for teaching & learning: Best practices
Included are considerations for general etiquette, hosting virtual office hours, facilitating group work and presentations, lecturing, showing videos, hosting external presenters, and managing the space. Additionally, theoretical frameworks to support best practices when teaching online are provided. BlendEd
A UK program of professional learning by and for teachers to support the pedagogy of blended learning. BlendEd helps teachers, school leaders, and other educators design effective teaching and learning that makes the most of digital technologies – in the classroom and from home, live and self-paced, in-person and online. Creating and Using Rubrics for Assessment
Useful ideas for creating and using rubrics with guidelines for assessing a wide variety of activities, including e-portfolios, video and multimedia projects, teamwork, and research process. Tips to Make Your LMS Content Accessible
While focused on Moodle, the information contained in this post can be applied to any LMS. Designing for Accessibility (PDF posters)
Includes tips for designing content for accessibility for special needs such as autism, dyslexia, users of screen readers, low vision, physical or motor disabilities, deaf or hard of hearing, and anxiety.
An Important Distance Learning Resource for Teachers, Students, and ParentsWide Open School offers free learning activities for all grades. Students can browse activities related to various subjects including social studies, emotional wellbeing, reading and writing, math, arts, music, science, English language learning, digital citizenship, and more. Within each of these activities, you can search for materials by grade level or search label. You can for instance search for activities that include videos, worksheets, lessons, etc. Some of these activities offer free downloadable materials. You can also share them on Google Classroom. Tools for Project-Based LearningProject-based learning, or PBL, challenges students to design and engage in more authentic, extended, and complex learning. But while PBL is a trusted strategy for increasing student engagement and learning, it’s not easy to orchestrate. If you’re doing it right, students will be engaging in a variety of interest-driven projects all with various needs and on different schedules. So how do you manage it all? Tech can be a huge help. This list gathers some useful productivity and organization tools that can help both teachers and students keep track of, finish, and assess projects. There are also a few tools designed specifically for PBL, as well as plug-and-play PBL experiences. Learn about these tools here Rough Guide for Spotting Bad ScienceBeing able to evaluate the evidence behind a scientific claim is important. Being able to recognize bad science reporting, or faults in scientific studies is equally important. Includes 12 points to help separate the science from the pseudoscience. Download the PDF here ABC Learning Design Spreadsheet template to facilitate the collaborative design of learning scenarios. Check it out here CANeLearn’s Emergency Remote Teaching Resources, Tools, Ideas - CANeLearn has published a page with a collection of resources from other organizations, emerging tools, and ideas about pivoting to remote teaching
- Check it out here
Adventures in ArchivesFeatured Event- CANeLearn researched what K-12 school districts across Canada have offered in the way of programming and supports during the pandemic. Check out the research project website for reports, recordings, and slide decks.
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