Friday, February 27, 2009

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In this issue:
• Emerge One-to-One Laptop Learning Initiative
• Speak Out - Alberta Student Engagement Initiative
• Upcoming Events
• Cyber Bullying Resources
• 2Learn.ca Update
• Tools4Teachers Update
• LearnAlberta.ca Update

Emerge One-to-One Laptop Learning Initiative

The Year One research results for Emerge One-to-One Laptop Learning initiative are now available.  This report was compiled from the results of teacher, student and administrator surveys, as well as researcher site visits.  The Metiri Group and the University of Calgary, who are conducting the province-wide research for the initiative, have also made recommendations for Alberta Education and the participating school jurisdictions. 

The Emerge One-to-One Laptop Learning initiative is a three-year, $5.7 million initiative developed in response to a growing trend towards laptop use in the classroom.  Now in its second year, Emerge has 20 participating jurisdictions, 50 schools, and over 2,200 students. 

The report is available online on the Emerge One-to-One Laptop Learning website.  For more information, contact Karen Shipka, Project Manager, at Karen.Shipka@gov.ab.ca or by phone at 780-427-6961.

Speak Out - Alberta Student Engagement Initiative

In January, students had the opportunity to share their thoughts, opinions and experiences regarding technology through the Speak Out Student Engagement Initiative website.  The results of the technology survey are available using the link below.

Alberta Education's Speak Out Student Engagement Initiative is encouraging Alberta youth from diverse backgrounds and experiences to share their perspectives on the education system through the interactive website, www.speakout.alberta.ca.   

>> Click here to view the results of the technology survey.

Upcoming Events

JTC Meeting

May 13, 2009 at Fantasyland Hotel, Edmonton  

This event is open to Jurisdictional Technology Contacts and invited guests only.

Leading for Today's Learners

A workshop for principals is being presented by Galileo Educational Network.  Principals will have the opportunity to collaborate with other leaders to improve student and teacher learning through classroom observation and conferencing strategies. Originally a two-day workshop, the first day has been completed; however registration is still open to all principals for the second day.  Sessions will be held in Edmonton, Calgary and Grande Prairie in March.

>> Click here for more information on the workshops and contact information for registration.

Cyber Bullying Resources

The Media Awareness Network has developed a series of lessons, in English and French, to give students a better understanding of the ethical and legal implications of cyber bullying and to promote positive Internet use.  This free resource, Cyber Bullying: Encouraging ethical online behaviour, is available at http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/educational/lessons/cyberbullying.cfm.

Alberta Education has a licensing agreement with Media Awareness Network to provide all K-12 school jurisdictions with the Web Awareness professional learning resource for teachers on Internet safety and cyber bullying.  For more information on this resource, and other resources, visit http://education.alberta.ca/admin/technology/standards/internetsafety.aspx.

2Learn.ca Update

French Online Learning Videos

A series of videos in French is now available for students, parents and teachers to promote student success in online learning.   The seven videos are part of the "Les cours en ligne: Stratégies pour réussir" series that offers advice on issues such as getting organized, staying motivated, and the importance of building a personal support network for online learners.

The video series was developed by the 2Learn.ca Education Society, with assistance from an Inukshuk grant, Athabasca University, and the Conseil Scolaire Francophone de la Colombie-Britannique. 

The video series is available online at http://www.pourapprendre.ca/video.html.

Video Conference Regional Leads Network’s (VC RLN) Reach2Teach Newsletter

The VC RLN’s Reach2Teach monthly online newsletter provides Alberta educators with information about the provincial videoconferencing community.  To subscribe to the newsletter, visit http://www.2learn.ca/vcrln/r2t/r2t.html. 

The VC RLN is a program established by Alberta Education and administered by the 2Learn.ca Education Society. With support from Stakeholder Technology Branch, the VC RLN supports SuperNet- and videoconferencing-enabled learning across Alberta's K-12 education system.

For more information about the VC RLN and their initiatives, please visit http://www.2learn.ca/VCRLN/.

2Learn2Gether.ca

The 2Learn.ca Education Society has recently launched 2Learn2Gether.ca, an online networking community established to support Alberta educators.  The site provides moderated groups and forums, upcoming events, professional development opportunities and resources, educational videos and other tools designed to help users connect to others in education communities of practice. K-12 educators, or those affiliated with an Alberta education institution, can participate.  There are currently 24 categories of groups across a wide variety of specialties.

This website is hosted on 2Learn.ca servers and is subject to 2Learn.ca’s Terms of Use. User information is secure and private.  Visit http://www.2learn2gether.ca/  to register for an account.  

Tools4Teachers Update

New Resources

The following courses are now posted to the Tools4Teachers site:

§  Mathematics 4

§  Mathematics 5

The Tools4Teachers website can be accessed at http://www.tools4teachers.ca/.  Contact your school administrator for a login and password.

For more information, contact Lori Ristoff at Lori.Ristoff@gov.ab.ca or by phone at 780-674-8719.

LearnAlberta.ca Update

Advance Jurisdiction Usernames and Passwords Available March 1

Jurisdiction username and password information for the 2009/2010 school year will be available March 1, 2009 for those who wish to include this information in student handbooks or other print student resources for the new school year. The advance passwords will be activated in mid-August 2009.  However, both old and new passwords will be functional until the end of September. Password information should be shared with teachers, parents and students following activation. To ensure the integrity of the licensing agreements, it cannot be published on publicly accessible websites.

To acquire the advance password for your school authority please send an e-mail using your school authority e-mail account to LearnAlberta.Contact@learning.gov.ab.ca indicating the school or school authority and school authority code. 

Online Reference Centre - EBSCO changes

Some school authorities may experience difficulty accessing EBSCO databases through LearnAlberta.  To allow access through firewalls, proxies, filtering software or other security features, add these IP addresses (140.234.*.*, and 63.208.197.*) to your firewall exception list by March 1, 2009.  This will ensure full, unrestricted access to all EBSCO Publishing online products. 

New Resources on LearnAlberta.ca

>> For information on new resources on LearnAlberta.ca, click here.

Vol. 8 No. 7

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Alberta Education
Stakeholder Technology Branch
Alberta Education
10th Floor, 44 Capital Boulevard
10044-108 Street
Edmonton, AB T5J 3S7

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