The start of another school year brings new opportunities to let our students spread their wings and soar. Bookmark this newsletter, its research and readings links, for some curated ideas to help you keep moving forward in improving your practice.
Get ready for a round of PD with a variety of events – help us with our research:
- Submit your proposals for blendED Alberta (Oct.23-25), DLAC in Austin (Feb.24-26), and the DL Symposium 2020 in Vancouver (Apr. 19-21).
- Add your voice to the annual State of the Nation program survey.
- Check out the archives from our August Leadership Summit.
The CANeLearn AGM saw a change to our Chair of the Board with founding director Michael Canuel, LEARN (QC), stepping back from Chair to enable Frank McCallum, Vista Virtual (AB), to take on the role – find out more here.
CANeLearn continues to bring research-based information to online and blended learning conversations across Canada, including:
- Ontario e-learning announcement and subsequent responses
- Funding for Distributed Learning in Canada and working conditions for teachers
- Check out more on CANeLearn’s blog
We look forward to another school year of supporting the great work that you do for students. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter #CANeLearn, Facebook, or YouTube.
Photos, unless otherwise noted, by @rlabonte or Marcos Luiz Photograph on Unsplash
Tools for the Digital Classroom
50 Favourite Tools for Learning
- From Common Sense Education
- The ultimate best-of-the-best edtech list compiled since 2013
- Click here to find the list!
Tools for Critical Analysis of Online Content
- Bad News Game: The Bad News game puts students in the position of the people who create disinformation. The teacher guide provides background and explains how the game covers various aspects of online “fake news”. The document also provides links to information that educators might find useful.
- Teacher Guide here — Main Game here — Game for “Juniors” here
- From the CBC: The real “fake news”: How to spot misinformation and disinformation online — from the CBC journals — Part One here
- So, you think you’ve spotted some ‘fake news’ — now what? — from the CBC journals — Part Two here – includes tools to check the content of posts
- Test the Text From SFU: Fake News Detection Project — The aim is to help news readers to identify bias and misinformation in articles in a quick and reliable way. Simply paste a piece of text and examine its similarity to their collection of true vs. false news articles, or to news from four different types/genre. Try testing here!
- Read about the SFU pilot project here
A New Way to Help Students Turn in Their Best Work? Or??
- Google Originality Reports — Background here — Links to the tool here — Available in Google Classroom and Assignments
- But what about data protection? Audrey Watters states that “a pedagogy controlled by algorithms can never be a pedagogy of care, integrity, or trust.”
K-12 Blended Teaching: A free guidebook for teachers
- From the Digital Learning Collaborative: K-12 Blended Teaching: A Guide to Personalized Learning and Online Integration
- Free to download and access online
- It can serve as a guidebook for pre-service teachers and for in-service teachers and administrators looking to implement blended teaching practices
- Published in spring 2019, there are plans for ongoing support and future editions
- More information and download here
Teachers Essential Guide to Google Classroom
- From Common Sense Education
- What is Google Classroom? And how are teachers using it? Learn more about this popular platform and how to use it with students.
- Check it out here
In the News
Online Learning Graduation Requirement: Lessons from Michigan
- Joe Freidhoff shares research on Michigan’s online learning.
- Check out Joe’s blog post here
- Check out CANeLearn’s response
- See a recording of Joe’s keynote at the CANeLearn Leadership Summit
CANeLearn Board of Directors
- CANeLearn’s AGM was held September 11 online
- Check out your board of directors
Franco-Ontario Online Experiential Learning
- An eCampusOntario initiative bringing together six Ontario post-secondary institutions and a work-integrated experiential learning platform will ensure that Franco-Ontarian students get the chance to collaborate with off-campus partners in solving real world problems.
- Find out more here
Global Collaboration Week – Sept. 23-27
- Students, teachers, and organizations will celebrate global collaboration from September 23 – September 27, 2019! Sixteen projects and events, 363 registered people and organizations on Eventbrite, and 51 countries represented!
- More information and register here
State of the Nation Report: Individual Program Survey – We need your help!
- The annual State of the Nation: K-12 E-learning in Canada report reflects the most recent data collected by provincial and territorial Ministries of Education, but from indvidual programs as well.
- For e-learning programs that have not already submitted data, or are wishing to update their individual program survey responses, please visit at your earliest convenience:http://tinyurl.com/sotn-program-survey
SunWest Distance Learning Wellness Course
- A teacher and student drew on experience to create a mental wellness course
- The program at Sun West Distance Learning Centre aims to give students ‘toolbox’ to deal with mental health
- Read more here…
Featured Events
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blendED 2019: Alberta Blended & Online Learning
October 23-25 in Edmonton
Registration open, call for proposals closes soon!
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10th Canadian EdTech Leadership Summit
The Future Of Education And Skills 2030
Dec 5-6 Centennial Secondary School, Coquitlam BC
http://summit19.mindsharelearning.ca/
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Digital Learning Collaborative Annual Conference
February 24-26, 2020 – Austin TX
CANeLearn is excited to share two special discounts on conference registration:
- Super Early Bird Registration for Schools and Districts – $499 rate available through July 15th
- Group Registration for Schools and Districts – $449 rate when you register five or more attendees before July 15th
Click here for the DLAC 2020 Call for Proposals
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2020 BOLTT (Bringing Online Teachers Together)
April 2-3, 2020 in Toronto
Evening keynote address // Full day skill building event
More info at http://www.boltt.ca/toronto-fall-conference/
Archived keynote from BOLTT Ottawa 2019 available here
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2020 Digital Learning Symposium
https://new.canelearn.net/symposium20/
April 19-21 in Vancouver
Reserve at last year’s early group rate – $375/person – Fully refundable!
Click to reserve your seats ~ Minimum 5 registrations – expires July 15!
Call for proposals is now open!
Worth a read on the longer nights…
Schools Say No to Cellphones in Class. But Is It a Smart Move?
- From Education Week: A review of cellphone policy in the US – however, Ontario is facing its own provincial ban on cellphone use in schools
- “Have a plan, not a ban” is the advice of Common Sense Education, arguing that extremes miss the point and by absolutely prohibiting cellphones, districts could miss out on an opportunity to teach their students how to use the devices responsibly and in moderation.
- Read more here
The Messy Conversation Around Online Cost and Quality
- From Inside Higher Ed: Asked to explain how they balance financial and academic considerations, administrators and professors say that quality is key but struggle to define it. Note: Post-secondary focus
- Read more here…
Signs of the Times: Expert insights about employment in 2030 – Brookfield Institute for Innovation + Entrepreneurship
- A look at how a range of experts across Canada are thinking about the future of employment, as well as which trends they believe are most likely to create change
- See more here…
What’s Next in Learning? Four Future Trends
- From Getting Smart: These ‘next trends’ build on megatrends, emerging trends, and adjacent trends in global learning
- More information here
Some thoughts on the future of public higher education
- From Tony Bates: ‘Well, what do you think the higher education should look like in 10 years time if you think it’s in trouble now?’
- Read Tony’s response here…
MVLRI: Summer ’19 — Quarterly Research Clearinghouse
- Four times a year, MVLRI sends out a digest of published scholarship in the area of K-12 online and blended learning
- Click here to find abstracts to several recently published articles — hand-picked by the Institute’s researchers — with links to the full-text to read more.
Happy reading!
Catch up on CANeLearn Presentations
Digital Learning Annual Conference (DLAC https://www.deelac.com/)
Canadian e-Learning Roundup: Cross-Canada Program Spotlight on Models of Online and Blended Learning
- e-Learning showcase of how Canadian schools are shifting the organization of learning and practices to create flexible and personal learning.
- https://www.slideshare.net/mkb/dlac-2019-canadian-elearning-roundup-leadership-perspectives-from-canadas-online-and-blended-learning-programs
Canadian e-Learning Roundup: Leadership Perspectives from Canada’s Online and Blended Learning Programs
- A panel of Canadian leaders from as they shared successes and issues about the future of personalized and flexible learning in Canada.
- https://www.slideshare.net/mkb/dlac-2019-canadian-elearning-roundup-leadership-perspectives-from-canadas-online-and-blended-learning-programs
Blending Assessment: Shifting Pen & Paper to the Digital World
- What are the issues and challenges faced when digital technology replaces traditional pen and paper evaluation? This research-based session reviewed technology-based assessment practices and its impact on learning.
- https://new.canelearn.net/research/canelearn-research-projects/digital-assessment/
State of the Nation: K-12 e-Learning in Canada
- This panel examined K-12 online learning in Canada based on the 2018 edition of this on-going study.
- https://k12sotn.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/StateNation18.pdf
- https://www.slideshare.net/mkb/dlac-2019-state-of-the-nation-k12-elearning-in-canada
Funding and Resourcing of Digital Learning in Canada
- In 2017, British Columbia began a review of the model that it uses to fund K-12 digital learning. This session explored how digital learning funding across Canada.
- https://k12sotn.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/DL-Funding-Report.pdf
- https://www.slideshare.net/mkb/dlac-2019-funding-and-resourcing-of-digital-learning-in-canada
Canadian Union Contract Language Related to Teacher Working Conditions in Digital Learning
- “Teacher unions in Canada have had concerns about developments in online learning, but have generally been supportive if they have felt conditions were appropriate.” This session described a study exploring written provisions for the working conditions of K-12 digital learning teachers in Canada.
- https://k12sotn.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/DL-Contract-Language.pdf
SITE (http://site.aace.org/conf/)
K-12 Distance and Online Learning Services Provided to Minority Language Students in Canada
- This study examined the parity or equity between distance education (DE) services offered by the Centre francophone d’éducation à distance and services offered by Alberta Distance Learning Centre, as well as other minority-language DE providers across Canada.
- https://www.slideshare.net/mkb/site-2019-k12-distance-and-online-learning-services-provided-to-minority-language-students-in-canada
- https://new.canelearn.net/research/canelearn-research-projects/cfed/