Professional Learning
In collaboration with stakeholders, Alberta Education develops resources and support initiatives that enhance the professional development and technology leadership skills for teachers and school administrators. Alberta Education also holds regular events to assist teachers and administrators in developing these skills.Destination Innovation 2012 Conference
The Destination Innovation 2012 Conference advanced educational innovation by exploring imaginative practices for learning with technology. The conference provided a premier professional development opportunity for innovators on the leading edge of technology in learning and teaching. The conference was held at The Banff Centre on August 19 to 22, 2012. Destination Innovation was sponsored by the 2Learn.ca Education Society, Alberta Education, the Alberta Teachers’ Association, Alberta Technology Leaders in Education and the Educational Technology Council of the Alberta Teachers’ Association.
The sessions focused on four key areas:
- Innovative Learning and Teaching Practices
- Leading Innovation
- IT Strategies and Practices
- Research in Innovative Practices
As presentations become available for viewing, they will be added here.
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Supporting an Apptitude for Mobile Learning in a Large Urban School District - Pauline Auld and Karen Pegler
Stakeholder Events
Alberta Education works with school authorities and other stakeholders on initiatives and to identify issues, challenges and successes that schools and school authorities are facing as they implement technology. The key stakeholder group is:- Jurisdiction Technology Contacts (JTC) – Provides a communication link between the Ministry and representatives of school authorities, professional development organizations and other key contacts.
For more information on education technology stakeholder committees or events, please contact Karen Andrews, Senior Manager, School Technology Branch, at Karen.Andrews@gov.ab.ca or by phone at 780-644-5194.
Professional Development
The following are links to professional development initiatives that support implementation of technology in schools.
- Alberta Professional Development Regional Consortia Links to web sites of Regional Consortia.
- Alberta Technology Leaders in Education (ATLE) This association supports the work of K-12 jurisdiction technology leaders in Alberta.
- Galileo Educational Network Association (GENA) An education-business partnership that provides onsite and online supports for teachers, administrators and school authority personnel in implementing ICT.
- 2Learn.ca Education Society An educational alliance that provides inservice, opportunities for telecollaboration, online tools and resources and mentorship for Alberta teachers through a provincial cascade model.
- Videoconferencing Regional Leads Network (VCRLN) This organization was established by Alberta Education and is administered by the 2Learn.ca Education Society. The purpose of the VC Regional Leads Network is to support Supernet and Videoconferencing enabled learning across Alberta's K-12 Education System.
Technology Leadership
In collaboration with stakeholders, Alberta Education develops resources and support initiatives that enhance the technology leadership skills of the education system.
Cheryl Lemke, a noted international speaker and consultant with a specialty in policy for K-12 learning technology, spoke to a group of Alberta Education staff on a variety of school technology themes. Cheryl worked with Alberta Education on the Emerge One-to-One Laptop Learning research and is well aware of the Alberta context in relation to the international scene. Cheryl spoke on such issues as:
- Setting a strategic direction for the use of technology in schools;
- What does the research say about the impact of technology on learning;
- International trends:
- What policies and leadership practices are critical; and
- What does it mean to be educated and literate in the digital age.
A video of the discussion is available here: A Conversation with Cheryl Lemke (approximate run time: 2 hours 15 minutes).
Dr. Kathryn Moyle, Associate Professor at the University of Canberra, spoke to a group of technology leaders in Alberta about the value of educational technology in schools and leadership and learning in ICT. Speaking in Edmonton to three participating videoconference sites, Dr. Moyle shared her current research with approximately 30 educators, education researchers and education department staff. The videoconference format allowed all participants to ask Dr. Moyle questions and demonstrated the value of this technology for sharing ideas. Dr. Moyle's PowerPoint Presentation: "Circumnavigating the world of technologies in education"
Updated April 2013
