Presentation on October 24 to blendED Alberta Symposium https://sched.co/VYCb

1. Canadian eLearning RoundUp:
Program Spotlights and Research Models
Online & Blended Learning
Images sourced or from https://photosforclass.com/ ,
@rlabonte, or https://www.flickr.com/creativecommons
CANeLearn.net

2. About me
2

3. Where I live…

4. Why I live here….
Telus
Fibre

5. Your Education Café
Alberta North

6. Gift Lake

7. Alberta SuperNet

8. About the Canadian eLearning Network
• CANeLearn is a pan-Canadian network of K-12 online
and blended learning schools, organizations, and
educators
• Focus is on PD, research, sharing resources
• Intent is to leverage our Canadian collective to
promote online and blended, or e-learning
MISSION: To be the leading voice in Canada for
learner success in K-12 online and blended learning.
https://CANeLearn.net

9. CANeLearn Board of Directors
Three-year term:
• Michael Canuel (QC from LEARN)
• Sue Taylor-Foley (NS from Nova Scotia Virtual School) Board Secretary
Two-year term:
• Todd Pottle (ON from Ontario eLearning Consortium)
• Frank McCallum (AB from Vista Virtual School) Board Chair
• Allison MacDonald (MB from Wapaskwa Virtual Collegiate)
One-year term:
• Ramona Stillar (SK from Light of Christ Catholic Schools)
• Bruce Weitzel (BC from Western Canadian Learning Network) Board Treasurer
• Chantal Gauthier (ON from CAVLFO)
Board Appointee
• David Porter, CEO eCampusOntario
Frank McCallum – VVS
Terri Reid – founding member

10. CANeLearn Initiatives
Events
• Regional and provincial events: blendED Alberta, BOLTT, DL
Symposium, IT Summit https://canelearn.net/learn/
• Webinars/Archives https://canelearn.net/event-archives/
• Leadership Summit https://sites.google.com/site/canelearnsummit/
• PD Calendar https://canelearn.net/calendar/
Teaching and Learning Online Course
• http://canelearn.org/course/view.php?id=17 (login as guest)
Micro-Credential Learning Program (under development)
• Based on Ontario Extend https://extend.ecampusontario.ca/

11. Around the room….
• Role?
• Why here?
• Your takeaway would be…

12. Cross Canada Research

13. Education in Canada

14. k12sotn.ca

15. National Overview
Single provincial program
Primarily district-based programs
Combination of provincial and district-based programs
Use online learning programs from other provinces

16. Policy and Regulation
• No regulation
• Policy Handbook
• NS – teacher’s collective agreement
• BC – legislation, policy, and separate
agreement

17. Ministry program & resources?
 NL, NS, NB – provincial program
 YT, NT – provincial program
 MB – mixed provincial/district
 QC – mixed provincial/district
 ON – mixed provincial/district
X AB/SK – mixed provincial/district
X BC – no provincial program
X Limited or no Ministry resources

18. ON eLearning Announcement

20. • What is a more “centralized” model?
• Student skill building for learning online
• Current teacher experience and skill building
• Professional learning for pre-service teachers
• Rural student, francophone student, and Aboriginal
student’s access and engagement
• Classroom student access to technology
• Supervision of 10% of students who are online
• Special needs students…
Challenges with the announcement…
BEYOND the TECH is required SUPPORT

21. https://CANeLearn.net/ONmar15announcement/

22. BC Funding Review – DL
Implications
• Provincial infrastructure (LMS, resources, capacity building)
• Provincial Master Agreement (one already in place)
• Approved provincial DL providers
• Limited cross-enrollment
• Equitable funding – e-learning funded the same as classrooms
• https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/administration/reso
urce-management/k12funding/funding-model-review/online-
learning-working-group-report.pdf

23. Pan-Canadian Trends
• Centralizing provincial programs
• Shift away from competing online schools
• Focus less on province-wide online to local online
• Expansion/integration of online at classroom level
• Surge in e-learning at the classroom level (blended)
– ON licenses for classroom, BC/AB blended learning
provincial organizations
• E-learning just another part of all teacher’s practice

24. Centralized or Decentralized? DL or Classroom?
• Smaller jurisdictions centralize, larger decentralize
• No significant difference in completion rates
• Completion rates for online BC 89%, ON up to 94%
• CDLI (NL): 86.8% completion vs. 80.9% in classrooms
• Medium or model not the difference – teachers are
– The truck that delivers groceries does not change nutrition
• Researchers constantly asked does blended and online
learning work? The better question?
Under what conditions can they work?
https://canelearn.net/which-is-more-effective-centralized-or-decentralized/

25. eLearning Research Synopsis

27. On-site Mentors – Online Teachers

28. Its about design

29. Its about supporting students online
Borup, J., Chambers, C. B, & Stimson, R. (2018). Helping online students be successful: Student perceptions of
online teacher and on-site mentor instructional support. Lansing, MI: Michigan Virtual University. Retrieved
from https://mvlri.org/research/publications/helping-online-students-be-successful-student-perceptions-of-
online-teacher-and-on-site-mentor-instructional-support/

30. Nature of Activity
BC
AB
Single provincial program
Primarily district-based programs
Combination of provincial and district-based programs
Use online learning programs from other provinces

31. Table Talk
What are the greatest challenges you face in:
1. Using educational technologies?
2. Creating/sourcing digital learning resources?
3. Engaging students in digital learning environments?
4. Meeting curriculum expectations through tech?
5. Staying current in blended and online learning?
Reflect – 1 minute on your own
Pair/Share – 3 minutes per topic (pick two)
Group – Determine top two challenges & solutions

32. e-Learning Challenge
• A fundamental question in understanding
quality in online and blended learning is not
only how to define it, but how to foster quality
instructional and leadership practices –
“the aim when using technology is not to be
as good as face-to-face teaching but better”
• Bates & Poole, 2003, p.23
32

33. 33
Thank You!
Randy LaBonte
rlabonte@canelearn.net
CANeLearn.net
• Images sourced or from https://photosforclass.com/ , @rlabonte, or
https://www.flickr.com/creativecommons/