Canadian eLearning NetworkFlexible Learning Western Style:

Emerging Models Integrating Distributed and Distance Learning in BC & AB

http://CANeLearn.net

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 (Chair) - QC• Terri Reid, Learning Services Coordinator, Black Gold Regional Schools (Vice-

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

(Director) - AB• Greg Bitgood, Superintendent Heritage Christian Schools (Director) - BC• Alison MacDonald, Principal Wapaskwa Virtual Collegiate (Director) – MB• Todd Pottle, Coordinator, Ontario eLearning Consortium (Director) – ON• Sue Taylor-Foley, Director of Learning Resources and Technology, Nova Scotia

Education and Early Childhood Development (Director) - NS• Bruce Weitzel, Lead for BC Learning Network (Director) - BC• Kevin Wttewaall, Director of Technology for Learning Rocky View School

Division (Director) – AB

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

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)

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• 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 http://www.blendedalberta.ca/

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

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

Innovation in Canada - BC

The Inquiry Hub

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

Navigate / NIDES

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

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

Flexible Learning

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

iNACOL Innovative Blended and Online Learning Practice Award Recipients ->

2012, 2013, 2014

Quebec -> Alberta -> BC

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IssuesChallenges

InnovationLEADERSHIP

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…

THANK YOUhttp://CANeLearn.net

27

•Randy LaBonterlabonte@canelearn.net@rlabonterlabonte23

http://CANeLearn.net

Contact Information

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

http://CANeLearn.net

• 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 documents)– Highest regulated

State of the Nation in Canada Report

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Measuring Quality: Randy LaBonte 34