K-12 Schooling in a Pandemic World Presentation April 2020

1. Remote Teaching or Online Learning?
K-12 Schooling in a Pandemic World
Images sourced or from https://photosforclass.com/ , @rlabonte, or
https://www.flickr.com/creativecommons
CANeLearn.net
Slides: bit.ly/rlabApr20

2. About the Canadian eLearning Network
• CANeLearn is a pan-Canadian network of K-12 online
and blended learning schools, organizations, and
educators
• Focus is on PD, research, sharing resources
• Intent is to leverage our Canadian collective to
promote online and blended, or e-learning
MISSION: To be the leading voice in Canada for
learner success in K-12 online and blended learning.
https://CANeLearn.net

3. A view from above…
What do you see as the greatest
challenges you face in this pandemic?
What issues will children face in learning
development AFTER the pandemic?

4. https://k12sotn.ca/

5. What is Class Size??

6. Education in Canada

7. e-Learning in Canada
Single provincial program
Primarily district-based programs
Combination of provincial and district-based programs
Use online learning programs from other provinces

8. Pan Canadian Trends
Centralized or Decentralized? DL or Classroom?
• Smaller jurisdictions centralize, larger decentralize
• No significant difference in completion rates
• Completion rates for online BC 89%, ON up to 94%
• CDLI (NL): 86.8% completion vs. 80.9% in classrooms
• Medium or model not the difference – teachers are
– The truck that delivers groceries does not change nutrition
• Researchers constantly asked does blended and online learning
work? The better question?
Under what conditions can they work?
https://canelearn.net/which-is-more-effective-centralized-or-decentralized/

9. https://canelearn.net/what-does-online-learning-really-look-like/

10. • Literature on e-learning class size has focused
solely on the role of the e-learning teacher

11. e-Learning design directly impacts
teacher-student interactions

12. Emergency Remote Teaching
In an emergency
such as this:
“Triage is not the
same as best
practice”
Dr. Tony Bates
https://www.tonybates.ca/tonys-publications/
Key leader of distance ed – Interview here https://youtu.be/OEZU89Drkj4

13. Remote Learning at Home

14. Remote Learning at Home

15. How do you connect to remote students?

17. Survey of
teacher’s
concerns
• Morale down
• More time – email and
video conferencing
• Equity, absentee issues
• Falling behind (e.g. math
skills)
• Arts more difficult
• Consequences for work not
completed
• Uncertainty when schools
back – or how

19. Why does Content trump Creativity?

21. Emergency Remote Teaching: Issues & Ideas
CANeLearn.net/emergency-remote-teaching/

22. Advice from
Nick Smith –
SPYDER
How to salvage BC’s school year:
1. Be available when students need you
2. Post essential content
3. Clear instructions
4. Make assignments ‘ungoogleable’
5. Use the simplest workable tool
6. Guard student privacy
7. Learn one new skill at a time
8. Provide feedback incrementally
9. Use effective communications tools
10. Adhere to fair dealing and Canadian Copyright Act
https://thetyee.ca/Analysis/2020/03/30/How-To-Salvage-BC-School-Year-Digital-Learning/

23. • Nurture opportunities for SEL – social and
emotional learning
– https://casel.org/what-is-sel/
• Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute
– Guides for students, parents, mentors, teachers,
and administrators
– https://michiganvirtual.org/resources/guides/

24. Tony
Bates:
From
crisis to
online
learning…
Advice for schools and districts:
1. Revise or develop your digital
learning strategy
2. Consider what should be in
such a plan
3. Collect and track data
4. Hire the right staff now
5. Develop system-wide training
https://www.tonybates.ca/2020/04/07/what-should-we-be-doing-about-online-
learning-when-social-distancing-ends/

26. In Summary
1. Remote teaching ⇥ ⇤ Online learning
2. Remote 1 - many | | Online many for 1
3. Emergency triage is not ideal practice
4. Social/emotional connections are critical
5. Start small, build success and experience
6. Use the tool YOU know student’s access
7. Content does not trump Creativity
8. Learn from now, plan for tomorrow
9. Most of all – support your learners

27. 27
Thank You!
Randy LaBonte
rlabonte@canelearn.net
CANeLearn.net
• Images sourced or from https://photosforclass.com/ , @rlabonte, or
https://www.flickr.com/creativecommons/