Technology in Schools

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 Conference 2012

The Destination Innovation 2012 Conference will advance educational innovation, exploring imaginative practices for learning with technology. The conference will provide a premier professional development opportunity for innovators on the leading edge of technology in learning and teaching, including educators, IT staff, administrators, researchers and pre-service teachers. The conference will be held at The Banff Centre on August 19 to 22, 2012.  Destination Innovation is 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.   Registration is now open.  More information on Destination Innovation is available on line and on Twitter by following @Dest_2012.  The sessions will focus on four key areas:
  • Innovative Learning and Teaching Practices
  • Leading Innovation
  • IT Strategies and Practices
  • Research in Innovative Practices

Stakeholder Events

Alberta Education works with jurisdiction and other stakeholders on initiatives and to identify issues, challenges, and successes that schools and school jurisdictions 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 jurisdictions, professional development organizations, and other key contacts.
For more information on education technology stakeholder committees or events, please contact Bette Gray, Director, School Technology Sector, at Bette.Gray@gov.ab.ca or by phone at 780-427-1509. Professional Development The following are links to professional development initiatives for 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 jurisdiction 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 Video-Conferencing 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 2012