{"id":209,"date":"2021-04-18T08:53:39","date_gmt":"2021-04-18T15:53:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0202\/?p=209"},"modified":"2021-04-21T12:07:06","modified_gmt":"2021-04-21T19:07:06","slug":"malat-virtual-symposium-implications-for-k-12-education-in-canada","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0202\/malat-virtual-symposium-implications-for-k-12-education-in-canada\/","title":{"rendered":"MALAT Virtual Symposium: Implications for K-12 Education in Canada"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dave Cormier used the metaphor of rhizomes – plants that spread like raspberries – to explain open learning.\u00a0 Once the plant takes root, ideas spread like shoots and that plant, once a tiny organism with an uncertain future, expands to create and fill its habitat (Cormier, 2017).\u00a0 This metaphor of open education was represented in the MALAT Virtual Symposium; a time in which the curiosity of students was piqued, ideas took root and roots crossed paths.\u00a0 During the week, a common theme emerged: that there are many contradictions in the current models of in-person and online K-12 education.\u00a0 Implementation of open education practices and resources is an opportunity to improve access, inclusivity, and engagement in Canada\u2019s K-12 schools.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Throughout the week, I thought continuously about best practices to engage students and create curious, life-long learners.\u00a0 Dr. Randy Labonte, proponent of the constructivist approach to learning, addressed the notion of students falling behind and developing gaps in their understanding as a result of the shift to online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic (Labonte, 2020).\u00a0 I was struck by his response.\u00a0 He wondered what it was that these students were falling behind, and argued that education is not a race or a track to get through.\u00a0 He also pointed out the concern that K-12 education is increasingly focused on content, not creativity.\u00a0 In my work as a middle school teacher in Alberta, this is concerning.\u00a0 Is this focus in the best interests of students?\u00a0 Do learning experiences centred on content disengage and disempower our students?\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Amanda Coolidge, open education is sharing and collaborating, and breaking down barriers for students to easily access knowledge.\u00a0 Using OER to increase access and inclusivity for all students, and especially those who are marginalized and diverse (Coolidge, 2021) is an incredible opportunity.\u00a0 That being said, how can access and connection be improved while also guarding the privacy of the students in our care?\u00a0 Dr. Muirhead and Dr. Robinson discussed the privacy paradox: the idea that systems and institutions are constantly trying to find a balance between convenience and capability without discarding privacy altogether (Muirhead & Robinson, 2021).\u00a0 Dr. Hodson also addresses the issue of privacy.\u00a0 It is possible that teachers are inadvertently putting students\u2019 privacy at risk when using educational technology, especially when professional development and time to develop expertise are not provided (Hodson, 2018).\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

These issues need to be addressed in order to support the progression of Canadian K-12 education systems.\u00a0 The path forward must be intentionally and thoughtfully planned.\u00a0 Leigh McCarthy, a K-12 educator in Ontario, had a number of recommendations resulting from her research around supporting student engagement through the use of educational technology.\u00a0 I was most intrigued by her conclusion that teachers cannot wait for professional development to come to them; it is essential that consistent opportunities are provided for teachers to develop expertise in digital literacy and pedagogy, and to make connections through professional learning networks (McCarthy, 2021).\u00a0 I saw a connection between McCarthy\u2019s recommendations and the Eight Design Principles developed through the CANeLearn BC study (Crichton & Kinsel, 2021).\u00a0 These principles, if adopted across the country, have the potential to drive significant change.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

Bringing Canadian public school systems into the 21st century will require a dramatic shift.\u00a0 Teachers should be provided with professional learning centred around developing meaningful learning experiences in digital environments.\u00a0 For this to happen, ministries of education and school districts would benefit from examining the values and principles that drive decision-making, which in turn impacts what happens in classrooms.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

References<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cormier, D. (2017, April 18).\u00a0 <\/span>Intentional messiness of online communities<\/span><\/i> [Webinar]. Royal Roads University MALAT Virtual Symposium. <\/span>https:\/\/malat-coursesite.royalroads.ca\/lrnt521\/dave-cormier-virtual-symposium-presentation\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Crichton, S. & Kinsel, E. (2021, March 23).<\/span> Design Principles for Online Learning: British Columbia Study<\/span><\/i>. Canadian E-Learning Network. <\/span>https:\/\/secureservercdn.net\/198.71.233.153\/sgf.292.myftpupload.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/CANeLearn-BC-Study-Design-Principles-for-Online-Learning-March-23-2021.pdf<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hodson, J. (2018, April 16). <\/span>\u201cMindful\u201d social media engagement in an age of Cambridge Analytica<\/span><\/i> [Webinar].\u00a0 Royal Roads University MALAT Virtual Symposium. <\/span>https:\/\/ca.bbcollab.com\/collab\/ui\/session\/playback<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Labonte, R. (2020, April 14). <\/span>Remote Teaching or Online Learning? K-12 Schooling in a Pandemic World<\/span><\/i> [Webinar]. Royal Roads University MALAT Virtual Symposium. <\/span>https:\/\/ca.bbcollab.com\/collab\/ui\/session\/playback<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

McCarthy, L. (2021, April 16). K-12 Teachers in Ontario: Supporting Student Engagement Through the Use of Educational Technology [Webinar]. Royal Roads University MALAT Virtual Symposium.\u00a0 <\/span>https:\/\/ca.bbcollab.com\/collab\/ui\/session\/playback<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Muirhead, B. & Robinson, L. (2021, April 14). <\/span>Living and Learning Online: Why Digital Privacy is Everyone\u2019s Responsibility<\/span><\/i> [Webinar]. Royal Roads University MALAT Virtual Symposium. <\/span>https:\/\/ca.bbcollab.com\/collab\/ui\/session\/playback<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dave Cormier used the metaphor of rhizomes – plants that spread like raspberries – to explain open learning.\u00a0 Once the plant takes root, ideas spread like shoots and that plant, once a tiny organism with an uncertain future, expands to create and fill its habitat (Cormier, 2017).\u00a0 This metaphor of open education was represented in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":201,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-209","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-lrnt521"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0202\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0202\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0202\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0202\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/201"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0202\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=209"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0202\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":212,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0202\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209\/revisions\/212"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0202\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=209"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0202\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=209"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0202\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=209"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}