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April 1, 2014 by admin

New Ontario Study Calls for Provincial Digital Learning Strategies

Is the Digital Divide Impacting the Skills and Employment Gap Amongst Our Youth?

By Robert Martellacci, Co-founder and Vice-president, C21 Canada

It was a fascinating opportunity to participate in the People for Education: Digital Learning in Ontario Schools – The New Normal news conference yesterday at Queen Elizabeth P.S. in the TDSB. One of the highlights of the morning was observing grade 4 students highly engaged in small teams collaborating with technology; blogging, creating websites and programming Lego Robotics. This is the “New Normal.”

CTVsnap

The challenge facing schools in Ontario is scaling Mr. Kiel’s grade 4 class beyond the pilot mode and into the mainstream classroom, thus getting beyond pockets of innovation. While the study acknowledges greater access to technology and free digital resources, Ontario has yet to announce its long awaited digital strategy framework which may be in part due to the rumoured provincial election.  In the meantime, school districts face the challenge of addressing the equity issue around technology access for students and teachers. BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policies should help address this, however, a clear and concise vision from the Ontario Ministry of Education backed up with the infusion of funding will be most welcomed by parents, students and teachers alike.  Industry also has a role to play in forging strategic partnerships with education when it comes to providing cost-effective and appropriate digital resources and tools.

IMG_9399
(Left to Right) Robert Martellacci, Vice-president & Co-Founder C21 Canada, Annie Kidder, Executive Director, People for Education, Kelly Gallagher-Mackay, Research Director, People for Education

Kudos to People for Education for illuminating the “New Normal” in public education in Ontario. Innovation is no longer an option in preparing Ontario’s learners and future leaders for the 21st century global digital world. The education ecosystem needs to be nurtured by all to stakeholders to level the playing field with technology enhanced learning in order for Ontario to be a global leader and strive for excellence. It takes a connected digital village to raise a child in the 21st century.

Filed Under: Blog, Member News, Uncategorized

March 26, 2014 by admin

Karen Yamada from Winnipeg MB was Recently Awarded C21 Canada’s Ambassador Medallion

Winnipeg-20130604-00175

 

Karen Yamada from Winnipeg MB was recently awarded  C21 Canada’s Ambassador Medallion for her work and commitment nationally to 21st century learning and innovation. This Medallion was presented on C21 Canada’s behalf by Gerald Farthing, Deputy Minister of Education and Advanced Learning, MB.

Karen joins C21 Canada’s 2 other Ambassadors:  Hon. Paul Martin and John Abele, Boston Scientific.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

February 25, 2014 by admin

The Honourable Jeff Johnson, Minister of Education, Alberta Receives a Surprise C21 Shifting Minds Award

Screen shot 2014-02-24 at 11 33 13 AMThe Honourable Jeff Johnson, Minister of Education, Alberta receives a surprise C21 Shifting Minds Award at the recent Inspiring Learning Symposium in Alberta for Alberta’s leadership in transforming learning in the 21st century.

Presenting the award L-R (Naomi Johnson, Chief Superintendent, Calgary Board of Education; John Kershaw, President, C21 Canada; Jeff Johnson, Minister of Education, Alberta and Kimberleigh Doyle, Manager, Education Policy & Practice at SMART Technologies).

Filed Under: Uncategorized

February 19, 2014 by admin

C21 Framework Provides the Foundation for Sun West School Division Policy

C21 Canada – Guest Blog
Jade Ballek, Learning Consultant for Sun West School Division

Jade in Field - Professional Photo Close UpSun West School Division in rural Saskatchewan has embraced the seven guiding principles of C21’s vision for Canadian public education through the adoption of a Board Policy centred on the 21st Century Competencies. C21’s nationally recognized framework forms the foundation of Sun West’s belief that “students need to be competent in literacy, numeracy and science. Today’s knowledge and digital reality means that changes occur at an astronomical rate. This reality requires our students and staff to have additional competencies and skills.” –Sun West Board Policy 18

Policy 18 solidifies Sun West’s commitment to teaching and learning in the digital age. And as we work to ensure our rural students have equal opportunities to high quality instruction, Sun West continues to put in place a number of initiatives to move our Division forward on this promise. 

21st Century Competency Workshops –

Professional development for all educators around the competencies continues to be a priority. Throughout the 2013-14 school year, 100% of Sun West teachers are currently participating in four half-day workshops focusing on deepening their understanding of two of the seven competencies: critical thinking and collaboration. While none of the competencies are new in education, what is different is how educators develop these skills in their students. As such, computer and digital technologies have been threaded into classroom practice to better prepare students for the reality of living in a digital age.

Sun West Teacher Collaboration 2

Facilitated by regionally-based Learning Coaches, the workshops have been designed to allow educators to explore research-based teaching practices and reflect on what it means to be a 21st century educator. Online supports are provided as well as a Sun West 21St Century Competency Learning Guide and corresponding Workbook.

Sun West supports professional collaboration in a variety of ways. Teachers meet face-to-face in small school-based groups, virtually using online meeting software, and asynchronously through collaborative online workspaces such as Google Docs and SkyDrive. The 21st Century Competency workshops will culminate with the sharing of classroom experiences through the creation of individual artifacts. These artifacts will be collected and published in an iBook format so that we can celebrate our successes and inspire further growth.

21st Century Educator Role –

Additional release time has also been granted in each school to allow one educator to delve more deeply into the competencies. Through this newly created 21st Century Educator role, these teachers focus on the pedagogy behind the competencies through a series of online modules. Throughout the year, these educators discuss and share ideas asynchronously in an online forum, and reflect on their own learning journey through professional blogs. By exploring various topics related to the competencies, the 21st Century Educators transfer their learning to the classroom. Inquiry learning, project-based and problem-based learning, and active learning opportunities provide students with opportunities to develop skills needed to better prepare them for a changing future.

Online Learning and Partnerships –

Providing equitable learning opportunities for rural students is also a priority for Sun West. The Sun West Distance Learning Centre has been a pivotal part of this success as students can now access over 100 online courses to meet their individual needs. By developing partnerships with universities and colleges, students in Sun West now have access to learning opportunities that enable them to earn dual credits at both the high school level and post-secondary level. A partnership with the University of Saskatchewan’s Edwards School of Business is just one example of how Sun West students are benefitting from the shift in focus throughout the Division.

Sun West Teacher Collaboration

Undoubtedly, the C21 framework has allowed Sun West School Division to support the competencies in our planning and thereby put our learners in the lead. The guiding principles of the Shifting Minds paper form a foundational piece of our Division’s vision for teaching and learning. Our national focus has ensured that what we are doing in Sun West connects with what is happening across Canada in terms of public education.

It is indeed an exciting time to be an educator!

Jade Ballek received her Masters in Educational Design and Technology from the University of Saskatchewan and has worked in education for over 20 years as a classroom teacher, Lead technology teacher, and Learning Coach. She currently works as a Learning Consultant with the Sun West School Division. 

Filed Under: Blog, Uncategorized

February 3, 2014 by admin

I Will Not Let An Exam Result Decide My Fate – Spoken Word

SpokenWords

 

“I Will Not Let An Exam Result Decide My Fate” picks up on the education topic but takes a different stance and angle from “Why I Hate School But Love Education”. This poem talks about how we have been made to think about how education and getting university degrees can give us opportunities to have a better chance in making our dream careers a reality.

Filed Under: Blog, Uncategorized

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C21 Canada and its members provide collaborative vision and support to help Canadian education organizations enhance learning in the foundation areas of literacy, numeracy and science while infusing 21st Century skills (creative problem solving, critical thinking, collaboration, communication, personal development, global citizenship and digital competency) into content, and instructional and assessment practices.

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