The Sun West Distance Learning Centre (DLC) is an online school based out of Kenaston, Saskatchewan that offers K-12 courses to students within the Division and across the province. Our courses follow the Saskatchewan Ministry of Learning curriculum and are designed to ensure that students have access to high-quality education in a unique online learning environment. Students are able to access a number of different types of online courses including synchronous (or live broadcast), asynchronous (a flexible learning option where students determine their pace), and print-based courses.
Asynchronous course materials are available online 24 hours a day to students through Moodle, our online portal. In order to enhance learning and provide more interactivity, the courses at the DLC also feature instructional videos. These videos allow students in the online asynchronous courses to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to learn the content and be successful.
With the ever-expanding list of courses available to students, many high school students look to the DLC as a way to complete their graduation requirements through both core and elective options. The DLC offers unique courses such as 4th Class Power Engineering, Equine, Astronomy, and Paleontology courses to name a few. Students can also expand their Practical and Applied Arts (PAA) options by enrolling in courses like Construction, Mechanics, Computer Assisted Drafting, Graphic Arts and Interior Design. For those interested in earning dual credit options, the DLC offers opportunities to earn high school and post-secondary credits in partnership with the University of Saskatchewan and Saskatchewan Polytechnic.
The DLC is also a great option for students who home school. The focus on Saskatchewan curriculum ensures that students receive a high quality education in elementary, middle level, and high school grades.
For adults, the DLC allows individuals to earn credits that may have been missed in high school or to earn a high school diploma, including Adult 12 programming. The flexible learning environment allows working adults to schedule learning when it is convenient.
A dedicated and enthusiastic staff of teachers and support personnel are committed to providing online learners with a successful experience. For more information, please explore the DLC website or call them at 1-306-252-1000.
John Jamieson in Kenaston School has introduced a unique approach to the use of pre-assessments to direct learning in his blended classroom.
In his face-to-face classroom, John uses the instructional videos from the Distance Learning Math Moodle course that he created. And while John feels there is much value in teachers creating their own classroom videos, he suggests that for teachers who use the DLC courses in their blended learning classroom that “it is very important to be very familiar with the examples and content from each lesson so that you can help support what the students have learned in the videos.”
The following outlines the process he used in his Math classroom:
- Pre-Assessments
- John makes his own pre-assessments from the Math Makes Sense disk. (He creates 6-8 questions per lesson/skill.)
- Students work through the pre-assessment and show John when they are done to verify the work has been completed.
- Instructional Videos
- Students watch the instructional videos individually to confirm that they have completed the Math skill introduced in this lesson correctly or students look for places where they may have not done something correctly. This is an important step because students have a specific purpose for viewing the videos.
- Students Review
- Based on what they learned during the videos, students make corrections on their pre-assessments. John suggests that students make correction as they watch rather than doing it at the end.
- The pre-assessments are handed in and John gives students feedback and returns them to students. The pre-assessments are considered formative assessment.
- Students go through and redo any questions in pen and hand in again for feedback.
- This process continues until the pre-assessment questions are correct.
- Practice
- While students wait for their pre-assessments to be corrected, they move to the practice questions in the textbook. These are also formative and are self-checked by the students using the answer key in the text.
- Summative Assessments
- Students are assessed on their understanding for reporting purposes through the mid-unit quiz and the chapter exam.
In his first attempt with this model, John has seen an improvement in problem-solving skills and students taking ownership of their learning as a result of this shift in approach. Using this method, all students scored either a 4 or 5 on the summative assessment (Sun West School Division uses a 5 point rubric for Grades 1-9), marking an improvement in comprehension of content.
To balance the individualized, independent approach to learning with opportunities for students to continue to collaborate in math, John is exploring ways for his students to participate in group projects and hopes to introduce a genius hour project into his classroom.
” I am finding that this blended learning approach is an evolving process and I am continually tweaking how this looks.”
As part of the 21st Century Educator role in Sun West, teachers have been exploring videos and articles that illustrate ways in which small changes in teaching practices can lead to increased student engagement, motivation and learning. These educators then post comments and participate in online discussions through a Sun West Google + community.*
After watching Dan Meyer’s inspirational TED talk, Math Class Needs a Makeover, Westberry teacher, Emily Knowles, continued her search into ways to bring authentic, real world experiences in her classroom. Here is what she shared with the group in the Google community:
“In connection with Dan Meyer’s : Math class needs a makeover, I found an article on how to use Google Earth to engage students in Real World Math problems. The article was written by a math teacher, Thomas Petra, who helped to co-create the Real World Math problems website. This website ” is a collection of free math activities for Google Earth designed for students and educators (Grades 5-10). Mathematics is much more than a set of problems in a textbook. In the virtual world of Google Earth, concepts and challenges can be presented in a meaningful way that portray the usefulness of the ideas.”
I found some really good ideas on how to incorporate Math into both the Social and Science curriculum in a meaningful way, and I am excited to try them out during our Math skills period!”
Thanks for sharing this resource with the Sun West team, Emily!
*All teachers are welcome to join the Sun West Google + Community and participate in online discussions about 21st Century Learning. This is the online discussion board where our 21CE teachers will be posting their responses to articles/videos as well as sharing their classroom experiences. It is going to be a great way to keep your toes in the 21st Century Education pool, so to speak 🙂
While this headline might seem a little like something out of a science fiction novel, being able to clone yourself is really not so far out as it might seem! Well, in a sense that is …
Teachers have often dreamed of the day when they can be in more than one place at a time. By accessing instructional videos from courses at the Distance Learning Centre, Sun West School Division teachers can now work one-on-one with a group or grade level while another group watches a video that has been created on specific learning outcomes.
Let’s take a Grade 4/5 Math class for example. The DLC Math course contains instructional videos on each lesson from Math Makes Sense. A multi-grade teacher could set up the Grade 5 students to watch the DLC Math 5 video on a projector, a Smartboard or in small groups on mobile devices. Each video is also supported by student handouts if the teacher wishes to use those to supplement his/her classroom materials. During this time, the multi-grade teacher could then be working separately with the Grade 4 students on the Explore section of the text or supporting the practice questions, etc.
It’s a small change that can lead to increased used of class time for learning. And students learn additional skills such as taking responsibility for their own learning, collaborative group skills and independence.
But this is not a strategy just for the multi-grade classroom! Read about one teacher’s journey in cloning herself using digital stations (from Scholastic.com) and how it helped her meet the diverse needs of students in her classroom.
And teachers are not restricted to using just DLC-created resources. There are numerous Open Education Resources available as listed in Edutopia’s September 10, 2014 post.
To learn more about creating a culture that supports blended learning, contact your Learning Coach or your Technology Coach. Sun West teachers can request access to the Distance Learning Centre’s courses at the following link: http://goo.gl/cHkato.
The Sun West Teacher’s Convention was kicked off at the end of August with a message from Director, Dr. GuyTétrault, in which he invited teachers to embrace the concept of blended learning.
At its core, blended learning is more than enhancing education with the use of technology tools and instead offers students a “blend” of face-to-face classroom experiences and online learning opportunities.
“Blended learning involves leveraging the Internet to afford each student a more personalized learning experience, meaning increased student control over the time, place, path, and/or pace of his or her learning.” – Clayton Christensen Institute
Teachers using Mathletics in their classrooms can use this online support to provide blended learning opportunities for the students in their classrooms. By offering students a chance to work through different content at their own pace, Mathletics helps teachers support learners where they are at.
The online program allows K-12 classroom teachers to group students by readiness and release specific content directly to certain students, thereby individualizing instruction in a new and exciting way. Teachers can conduct concept searches to make this an easy process.
There are a number of additional features that Mathletics offers teachers including:
- printable workbooks for parents who are seeking additional home support or for colony teachers who do not have access to the online version
- grading/marking that can be saved and exported as an Excel file
- teacher videos that highlight the instructional practices that support blended learning and provide just-in-time PD for instructors
- plus much, much more!
Mathletics is even available as an app for the iPad!
As part of Sun West’s licencing package, schools can also take advantage of one-on-one training which is provided by our Mathletics support team member, Elizabeth. She is an engaging trainer with a Saskatchewan background!. For more information about using Mathletics in your classroom, contact your Learning Coach or Shari Martin, Superintendent of Education, Sun West School Division.
You can also follow Mathletics on Twitter @MathleticsCA.
Technology Goal: Teachers will apply innovative uses of technology to enhance teaching strategies and improve student learning.
To begin our progress towards this goal, staff at ECS were surveyed to determine their current comfort level and experience with various forms of technology, and they also identified where they would like to improve in incorporating technology.
After analyzing the results of this survey, the staff at a school PD day came together and developed ideas or places where technology could be effectively incorporated. Some ideas we developed from this PD day were to use Audacity to do voice recording activities, Scratch to animate stories, Wikis for online reports and class websites, Blogs for sharing student thoughts, and Skype to connect to other classrooms or people outside of our small community.
Identifying Challenge
As a staff we identified some of the challenges that came up as a result of incorporating more technology into our lessons. One of the biggest and most obvious challenges was many staff had limited knowledge about what the various uses of technology were and would have to learn the programs themselves before being able to use them with their students.
This was solved through our Lead Teacher and also through the Supporting Technology Wiki. Staff was also encouraged to attend Live! Technology Tutorials when they came up, and they were also directed to the Supporting Technology Wiki to view tutorials and videos related to the different technology areas which was very helpful (thanks to the curriculum team and others who put the Wiki together)!
Reflections
As we approach the end of the year, it has been recognized that many teachers were able to successfully incorporate some innovative technology uses into their classrooms. Some specific examples of technology integration were teachers using Tagxedo, Scratch, Audacity, Prezi, Music Shake, Mathletics, and Blogger.
Overall, I would say we were successful in meeting our school technology goal!
Jeff Kingwell teaches in at Elrose Composite School in Elrose, Saskatchewan and has served as the Lead technology teacher for a number of years/.
Kylie Lorenzen, a Lead technology teacher in Eston, has always been interested in doing more with technology in her classroom. So when she contacted me to be part of her brainstorming for more ideas, I was excited by her enthusiastic response to using Bridgit to connect her classroom virtually!
Her students had been working on an inquiry project in the Mystery Unit, developing online research skills throughout the process. To showcase their learning, students were given the choice of using either PowerPoint or Prezi as the tool for creating visual representations to supplement their oral presentations. Through the Learning Coaches, Kylie was connected with Joell Tiffin and Colette Charpentier in Outlook High School, and Jeremy Murphy in Davidson School, middle level teachers who were eager to have their students participate as online audience members.
Then, prior to the actual presentations, Kylie and I worked through some of the planning details to ensure that the experience would be as smooth as possible.
1. Equipment Preparation:
- In order for Kylie’s Grade 7 students in Eston to present virtually, they needed to be able to share their desktop with their online audience. In Sun West, we use an presentation software called Bridgit. All participating teachers were relatively new to the software, so they watched a short screencast on how to use the tool prior to the actual presentation day.
- Webcams were also installed in all locations which permitted classrooms to see each other during the opening welcome. The webcams were then turned off during the actual presentations.
- Of course it was essential that the students could be heard during the presentations, so each classroom located a set of speakers and a mic and did a test run on the equipment.
- Visibility was also important for the audience classroom so SmartBoards were used in each classroom.
- During our first attempt, the computers were lagging so much that we stopped the test run. A quick email to the tech department revealed that Eston’s bandwidth was maxed out. There was a Skype conversation going on in another part of the school which had caused the problem. So, we rebooked another time to try again and Kylie informed the staff about the presentation to ensure lack of bandwidth would not be a problem.
- Our second run through revealed that certain animations and transitions on the Power Point presentations caused the slides to freeze up when using Bridgit. To address that problem, students removed all animations from their online versions of their presentations and saved a new copy with a different file name.
- We also discovered that Prezis with embedded videos showed quite slowly on the receiving end. To accommodate this, student presenters learned that they would need to take into consideration the extra time it took to load the video into consideration when moving ahead.
- Finally, we learned that the software ran much smoother when Kylie hosted the meeting and the audience joined rather than the other way around.
-
How will introductions be handled?
-
What is expected of the listening audience?
-
Will the audience give feedback to the presenters? If so, how?
-
Will the audience ask questions? If so, how will students do that (one at a time? prepared in advance? spur of the moment?)
-
Will students have a chance to practice with the mics and webcams?
-
Since this is a both a speaking and listening activity, will students be assessed or self-assess their skills? If so, how?
-
If the webcam is used, will it be on throughout the presentation, or just at the beginning during introductions?
There is always a degree of uncertainty the first time anyone uses online technology to connect classrooms. “Will the equipment work? Will bandwidth be an issue? How will w we problem solve technical difficulties?”
In this case, Kylie’s preparation helped make this experience enjoyable for both presenters and audience members. I peeked into the Grade 6 classroom at Outlook High during the presentation. Students there were extremely engaged and I overheard one Grade 6 student at Outlook High remark to a classmate, “This is really cool!”
In 2012-2013, each school in the Sun West School Division developed school-wide technology goals that were designed to meet the needs of their staff and students. Lead technology teachers worked closely with their school-based Administrator to survey staff in the fall to assess the highest need related to technology. Following the survey, a plan was put into place to support teachers throughout the year.
In Kyle School, under the direction of Lead teacher and Administrator, Marlene Gillanders, each staff member focused on a particular technology tool that they best felt would suit their classroom needs.
Supporting teachers in learning more about how to use technology effectively in the classroom is as important as providing the tools themselves. So Marlene regularly made staff aware of any professional development opportunities related to the various tools selected. The Sun West curriculum team also put together a series of “how to” videos and links on our Supporting Technology wiki to help teachers understand the basics of operating various tools. By using the videos, teachers in Kyle and throughout the Division now have the flexibility to learn any time, in any place.
Kyle, like most schools in Sun West, has a SMARTBoard in every classroom – so the challenge for teachers was to find new and innovative ways to engage students in using this tool to improve learning. Essentially, teachers wanted to find ways to allow students to interact with curriculum content through the use of the board.
To accomplish this, the Grades 1, 2, and 3 students used the SMARTBoard daily in their morning meeting routine. The SMARTBoard was also used in all subject areas, utilizing various interactive media files contained in the SMART notebook software.
SMARTBoard Jeopardy was a hit with Grades 4, 5, and 6 students who used the interactive game for review. In math, teachers developed activities with manipulatives so students could engage in hands-on learning activities.
The SMARTBoard gave Media Studies 20 students quick access to viewing YouTube videos, advertisements, and documentaries that pertained to the learning outcomes. Projecting the student handouts on the SMARTBoard also benefitted visual learners.
In addition to SMARTBoard use, teachers in Kyle were interested in learning how to best use blogs to support their students. In November, the staff participated in an online presentation about blogging during an in-school professional development day. For most teachers, this was their first experience with a “virtual presentation” and I was excited to showcase Bridgit, the online meeting platform used by Sun West.
This tool allows presenters to share information while also encouraging interactivity through the use of the “raise hand” feature. Teachers in Kyle were able to stop and ask for clarification throughout the presentation, just as in a face-to-face workshop. Following the presentation, teachers spent time exploring blogs created by other teachers and had discussions on how to best implement this tool in their classrooms.
In ELA 30, the teacher used a blog for a Lord of the Flies novel study. Instead of classroom discussion, students were able to respond to others electronically. This gave the students who were less likely to contribute in class an equal voice. IP 10 students also explored blogs as a communication tool.
Students in ELA B10 had an opportunity to use their smartphones into the class. To quickly cultivate background knowledge, the students searched a particular topic on their devices rather than heading down to the computer lab. In five minutes, they were able to learn a dozen facts about the Japanese Evacuation and Internment Camps without having to boot-up a single computer!
During Macbeth, the same class made use of Twitter where students summarized scenes or a particular point of view in 140 characters or less, modernizing an old text and manipulating language in a creative format.
In Kindergarten, iPads helped students learn vowel sounds and but as importantly, these students practiced social interaction skills such as taking turns. Another teacher made use of online sites such as Bitstrips and Prezi as a way for students to showcase their learning in a digital format.
The Kyle staff acknowledges that they would like to continue to move forward on using technology tools as a vehicle for improving learning and engagement next school year. But in reflecting on this year, it is clear that students in this rural community have been given many opportunities to be 21st century learners.
My journey with PBL began after I took a two-day Science workshop on Problem-Based Learning at the University of Saskatchewan with Jon Treloar, and the next day (a Sunday), I began writing my first PBL for Health and Wellness! Needless to say, I was hooked! I wasn’t teaching Science at the time, so I adapted what I had learned and applied it to the Health and Wellness curriculum.
While I have done five other PBLs, ranging from Grades 6-10 in Health, PAA, Art, Horticulture and ELA, each experience is unique learning experience!
In this case, the PBL began more informally and rather abruptly. I have never taught Science 8 before and, as we began our Fluids and Pressure unit, I had an epiphany when students were creating definitions for buoyancy. I realized we could have a lab testing different boats. It struck me that the students could work in teams and design their own boats based on conclusions formed in a lab. We had already done a PBL in October around Human Body Systems, so I piggy-backed on the organization behind that PBL and students familiarity with the process.
The Process
To begin this PBL, I asked my students in Grade 6-8 if they would enjoy building boats and testing out these concepts in bodies of water around the school (we were still under snowbanks at that time so it was wishful thinking/optimism on my part)! Surprisingly, they embraced the idea! Getting a chance to go outside and splash around must have had some appeal!
I explained that I wanted them to create a table set up with poster boards to display their knowledge, teach others, and showcase their boats. In small groups, students developed a rubric for the displays, created a list of questions they needed to answer in order to construct their displays AND meet the outcomes. It was a tall order, but the students were willing and enthusiastic participants! Next, I asked them what information they needed in order to test a boat’s buoyancy and displacement, and we cross referenced those questions with outcomes in the curriculum for Science 8.
Students researched different hull designs and then we did a lab where students built small hulls and tested them in a controlled setting (Science lab), looking at buoyancy, if the hulls floated or sank, and if they could carry cargo.
Based on their lab conclusions, each group chose a different hull and a model for their boat. Students formed groups based upon which design they wanted to create. Would it be pirates? Vikings? A submarine? They told me what materials they required, and then began designing poster boards with information about boats, fluids, pressure, density, displacement, and buoyancy. They created scaled drawings of their designs and also prepared to share their information about boats, fluids, and pressure visually either through a Power Point or Prezi.
Testing the Models
After much preparation, the students were finally ready to test their boats! Our plan was to conduct field tests, looking at buoyancy, determine if the boats were able to float and sink, if they could carry cargo (weight tests), and how it affected their displacement.
The field test day was really windy, and not all of the designs worked as predicted! Despite that, everyone in the class really liked being able to build something, and then go outside and see how it worked in the water.
Our Tech Tools
Throughout the experience, students used a variety of digital tools:
- Researched information using computers and iPads
- Studied hull designs using Google
- I downloaded a nautical reference guide app about boats on my iPad for them to consult
- Some groups created boat designs in Google Sketchup
- Groups could select Power Point or Prezis to share their information (here is a student Prezi)
- Students videoed, took photos documenting their progress and on the field trial day
- I used my iPad to video student answers to various questions about their experience
- We stitched together their responses and their field tests into iMovie and created a 12 minute video!
Assessment
To assess the students’ understandings of the outcomes as well as their group performance, students did self-assessments and provided overall groupwork feedback based upon the rubric they created. I also distributed questions related to the outcomes and indicators and videotaped student responses to those questions. Once again, I used the class rubric to assess their understanding. We also had a short test to assess curriculum content that was not covered in the boat building.
Pros and Cons of PBL
As you can tell, I am truly hooked on using project-based learning to create authentic learning experiences for my students. And the benefits are truly inspiring!
Cons:
- I haven’t yet completed a PBL in the time I initially allot it! This PBL took almost 6 weeks 🙂
Pros:
- student engagement and energy
- the fact that different students bring different skill sets to their team which increases a feeling of success for everyon
- my role as a guide but not a voice at the front of the room
- sharing our learning – the posters, presentations, and boats were showcased on tables in the hall in the school for all students to enjoy
- lastly (but most importantly) – the incredible joy I feel when watching my students actively participate in their learning with enthusiasm..and hearing the fantastic questions they pose!
Many teachers are intimidated by new technology and this probably comes from an experience with it that made their lives more complicated rather than simpler. This is too bad because good technology ought to simplify things and create new possibilities. Obviously nothing is perfect but hopefully whatever technology you are adopting does this for you, if not then consider not using it.
That being said here is how cloud services have been used by me and maybe even you.
Coles Notes of the Cloud: 
- Consists of many servers on the internet that store your data
- You can access your data from any location with internet
- Often you can share your data with a great degree of control
- You have a backup of your most valuable files (your computer crashes – your files are safe)
- You can collaborate on a document simultaneously with others
Most popular cloud services:
I am most familiar with Google Drive and SkyDrive. Both services have a PC App that runs on your computer. They create a folder on your computer that will automatically get backed up on internet ‘cloud’. That’s important. It is simplicity and makes life easier like technology should. This is only one aspect of the cloud services. There are also calendars that can sync with all of your devices, email, video conferencing and more.
How I use it:
- I have all my teaching documents on the cloud—if I change something on any one of my PC’s using the cloud service, the change is updated everywhere—simplicity
- I share files (notes, solutions, diagrams, etc) with my students by creating ‘view only’ links (as opposed to giving them editing permission – this may sound confusing but it’s literally a one click operation
- I no longer worry about forgetting my USB drive at home – my data is ever where all the time – at the same time it is safe
- I also share links to a Google Sites page that I use for my class (a talk for another time)
- Students can have their own Google Drive/SkyDrive accounts and share files with you
How I’ve heard of others using it/How I’d like to use it:
This could be useful in that they don’t have to print off the assignment to hand it in. You can write your comments on the paper and they receive the feedback immediately (well once you’ve finished your other 10 piles of marking)
- At a past staff meeting we were filling in a data chart for our math PLT. We called off data as our administrator entered it in. I thought afterward that Google Drive would have allowed all of us to enter our data at the same time and probably with very little conflict
- Any working documents that you might have as a staff – brainstorms, PLT ideas, Data, Behavior reports, whatever could be shared/edited with a select audience
Proof of Concept:
I have saved this document as a word doc in both my Google Drive folder and my SkyDrive folder. I have also saved it as a PDF in case you don’t have MS Word (this took approx. 30 seconds to share btw).
There is probably a lot more to be said here but I just wanted to get you thinking about it if you hadn’t already …
Google Drive:
SkyDrive:
Bits and Bytes 