Canadian eLearning NetworkFlexible Learning Western Style:

Emerging Models Integrating Distributed and Distance Learning in BC & AB

July 8, 2015

http://CANeLearn.net

AGENDA1. About CANeLearn

2. Cross Canada Overview: – State of the Nation in K12 Online Learning

3. BC and Alberta emerging practices– New opportunities for flexible and engaging learning– Moving beyond tech to design principles that influence

Blended Learning– Re-characterizing the “Carnegie Unit”– Policy and funding implications– Blended Learning as a disruptive innovation

Table Discussion

• Foundations for flexible learning– Policy and funding– Curriculum alignment– Organizational models, including Blended Learning

approaches– Learning Resources strategies– Teachers' technological and pedagogical skills

AGENDA (contd…)

First – We thank our sponsors!

About the Canadian eLearning Network

• CANeLearn is a pan-Canadian network of K12 online and blended learning schools and organizations

• Focus is on sharing resources, PD, research• Intent is to leverage our Canadian collective to

promote online and blended learning• http://CANeLearn.net

Mission

CANeLearn's mission is to provide leadership that champions student

success in online and blended learning and provides members with

networking, collaboration, and research opportunities.

CANeLearn Board of Directors

• Michael Canuel, CEO of LEARN (Chairman) - QC• Terri Reid, Learning Services Coordinator, Black Gold Regional Schools (Vice-

Chairman) – AB• Laurel Beaton, Partnerships and Innovation, Alberta Distance Learning Centre

(Director) - AB• Greg Bitgood, Superintendent Heritage Christian Schools (Director) - BC• Howard Burston, Director, IT Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre

(Director) – MB• Alison Slack, Coordinator, Ontario eLearning Consortium (Director) – ON• CJ MacKinnon, Teacher/Coordinator Innovations Online, Traditional Learning

Academy Online (Director) - BC• Sue Taylor-Foley, Director of Learning Resources and Technology, Nova Scotia

Education and Early Childhood Development (Director) - NS• Kevin Wttewaall, Director of Technology for Learning Rocky View School Division

(Director) – AB• Michael Barbour, Director of Doctoral Studies Sacred Heart University (Director)

– Board Appointee

Building relationships Communication Sharing Innovation

Building Relationships

CommunicationEnhancing communications with members

SharingSharing resources and best practices

InnovationEncouraging innovation

CANeLearn is committed to networking:

CANeLearn is committed to collaboration:

Membership Connections

CANeLearn Networking events

DONE:iNACOL –

CANeLearn Member Site

State of the Nation in Canada Report

Mix of province-wide & district-basedOnline Programs

Province-wide Province-wide & District District-based

YT AB BC

NB MB SK

NS QC ON

NL

PE (uses NB) FMNI Band-based

NU (uses AB) ON (2)

NT (uses AB) MB & AB (SK closed)

• Newfoundland and Labrador– Single province-wide program– No regulations (currently being created)

• Nova Scotia– Single province-wide and district-based programs– Regulations in Provincial Teachers’ Agreement

• Prince Edward Island– Uses distance education from other provinces– Two Ministerial Directives

• New Brunswick– Single province-wide program– Series of Ministry policy documents

State of the Nation in Canada Report

• Quebec– District-based programs (provincial level

content provider)– Provincial consortiums

• Ontario– Province-wide LMS and course content– Private virtual schools– Provincial consortiums– eLearning Ontario district coordinators (EEOs)

State of the Nation in Canada Report

• Yukon– Utilize British Columbia resources & program– Launched own Aurora Virtual School– referenced in legislation, largely governed by an inter-

provincial agreement with BC school district

• North West Territories– Utilize a program in Alberta (ADLC– Several Ministry policy documents

• Nunavut– Past and future plans for pilot programs (may utilize services

in Alberta)– No regulations

State of the Nation in Canada Report

• Manitoba– Three province-wide programs (for online province provides CMS and course

content, used by district-based programs– Ministry policy documents currently being updated– Discussion of provincial FMNI division

• Saskatchewan– District-based programs (since 2009-10)– No regulations since devolution from Ministry

• Alberta– Province-wide and district-based programs – Limited Ministry policy documents (more extensive policies currently being

formulated)

• British Columbia– District-based and private (independent) programs– Several legislative items (additional Ministry policy documents)– Highest regulated

State of the Nation in Canada Report

Innovation in Canada - Alberta

Open educational resources (OER) are freely accessible, openly licensed documents and media that are useful for teaching, learning, and assessing as well as for research purposes. Although som epeople consider the use of an open file format to be an essential characteristic of OER, this is not a univeraklly acknowledged requirement.

Province Overview

• Student funding not specific to online (CEUs)• Many home schooled• Inspiring Education created an innovation vision• Shift from correspondence to blended using technology• Driven by improving engagement and results• Video conferencing provincial initiative (SuperNet)• Shifting to web conferencing as well• More f2f and sync options both onsite and online• Google use (own servers – drive, docs, hangouts, classroom)• Curriculum redesign and High School Flex• Moodle user group• Emerging blendED group

British Columbia

35,000 educators600,000 students60 public DL schoolsCourses provided to Yukon (follow BC curriculum)

16 independent DL schools

Online Choice: Open boundaries

Distributed Learning Vision

2006 Legislation, Bill 33Recognizes DL in legislationEach Board requires a DL Agreement with the MinistryCross-enrolment in Gr. 8-12 (supplemental courses)Working on cross-enrolment K-12

Public

Independent

Bricks and Mortar Distributed Learning

LearnNowBC: Sign-up Portal & Support

Distributed Learning in BC

Legislation PolicyDL Agreements

Achievement DataDL Audits DL Standards

Compliance Regulations & Processes

Two lenses for measuring

Compliance Quality•Funding•Curriculum-focused•Supervision•Assessment•Achievement•Completion

•Participation•Learner-focused•Engagement•Personal knowledge•Success•Satisfaction

Quality Review Model

Internal Review(part of school planning process)

DL Standards ResearchData

Student Success (engagement, achievement & satisfaction)

External Review

-Observing, Validating,

& Recommen

ding

Emerging Practice-Sharing &

Applying New Strategies

Implementing Quality Instructional & Leadership

Practices

PUBLIC and Independent FTE Enrolments: All Counts

2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-20130.00

2,000.00

4,000.00

6,000.00

8,000.00

10,000.00

12,000.00

14,000.00

16,000.00

PublicLinear (Public)Linear (Public)IndependentLinear (Independent)

PUBLIC and Independent Headcount Enrolments: All Counts

2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-20130.00

20,000.00

40,000.00

60,000.00

80,000.00

100,000.00

120,000.00

140,000.00

160,000.00

Headcounts - All counts PublicLinear (Headcounts - All counts Public)Headcounts - All counts IndependentLinear (Headcounts - All counts Independent)

Completion Rate for Public School Students – DL

• (For students who take at least one DL course)

School Year Students taking 1 or more DL Course

Students not taking DL Course

% %

2009-10 80.9% 88.3%

2010-11 85.0% 86.6%

2011-12 86.5% 85.0%

2012-13 89.8% 85.3%

Links

• BC Ministry of Education Distributed Learning– http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/dist_learning/

• BC Distributed Learning Agreement– http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/dist_learning/documents/dist_learn_agmt.pdf

• BC Distributed Learning Standards– http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/dist_learning/documents/dl_standards.pdf

• BC Distributed Learning Audit Criteria– http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/compliance/0708-dl-audit-program-final.pdf

• LearnNow BC– http://www.learnnowbc.ca

32

Innovation in Canada

• Four outstanding programs and educators were nominated by CANeLearn for innovation awards presented by iNACOL (International Association for K-12 Online Learning http://www.inacol.org/members/awards/).

• The iNACOL Innovator Awards recognize learning practices, new research and individual achievements in the field of blended and online learning.

• CANeLearn nominees were: – Josh Gray from the Thames Valley District School Board, London ON; – The Navigate Program of the North Island Distance Education School,

Courtenay BC; – Michael Barbour (Canadian researcher); and – Maurice Barry of the Centre for Distance Learning and Innovation, St. John NL.

More Information can be found here:http://canelearn.net/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=7

Innovation in Canada - BC

The Inquiry Hub

Navigate / NIDES

• One of 9 original correspondence/DE schools in BC• Budget of five million dollars• Enrolling five thousand students

– Many part-time– Full time equivalent enrolment of 950 K-12 and adult learners

• 1994 began moving paper-based to digital• 2012 began to shift correspondence model to student-centric –

added Navigate moniker to school to emphasize this focus• Defined focus (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKGEcV0JH6Y)• Defined philosophy (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QNcuwoyxik)

New Programs

Developed 21st Century blended learning programs:• The Fine Arts eCademy (K-9)• The eCademy of New Technologies, Engineering & Robotics – ENTER

(6-7) and ENTER 2 (8-9)

• Established a Secondary Leadership Program – iClass• “The Matrix” (10-12) for full time senior secondary students as a

program of choice• Implementated full time Independent Learning Centres (ILCs) at all

three secondary schools in the district

ENTER Program

• A fully inclusive, three day face-to-face and two day distributed learning program designed secondary students

• Students have a passion for computers, technology, engineering, math and science and thrive in a “hands on” learning environment

• Program is housed in a large, converted industrial arts classroom that provides flexible and dynamic instructional space

• Focused on STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) curriculum

• Utilizes project-based learning and subject integration as the over arching instructional approach

Learning Cycles Calendar

• Breaks the year into four distinct instructional sessions, each supporting rich opportunities for community integration and assessment conversations with parents

• Students utilize blogs and e-portfolios to demonstrate, co-construct and share their learning and achievement

• Enrolment is limited to 24 students (per cohort) • Curriculum embraces the concepts of “MAKER SPACE” as well as

more advanced design and development work with technology such as 3D printers and VEX robotics

• See the following videos for more on the two ENTER programs:– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGZU-x2EdCA– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4180dUCG6Q

Why Success?

1. Parents as Co-facilitators of Learning

2. Capitalizing on District Facilities

3. Supporting Special Needs Students

4. Creating a Flexible Calendar

5. “Finding the Sweet Spot” for Funding & Flexibility

6. Unique Curriculum Design

iNACOL Innovative Blended and Online Learning Practice Award Recipients ->

2012, 2013, 2014

Quebec -> Alberta -> BC

41

Blended – not Stirred…

• Blended– Campus migration to include online– Virtual only migration to face2face– Competency not time as THE Measure– Textbooks to digital assets– Teacher’s role from disseminator to facilitator– Bureaucratic silos to open practice

• Stirred– Policy, Curriculum & Assessment– Funding Models

• Silver Bullet is??

• CC by 2.0 marketingmommy

EMERGING OBSERVATIONS

1. Blended and online practices are blurring – it is more about learning within flexible structures

2. Transition from online to blended more difficult than from classroom to blended/online

3. Personalization and flexibility critical drivers in Canada – not competency-based as of yet

4. First Nations and Francophone more organized nationally across the country

5. Research focus on better data and exploring pockets of innovation

Flexible Learning

Foundations for flexible learning:1. Policy and funding

• What is supporting? • What is required?• Strategies for change…

2. Curriculum alignment• Conflict or Concert?• Building congruence…

3. Organizational models• Blended Learning approaches• Changing horses in the middle of the stream…

4. Learning Resources• What is missing?• Where can you find it?

5. Teachers' technological and pedagogical skills• Strengths?• Challenges?• Strategies to support…

Table Talk…

Making Sense of the Data

• While many online programs evolved from distance education initiatives, classroom-based practice has expanded into the online environment as traditional DE programs incorporate more synchronous and ground-based practice

• Shifting from classroom to online easier than online to blended• BC: Navigate/NIDES, @KOOL/AVS embedded teachers, consortia• AB: Argyll sync, ADLC teacher partners, emerging partnerships• ON: Centralized resources/tech and support, consortia• NS/MB/QC: Centralized approaches, local partnerships

Online Blended Classroom

Emerging Observations

1. Blended and online practices are blurring – it is more about learning within flexible structures

2. Transition from online to blended more difficult than from classroom to blended/online

3. Personalization and flexibility critical drivers in Canada – not competency-based as of yet

4. First Nations and Francophone more organized nationally across the country

5. Research focus on better data and exploring pockets of innovation

THANK YOUhttp://CANeLearn.net

Contact Information

• Randy LaBonte– CEO– rlabonte@canelearn.net– @rlabonte– rlabonte23

http://CANeLearn.net