WHAT'S NEW - JANUARY 2004

RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS: LearnAlberta.ca & the Alberta Online Consortium (AOC)

Welcome to the website for the Council on Alberta Teaching Standards (COATS). This area of the website changes monthly. This month's edition of What's New features two particular initiatives that will be of interest to those who are eager to learn about the instructional resources available online to teachers in Alberta. These two initiatives are LearnAlberta.ca and the Alberta Online Consortium (AOC). We hope that you find this website to be a valuable resource. For quick reference bookmark http://www.teachingquality.ab.ca today!

WEBSITES RELATED TO LearnAlberta.ca

New Online Learning Tools to Help Students and Teachers
http://www.gov.ab.ca/home/index.cfm?Page=218

LearnAlberta.ca is designed to provide an easily accessible set of online curriculum resources for K-12 teachers, students, and their parents. It provides access to a comprehensive Online Reference Centre, which includes a variety of encyclopedias and databases licensed for the use of Alberta teachers, students and their parents. For more details on the inauguration of this online learning tool, see http://www.gov.ab.ca/acn/200111/11584.html. (This web page also contains a backgrounder explaining the importance of quality learning resources to the success of student learning.

Log on as a guest
http://www.learnalberta.ca/Templates/Login/Password.asp

Visitors to AlbertaLearn.ca are permitted to use the unlicensed resources by logging in as a guest where they can browse the learning resources available on LearnAlberta.ca for grade levels from kindergarten to grade 12. These curriculum resources are tied to the Alberta program of studies and deal with Career and Technology Studies, Mathematics, Science, English Language Arts, French, Physics, and Physical Education. Also available are resources such as the National Geographic Science Centre, and the interactive German language field trip tour of selected European cities. Some professional development materials are available to teachers.

FAQs
When logged on as guest, be sure to click on the FAQ icon, which links to more valuable information. The questions and answers touch on a wide range of possible inquiries: the who, what, where, why and how of LearnAlberta.ca. Plans for the future are to add more content to the website in order to address more grade levels and subject areas. The resources presented at LearnAlberta.ca match Alberta curricula and are developed through the consultation of Alberta teachers. These resources are designed to make successful use of multimedia and improve student learning. There are opportunities to contribute feedback as well as opportunities to get involved in the development of more resources for this website. Click on the About icon to learn even more about LearnAlberta.ca.

Once you have your User ID and password, it's easy to log in at
http://www.learnalberta.ca/Templates/Login/Login.asp

WEBSITES RELATED TO THE Alberta Online Consortium (AOC)

Alberta Leads in Online Learning
© Copyright 2003 Ted Ritzer.
http://blogs.salon.com/0001455/categories/
learningTechnologies/2003/11/20.html#a3299

The Alberta Online Consortium is one of eight websites catalogued in this "blog" (combination site guide and commentary). In this case, the commentary dwells on a set of "Quick Facts" about Alberta's achievements to date in the realm of online learning. Alberta proudly lays claim to having more students and schools online than any other Canadian province. (LearnAlberta.ca is another of the eight websites catalogued in this blog.) The Quick Facts are drawn from the Learning Technologies Branch of Alberta Learning.

Alberta Online Consortium (AOC)
http://www.ataoc.ca/

The title speaks volumes about the purpose of the Alberta Online Consortium: "Online Learning for All Learners." This colorful home page opens with links to news about the 2003 Alberta Online Symposium, which spotlighted multimodal learners. The mandate of AOC consists of advocating the cause of online learning, using both existing and new technologies. The sidebar on this website screen indicates the multifaceted nature of the online resources available to Alberta teachers. The links on the sidebar run from "About AOC" to "What's New," and from "Initiatives" and "Resources" to "Professional Development." Current members of the AOC include Alberta school jurisdictions (both as full members and as associate members) as well as post-secondary members, non-profit members, and corporate members.

News Release: November 17, 2003
http://www.education.gov.ab.ca/news/2003/November/nr-OnlineLearning.asp

The 2003 Symposium sponsored by the Alberta Online Consortium and Alberta Learning focused on multimodal learners and Mr. Don Tapscott, the noted author of "The Digital Economy," delivered the keynote address. The theme of this conference, which attracted several hundred participants, was related closely to that of learning styles. Technology has the potential to address the diverse learning needs of students. Overall, the topic of learning styles is an important variation of learner-centered approach to education. Alberta stands as a widely recognized leader, both nationally and internationally, in the area of virtual learning. The webpage boasts a set of "Quick Facts" about the accomplishments of online learning in Alberta.

Dr. Rosina Smith
http://www.rosinasmith.com/

This website introduces the Executive Director of the Alberta Online Consortium, Dr. Rosina Smith, an Alberta educator with nearly 20 years' experience. Dr. Smith's mission as Executive Director touches on the networked resources that are available to Alberta teachers. She completed her doctoral studies at the University of Calgary, where she turned her attention to virtual schools in the province and has also published and presented in a variety of professional settings. This biographical sketch offers some enlightening insights into the mind of an educator who has successfully accepted the challenges of working with teachers in the emerging electronic learning environment.

Learning Online in British Columbia
http://www.cuebchorizons.ca/pdf/conference%20overview.pdf

This conference announcement, from May 2003, accentuates the rapidly growing role of online learning in schools and the website highlights some of the similarities in online learning between Alberta and British Columbia. Online learning provides an enhancement of program offerings as well as alternate means of program delivery. Multiple stakeholders are involved in resolving the issues related to online learning. There is a need for leadership to overcome the logistical and pedagogical hurdles involved. Dr. Rosina Smith, Executive Director of the Alberta Online Consortium, participated as one of the keynote speakers at this conference. Murray Goldberg, who was instrumental in the development of the Web CT learning platform, also took part as a keynote speaker.

Online Learning (K-12) in Canada: History and Current Practice. 2001.
Sullivan, K.
http://hrsbstaff.ednet.ns.ca/sullivk/online_learning%20in%20Canada.htm

This online article sketches an overview of the development of online learning (K-12) in Canada to the end of 2001. Attention is turned particularly to the development of provincial networks during the 1990s, with comparisons and contrasts between the provinces. The pioneer role of the Alberta Online Consortium is noted, especially with regard to its sponsorship of an annual Symposium on issues related to online learning. As Sullivan indicates, "Alberta was the first province to develop partnerships to ensure the quality of online learning programs and to avoid wasting valuable resources." The article includes an annotated bibliography.

Sixth Annual Online Learning Symposium attracts education leaders from across Canada
http://www.education.gov.ab.ca/news/2002/October/nr-OnlineLearnSymp.asp

This announcement for the annual Symposium sponsored by the Alberta Online Consortium from October 2002 reveals the flavor of AOC's history since it was founded in 1999. This news release depicts the mandate of the AOC in action. Several hundred educators were expected to gather in Edmonton to discuss "learning objects," one of the cutting-edge trends that are affecting networked learning. Alberta is widely recognized as a leader nationally and internationally in the online form of education. This webpage also contains a useful set of links to the websites of organizations that promote and enhance online learning.

News Release: May 15, 2003
http://www.education.gov.ab.ca/news/2003/May/nr-DigitalLiteracy.asp

The promotion of digital literacy for Alberta students and teachers lies close to the mandate of the Alberta Online Consortium. This news release from Alberta Learning deals with the exploration of strategies for increasing digital literacy. Learning technology is not an end in itself but is viewed as a tool to augment student learning. Digital literacy is expanded, in part, by the increasing use of the Internet in schools.

Key Players in Our Education System
http://www.education.gov.ab.ca/department/partners.asp

This webpage presents links to some 20 organizations that are involved in education within Alberta. The Alberta Online Consortium (AOC) is listed as one of Alberta's education partners. Since its founding in 1999, AOC has taken a prominent role in fostering opportunities to enhance online learning within the province. Alberta Learning has a lead role in shaping education within Alberta. Nevertheless, organizational cooperation is an inherent part of a sound approach to education. Educational partnerships are a prominent feature of Alberta's current approach to education. Such educational partners fall under the headings of school board associations and professional associations. Educational partners can also be provincial, regional or national in character. They may be post-secondary educational institutions or corporations.