2021 Digital Learning Symposium: Full Schedule

Welcome to the #DLsymp21 ReLoaded Archive Site!

The live event is over, but this site houses all the archive recording links posted in session descriptions

You must have Eventbrite tickets and be logged in to Sched to access them!

ALL SESSION TIMES ARE PACIFIC...

Forgot your password? RESET PASSWORDS HERE

Questions? Email info@CANeLearn.net

8:00am PST

Feb.26 RECORDING: Find relief from the overwhelm: Reignite your passion as an educator

In this recording of the February 26 keynote presentation (you must be registered for the Feb.26th workshop to view the recording), you will learn how to DEFINE who you are from the inside out. In this presentation, you will learn the 6 steps YOU can take to ignite the passion with you to create a life full of purpose, excitement, and pure joy. This keynote will be focused on how YOU can show up as YOUR best self, and truly live into the understanding of being better today than yesterday and learning through today to grow into tomorrow!

Shared sessions notes here

Speakers

Lindsay Titus

Assistant Principal, Define Youniversity

Lindsay Titus is a passionate, influential educator specializing in the field of behavior analysis. She is driven every single day to teach other educators how to redefine what success looks like for the more challenging students we work with every day. Her ultimate goal as a behavior... Read More →

Friday February 26, 2021 8:00am - 10:00am PST
Zoom

Plenary

Audience Elementary Educators, K-12 School Leaders, Secondary Educators

8:01am PST

Feb.26 RECORDING: Well-Being & Passion Roundtable

Watch the roundtable discussion led by Brad and Livia (you must be registered for the Feb.26th workshop to view the recording) as they take the best of their latest podcasts and share ideas and strategies for you to become an engaged, energized educator again.

Shared session notes here

Speakers

Brad Hughes

Principal, Forest Hill Public School

Brad Hughes is the host of The Good News, Brad News Podcast. He is an elementary school principal in Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada, with 25 years’ experience in education. Prior to becoming a school leader, Brad taught for 16 years from Kindergarten to eighth grade, most recently teaching middle school Visual Arts, French and Special... Read More →

Livia Chan

Head Teacher, Burnaby Board of Education

Livia Chan is an educator passionate about community, teaching, leading, and lifelong learning. She truly believes in the power of connection and thoroughly enjoys building relationships by reaching out with kindness and gratitude. Livia lives by the belief that it is through every... Read More →

Friday February 26, 2021 8:01am - 10:00am PST
Zoom

Plenary

Audience Elementary Educators, K-12 School Leaders, Secondary Educators

8:02am PST

Feb.26 RECORDING: Well-Being BC Workshop Overview

Watch this recorded session to learn about the focus for Wednesday, March 24th. You must be registered for the Feb.26th workshop to view the recording.

Now, more than ever, it is so essential to have Mental Health as a top priority for our students, for ourselves, and our colleagues. In this session, Michelle and Jamie will be introducing and showcasing the wellbeingbc.ca website. Together, we will dive into exploring the wellbeingbc.ca website through engaging in collaborative conversations around the topic of staff well-being. Participants will come away with some practical strategies and sample ways to implement professional development and discussion around mental health and well-being for themselves and their colleagues.

Join Michelle and Jamie for an introduction to Well-Being BC.

Shared session notes here

Links for the 4 breakout room Google Docs:

BREAKOUT ROOM 1 DOC: Stress management and teacher/student connection
BREAKOUT ROOM 2 DOC: -Life outside the classroom, proactive self-care
BREAKOUT ROOM 3 DOC: Mentorship, team teaching, support
BREAKOUT ROOM 4 DOC: Building capacity through community, person-first lens

Speakers

Michelle Hussey

Director of Schools, Kleos Open Learning

Michelle Deighton Hussey is an educational leader and neurodiversity advocate and co-founder of Independent Magnet Schools where she serves as Director of Schools for Kleos Open Learning (DL) and The Balsam School. More recently her work has also included serving as a Mental Health... Read More →

Jamie Morris

Associate Director, Head of Student Services, Brockton School

Jamie Morris works with the Federation of Independent Schools Association of British Columbia (FISA BC) as a Mental Health Coordinator, and is an Associate Director and Head of Student Services at a Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12 independent school in North Vancouver, BC. She also... Read More →

Friday February 26, 2021 8:02am - 10:00am PST
Zoom

Plenary

Audience Elementary Educators, K-12 School Leaders, Secondary Educators

10:00am PDT

LIVE Mar.24: Well-Being Workshop - Reprise and Sharing Successes (Presymposium)

On Friday's workshop session on February 26th, we secured this date and time for us to come back together to share our successes, refocus our efforts on our keep our personal health and well-being so that we can focus back on improving the social, emotional, and physical well-being of our students.

Topics for the session

Personal well-being
Staff well-being initiative
Student Social-Emotional Learning

10:00-10:15

Welcome & Introductions
Overview of Feb. 26 session
Plan for this morning
Logistics (breakout groups or large group?)
Around the room

10:15-10:35

So how did it go?
Personal well-being accomplishments
Staff well-being accomplishments
Student stories anyone?

10:35-40 to 11:00

Well-Being BC site overview
Staff well-being materials
Student well-being

11:00

Planning for student social-emotional learning

11:15

Let’s make it personal
Next steps in personal goals
Next steps in staff/professional goals
Where to / how to with students

11:30 (or before)

Wrap up

Speakers

Michelle Hussey

Director of Schools, Kleos Open Learning

Brad Hughes

Principal, Forest Hill Public School

Jamie Morris

Associate Director, Head of Student Services, Brockton School

Livia Chan

Head Teacher, Burnaby Board of Education

Randy LaBonte

CEO, Canadian eLearning Network

Randy is CEO of the Canadian eLearning Network (CANeLearn.net), an organization formed to be the leading voice for K-12 blended and online learning in Canada. He teaches online at Vancouver Island University and CANeLearn, helping K-12 teachers transition practices to online environments... Read More →

Wednesday March 24, 2021 10:00am - 11:30am PDT
Zoom

Plenary

Audience Elementary Educators, K-12 School Leaders, Secondary Educators

8:30am PDT

Welcome

Opening welcome

Speakers

David Comrie

Teacher, Educators for DL

I am the past president of the BCEDLPSA, so if someone would like some background thoughts on anything DL ask away...

Danika Cottingham

Secondary Teacher, BlendEdBC

As a passionate learner, finding ways to engage, relate, build community, and support all students brought Danika to Blended Learning, and then into the Online Learning world. She has been a high school humanities teacher on Vancouver Island for the past 13 years in face to face... Read More →

Thomas Diesch

Educators for DL

Thomas has been teaching high-school Science and Math in BC for the past 7 years in both face-to-face, and online environments. He currently teaches secondary sciences and math at Navigate-NIDES. Thomas has presented regionally and provincially in the areas of blended teaching and... Read More →

Sponsors

BCEDL - BlendEdBC

BC Educators for Distributed LearningThe major goal of the BCEDL PSA is to plan, facilitate, support, and organize professional learning opportunities for our members. We work closely with both regional and provincial partners to give educators various options for exploring and learning... Read More →

Canadian eLearning Network

The Canadian eLearning Network (CANeLearn) is a Canadian registered not-for-profit society with a mission to be the leading voice in Canada for learner success in K-12 online and blended learningby promoting effective practice in e-learning, fostering community and facilitating interaction... Read More →

Thursday April 22, 2021 8:30am - 8:40am PDT

Plenary

8:40am PDT

The Importance of Reflection and Connection Time for Professional Learning

By request, this session was not recorded.

Join George for his keynote kickoff to #DLsymp21!

George will set the stage for our collaborative event. In his own words:

If we are focused only on how much content can be delivered and use that as a metric of good professional learning, but not identifying what can be created and what connections we can make to our own learning and experiences, we are taking away the best part of learning, no matter when and where we are learning.
We need to be more intentional about unintentional learning.

How do we become more intentional about learning through reflection and utilizing tools to give students the opportunity to share their learning in a way that is meaningful to them? Connection and reflection time is paramount to developing students as great learners, and we need to spend time focusing more on the "process" of learning, not only the product.

Pose questions for George, share your insights, and post comments on Padlet.

Link to Padlet

Link to shared document - add comments - we will post curated chat here:
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhPOhyq3CRp-khX4IiW0WDBI0ZZ4?e=Vy30bX

Speakers

George Couros

Learner, Speaker, Author, Couros Innovations LTD.

George Couros is a worldwide leader in the area of innovative teaching, learning, and leading, and has a focus on innovation as a human endeavor. His belief that meaningful change happens when you first connect to people’s hearts, is modeled in his writing and speaking. In his 20... Read More →

Thursday April 22, 2021 8:40am - 9:15am PDT
Keynote Plenary

Plenary

Audience Elementary Educators, K-12 School Leaders, Secondary Educators

9:15am PDT

Cross Canada Panel

Join leaders from across Canada for an overview of what is happening in other provinces regarding pandemic practices and the future or online post-pandemic. Hear about the latest research undertakings of CANeLearn, and join in the lively discussion and background to key issues defining, or redefining, K-12 online learning now in Canada.

The session is designed to be a touchstone for critical issues that will guide your reflections and interactions with other workshops, keynotes, and conversations during our two days together.

Link to shared document - add comments - we will post curated chat here:
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhPOhyq3CRp-kWwFpcPFRl3iArKu?e=0urWng

Speakers

Amy Sanville

Principal, Regina Catholic Schools Learning Online

I am the Principal of Regina Catholic Schools Learning Online. I have worked in distance education for the past seven years as a teacher, education leader, and principal. I believe that technology makes education accessible and I love that I can provide students the opportunity to... Read More →

Michael Barbour

Touro University

Michael K. Barbour is Associate Professor of Instructional Design for the College of Education and Health Sciences at Touro University, California. He has been involved with K-12 online learning in a variety of countries for over two decades as a researcher, teacher, course designer... Read More →

Bruce Weitzel

Executive Director, WCLN

The Western Canadian Learning Network (WCLN) is a consortium school districts within BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, the Yukon, and NWT who work together to:Support distance learning, alternate, and blended learning programs.Support classroom teachers who are interested in... Read More →

Randy LaBonte

CEO, Canadian eLearning Network

Michael Canuel

CEO, LEARN

I am CEO of LEARN, a responsibility I have assumed since the inception of LEARN in 2005. I spent the first 12 years of my professional career as a high school English teacher and basketball coach and subsequently went on to the private sector where I acquired a vast and varied experience... Read More →

Frank McCallum

Associate Principal, Vista Virtual School

I am one of the Associate Principals at Vista Virtual School. My primary focus at Vista Virtual School is to help administer the school, with a focus on adult education. I have worked for Pembina Hills Public School Division for the past 7 years.What I enjoy most about working here... Read More →

Thursday April 22, 2021 9:15am - 10:00am PDT

Featured Session

Audience Elementary Educators, K-12 School Leaders, Secondary Educators

9:15am PDT

Just George

By request, this session was not recorded.

As a follow-up to the morning keynote, George Couros will share his journey of using blogging as portfolios to create his own reflection time, and how it connects to student learning. He will share examples of how this can be done at both the educator and student levels.

Blogging has become a tool that is used often in the classroom but has also become a valuable tool for educators to use in their own professional learning. This session will show you how to create a professional portfolio, and student portfolio, that will be invaluable for sharing, connecting, and reflecting on our teaching and learning practice.

Although this session will provide practical strategies and examples, it is meant to be conversational amongst participants and further the discussion from the morning keynote with George Couros.

Link to shared document - add comments - we will post curated chat here:
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhPOhyq3CRp-khX4IiW0WDBI0ZZ4?e=Vy30bX

Speakers

George Couros

Learner, Speaker, Author, Couros Innovations LTD.

Thursday April 22, 2021 9:15am - 10:00am PDT

Featured Session

10:00am PDT

Discussion Den

Jump into the Discussion Den

chat with colleagues
shimmy over to a discussion and see what folks are chatting about
post a topic and invite others to join a conversation

Check out Kumospace software designed for social dialogue. Play with us to learn more about it.

Explore Kumospace features: https://explore.kumospace.com/features
Skim the FAQ on how to use Kumospace: https://help.kumospace.com/getting-started-with-kumospace

Drop in: A place and time to pause, reflect, debate, share, and otherwise connect with your colleagues and presenters.

Topics to be determined - Engagement guaranteed - Results to be amazing!

Brought to you by BlendEd BC

Speakers

Jessie Morton

Jessie works with CANeLearn providing administration, project management and general backstage support. She is all about people and paperwork. In her spare time she enjoys jogging and cooking too much food for friends and family.

Sponsors

BCEDL - BlendEdBC

Thursday April 22, 2021 10:00am - 10:30am PDT

Social

10:00am PDT

NUTRITION & HEALTH BREAK

Enjoy the beautiful weather and a snack + hydrate and/or join us for socialization in Kumospace:

Thursday April 22, 2021 10:00am - 10:30am PDT

Social

10:30am PDT

Addressing Student Academic and Social-Emotional Needs During (and After) the COVID-19 Pandemic

Well-designed small-group instruction (cooperative/peer learning) improves student academic performance while enhancing peer relations, student behavior, social-emotional skills, and mental health. To be successful, however, small-group instruction requires key design ingredients that are often left out in less structured implementations. Delivering high-quality small-group instruction remotely is also challenging given limitations in videoconferencing tools. In this workshop, attendees will participate in authentic small-group lessons that provide experiential insight into these key design ingredients and how they can be applied to in-person or remote instruction. Contrasts will be drawn with more informal small-group approaches, illustrating why these design principles contribute to greater success.

Link to shared document - add comments - we will post curated chat here:
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhPOhyq3CRp-kW1fQjuJTCHAN3ap?e=oIyfWJ

Speakers

Mark Van Ryzin

Research Associate Professor, University of Oregon

My name is Mark J. Van Ryzin, and I am a Research Associate Professor in the College of Education at the University of Oregon. For the last 15 years I have been conducted research in middle and high schools, exploring issues such as school climate, bullying and victimization, adolescent... Read More →

Thursday April 22, 2021 10:30am - 11:15am PDT

Breakout

Audience Elementary Educators, K-12 School Leaders, Secondary Educators, Post-secondary Educators

10:30am PDT

Canvas: Top Things You Can Do, Now!

You know Canvas is great, but how amazing would it be to level up and even add some flavor? In this session we will highlight our top 5 Canvas features you can add to your workflow immediately.
Workflow Zen is possible with Canvas.

Link to shared document - add comments - we will post curated chat here:
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhPOhyq3CRp-kW4bdDCGSNOyKQQp?e=tTRbSx

Speakers

Aerin Bowers

Regional Director, K-12 Canada, Canvas

Aerin Bowers is the Regional Director for K-12 with Canvas in Canada. She works with school districts from coast to coast to level up their LMS experience.Designed specifically for K-12 teachers and students, Canvas is an easy-to-use, cloud-based learning management system (LMS) that... Read More →

Jeremy May

Canvas CSM, Instructure

Jeremy began his journey in education as a 7th grade science teacher. After trying the 'traditional' approach, he quickly found that technology was a tool to support and supplement his instruction to benefit his students. While pursuing his Master's degree in Instructional Technology... Read More →

Thursday April 22, 2021 10:30am - 11:15am PDT

Breakout

10:30am PDT

How do we ensure our students are actually engaged in personalized learning?

Content Connections has developed a proprietary software that enables you to create personalize learning, monitor progress, and communicate with stakeholders through one central portal. It makes teachers work effortless, while still ensuring students and parents remained informed. The platform can function standalone or be integrated with any existing learning management system, with LTI capability.

In this session, I will introduce you to CC Learning Analytics Platform (LAP) functions specifically designed:

for learners to reflect on their achievements and patterns of behavior in relation learning standards;
for parents to monitor progress and provide effective support;
to identify students requiring extra support and attention;
to help teachers and support staff plan supporting interventions with individuals and groups;
for teachers to share, create new content and modify rich library of existing content repository; and
for administrators taking decisions on matters related to program development.

Link to shared document - add comments - we will post curated chat here:
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhPOhyq3CRp-kW_8tmUDkKsmP5jY?e=PMdhwH

Speakers

Brad McArthur

Content Connections

Mr. McArthur holds a Bachelor of Science from Boise State University and a Master of Science from Washington State University. Mr. MacArthur has over 33 years of public teaching experience with more than seven of those years in a distributed learning school. Mr. McArthur brings a... Read More →

Harjit Deol

Content Connections/SAIL

Harjit has a Bachelor of Science from Simon Fraser University, a Bachelor of Education from the University of British Columbia, and a Master of Education in Educational Technology from the University of Calgary. Harjit has over 24 years of teaching experience and has taught online... Read More →

Grant Ashlee

President, Content Connections

Mr. Ashlee is a University of Alberta graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and a Bachelor of Education. Mr. Ashlee has over 25 years of experience teaching Math and Calculus in a classroom and over ten years of experience teaching online. His passion for technology leads... Read More →

Thursday April 22, 2021 10:30am - 11:15am PDT

Breakout

Audience Elementary Educators, K-12 School Leaders, Secondary Educators

10:30am PDT

Leveraging Digital Tools for Climate Change Education

In this session, you will discover how GreenLearning's free programs and digital tools are used to teach and empower students on climate change.

As climate change becomes an increasingly pressing issue in society, preparing and empowering students to tackle these growing challenges is more important than ever. This session will explore a selection of GreenLearning’s free digital climate change, energy efficiency, and green economy programs for students grade 4-12. Educators will walk away with a toolbox of free digital resources, online tools, and creative strategies for empowering their students to take action against climate change.

Check out this brochure! https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hcna2vjaML0w6LdcD3_qCM6eXeSuUa5J/view?usp=sharing

You can have a look at some of the digital tools that would be presented here https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dNyi4Pve2cwZHMno_jXn7fHlpAdQNXaSvVj1Lzwncf8/edit?usp=sharing

Link to shared document - add comments - we will post curated chat here:
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhPOhyq3CRp-kXDPCPCORdVIXsg_?e=wsjOdz

Speakers

Sidney Howlett

Crossing Curriculums for Climate Change/Science

Sidney Howlett is on a mission to empower youth to take climate action through education. Trained as a teacher, she has a diverse professional background leading outreach to post-secondary students, teaching in elementary and French immersion schools across Ontario and establishing... Read More →

Andreana Salouk

Program Coordinator, GreenLearning

Thursday April 22, 2021 10:30am - 11:15am PDT

Breakout

10:30am PDT

Mindful Moments for Online Classrooms

Teachers, students, and parents are feeling burned out. Yet, every day we sit at our computers, delivering content in the best way we can! At the end of the day, Zoom fatigue sets in, along with a sense of disconnect as we engage virtually rather than in person. Anxiety and depression are on the rise, and we know that we wish to feel better but don’t always know where to begin. Let Jodi show you easy, practical, non-woo woo ways to practice self-care and to incorporate mindfulness and proven stress reducing techniques into everyday lessons and life.

Link to shared document - add comments - we will post curated chat here:
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhPOhyq3CRp-kXGvQSqldD1m25Mp?e=MZGjMn

Speakers

Jodi Derkson

BC Regional Director of Educational Programs, FAST

Jodi Derkson, MEd. is a BC Certified teacher, with over twenty years of professional teaching and facilitation experience. She has always broached topics of discrimination, racism, and bullying with her students and hasn’t lost her drive to really make a difference. Jodi is very... Read More →

Thursday April 22, 2021 10:30am - 11:15am PDT

Breakout

Audience Elementary Educators, K-12 School Leaders, Secondary Educators

10:30am PDT

Promoting French reading skills in a virtual kindergarten

The approach used to promote French reading skills in a virtual kindergarten in a 50% English and 50% French setting.

Using a combination of introducing new letters, syllables, and French vocabulary in a playful way, holding weekly small literacy group meets during asynchronous blocks, assigning asynchronous work that can often be completed fast and with little adult assistance, and providing students with online access to French books, 42% of students in a 50% English and 50% French virtual kindergarten setting were observed to be able to read French books of the Magenta A series on the Je lis, je lis, litératie ! website after 6 months.

Link to poster:
https://1drv.ms/b/s!AhPOhyq3CRp-kid4qLDSmhT2r4aE?e=3ihwuu

Link to shared document:
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhPOhyq3CRp-kXO2QQSI9D1uerZI?e=ZYEp4Z

Speakers

Suzi Shatat

French Teacher, Ottawa Carleton Virtual School

Thursday April 22, 2021 10:30am - 11:15am PDT

Breakout

Audience Elementary Educators, K-12 School Leaders, Post-secondary Educators, Secondary Educators

10:30am PDT

Strategies for Online Learning and Creativity in Music & Sound

This session proposes strategies for engaging students in music creativity in online and hybrid classrooms. Teaching Artists Louise Campbell will lead music & sound activities based on her extensive experience as an in-person and on-line facilitator in arts and learning, and activities featured in the Participatory Creative Music Hub. Participants will receive links and resource lists for online arts and learning from the Participatory Creative Music Hub for future reference.

Link to shared document - add comments - we will post curated chat here:
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhPOhyq3CRp-kXI_76iWdIPYuBGg?e=YWszUc

N.B. The links are not working in the shared document. Please contact Louise & mlouisecampbell@gmail.com to receive an interactive .pdf document with functional links.

Speakers

Louise Campbell

Participatory Creative Music Hub Project Lead, Canadian New Music Network

I am a Montreal-based musician with professional hats that ange from conductor to cultural mediator, community arts facilitator to musicians’ health therapist.As a teaching artist, I use the arts to encourage students' sense of wonder, understanding of themselves and their experiences... Read More →

Music & Arts Teachers Online Resource List updated pdf

Digital Learning pptx

Thursday April 22, 2021 10:30am - 11:15am PDT

Breakout

Audience Elementary Educators, K-12 School Leaders, Secondary Educators, Post-secondary Educators

10:30am PDT

Discussion Den

Jump into the Discussion Den

chat with colleagues
shimmy over to a discussion and see what folks are chatting about
post a topic and invite others to join a conversation

Check out Kumospace software designed for social dialogue. Play with us to learn more about it.

Explore Kumospace features: https://explore.kumospace.com/features
Skim the FAQ on how to use Kumospace: https://help.kumospace.com/getting-started-with-kumospace

Speakers

Jessie Morton

Sponsors

BCEDL - BlendEdBC

Thursday April 22, 2021 10:30am - 11:15am PDT

Social

10:30am PDT

Pop In to a Pecha Kucha Pop-Up

Recent graduates from Vancouver Island University's (VIU) Online Learning & Teaching Diploma (OLTD) and Masters of Education Leadership (MEdL) programs share findings from research and applied Major Project builds via Pecha Kucha presentations.

Pecka Kucha (https://www.pechakucha.com/about)

Motivation in Online Learning Spaces- Shannon Himmelright
Engagement through Gamification- Christopher Bridge
Quality Matters -- Physician's Online Continued Professional Development (CPD)- Joanna Pyke
Get SPARKed Up!-- A Fusion of The Sparks Initiative and SEL-- Helping Students Find Their Passions- Tanya Logan and Mary O'Neill

Link to shared document - add comments - we will post curated chat here:
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhPOhyq3CRp-kXRv2obkfhV4z7F4?e=mITzf2

Speakers

Mary O'Neill

Program Coordinator, OLTD

Mary has been with VIU's Education Faculty since 1991 and has seen the program advance in its integration of technology in all curriculum areas.She serves as Program Coordinator for the Online Learning & Teaching graduate Diploma (OLTD) and instructs OLTD 501: Introduction to Online... Read More →

Joanna Pyke

Graduate Student, Vancouver Island University

I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in health information science from UVIC in 2015 and a few years after, in 2018, I registered in the Online learning and teaching diploma program at VIU, which I had just graduated from last year. My interest in the OLTD program and to work towards... Read More →

Thursday April 22, 2021 10:30am - 12:15pm PDT

Featured Session

10:30am PDT

The Invisible Segment of Canada (New Release)

Dwight Ballantyne grew up in Montreal Lake Cree Nation, a remote north Saskatchewan First Nation, until the age of 21. He always felt that he was invisible to the rest of the world that existed outside of his community.

IN 2019, DWIGHT FOUNDED THE BALLANTYNE PROJECT WITH THE GOAL OF RAISING AWARENESS ABOUT WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO GROW UP IN A REMOTE FIRST NATION.

As part of this goal, Dwight has just released a unique and impactful 45-minute presentation sharing Canadian Indigenous history and the challenges and barriers that he faced growing up. He is in the extremely rare position to offer his audience an opportunity to understand a segment of Canada’s population that rarely makes it into textbooks, popular media, or social conversation.

Join Dwight in this featured session, newly released, to explore his experience and how it can inform your own practice and perspective.

Find out more about Dwight's journey and his story here:
https://youtu.be/MBM9G6yJCkU

Find out how you can bring Dwight to your own school on the website: https://www.theballantyneproject.com/

Link to shared document - add comments - we will post curated chat here:
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhPOhyq3CRp-kXW2VJlepgSKkOmh?e=deL1ck

Speakers

Dwight Ballantyne

The Ballantyne Project

In February 2016 at the age of 21, Dwight Ballantyne left his remote northern Saskatchewan reserve to pursue education, employment and hockey. He faced the challenges of leaving his community, family and friends with persistence and determination and his success has surpassed anything... Read More →

Thursday April 22, 2021 10:30am - 12:15pm PDT

Featured Session

Audience Elementary Educators, K-12 School Leaders, Secondary Educators

11:15am PDT

NUTRITION & HEALTH BREAK

Enjoy the beautiful weather and a snack + hydrate and/or join us for socialization in Kumospace:

Thursday April 22, 2021 11:15am - 11:30am PDT

Social

Audience Elementary Educators, K-12 School Leaders, Secondary Educators

11:30am PDT

Le bien-être au coeur de la réussite de l'élève

Cette année, le CAVLFO s’est doté d’une équipe multidisciplinaire comptant parmi ses membres cinq stagiaires de diverses techniques professionnelles du milieu collégial. Cette équipe est déployée afin de soutenir le bien-être de nos élèves et d'offrir un service d'accompagnement individualisé tant au niveau académique que personnel.
Venez apprendre comment nous nous sommes dotés de partenaires pancanadiens pour appuyer la réussite des élèves qui suivent des cours en ligne.

Link to shared document - add comments - we will post curated chat here:
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhPOhyq3CRp-kXmohYb0NE_9Yk9C?e=W9MbrN

Speakers

Talyssa Bourque

Stagiaire en travail social, CAVLFO

Lynn Landry

Coordonnatrice des partenariats avec les institutions postsecondaires, CAVLFO

Native de la région du Grand Sudbury, j'ai reçu mon brevet d'enseignement de l'Université Laurentienne en 1999. J'ai tout de suite décroché un poste permanent à Pembroke à l'École secondaire catholique Jeanne-Lajoie où j'ai enseigné surtout des cours d'English. Pendant... Read More →

Thursday April 22, 2021 11:30am - 12:15pm PDT

Breakout

Audience Elementary Educators, K-12 School Leaders, Secondary Educators

11:30am PDT

Leveraging Minga to Create a Digital Wellness Culture

Technology continues to evolve rapidly and has become intricately woven into the fabric of daily life for all of us. Of course, that comes with a balance of positive and negative implications for our well-being, some of which we don’t yet fully understand. As such, we recognize the growing need and shared responsibilities we all hold to support each learner to develop the knowledge, skills, and dispositions required to lead healthy, happy, and productive lives in an increasingly digital world. Learn how the Central Okanagan Public School's Learning Technology Department is using Minga, an online community platform, to foster learner agency and grow digital wellness across the district.

Facilitators: Tobias Blaskovits (STEM & Learning Technology Consultant) & Graham Johnson (Learning technology Consultant)

Link to shared document - add comments - we will post curated chat here:
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhPOhyq3CRp-kXpgLDiLp9tekWll?e=F9s43B

Speakers

Graham Johnson

Learning Technology Consultant, Central Okanagan Public Schools

Graham is Learning Technology Consultant for Central Okanagan Public Schools. He works with educators across SD23 to integrate technology to enhance teaching and learning. Graham is passionate about communicating student learning, making thinking visible, and creating opportunities... Read More →

Tobias Blaskovits

Learning Technology Consultant, SD23

Tobias is a STEM and Learning Technology Consultant for Central Okanagan Public Schools. He works to support classroom teachers K-12 to co-learn, co-plan, and co-teach powerful learning opportunities for students that leverage technology to enhance the learning when appropriate.

Exhibitors

Minga

Minga is a powerful online community platform with all the tools amazing schools need to build, manage and engage their community. Improve communication, boost engagement and encourage collaboration between students, educators and families. At home or in the hallway, Minga brings... Read More →

Thursday April 22, 2021 11:30am - 12:15pm PDT

Breakout

11:30am PDT

Sharing Effective Practices to Enhance Student Engagement in DL

In this facilitated online 'table talk', we will collaboratively discuss and share effective practices in Distributed Learning with a focus on instructional, communication, and inclusive assessment strategies. Our table talk is based on our own experiences within our courses in our respective DL contexts, as well as recommendations from Amanda's recent masters' research. We will share some of the strategies we have implemented into our courses to enhance the self-efficacy, feeling of connectedness and overall success of our students. The session participants will be invited to constructively share their favourite strategies, tips and tech tools which have helped them to overcome challenges, support their students, and/or to become more successful DL teachers. This interactive guided session will provide attendees the chance to grow professionally from each other's teaching and learning experiences in DL with the aim to enhance student engagement.

Note to the session participants: we will be using a collaborative padlet for this session - if you'd like your name to appear automatically in your posts / comments, please sign up (for free) in padlet.com prior to the session.

Link to shared document - add comments - we will post curated chat here:
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhPOhyq3CRp-kXurs7K1PHkYOvwr?e=h0Mc75

Speakers

Florence Pionetti

French/Spanish Teacher, Abbotsford Virtual School

Florence Pionetti has been a language instructor for over twenty-five years in various educational settings from primary to college level both in Canada and abroad. She is currently the language Programme Coordinator at the Abbotsford Virtual School in BC, where she develops, adapts... Read More →

Amanda Dunn

Teacher, JDFDL

Amanda has been a teacher at JDFDL, in SD62 since 2015. In the Spring of 2020, she completed her Masters of Arts in Learning and Technology at Royal Roads University where she focused her final applied research paper on ways to improve community within her self-paced, online courses... Read More →

Thursday April 22, 2021 11:30am - 12:15pm PDT

Breakout

Audience Elementary Educators, K-12 School Leaders, Secondary Educators

11:30am PDT

Storytelling with Data: Use Your Evidence; Use it Effectively

You have the data; data that can create change in your organization. The data is only part of the equation - telling the story contributes to creating the interventions that impact organizational change momentum. Join us as we talk about storytelling with data!

Link to shared document - add comments - we will post curated chat here:
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhPOhyq3CRp-kXi4orFrUgUu59yt?e=NHvU9c

Speakers

Tonya L. Riney

COO, IntelliBoard

Dr. Tonya Riney is the COO, for IntelliBoard, Inc., the premier platform for reporting and analytics for learning management systems. Her PhD is in Training and Performance Improvement, with IntelliBoard being a clear passion for how it influences learning in a positive way. She... Read More →

Arthur Lane

North American Team Lead, Intelliboard

Arthur Lane is the North American Team Lead at IntelliBoard, with over 20 years of experience in corporate training and sales management into both educational and insurance spaces. He holds a MA in Philosophy from Dominican University College (Ottawa, ON) and a BA in Philosophy from... Read More →

Exhibitors

Intelliboard

IntelliBoard provides analytic and reporting services to education communities and institutions, that use Blackboard Learn, Moodle, Canvas LMS, and Brightspace | D2L and want expanded reporting and analytics for their LMS platform. We help extract the statistical data gathered... Read More →

Thursday April 22, 2021 11:30am - 12:15pm PDT

Breakout

Audience Elementary Educators, K-12 School Leaders, Secondary Educators

11:30am PDT

The 5 things your online course needs for students to thrive.

Good online course design is extremely challenging, especially in rolling enrolment or asynchronous situations. How do we create a course that is inviting and challenging, with enough interactions and not overwhelming for teachers? Drawing from over 50 years in collective online course design experience, the StudyForge team has discovered some key principles for online course design. We will highlight 5 of them in this session, so that you have practical takeaways to level-up your course design right away.

Link to shared document - add comments - we will post curated chat here:
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhPOhyq3CRp-kXyAs6ILE5zWS7p_?e=skEtUS

Speakers

Richard Bitgood

Director, StudyForge

Richard has taught math and technology in the classroom and online for 10+ years, and has done every job imaginable in curriculum development: writing, editing, animation, software development, technology consulting, project management, sales, and learning experience design. His passion... Read More →

Thursday April 22, 2021 11:30am - 12:15pm PDT

Breakout

Audience Elementary Educators, K-12 School Leaders, Secondary Educators

11:30am PDT

Transformational Zooming

When COVID-19 hit, educators over the world were suddenly thrust into teaching via video conferencing. One year on, with remote teaching here to stay, how can this new normal be an opportunity not just to survive but even thrive? How can we be present, embodied, and connected to the land and each other, even when we are all just pixels on a screen?

I create transformational learning experiences on environmental topics through live theatre and interactive digital media, and I'm excited to share what I've learned inspiring over 1 million kids to become changemakers in their families, schools, and communities.

Link to shared document - add comments - we will post curated chat here:
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhPOhyq3CRp-kX27bIKi-7bwiMQt?e=H6IsXE

Speakers

Vanessa LeBourdais

Executive Producer, DreamRider Productions

I'm passionate about inspiring kids to be real-life planet protectors through interactive and fun live performances and innovative multimedia. Our Planet Protector Academy uses digital media to get kids out changing the world - and measuring the change they're making.

Thursday April 22, 2021 11:30am - 12:15pm PDT

Breakout

Audience Elementary Educators, K-12 School Leaders, Secondary Educators

11:30am PDT

Discussion Den

Jump into the Discussion Den

chat with colleagues
shimmy over to a discussion and see what folks are chatting about
post a topic and invite others to join a conversation

Check out Kumospace software designed for social dialogue. Play with us to learn more about it.

Explore Kumospace features: https://explore.kumospace.com/features
Skim the FAQ on how to use Kumospace: https://help.kumospace.com/getting-started-with-kumospace

Speakers

Jessie Morton

Sponsors

BCEDL - BlendEdBC

Thursday April 22, 2021 11:30am - 12:15pm PDT

Social

12:15pm PDT

NUTRITION & HEALTH BREAK

Enjoy the beautiful weather and a snack + hydrate and/or join us for socialization in Kumospace:

Thursday April 22, 2021 12:15pm - 12:30pm PDT

Social

Audience Elementary Educators, K-12 School Leaders, Secondary Educators

12:30pm PDT

Design Principles for K-12 Online Learning

In February 2021, the Canadian eLearning Network (CANeLearn) began engaging educators across Canada in conversations about teaching in online learning environments[1]. The purpose of the CANeLearn study was to gain an understanding of the lived experiences of online educators and those who came to online education during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study invited classroom teachers and online teachers from established online programs and schools to conversations about how they designed, structured, and facilitated successful practices in online learning environments.

Through the use of Design Thinking and a Participatory Approach, K-12 educators were engaged in a series of survey and Design Conversations that touched on a variety of topics from resources and technology to professional learning specific to teaching online. Eight Design Principles were identified from the survey and validated through a series of Design Conversations with BC educators. Participants in the CANeLearn study expressed the desire for the principles to be shared widely and used to move practice forward. They believed the principles would help enhance the reputation of online learning and should be used to continue discussions about online learning practice amongst their colleagues.

Join Susan for a review of the study and plans for its rollout across the country.

[1] Published here https://canelearn.net/home/research/projects/ - Download here

Link to shared document - add comments - we will post curated chat here:
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhPOhyq3CRp-kX6-w9M9vAFQQzsc?e=1IL5Bv

Speakers

Susan Crichton

Emeritus Professor, UBC Okanagan; Crichton Consulting

Susan Crichton is an emeritus professor - University of British Columbia's Okanagan Campus and the founding director of the Innovative Learning Centre. She taught in both the Bachelor of Education and graduate programs, focusing on Trades and Technology, the Maker Movement, and appropriate... Read More →

Thursday April 22, 2021 12:30pm - 1:00pm PDT

Plenary

Audience Elementary Educators, K-12 School Leaders, Post-secondary Educators, Secondary Educators

1:00pm PDT

What defines ‘quality’ in Online Learning?

Join members of the British Columbia Ministry of Education’s Online Learning team for an interactive session discussing quality online instruction. The discussion will help inform developments underway in the modernization of Online Learning in BC.

Link to quality feedback document:
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhPOhyq3CRp-kiJGUo7f5j15k3Wl?e=j8uUGo

Speakers

Erin Kelly

Director, Education

Maureen Jones

A/Director, Online Learning, Ministry of Education and Child Care

Thursday April 22, 2021 1:00pm - 1:45pm PDT

Plenary

Audience Elementary Educators, K-12 School Leaders, Post-secondary Educators, Secondary Educators

1:45pm PDT

Summary of the Day & Dialogue

Final comments, wrap-up, and getting ready for tomorrow

Thursday April 22, 2021 1:45pm - 2:00pm PDT

Plenary

2:00pm PDT

WCLN Annual General Meeting

This session was not recorded.

WCLN Members are encouraged to attend the Annual General Meeting for the Western Canadian Learning Network Society. Each attendee is asked to identify the district/division they are from and their name. Review of Year End Financial Statements, Election of two upcoming Director Vacancies and a review of our activities.

Speakers

Bruce Weitzel

Executive Director, WCLN

Brent Sawatzky

Teacher/Developer, WCLN / eSchool23

WCLN is a consortium of districts where the goal is to work together to produce quality resources for OL and BL students. Brent is the technical director of WCLN.

Sponsors

Western Canadian Learning Network

The Western Canadian Learning Network (WCLN) is a consortium of BC school districts, Alberta school divisions, the Yukon, and NWT who work together to:Support distance learning and alternative ed. programs.Support classroom teachers who are interested in sharing ideas and personalizing... Read More →

Thursday April 22, 2021 2:00pm - 3:00pm PDT

Audience Elementary Educators, K-12 School Leaders, Secondary Educators

2:00pm PDT

Discussion Den

Jump into the Discussion Den

chat with colleagues
shimmy over to a discussion and see what folks are chatting about
post a topic and invite others to join a conversation

Check out Kumospace software designed for social dialogue. Play with us to learn more about it.

Explore Kumospace features: https://explore.kumospace.com/features
Skim the FAQ on how to use Kumospace: https://help.kumospace.com/getting-started-with-kumospace

Speakers

Jessie Morton

Sponsors

BCEDL - BlendEdBC

Thursday April 22, 2021 2:00pm - 3:00pm PDT

Social

8:15am PDT

Welcome & Opening Keynote

Speakers

Randy LaBonte

CEO, Canadian eLearning Network

Danika Cottingham

Secondary Teacher, BlendEdBC

Thomas Diesch

Educators for DL

Sponsors

BCEDL - BlendEdBC

Canadian eLearning Network

Friday April 23, 2021 8:15am - 8:30am PDT
Keynote Plenary

Plenary

Audience Elementary Educators, K-12 School Leaders, Secondary Educators

8:30am PDT

Online Learning in K-12: Hits, Misses, and Where to from Here?

Join Tony for an interactive keynote conversation on key questions for K-12 online learning post-pandemic. Trends and insights from current practices, but more importantly, direction for the future will be explored through short clips and key points from Tony’s blog series.

Clips and quotes from his more extensive writings and videos will be curated and shared to prompt questions and discussion. We will do our best to feature the highlights of his insights and answer some questions, but likely leave you with many more!

Check out Tony's posts below in advance and come with your questions:

Tony's blog series on K-12 online learning - start here https://www.tonybates.ca/2021/01/07/what-needs-to-be-done-about-online-learning-in-the-school-sector-1-an-introduction/
Use this search string to find a list of the remaining six posts - https://www.tonybates.ca/?s=k-12+online+learning

Watch Tony's pre-recorded video series published on Commonwealth of Learning's website - http://oasis.col.org/handle/11599/3743

Check out questions posed for Tony, participant insights, and comments.

Link to Padlet

Link to shared document - add comments - we will post curated chat here:
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhPOhyq3CRp-khYnvpRJm6Mcl4_l?e=twSjGz

Speakers

Tony Bates

President & CEO, Tony Bates & Associates

Tony Bates is President and CEO of Tony Bates Associates Ltd, a private company specializing in consultancy and training in the planning and management of e-learning and distance education. He is also Distinguished Visiting Professor in the G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education, Ryerson... Read More →

Friday April 23, 2021 8:30am - 9:15am PDT

Plenary

Audience Elementary Educators, K-12 School Leaders, Secondary Educators

9:15am PDT

Engaging Students - Not just a keynote.

From the challenges of the global pandemic to the distraction of social media, now more than ever we need to engage students.

Join Jen Giffen, co-host of Shukes and Giff the podcast, for a fireside keynote where we will tell stories of student engagement and share best practices, including tech tools to support student engagement. It is time to reflect, laugh, and find inspiration in our own experiences and those shared by others.

Pose questions for Jen, share your insights, and post comments on Padlet.

Link to Padlet

Link to shared document - add comments - we will post curated chat here:
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhPOhyq3CRp-khd6sOKfHjWzaQ0r?e=IASscl

Speakers

Jen Giffen

Teacher Librarian, York Region District School Board

Jen Giffen (aka Virtual Giff) is a Teacher Librarian and Former Curriculum Consultant (Digital Literacy) Consultant in the York Region District School Board in Ontario, Canada. She has a B.Ed from Queen's University (Cha Gheill!) and an M.Ed in Curriculum, Teaching and Learning... Read More →

Friday April 23, 2021 9:15am - 10:00am PDT

Plenary

Audience Elementary Educators, K-12 School Leaders, Post-secondary Educators, Secondary Educators

10:00am PDT

Best Practices for Teaching and Learning Online

Select to open Teams in your browser if you do not have the Teams app downloaded...

How can you keep your students engaged in their learning when they are on the other side of a screen? Join this webinar where we will look at some fun, engaging, and powerful ways students can demonstrate their understanding whether they are face-to-face in your classrooms, or working remotely from home. Whether you are working in a Microsoft or a Google environment, our team will provide a variety of practical ideas and templates that you can implement as early as Monday morning!

Link to shared document - add comments - we will post curated chat here:
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhPOhyq3CRp-kgDnUd3yzcQEX1fW?e=8IT9FT

Sponsors

Michelle Armstrong

Co-Founder, The Cobblestone Collective

Working alongside Google, Microsoft and Minecraft as their 3rd Party PD Provider, The Cobblestone Collective provides engaging, hands-on learning opportunities, both virtually and in-person, to educators and students worldwide. Their team is a network of current and former educators... Read More →

Friday April 23, 2021 10:00am - 10:30am PDT

Featured Session

Audience Elementary Educators, K-12 School Leaders, Post-secondary Educators, Secondary Educators

10:00am PDT

Discussion Den

Jump into the Discussion Den

chat with colleagues
shimmy over to a discussion and see what folks are chatting about
post a topic and invite others to join a conversation

Check out Kumospace software designed for social dialogue. Play with us to learn more about it.

Explore Kumospace features: https://explore.kumospace.com/features
Skim the FAQ on how to use Kumospace: https://help.kumospace.com/getting-started-with-kumospace

Speakers

Jessie Morton

Sponsors

BCEDL - BlendEdBC

Friday April 23, 2021 10:00am - 10:30am PDT

Social

Audience Elementary Educators, K-12 School Leaders, Secondary Educators

10:00am PDT

NUTRITION & HEALTH BREAK

Friday April 23, 2021 10:00am - 10:30am PDT

Social

10:30am PDT

Online Learning Resources

Since 2004, Content Connections has been providing high-quality learning solutions to organizations. We are well known for our interactive Math courses. Content Connections is pleased to announce the release of our expanded course offering in other subject areas. In this session, we will share some of our new Math, Science, and English courses. We will also provide an overview of what is new in our courses: NEW assessment databases, inquiry projects, formative assessments, and the capacity to customize your courses. You may also get a peek into what is in the works for future courses, resources, and tools.

Link to shared document - add comments - we will post curated chat here:
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhPOhyq3CRp-kgKT1bsTyrVkIdfx?e=rJTYqQ

Speakers

Brad McArthur

Content Connections

Harjit Deol

Content Connections/SAIL

Grant Ashlee

President, Content Connections

Friday April 23, 2021 10:30am - 11:15am PDT

Breakout

Audience Elementary Educators, K-12 School Leaders, Secondary Educators

10:30am PDT

Resources for Educators

Open School BC (OSBC; Ministry of Education) spent the summer and winter collaborating with educators to develop and refine an online course, Blended Learning: Creating a flexible classroom. This session will focus on our collaborative approach and some key takeaways, followed by discussion of how resources can be designed or adapted to support educators as they consider blended or remote learning.

Link to shared document - add comments - we will post curated chat here:
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhPOhyq3CRp-kgP1nN6ZB0MOuGTK?e=y4HegX

Link to online course (free account required):
https://ocr.openschool.bc.ca/course/view.php?id=72

Speakers

Jenny Morrison

Teacher, SD73

Shayla Starcheski

Educational Project Manager, Open School BC

Resources for Educators pdf

Friday April 23, 2021 10:30am - 11:15am PDT

Breakout

Audience Elementary Educators, K-12 School Leaders, Secondary Educators, Post-secondary Educators

10:30am PDT

Supporting LGBTQ* Students in the Online Classroom

In this session, you will learn about how best to support LGBTQ* students working and learning in an online environment.

Presentation Available Here (google slides)

Supplementary Resources Available Here (google doc)

Link to shared document - add comments - we will post curated chat here:
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhPOhyq3CRp-kgSlqg2iFspRqHGy?e=JDN3Cn

Speakers

Monti Tanner

Assistant Principal, Calgary Board of Education

Monti Tanner (he/him) is the Assistant Principal of CBe-learn in Calgary where they offer diverse and unique programs for grade 1 to 12 students. Monti has a Masters of Education in Educational Technology from the University of Lethbridge. He is a proud third-generation Calgarian... Read More →

Friday April 23, 2021 10:30am - 11:15am PDT

Breakout

10:30am PDT

TWIG and Tig Tag in the Classroom

Twig is tailor-made for teachers in Grades 6-9. The Twig website provides school-wide access to thousands of three-minute films for Science, Math and Geography, as well as worksheets, lesson plans, quizzes and diagrams. Twig resources are easy to use. This session will provide an overview of the resources available in TWIG and examples as to how teachers would be able to use it in the classroom/online.

TigTag is a science resource for Grades 3-5. TigTag meets the requirements of the curriculum while extending content further. Complete with films, lesson plans, activities and quizzes, TigTag offers everything you need to teach science in elementary grades. This session will overview the resources in TigTag and provide suggestions how it can be used in the classroom/online.

Link to shared document - add comments - we will post curated chat here:
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhPOhyq3CRp-kgWDn_iA9mY7IdhI?e=Z13vps

Speakers

Mike Silverton

Professional Learning Team Coordinator, FocusED

Mike has been providing professional development and in-service to teachers for over 25 years. He has taught from elementary to the graduate level and has a wide range of experience to draw upon to provide enriching workshops for all. With 12 years as a Technology Coordinator for... Read More →

Friday April 23, 2021 10:30am - 11:15am PDT

Breakout

Audience Elementary Educators, Secondary Educators, Grades 6-9

10:30am PDT

Use a World Citizen Lens to Be Antiracist & Inclusive

This workshop is about providing a positive “world citizen” perspective to identify, understand, and address unconscious bias so we can be actively antiracist and inclusive in online and live classroom settings. You will gain effective ideas and activities that you can test out yourself and use with students. You will be provided a framework for reframing how we see and present information. No matter what you teach, you will leave this presentation with ways to make your courses more inclusive.

Link to shared document - add comments - we will post curated chat here:
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhPOhyq3CRp-kgZy2PPGw31YI7K5?e=UZ7pN4

Speakers

Tamiko Nicholson

Teacher, Abbotsford Virtual School

Ms. Nicholson enjoys being part of an innovative and hardworking team at Abbotsford Virtual School. She pioneered the middle school online program at AVS, co-created a motivational email mailout system for online students, and was instrumental in the creation and promotion of our... Read More →

Friday April 23, 2021 10:30am - 11:15am PDT

Breakout

10:30am PDT

WCLN Development - Feedback & Planning

There is no recording for this session.

WCLN teachers continue to evolve resources to best suit student and teacher needs. Let's chat about what you'd like to see in these resources as we continue to move forward.

Link to shared document - add comments - we will post curated chat here:
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhPOhyq3CRp-kgeMHba4eLoPsZHn?e=THx5Pv

Speakers

Brent Sawatzky

Teacher/Developer, WCLN / eSchool23

WCLN is a consortium of districts where the goal is to work together to produce quality resources for OL and BL students. Brent is the technical director of WCLN.

Friday April 23, 2021 10:30am - 11:15am PDT

Breakout

Audience Elementary Educators, Secondary Educators, K-12 School Leaders

10:30am PDT

Cobblestone Collective: Tools, Tours, Teaching, and Technology

Select to open Teams in your browser if you do not have the Teams app downloaded...

Join the Cobblestone Collective as we showcase different tools that will re-energize your virtual, hybrid, or face-to-face classroom!

We’ll spend some time showing you ways to engage your students with Pear Deck and PowerPoint, use assistive technology such as Immersive Reader to create an equitable learning atmosphere, foster a collaborative environment with Microsoft Whiteboard, and learn about the amazing annotation features in OneNote.

Come prepared with an O365 account to unleash the power of these awesome tools!

10:30-10:50 Pear Deck & PowerPoint
11:00-11:20 Immersive Reader
11:30-11:50 Microsoft Whiteboard
12:00 - 12:15 OneNote Handwriting and Annotation

Link to shared document - add comments - we will post curated chat here:
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhPOhyq3CRp-kggHb2IE7T7SYvtE?e=IZvOHH

Speakers

Michelle Armstrong

Co-Founder, The Cobblestone Collective

Friday April 23, 2021 10:30am - 11:15am PDT

Featured Session

Audience Elementary Educators, K-12 School Leaders, Post-secondary Educators, Secondary Educators

10:30am PDT

Pandemic Measures in K-12: A Pan-Canadian Research Series

CANeLearn is researching what K-12 school districts across Canada have offered in the way of programming and supports during the pandemic.
This presentation highlights how the provinces and territories in Canada responded to the spring 2020 school closures due to COVID-19 regarding emergency remote teaching. We also discuss the re-opening of schools in September 2020 and the subsequent experiences during the fall during the “the second wave.” A focus included teaching and learning resources made available, digital devices distributed, attendance mandates, curricular foci, and health and safety measures put in place for a safe-re-opening, which also includes mode of instruction if students chose not to return to school. Data were gleaned by researching ministry of education websites, public notices, and news outlet sources to gather a picture of what the overall national response was during the pandemic.

The first report was published in August, the second in November, that detail what the Ministries and Departments announced in the Spring and Fall of 2020 for remote learning, and the third report, Stories from the Field: Voices of K-12 Stakeholders During Pandemic, was published in December that brings the voice of key stakeholders within the K-12 online and blended learning community across Canada to described what actually happened on the ground.

All reports are available at https://sites.google.com/view/canelearn-ert/

For a look at other pandemic reports published on K-12 practices, see https://canelearn.net/home/research/projects/

Link to shared document - add comments - we will post curated chat here:
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhPOhyq3CRp-kgm5aSI1k-7ox4TT?e=KESqHk

Speakers

Joelle Nagle

Teacher Educator, University of Windsor

Joelle Nagle has a PhD in education from the University of Western Ontario. She is also an Ontario Certified Teacher and has been working in education for the past 20 years. She is currently teaching solely online (due to the pandemic) as a teacher educator at the University of Windsor... Read More →

Friday April 23, 2021 10:30am - 11:15am PDT

Featured Session

Audience Elementary Educators, K-12 School Leaders, Secondary Educators

10:30am PDT

Discussion Den

Jump into the Discussion Den

chat with colleagues
shimmy over to a discussion and see what folks are chatting about
post a topic and invite others to join a conversation

Check out Kumospace software designed for social dialogue. Play with us to learn more about it.

Explore Kumospace features: https://explore.kumospace.com/features
Skim the FAQ on how to use Kumospace: https://help.kumospace.com/getting-started-with-kumospace

Speakers

Jessie Morton

Sponsors

BCEDL - BlendEdBC

Friday April 23, 2021 10:30am - 11:15am PDT

Social

11:15am PDT

NUTRITION & HEALTH BREAK

Friday April 23, 2021 11:15am - 11:30am PDT

Social

11:30am PDT

6 steps to improving 1-on-1 meetings with your online students

As online teachers, when we are connecting with dozens, or even hundreds, of students in short encounters throughout the year, it’s imperative we make the most of those times. Those interactions are the most crucial moments of our student’s experience in regards to their success.

In this session, Richard will be giving 6 practical steps to make those times as meaningful as possible, so that you can have interactions that ignite student curiosity, producing students who thrive in your online course.

Link to shared document - add comments - we will post curated chat here:
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhPOhyq3CRp-kgskYeMgJblhITbu?e=Ni8EIJ

Speakers

Richard Bitgood

Director, StudyForge

Friday April 23, 2021 11:30am - 12:15pm PDT

Breakout

11:30am PDT

Creating Community in a Disruption

This presentation will focus on the challenges and opportunities that have come out of the Covid-19 Pandemic and will highlight ways to support staff through both relationship building and instructional support in any learning environment. We will cover best practice advice in creating community in a digital space along with detailing the ways we have supported our staff in improving their pedagogy and assessment in the hybrid/virtual space.

Link to shared document - add comments - we will post curated chat here:
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhPOhyq3CRp-kgw9sOmgEhe11J9M?e=Co2sli

Speakers

Carli Parsons

Vice Principal, WRDSB

Vice Principal with the Waterloo Region District School Board and the Co-Founder of InnovatED, an education consulting company that focuses on 21st Century Learning Competencies and Future Ready Skills.

Jennifer Shortreed

System Administrator, Secondary DL Principal, Waterloo Region District School Board

Fascinated by; the Future of Education, the Power of Blended Learning and Effective Leadership in Education

Friday April 23, 2021 11:30am - 12:15pm PDT

Breakout

Audience Secondary Educators, K-12 School Leaders

11:30am PDT

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Online Classroom

It can be quite challenging to face racism/discrimination/hatred in the classroom. Bringing up potentially contentious subjects like ‘why we hate or stereotype’ or ‘unconscious biases we all hold’ with students can seem daunting. At times, after a racist incident occurs, we feel driven to tackle these topics, but we don’t always know where to begin. Participants will experience an effective, interactive lesson (with polls and breakout rooms), practicing civil discourse and listening to survivor testimonials, to safely open the discussion. We’ll be using free, online resource Voices into Action in this workshop, to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion with students.

Link to shared document - add comments - we will post curated chat here:
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhPOhyq3CRp-kg124HL9O3EvyIX7?e=HfrqsZ

Speakers

Jodi Derkson

BC Regional Director of Educational Programs, FAST

Friday April 23, 2021 11:30am - 12:15pm PDT

Breakout

Audience Secondary Educators, Post-secondary Educators, middle school

11:30am PDT

Is bias necessarily bad?

Using a digital resource as a metaphor, join this conversation around bias, scientific bias, points of view and opinion. Can we use bias as a springboard for constructive conversation and a positive approach to prickly topics.

Link to shared document - add comments - we will post curated chat here:
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhPOhyq3CRp-kg8wu_gUMNhyv06x?e=ybey4N

Speakers

Lisa Read

District Technology Support Teacher, sd79 Cowichan Valley

Technology Support teacher, Cowichan Valley School DistrictProfessional Learning Team Member, Focused ResourcesSpinster of this parish

Friday April 23, 2021 11:30am - 12:15pm PDT

Breakout

Audience Elementary Educators, Secondary Educators, Post-secondary Educators, K-12 School Leaders

11:30am PDT

Online Teaching: Tips and Tricks that Work!

Educators are entering a new chapter of delivering programs in which online teaching is an accepted and expected teaching and learning platform. And that leaves us with so many questions. Join Patty and Suzanne, both teachers at SIDES, as we dig deep into our online bag of tricks and tips for strategies that work. Coupled with practical examples, we will also dig deeper into current research and our understanding of the online pedagogy as an effective tool to promote student learning. You will leave this workshop with the confidence to use an online teaching platform, or to use online tools to support your classroom practice. The examples used in this session will focus on K-5, but the strategies can be applied to any grade and any subject.

Link to shared document - add comments - we will post curated chat here:
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhPOhyq3CRp-khATkIZ39coq7pTb?e=LOc943

Speakers

Suzanne Chisholm

Teacher, SIDES

Suzanne Chisholm currently teaches Grade 5 at SIDES. She has taught in both an independent school and in Saanich Schools. She recently completed a doctorate in education, and her work focused on how districts can optimize the use of digital technology in classrooms. Teaching is a... Read More →

Patty Golumbia

IST & Teacher Librarian, SIDES

Patty has been a teacher at SIDES for 10 years as an Integration Support Teacher, and more recently K-8 Teacher Librarian. Patty has a passion for libraries and has worked in a library capacity at the University of Saskatchewan and VIRL. She was the Teacher Librarian at S’kaadgaa... Read More →

10 ways to make your zoom room boom SIDES pdf

Online Learning Tips and Tricks CONDENSED VERSION (1) pdf

Friday April 23, 2021 11:30am - 12:15pm PDT

Breakout

11:30am PDT

Positive Possibilities for the future of K-12 education

The Covid-19 pandemic disrupted education delivery worldwide and provided an opportunity to learn from this experience as a catalyst for future transformation. This session will introduce participants to a study that used a strengths-based framework and examined the experiences of teachers, parents, students 18+, administrators, and staff in a uniquely configured K-12 School District in British Columbia during the COVID-19 Pivot.

The student researcher will share the preliminary findings of this case study and then guide participants through an activity to discuss and imagine future possibilities for K12 related to the themes identified in the preliminary findings.

Link to shared document - add comments - we will post curated chat here:
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhPOhyq3CRp-khiJy6sr9uin3em5?e=Q6ZyzI

Link to padlet used in the session:
https://padlet.com/lisagedak/s421oet7nmy3pnwu

Speakers

Lisa Gedak

Teaching and Learning Strategist, Royal Roads University

As a post-secondary educator, instructional designer, and EdTech strategist, Lisa is passionate about life-long learning, the intersection of pedagogy and technology, and philosophical approaches supporting learner-centred education.Additionally, Lisa is an Appreciative Inquiry (AI... Read More →

Friday April 23, 2021 11:30am - 12:15pm PDT

Breakout

Audience Elementary Educators, K-12 School Leaders, Post-secondary Educators, Secondary Educators

11:30am PDT

Rad Ways to Leverage Technology in Canvas

Brad and Chris are back with a super rad workshop for Canvas users and Canvas curious! Don't just post content to Canvas; engage students by leveraging digital tools inside Canvas. Come and check out Google Integration, WeVideo, Padlet, Adobe Spark, and many others! This session will definitely get radical - hold on to your hats!

Link to shared document - add comments - we will post curated chat here:
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhPOhyq3CRp-khGYKq-t6Tz6WSv8?e=XgMWtI

Speakers

Brad Moser

Director of Blended Learning, Blue Valley School District

I love learning with rad tools. Canvas, Google, Apple are my sweet spot. And I love to integrate all the other super rad tools with these platforms. Ask me about teaching with technology.

Chris Giles

Canvas Admin TOSA, Beaverton School District

Chris lives in Portland, where he busy creating and facilitating Professional Development and supporting teachers in the Beaverton School District. Chris has over 21 years of experience in education, including 15 years of teaching in Arizona, 2 years in Brazil and 2 years as the K12... Read More →

Friday April 23, 2021 11:30am - 12:15pm PDT

Breakout

Audience Elementary Educators, K-12 School Leaders, Secondary Educators

11:30am PDT

WCLN Future Directions

There is no recording for this session.

As the Western Canadian Learning Network continues to grow eastward and north, so does the need to connect, network, and reflect. There are many factors that influence a chosen path of sutainable course development and maintenance and online learning support that an organization needs to consider. Come join this discussion to connect and identify key elements that are of importance in your organization to support online learning in the context of your province or territory.

Link to shared document - add comments - we will post curated chat here:
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhPOhyq3CRp-khKD2WgFfUWEmicR?e=71KTHq

Speakers

Bruce Weitzel

Executive Director, WCLN

Dirk Meyer

Learning Specialist, Rocky View School Division No. 41

Friday April 23, 2021 11:30am - 12:15pm PDT

Breakout

11:30am PDT

Cobblestone Collective: Tools, Tours, Teaching, and Technology

10:30-10:50 Pear Deck & PowerPoint
11:00-11:20 Immersive Reader
11:30-11:50 Microsoft Whiteboard
12:00 - 12:15 OneNote Handwriting and Annotation

Link to shared document - add comments - we will post curated chat here:
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhPOhyq3CRp-kg7FKTVXNIqidM7i?e=Hfj76P

Speakers

Michelle Armstrong

Co-Founder, The Cobblestone Collective

Friday April 23, 2021 11:30am - 12:15pm PDT

Featured Session

Audience Elementary Educators, K-12 School Leaders, Post-secondary Educators, Secondary Educators

11:30am PDT

Discussion Den

Jump into the Discussion Den

chat with colleagues
shimmy over to a discussion and see what folks are chatting about
post a topic and invite others to join a conversation

Check out Kumospace software designed for social dialogue. Play with us to learn more about it.

Explore Kumospace features: https://explore.kumospace.com/features
Skim the FAQ on how to use Kumospace: https://help.kumospace.com/getting-started-with-kumospace

Speakers

Jessie Morton

Sponsors

BCEDL - BlendEdBC

Friday April 23, 2021 11:30am - 12:15pm PDT

Social

12:15pm PDT

NUTRITION & HEALTH BREAK

Friday April 23, 2021 12:15pm - 12:30pm PDT

Social

12:30pm PDT

DEFINE YOU & Well Being BC Reprise

In this featured session, Lindsay will help us to DEFINE who we are from the inside out. In her time with us again, you will learn the 6 steps YOU can take to ignite the passion within you to create a life full of purpose, excitement, and pure joy.

Brad and Livia will add their voice and thoughts about how you, as educators, and "find the time" to take care of yourself so that you can take care of others.

Finally, Jamie and Michelle will provide us with an overview of the Well-Being BC website (https://www.wellbeingbc.ca/). Together, we will dive into exploring wellbeingbc.ca and participants will come away with some practical strategies about how to support a discussion around mental health and well-being for themselves and their colleagues.

We will end the session with questions and map out a plan for our individual 'next steps' to incorporating Well-Being into our own lives and helping our students do the same.

Link to shared document - add comments - we will post curated chat here:
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhPOhyq3CRp-khOwyuxEARIa1eSS?e=93L0hJ

Speakers

Michelle Hussey

Director of Schools, Kleos Open Learning

Lindsay Titus

Assistant Principal, Define Youniversity

Brad Hughes

Principal, Forest Hill Public School

Jamie Morris

Associate Director, Head of Student Services, Brockton School

Livia Chan

Head Teacher, Burnaby Board of Education

Friday April 23, 2021 12:30pm - 1:15pm PDT

Featured Session

Audience Elementary Educators, K-12 School Leaders, Secondary Educators

12:30pm PDT

The New Online Learning Model: An Update

Join us for an information session about the Ministry’s plans to implement a new OL delivery model in BC.

Link to shared document - add comments - we will post curated chat here:
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhPOhyq3CRp-khSxdFO53dhhMRkm?e=IcsTTx

Speakers

Jennifer Riddel

A/Executive Director, Ministry of Education

Friday April 23, 2021 12:30pm - 1:15pm PDT

Featured Session

Audience Elementary Educators, K-12 School Leaders, Post-secondary Educators, Secondary Educators

1:15pm PDT

Demo Slam & Prize Draw

The Demo Slam Showdown is a high-energy closing session where speakers share some of their favourite tech tips and tricks. The Demo Slam concept was started by Google, but the DL Symposium is taking it to the next level. The competitors will be announced soon. An event not to be missed, come see which tech giant will reign supreme.

Michelle Armstrong - Emcee

Richard Bitgood

richard@studyforge.net
StudyForge

Jeremy May

jmay@instructure.com
Canvas

Harjit Deol

harjit@contentconnections.ca
Content Connections

George Barcenas

gbarcenas24@gmail.com
MyViewBoard

Bryon Carpenter

bryoncar@gmail.com
Adobe Spark

Rob Bayuk

rob.bayuk@prezi.com
Prezi Video

Speakers

Danika Cottingham

Secondary Teacher, BlendEdBC

Thomas Diesch

Educators for DL

Sponsors

Michelle Armstrong

Co-Founder, The Cobblestone Collective

Friday April 23, 2021 1:15pm - 2:00pm PDT
Keynote Plenary

Plenary

9:00am PDT

Welcome

Welcome.
Recap of April 22 and 23.
Overview of our morning #DLsymp21ReLoaded

Speakers

Danika Cottingham

Secondary Teacher, BlendEdBC

Thomas Diesch

Educators for DL

Friday May 7, 2021 9:00am - 9:20am PDT

Plenary

9:20am PDT

Beyond Press Play: The Art of Making Videos with Presence

Landing doc for the session:
CLICK HERE

Video has long been thought to be a useful classroom tool, but for many teachers, it became an essential medium of instruction during the recent turn to virtual learning. However, not all videos are equal. In this two-part series, we explore the role of video as part of instruction, investigate the elements of good videos, and get our hands dirty with a quick and fairly easy way to make videos without having to use video editing software. In Part 1, we take stock of instructional videos and analyze videos through the lens of the Community of Inquiry Model which highlights instructional, cognitive, and social presence. Several video use-cases are highlighted, e.g., direct instruction, community building, formative assessment, etc., and a set of principles for crafting videos are discussed.

After the session:

Sign-up for a free Prezi Basic account for educators
Join Prezi Educator Community (PEC): https://prez.is/PECsignup/
"Learn more" - short, how-to tutorials:prezi.com/learn
Sign-up for live webinars: prezi.com/training

To find out more about the Community of Inquiry Model

Check out a 2-minute video overview: https://youtu.be/IXl-mkopx5o
Explore the Interactive CoI Model: https://coi.athabascau.ca/coi-model/an-interactive-coi-model/
Find out more on the CoI Framework on the Community of Inquiry research website

Speakers

Paul Teske

Teacher in Residence, Prezi

Paul has worked in education for over 25 years as a teacher and in education technology companies. He is the founder of Education Impact Exchange. He taught English Language Arts, and ran after-school technology programs for K-8 students. He helped start Educurious, and he was VP... Read More →

Randy LaBonte

CEO, Canadian eLearning Network

Friday May 7, 2021 9:20am - 10:00am PDT

Plenary

10:00am PDT

Virtual Exhibit Hall & Discussion Den

Jump into the Discussion Den

chat with colleagues
shimmy over to a discussion and see what folks are chatting about
post a topic and invite others to join a conversation

Check out Kumospace software designed for social dialogue. Play with us to learn more about it.

Explore Kumospace features: https://explore.kumospace.com/features
Skim the FAQ on how to use Kumospace: https://help.kumospace.com/getting-started-with-kumospace

Speakers

Jessie Morton

Sponsors

Canvas

The Learning Platform that Helps Great Education HappenOpen, intuitive, and born in the cloud, Canvas streamlines all the digital tools and content that teachers and students love, for a simpler and more connected learning experience.

StudyForge

StudyForge provides comprehensive digital courses in your LMS. With complete curriculum, actionable real-time insights, and captivating content we produce online learning with better than classroom results.

Friday May 7, 2021 10:00am - 10:15am PDT

Social

10:15am PDT

Beyond Press Play: The Art of Making Videos with Presence - Part 2

Sign-up for a free Prezi Basic account for educators
Join Prezi Educator Community (PEC): https://prez.is/PECsignup/
"Learn more" - short, how-to tutorials:prezi.com/learn
Sign-up for live webinars: prezi.com/training

To find out more about the Community of Inquiry Model

Check out a 2-minute video overview: https://youtu.be/IXl-mkopx5o
Explore the Interactive CoI Model: https://coi.athabascau.ca/coi-model/an-interactive-coi-model/
Find out more on the CoI Framework on the Community of Inquiry research website

Speakers

Paul Teske

Teacher in Residence, Prezi

Friday May 7, 2021 10:15am - 11:00am PDT

Plenary

10:15am PDT

Virtual Exhibit Hall & Discussion Den

Jump into the Discussion Den

chat with colleagues
shimmy over to a discussion and see what folks are chatting about
post a topic and invite others to join a conversation

Check out Kumospace software designed for social dialogue. Play with us to learn more about it.

Explore Kumospace features: https://explore.kumospace.com/features
Skim the FAQ on how to use Kumospace: https://help.kumospace.com/getting-started-with-kumospace

Speakers

Jessie Morton

Sponsors

Canvas

StudyForge

Friday May 7, 2021 10:15am - 11:00am PDT

Social

11:00am PDT

BC Tomorrow – Engaging Technology for Investigating Sustainability

Participants will be given a short presentation. Then, they will be shown how to access teacher-friendly learning templates and the instructional video series, run historic, future business as usual, and their own planned future scenarios, as well given an overview of the other elements in BC Tomorrow that are designed to increase user engagement. Participants will have time to practice, collaborate and share the learning tools while examining ways to best use them to meet the needs of their students.

Please see www.bctomorrow.ca and look over the site. If you have time, watch the video on the landing page. Finally, it will be very helpful if, prior to the session, you could please login to the simulator and create an account (teacher). Choose a watershed and run a scenario. A "lesson" will be supplied to help guide the session.

Prior to the session:

Please follow the directions here to set up an account on BC Tomorrow website
Complete at least steps 1 to 5 prior to the 11:00 am session!

Check out the latest BC Tomorrow newsletter here.

Speakers

Dave Ramsay

Executive Director, BC Tomorrow

Dave Ramsay is an experienced science educator in the province of BC. In 2014, while implementing watershed sustainability curriculum, and alongside co-founder Barry Wilson, Dave began developing BC Tomorrow. Based on Alberta Tomorrow’s successful template, BC Tomorrow, with its... Read More →

Friday May 7, 2021 11:00am - 11:45am PDT

Breakout

11:00am PDT

Supporting LGBTQ* Students in the Online Classroom

In this session, you will learn about how best to support LGBTQ* students working and learning in an online environment.

Presentation Available Here (google slides)
Supplementary Resources Available Here (google doc)

Link to shared document - add comments - we will post curated chat here:
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhPOhyq3CRp-kgSlqg2iFspRqHGy?e=JDN3Cn

Speakers

Monti Tanner

Assistant Principal, Calgary Board of Education

Friday May 7, 2021 11:00am - 11:45am PDT

Breakout

11:00am PDT

The Invisible Segment of Canada

Dwight Ballantyne grew up in Montreal Lake Cree Nation, a remote north Saskatchewan First Nation, until the age of 21. He always felt that he was invisible to the rest of the world that existed outside of his community.

IN 2019, DWIGHT FOUNDED THE BALLANTYNE PROJECT WITH THE GOAL OF RAISING AWARENESS ABOUT WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO GROW UP IN A REMOTE FIRST NATION.

As part of this goal, Dwight has just released a unique and impactful 45-minute presentation sharing Canadian Indigenous history and the challenges and barriers that he faced growing up. He is in the extremely rare position to offer his audience an opportunity to understand a segment of Canada’s population that rarely makes it into textbooks, popular media, or social conversation.

PLEASE WATCH DWIGHT'S PRESENTATION BEFORE COMING TO THIS SESSION!

Join Dwight in this interactive, dialogue session to explore his experience and how it can inform your own practice and perspective.

Find out more about Dwight's journey and his story here:
https://youtu.be/MBM9G6yJCkU

Find out how you can bring Dwight to your own school on the website: https://www.theballantyneproject.com/

Link to shared document - add comments - we will post curated chat here:
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhPOhyq3CRp-kXW2VJlepgSKkOmh?e=deL1ck

Speakers