Edwin is a launchpad for exciting, real-world experiences. See how Edwin partnered with a local school district to accelerate student engagement and make learning come to life.

When the Dufferin-Peel Tech Team wanted to create activities around STEM and design thinking in time for the Winter Olympics, they turned to the teachers of the Edwin Classroom Success Team. The resulting Design Thinking Collection engaged Dufferin-Peel students with STEM activities, a custom learning toolkit, video content, and personal help from Olympic skeleton racer John Fairbairn.

“It was great because [the Classroom Success Team] were so open and willing to support and to kind of take our lead, like ‘What can we do from an Edwin perspective to support you?’”

Lisa
Dufferin-Peel Tech Team

Design Thinking

Empathy. Definition. Ideation. Prototype. Testing.

Design thinking is a methodology that teaches students a set of skills they can use to solve big problems—and small ones, too. It’s a process that starts with empathy, encourages plenty of ideas, and ends with testing solutions with real users.

The Edwin Design Thinking Collection provided Dufferin-Peel students and teachers with a toolkit for each stage of their process, and a self-check template to demonstrate understanding.

Find these and more STEM design thinking tools like this for your own classroom here.

Accelerating Student Engagement

With design thinking processes in motion, and some inspiration from Canadian Olympic skeleton racer John Fairbairn, students set out to design and prototype their own skeleton bobsled track. A reliance on reclaimed materials propelled creative solutions, and ensured student access to STEM learning in an equitable way.

Dufferin-Peel had 108 educators and 2,700 students participate in this Edwin STEM activity—collaborating across diverse classrooms, communities and backgrounds. Educators were able to bring together in-person and remote students in a community of learning, where Edwin helped to provide unique experiences for unique needs.

. . . . . 

Make learning come alive with Edwin.

Start a classroom transformation in your district with help from Edwin and the Classroom Success Team.

Find Design Thinking resources for your own classroom today.

“Change has happened because of the activism of parents.”

Claudette Rutherford
Parent and member of the Steering Committee for Black Children, Canada

“It is hard work but it is heart work.”

George McAuley
Coordinator of Anti-Racism Education and Math & Science, LDCSB

On February 3, 2021, Nelson hosted “The Future of Education for Black Students,” a virtual event with participation from 2500 educators. In attendance were educators, parents, students and system leaders from across Canada. Featuring a range of presentations, the event gave Black experts and educational leaders an opportunity to share their perspectives, experiences and ideas about meaningful steps that can be taken to dismantle anti-Black systemic racism in Canadian school systems. The evening included a panel of thought leaders within the Black teaching and learning community: Dr. Andrew Campbell; Natasha Henry; George McAuley; Colleen Russell-Rawlins and Claudette Rutherford. Jacob Robinson, a third-year University of Waterloo student also joined the panel and captured much of the audience. “Listen to students; survey what makes them feel respected and represented.”

“Professional Learning must be coupled with action and accountability.”

Colleen Russell-Rawlins
Interim Director, Peel District School Board

Greg Birkett covers the Black Canadian Experience during the first session of the Nelson webinar, See Us, Hear Us.

The call for a need to further understand the Canadian Black Experience has also been made clear. As part of Nelson’s commitment to Professional Learning and extending this opportunity to further build a community of practice for all educators, a nine-part series titled, See Us Learn Us, was launched in February also in recognition of Black History Month and to ensure the conversation and learning continued after the milestone month and the learning extends beyond the classroom. The series provides educators in Grades 5 to 12 a historical foundation, information about resources, and access to the ideas necessary to learn about and teach the Black Canadian experience. Particular attention will be given to showing educators how cross-curricular connections about the Black Canadian experience can be meaningfully represented in the education of Canadian students.

“A Black inclusive curriculum should be decolonized, anti-racist and transformational.”

Natasha Henry
President, Ontario Black History Society

A deep collection of resources devoted to the experiences and contributions of Black Canadians can be found in the “Black History Month” Edwin Collection.

Black educators Gregory and Coleen Birkett have over 30 years combined teaching experience with the Toronto District School Board and around the world. Both believe firmly in the need for further tools and resources for educators that support students in the classroom as it relates to deepening societal knowledge of the Black Canadian Experience.

Gregory Birkett is also working closely with the Edwin team to ensure that much of this information and more is reflected within the Edwin ecosystem available to educators. Many of the Edwin Collections and topics addressed in the series are available as accompanying classroom resources within Edwin including: The Transatlantic Slave Trade; African Nova Scotian History and Culture; The Black Loyalists and Slavery in British North America.

“If we want to understand what Canada is and what it could be, we have to understand what it has been. Knowing the Black Canadian experience really allows us to fill in a lot of the gaps in our often romanticized national narrative.”

Gregory Birkett

. . . . . 

The Black Canadian Experience is a vital part of the story of all Canadians. We’d love to hear how you’re expanding the conversation in your own practice. Please share your ideas in the comments section.

Access the Black Canadian Experience and related content for your classroom with an Edwin FREE Trial.

REFERENCES

Listen to the “Future of Education for Black Students” Recording:
https://www.bigmarker.com/nelson-professional-learning/The-Future-of-Education-for-Black-Students

See Us, Learn Us Registration:
https://www.bigmarker.com/series/see-us-learn-us-teaching-abo/series_summit

Edwin Collections
https://go.edwin.app/library/search-results/black%20history%20month

To guide the digital transformation of our economy, we will need to reimagine education and empower our students to be co creators. 

 According to the World Economic Forum the number one skill students will need for 2025 to 2030 is the ability to have several learning strategies for rapid learning and reskilling. Students of today will need to understand how to own their learning and deploy learning strategies in new and emerging opportunities that were previously unseen. During the first 6 months of COVID-19, we experienced 10 years worth of advancements in the digital transformation of work. So, as you reflect on your teaching practice ask yourself, “Are we preparing students for 2019 or 2030?”

Project based learning and design thinking is the necessary starting point to prepare students for the rapidly emerging economy. Project based learning from my perspective is the co-creation of projects with the mutual needs of students and teachers being met. PBL allows for an increase in student voice, the construction of meaning as it relates to content, but more importantly it allows for the curation and aggregation of learning strategies, which is a hyper critical component for future success.  

Edwin is a digital learning ecosystem that gives you curriculum-linked resources, interactive tools and curated collections to ensure your classroom is connected from anywhere. It is an amazing space to leverage design thinking and Edwin’s curation of curriculum linked collections as the foundation of our projects. Edwin is the bridge between traditional education and the emerging future of education. Using Edwin ensures that the projects can be connected to curriculum standards, but still allow for student agency. See how we do this at Tomorrow Now learning lab.

Design thinking is a mindset that is guided by a five-step iterative process. This process allows us to explore, define, ideate, act and iterate, to create relevant mental constructs and products. It praises the process and allows for multiple iterations over time to deepen the learning.  It also has a built-in expectation for critical reflection and peer/teacher feedback. 

We recently used project-based learning while doing a unit on flight. One student decided that they were going to build a plane that would fly inside their 3D model building simulator video games (Trail Maker) and create a collection in Edwin that could be shared with other students. We used design thinking to map out the project from start to the first iteration. We then set up milestones and check in times that kept the project on track. The first step was to empathize with the topic. To do this, we used the Q chart to generate 16 to 20 questions.  We then searched up flight in Edwin collections. We used this as a base and then curated our own collections using Edwin as well as YouTube and other online sources. We then used what we learned to build and fly a physics based virtual plane. It took approximately 4 days in total. Once finished we created Vlogs of the experience and a few iterations of the plane build. The project was student led, purpose driven and technology augmented.  This helped to create a deeper understanding of the content, but more importantly a deeper understanding of the process and learning strategies.

We can no longer have a conversation about the future of education without considering the rise of digital technology and its exponential transformative potential. Project based learning, design thinking and real “student world” innovations were combined with Edwin to connect generations, student culture, and curriculum in a much more engaging way than just the traditional model. The experience provided insights and perspectives, while enhancing the student voice and a more meaningful understanding of learning how to learn. 

Dwayne Matthews

Education Strategist and Innovation Evangelist, XPRIZE Connect advisory board member, Future of Learning Lab

@dwaynekmatthews

. . . . . 

Project-based learning is a creative way to engage students in your classroom and at home. We’d love to hear how you’re approaching PBL with your students. Please share your ideas in the comments section.

Explore project-based learning for your classroom with an Edwin FREE Trial through October 1st, 2021.

When schools were forced to resort to remote learning scenarios last spring due to COVID-19, teachers had to find creative ways to keep students engaged. Project-based learning (PBL) proved to be a successful instructional model—even with students learning at home. This fall, the reopening of schools once again calls for innovative teachers and resilient students who are able to adapt to new ways of teaching and learning. Enter PBL.

What is project-based learning?

According to Dr. David Hutchison, a professor in the Faculty of Education at Brock University and Director of Brock’s Centre for Digital Humanities:

“While there is no one agreed-upon definition of PBL, the following definition incorporates several of the key principles that define PBL in the literature: Project-based learning empowers learners to collaborate in teams, mentored by their teachers, as they research real-world questions, pose solutions to real-world problems, and design real-world products in a rigorous way.”

With PBL, students learn through doing. They try to answer a driving question about a real-world problem or issue that interests them. The driving question is open-ended with no single correct answer. Students collaborate in teams, take ownership of the project, practise critical thinking skills, and use creativity to craft a solution to the driving question. Then, they present their project and solution to classmates and the public.

The following video by Edutopia illustrates the difference between project-based learning and a regular project.

This video shows the difference between a regular project and project-based learning.

Tips to integrate project-based learning into hybrid learning and remote learning scenarios

1. Choose a real-world problem/issue.

Propose a few topics to your students that align with curriculum outcomes. Take a quick show of hands to see which one garners the most interest. Alternatively, choose a topic that you think students will be interested in based on past classes and conversations. Decide the duration of the project (e.g., 1 day, 1 week, 2 weeks).

2. Choose a driving question.

A driving question drives student inquiry. This type of question is open-ended, objective, and can have many correct answers. Examples include: “How can we welcome new immigrants to our country? What does a future green city look like? How can we reduce homelessness in our city?” You can also task groups with developing their own driving question.

3. Organize platforms for collaboration.

Collaboration is essential in PBL. Each student will be researching, gathering, and organizing information. Students will most likely have new questions and will want to discuss their findings. They will also need a way to decide who is responsible for certain tasks. Trello is a platform that students can use to record tasks. It’s like a digital corkboard where students can post ideas, make notes about things that spark their interest, and create lists of resources. They can prioritize what they want to do first and also add comments and attachments.

Students can use Trello during PBL to record ideas and questions

To share ideas, students can use videoconferencing platforms, such as Google Meet, Zoom, or Microsoft Teams. Students can also discuss ideas in a group chat using a free, school-approved chat app.

4. Check in with students—often.

Because students drive PBL, some may feel, at times, as if they are alone in their learning journey—especially those who are more comfortable taking cues directly from their teacher. It’s important to check in to see how their inquiry is going. Send a touch-point email or arrange for a group chat or video conference. A Google form lets you ask questions that students can quickly answer.

5. Encourage a variety of final projects.

Student groups will have different ideas on how they want to present their answer to the driving question. They may decide to submit a podcast, video, photo collage, photo essay, or slideshow. Ensure that students have access to the digital tools they need to help them succeed.

6. Provide opportunities for feedback.

A key part of PBL is giving students the opportunity to critique other group’s work and receive feedback on their own work. You can do this through a video chat, using Google Slides, or a discussion forum.

Students can provide feedback on other group’s work via a video chat, Google Slides, or a discussion forum.

7. Ask students to reflect on their PBL.

It’s beneficial for students to share their thoughts on the process. What did they find difficult? What worked out well? Set up a blog or discussion forum so the group can share their thoughts with each other and you.

8. Facilitate ways to share student projects.

Connect with people or organizations in the community that will be open to speaking with students about their project. This gives students the opportunity to show what they learned. For example, if a group’s driving question is “How can we welcome new immigrants to our country?” contact an organization that helps new immigrants settle in to the community.

9. Consider students’ access to technology.

Last, but not least, this point is something to consider at the beginning and throughout PBL. Some remote learners will not have easy access to computers, laptops, and high-speed Internet. It’s important to provide no-tech options so students can participate. You could send students articles, books, and other PBL resources or ask them to write scripts for podcasts or videos.

What are the benefits of project-based learning?

Students essentially improve their 21st-century skills using PBL. The diagram below, featured in an article on Big Deal Media, illustrates how using PBL will propel students to take ownership of their work, engage in collaboration with other students, use their creativity, and practise critical thinking skills.

Nicholas Provenzano, an award winning educator and bestselling author, states in an article on his website The Nerdy Teacher:

“Most kids are excited to do a [PBL] project because they finally see it as a chance to express themselves in a format other than a test or essay. The fun comes from the freedom students feel.Working with their friends (collaboration), taking charge of their learning (ownership), solving real problems (critical thinking),and allowing students to create (creativity) all lead to students learning in a fun environment.”

The following video by Dr. John Spencer, a current college professor and former middle school teacher, illustrates his thoughts on the benefits of PBL.

In this video, Dr. John Spencer describes what happens when students engage in project-based learning.

.     .     .     .     .

Project-based learning is a creative way to engage students in your classroom and at home. We’d love to hear how you’re approaching PBL with your students. Please share your ideas in the comments section.

Explore project-based learning for your classroom with an Edwin FREE Trial through October 1st, 2021.

REFERENCES

Hutchison, Dr. David.
“Project-Based Learning: Drawing on Best Practices in Project Management.” What Works? Research into Practice, September, 2015, http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/WW_BestPractices.pdf

Edutopia.
https://www.edutopia.org/

Trello.
https://trello.com/en

Google Meet.
https://meet.google.com/

Zoom.
https://zoom.us/

Microsoft Teams.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/microsoft-365/microsoft-teams/group-chat-software

Provenzano, Nicholas.
“Aspects of Effective Project-Based Learning.” Teaching4Tomorrow Blog, March 30, 2018, https://www.bigdealbook.com/blog/?show=aspects_of_effective_project_based_learning

“Why Project Based Learning? #EdChat.” The Nerdy Teacher, August 24, 2019, https://www.thenerdyteacher.com/search?q=fun+comes+from+the+freedom+students+feel

Dr. John Spencer.
http://www.spencerauthor.com/

September is upon us and school has begun for students and teachers everywhere. This year’s back-to-school planning has been different—and more stressful—than ever before due to the global pandemic. Governments and school boards have spent the summer considering various learning scenarios. Many schools across Canada and around the world have decided to implement hybrid learning in an attempt to address the shift away from the typical classroom environment.

What is hybrid learning?

As many schools across the nation are adopting a blended learning scenario, whereby students learn in the classroom some days of the week and learn at home other days, hybrid learning seems to be the teaching method of choice for most schools. Hybrid learning is a method whereby teachers instruct students who are in the classroom and—at the same time—instruct students who are remote learning from home via computers, tablets, and assorted Ed Tech. 

With hybrid learning, teachers instruct students who are remote learning from home, as well as those in the classroom, at the same time.

The COVID slide

As the country settles into the fall season, and schools reopen amidst the pandemic, teachers and students are grappling with more than the proverbial summer slide. Schools from coast to coast are facing a new educational obstacle in the wake of this unprecedented time. This obstacle has become known as the COVID slide. 

According to an article posted on Education Week, experts estimate that some students may have regressed by half or more of a year of learning. No matter how good of a job educators did adjusting to new ways of teaching last spring when schools were forced to close their doors due to COVID, regression and learning loss were inevitable. Will hybrid learning prove to be a successful way to address this huge learning loss?

Preparing for hybrid learning

Hybrid learning during a pandemic will no doubt pose challenges for both teachers and students alike, which is why emotional well-being is more vital than ever before. The following excerpt from the book The Third Path: A Relationship-Based Approach to Student Well-Being and Achievement effectively sums up the importance of well-being—for both teachers and students—and how the well-being of each is dependent on the other:

“Educators’ well-being must be among the top priorities of education. After all, educators cannot support students in a long-term and sustainable way if they are struggling with their own well-being. When educators are happy and positive, their students will be happy and positive as well. When educators are calm, grounded, and connected, they will be able to help their students feel the same. The single best route to supporting the well-being of students is to support the well-being of educators.”

When teachers and students are emotionally healthy, learning can occur. In The Third Path, authors Dr. David Tranter, Lori Carson, and Tom Boland describe the importance of the student-educator relationship. They set out eight conditions that support student well-being and academic achievement as follows:

1. Safety
   Students need to feel emotionally safe in order to explore and learn.

2. Regulation
   Students need regulating relationships and supportive environments.

3. Belonging
   Belonging comes from all the moments of connection with others.

4. Positivity
   Every student has unseen potential. Positive feelings lead to optimal functioning.

5. Engagement
   Engagement is about being fully open to learning, connected to others, able to take on complex challenges, and reach accurate conclusions.

6. Identity
   School is important for students’ exposure to a variety of ways of being, and for them to develop a stronger sense of who they truly are.

7. Mastery
   A feeling of accomplishment is essential to help motivate students to continue to learn.

8. Meaning
   Meaning is a powerful force for ongoing motivation and personal fulfillment.

Together, these conditions create an environment in which students can flourish. The following video describes, in more detail, the eight conditions that support student well-being and academic achievement:

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

Ideas for a hybrid learning scenario

Managing a hybrid learning scenario will be new to most teachers. For it to be successful, teachers and students (at home and in class) will need fast and reliable Internet, proper digital devices (laptop, computer, or tablet; webcam), and lessons that work both for in-class and remote learners.

Here are three ideas teachers could implement to help with the hybrid learning method:

• Have clear goals for each class. Create lessons that work for students in the classroom and at home. This will help students to understand they are part of one class.

• Use live chat rooms. In addition to using a web cam, so remote learners can hear and see in-class instruction, host live chat rooms to encourage interaction between students.

• Use Ed Tech resources like Pear Deck to create engaging, media-rich lessons. Pear Deck integrates with tools that most teachers already use, such as Google Slides and Microsoft. Users can easily insert text, images, and drawings into ready-made slide templates.

Teachers can host live chat rooms to encourage interaction between students.

How to assess student learning

Because some students are learning in class while others are learning remotely, traditional assessment methods will need adjusting. Assessment for all students can be done digitally. Try these ideas:

• Post questions, prompts, or open-ended essay topics in online discussion forums. Students can respond with their ideas, as well as their thoughts on others’ posts.

• Create online quizzes, drag and drop activities, trivia games, and flashcards for quick assessment of student understanding.

• Ask students to create digital presentations to show their knowledge. WeVideo is an online video editor that millions of students are using around the world. Its Education platform enables learners to creatively communicate their ideas using the editor’s massive library of templates, images, audio and video clips, backgrounds, and sound effects. Students can write text and captions, import files, and record voice overs for their videos.

Students can use WeVideo to create engaging online presentations.

Leaning into global competencies and what this means for assessment

Now more than ever, students are forced to take ownership of their learning. As such, it’s imperative that students develop global competency skills while they learn (which we explore more fully in an earlier article). Shining a light on global competencies will assist students in being better able to meet the rapidly shifting and changing learning scenarios brought on by the pandemic.

Global Competency Skills

• critical thinking and problem solving

• innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship

• learning to learn/self-awareness and self-direction

• collaboration

• communication

• global citizenship and sustainability

Global competencies foster learning on a deeper level by providing students with the necessary tools to adapt to diverse situations and become lifelong learners. In order to properly assess students going forward, teachers will need to know how each student learns, celebrate their potential, recognize their challenges, acknowledge inequity, and use culture as a resource.

When it comes to student assessment, author and education expert Andy Hargreaves says it best:

“On assessment: measure what you value instead of valuing only what you can measure.”

Andy Hargreaves
Author, advisor, research speaker, and professor at Boston College and the University of Ottawa

. . . . . 

It goes without saying that hybrid learning poses challenges, but there are also numerous opportunities for student engagement and success. What are your current plans for hybrid learning? How will you adapt your teaching strategies with the possibility of the next COVID wave and the onset of cooler weather? We’d love to hear how you’re approaching the shift from a traditional learning environment. Please share your ideas in the comments section.

Explore hybrid learning for your classroom with an Edwin FREE Trial through October 1st, 2021.

REFERENCES

Edwin Classroom.
“K-12 Schools This Fall: A Closer Look at Blended Learning.” Edwin Stories, August 31, 2020, https://edwin.nelson.com/edwinstories/2020/08/k12-schools-a-closer-look-at-blended-learning

Sawchuk, Stephen.
“5 Tips for Measuring and Responding to COVID-19 Learning Loss.” Education Week, June 12, 2020, https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2020/06/12/5-tips-for-measuring-and-responding-to.html

Tranter, Dr. David, Lori Carson, and Tom Boland.
The Third Path: A Relationship-Based Approach to Student Well-Being and Achievement. Toronto: Nelson Education Limited, 2018. https://school.nelson.com/the-third-path-2/

Colman, Heather.
“9 Ways to Assess Student Learning Online.” iSpring eLearning Blog, July 3, 2020, https://www.ispringsolutions.com/blog/8-ways-to-assess-online-student-learning

Teachology.
“How do I assess student learning online?” https://www.teachology.ca/knowledgebase/how-do-i-assess-student-learning-online/

Safir, Shane.
“Equity vs. Equality: 6 Steps Toward Equity.” Edutopia, January 21, 2016, https://www.edutopia.org/blog/equity-vs-equality-shane-safir

Hargreaves, Andy.
http://www.andyhargreaves.com/

When all of your educational resources are available, your classroom is wherever learning happens. Find ready-made lesson plans, create assignments & collaborative projects, and seamlessly connect with other platforms, even when education is remote.

“When I look at Edwin I realize that it's not just doing something differently, it allows students to do something different.”

Al Reyner
Graduate Cohort Coordinator
Mount Saint Vincent University

“One of the things that we can start to explore as we have tools like Edwin is that place no longer is the dependant for learning.”

Cathy Montreuil
Deputy Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development

Try Edwin for yourself. For the first time, Edwin is accessible to teachers… and it’s FREE. Enjoy everything the platform has to offer for the whole school year.

Sign up now for the Edwin FREE Trial through October 1st, 2021.

Remote learning, blended learning, hybrid learning—these are all terms that teachers, students, parents, and guardians have been hearing as schools across the country prepare to implement next steps for the return to learning this fall. The mode of learning your school will adopt in September, with the ever-evolving situation around COVID-19, depends on where you live and what your schoolboard is choosing to implement. Provinces across the country have announced their plans for elementary and high school reopening and most models follow one of these three scenarios: 

1. Full time reopening of schools with health safety measures in place

2. Blended learning (smaller class sizes with some days in school/some days at home)

3. Full time at home remote learning

Regardless of the model your school will be implementing, it’s important to note that parents and guardians have the choice to keep their children at home this fall. As such, schools will need to have a hybrid strategy in place to support and accommodate students who will be learning at home full time as schools get set to reopen.

Big changes are expected when students and teachers head back to school in September.

Let’s take a closer look at Scenario #2. We’ve brainstormed what a blended learning scenario could look like. We write brainstorm because this scenario is the most complex model of the three. There’s no guidebook on how to implement blended learning during a global pandemic. It’s safe to say that schoolboards that choose to implement this scenario will include an array of modifications.

What is blended learning?

A 2004 Educause study by Dziuban, Hartman and Moskal states that blended learning “…combines the effectiveness and socialization opportunities of the classroom with the technologically enhanced active learning possibilities of the online environment.” In simpler terms, it involves face-to-face interactions between teachers and students, as well as online educational activities.

Pre-pandemic, many teachers were already incorporating online learning into their classrooms through a variety of Ed-tech platforms. According to the article published by Wabisabi Learning, “The 5 Best Blended Learning Strategies for a Connected Classroom”:

“One misconception about blended learning is that it’s synonymous with ‘distance’ and ‘detachment.’ This can be why some teachers shy away from it initially. The fact is the blend is in harmony with both digital learning and traditional instruction. The teacher plays a modified role from the old ‘stand and deliver’ one. It’s meant to be the best of both worlds combined.”

As mentioned earlier, the blended learning scenario is the most complex model to implement. It’s no secret that teachers will experience increased workloads as they prepare for in-class and remote learning. This means juggling smaller cohorts of students every other day, ensuring enhanced cleaning practices are in place, and deep cleaning at the end of each day. How can teachers safely navigate this uncharted territory while striving to keep their and students’ mental health in check?

Teachers and students will face new challenges in class.

Tips to help manage a blended learning scenario

• Create an online safe space for you and your class: Your school board may have already adopted a learning management system (LMS), like Edsby, so you can post announcements, share due dates, collect digital assignments, and stay connected with students, parents, and guardians.

• Begin projects in class: Start a project with an in-class discussion, then identify ideas that can be done online from home.

• Start slow and build: Don’t get overwhelmed by trying to do it all at once. Get comfortable with one digital element, like the Edwin digital learning system, before attempting to add another digital element to the learning mix.

• Join an online community where teachers can share best practices, ask questions, find answers, and connect with like minds as you figure out what works best for you and your students’ blended learning scenario.

Strategies to help students with remote learning

• Assign students digital work to do during their at-home days: This is their time to read articles, watch videos, listen to interviews, and research independently.

• Set deadlines for all work: Let students know when they can expect feedback, how they will be graded, and what is required of them each week.

Ensure students feel connected to their peers: Students should have access to an online classroom forum, like Google Classroom, where they can communicate with you and other students in their class. Encourage students to post questions when they are unsure about something, and for others to provide online feedback. Online communication between peers will help everyone feel connected, regardless of whether it’s their in-class learning days or their remote learning days.

It’s important to note that students in their remote learning environment may feel disconnected from their teacher(s). Set up virtual office time (outside of instruction time) to field questions and interact with students.

Online communication will help teachers and students feel connected.

Global competencies and the blended learning scenario

Global competencies build on foundational numeracy and literacy skills and can be developed over time. With the rapidly changing learning environment brought on by COVID-19, there is a call to action to ensure students develop global competencies while they learn. This call to action has been set in motion to help ensure student success across provincial and territorial education systems. According to an article by the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC):

“There is growing recognition that global competencies promote deeper learning by equipping students with the necessary tools to adapt to diverse situations and become lifelong learners. These key competencies can be interdependent and leveraged in a variety of situations and across disciplines; moreover, they contribute to educational attainment, relationships, employment, health, and well-being outcomes.”

CMEC lists the following six global competencies:

• critical thinking and problem solving

• innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship

• learning to learn/self-awareness and self-direction

• collaboration

• communication

• global citizenship and sustainability

Global competencies are built on strong foundations of literacy and numeracy. Please note that this video was created pre-pandemic; teachers and students in this video are not wearing masks and are in close proximity to each other.

Leaning into global competencies will assist students in being able to meet the rapidly shifting and changing learning scenarios brought on by the pandemic. According to the CMEC, in the long run, global competencies… “will equip learners with the ability to meet the shifting and ongoing demands of life, work and learning, to be active and responsive in their communities, to understand diverse perspectives, and to act on issues of global significance.”

. . . . . 

Will you be one of Canada’s superhero teachers this fall? No matter which scenario your school board is choosing to implement, we are here to cheer you on! As the weeks and months go by, classroom and at-home learning scenarios will need to be adapted as the pandemic situation morphs. Patience is a virtue… and patience is what all educators, students, parents, and guardians need to keep top of mind as we gear up for back to school this fall. We’re all in this together.

Are you making plans to teach in a blended learning scenario? We’d love to hear your ideas about how you’ll be managing the shift to blended learning. Please share in the comments section.

Explore blended learning in your classroom with an Edwin FREE Trial through October 1st, 2021.

REFERENCES

Dziuban, Charles D., Joel L. Hartman, and Patsy D. Moskal.
“Blended Learning.” Educause Center for Applied Research: Research Bulletin 2004, no. 7 (Mar 30, 2004). https://www.educause.edu/~/media/files/library/2004/3/erb0407-pdf.pdf?la=en

Wabisabi Learning.
“The 5 Best Blended Learning Strategies for a Connected Classroom.” Wabisabi Learning. https://wabisabilearning.com/blogs/technology-integration/5-blended-learning-strategies

Council of Ministers of Education, Canada.
“Global Competencies.” Council of Ministers of Education, Canada. https://www.cmec.ca/682/Global_Competencies.html

Tarryn Hemmingway, Grade 6–7–8 teacher at Penson School.

In the past few years, many of CIS Ontario’s member schools have piloted and successfully adopted Edwin in grades 6-9 across the country and 6-10 in Ontario. Edwin, Nelson’s digital learning ecosystem, offers curriculum linked resources across all core subject areas, interactive tools, and curated collections to keep classrooms connected wherever learning happens.

Earlier this year, the Peace Wapiti Public School Division decided to pilot Edwin in their classrooms. We recently checked in with Tarryn, a grade 6–7–8 teacher at Penson School, about her experience with Edwin and how it’s working for her students, both in the classroom and as they’ve transitioned to learning at home.

Tools and resources that transform teaching

The students didn’t have a problem transitioning to Edwin. In Tarryn’s words, “the kids are pretty good with technology now”—and they enjoyed having access to Edwin’s different tools. Right away, Tarryn found that she didn’t have to talk as much when she was in the classroom. Instead, Edwin’s Collections and resources meant that students were taking more control over their learning, and after giving the students some instruction, she was facilitating discussions rather than leading them.

The impact of COVID-19

When schools closed, Edwin helped Tarryn’s students have a smooth transition to remote learning. Edwin gave them easy access to learning resources and materials, and helped students by letting them go at their own pace. The tools in Edwin have helped students collaborate with their peers, and along the way they’re learning valuable skills, such as how to communicate effectively online. Edwin has also helped make the transition to Google Classroom more straightforward. While many teachers may have struggled with the transition to remote teaching, Tarryn says that because her class “was already used to learning digitally rather than on paper, the kids picked it up easily within the first week.”

Opening new worlds and building student engagement

Beyond the excitement in trying something new, Edwin also levels the playing field for many students who have struggled with reading. Having tools such as speech to text right there for students to use is priceless. Without it, many kids are lost, unable to find the information they need in a textbook. But with Edwin, it’s easy to search for information, and it can also deliver results out loud, rather than on the screen. Tarryn says, “I’ve watched some of my kids struggle for several years, and seeing them being finally able to access the same information as their peers was really nice. Seeing them have that ‘aha’ moment—when they truly understand what they’re learning—is great.” For students who have struggled with traditional textbooks and the old-school pen and paper, Edwin has truly been a game-changer.

And because Edwin is interactive, Tarryn has spent less time standing at the front of the class presenting information, and has many more opportunities to facilitate classroom discussions. Even with distance learning, the students are more engaged, and using the tools and resources in Edwin helps Tarryn’s students access their resourcefulness and ingenuity. Edwin also helps students access their higher-level thinking skills: instead of just taking notes, if they have to describe something, draw a picture of it, and then share that with the class, they’re much more likely to understand and retain the information.

Students can use WeVideo’s huge library of templates, images, audio and video clips, backgrounds, and sound effects to make engaging online presentations.

Students as content creators

Tarryn’s class frequently uses WeVideo, and the students work together to make videos or podcasts. For some of the students who are shy about doing a presentation in front of the class, Edwin makes it easier to flex their creative muscles. They may have been a little embarrassed to watch them, but the enthusiastic response of their classmates has helped them feel proud of their accomplishments, and it’s allowed them to stay connected as a classroom even as they’re learning remotely.

More than learning facts, it’s about developing skills

Edwin is also helping students learn to advocate for themselves. And when students have problems, Edwin’s help desk is there. Tarryn says that her students “don’t realize how resourceful they can be, and they literally have the world at their fingertips. They just have to type their questions.” Even when Edwin doesn’t work as expected, it’s still a learning opportunity, helping students be resilient and cope with change.

The only downside so far to Edwin in Tarryn’s class? There’s a huge variety of material—and that can sometimes cause problems with focus. There’s a lot to navigate, and students sometimes struggle to figure out what all the features do, and how certain tools can best be used. But even that gives students an opportunity to develop their problem solving skills.

Professional Learning is encouraged by motivating community participation with tools such as open questions and polls.

Support from peers and the professional community

Tarryn has also benefitted from extensive support from the Edwin Classroom Success Teachers. There was an in-person demonstration for the whole class about how to use Edwin and some of the tools, and then Tarryn had a personal session discussing the tools she could use as a teacher, how to set up Collections, and how to give students access to the collections. Tarryn has also joined online groups both for her district and for Edwin in general, so she gets emails and notifications when another teacher has a question, and she can see different solutions for problems, and benefit from a shared online community. “It’s been really encouraging, and it’s really nice to see that we’re not the only ones using Edwin. We can help people work through similar struggles, and if somebody needs help finding a collection you can give them access, so they don’t have to reinvent the wheel.”

We can’t teach everyone the same way

In the end, Edwin has been a positive experience for Tarryn and her class. Most importantly, Tarryn feels Edwin helps all her students reach their full potential. “Edwin helps build critical thinking skills, it provides a different platform for accessing information, and it gives students options in how they’ll present the knowledge they’ve gained. Not everyone’s the same, and we can’t teach everyone the same way.”

To get FREE Full Access to Edwin until October 1st, 2021:

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Tarryn Hemmingway
Teacher, Grade 6–7–8, Penson School

@THemmingway11

Students at Canadian Martyrs School in Mississauga, ON learn about Edwin features and partner apps, like WeVideo and Pear Deck.

From day one, all Edwin users are part of a community of inspiration and support. The Edwin Classroom Success Team helps students and teachers by embedding their new enhanced learning tools into everyday practice.

We recently spoke with Kevin Salt about his experiences as a Classroom Success Teacher for Edwin. Here’s what Kevin had to say:

Why did you get involved with Edwin? What does a Classroom Success Teacher do?

I’m always looking for new things in education, so I was eager to check out Edwin. One of the first things I found was a video of a pilot program at a school [nearby], and as I was watching, I saw a student who looked familiar, and then another one. As it turned out, three of my cousins were involved in that pilot program!

Edwin really resonated with me, because I was one of those students who did things a little bit differently. Back in my day, there wasn’t an opportunity for me to show my learning through a video, or by making a podcast. Learning was all about consumption, and when I did have a chance to create, I had to produce a specific product in a specific way. That was tough for me. Now, I look at my cousins, and they’ve got a chance to steer their own learning and engage with content in ways that work for them and their individual learning styles. And that was when I knew that I needed to be a part of this.

As a Classroom Success Teacher, I go into classrooms and support educators as they’re embedding these enhanced learning tools into their everyday practice. Every classroom is different, and just like teaching, what works in one might not work in the next. But—and I think this speaks to Edwin’s flexibility and effectiveness—I haven’t been in a classroom where I couldn’t make this work with what teachers are already doing. I put a lot of pressure on Edwin. I lean on it a lot. These classroom visits are where Edwin gets tested in the real world. On the training day we can talk about how great it is, but until we have it in a classroom, teachers can’t really see what it does. I’ve worked with teachers who are concerned that Edwin won’t cover the same content as their print textbooks. But when we compare the content in Edwin, it’s always there. I haven’t hit a roadblock with that yet.

How is Edwin’s professional development program developed? How does Edwin help educators?

When we show Edwin to teachers, a lot of them are amazed at how much it offers. What we emphasize is finding the tools that work for them, that make their lives easier, and that help them take their students’ learning to the next level. Because at the end of the day, it’s teachers who are tasked with implementing Edwin in their classrooms. Talking about Edwin isn’t like some PD sessions where teachers are shown a perfect student scenario with a perfect classroom scenario. PD sessions for Edwin are given by experienced teachers who know how diverse classrooms can be. We check out every question, even the ones that might seem hard to answer. And that lets teachers see how Edwin will work in their classroom, with their kids.

Trevor Lewis, Principal at Miniota School in Miniota, MB, receiving personalized training with Kevin Salt.

How does Edwin support both in-class and online learning?

Edwin offers a vast range of content-specific resources that have been curated and assessed by education experts. It’s easy to find things—just enter a keyword. What I’m seeing is that teachers are taking what they like from it, finding what works for their students, and then running with that.

Of course, things are interesting right now, but it’s great that Edwin helps teachers and students continue and thrive, even when everything is online. The switch to online-only happened suddenly, which isn’t ideal, but we’re still doing the same consultations. If teachers want to book online appointments with us, that support is still there, just like it would be in a physical classroom.

How does the role of the teacher change with Edwin, and what impact has it had on students?

I think the shift towards different ways of learning was already coming. There’s been some reluctance to embrace this, but Edwin is doing it. The role of the teacher is changing. We’re moving away from students as content consumers and giving them the tools to be content creators, letting them show their learning in ways that work with their learning styles. There’s more guiding of students, getting them going in the right direction. But teachers don’t have to worry that self-directed learning gives students too much freedom, because everything in Edwin is curriculum-aligned and vetted, so it’s all relevant. And because students can make choices about the sources they’re using, this is the first step into wider explorations of discriminating between good and bad information.

There’s also the potential to personalize learning, and the flexibility that comes with going digital is a game changer. For English language learning students, we can change the language of their home page to help them feel more comfortable. We worked with one student who had a visual impairment and who struggled to read print texts because there wasn’t enough contrast on the page. For this student Edwin was quite literally the difference between being able to read content comfortably and having an ineffective, uncomfortable experience trying to decipher a page. Students who are unable to type can use dictation. Pretty much every problem has a workaround to the dismay of some of my students!

A lot of learning now is focused on building skills, not just knowledge retention. Edwin helps students get comfortable with these skills. It bridges the gap between learning and entertainment. Maybe a student makes an awesome YouTube video? Let’s run with that. Edwin always works because it’s so flexible. All teachers need to do is put the pieces together in a way that they like.

Edwin is available to school boards for open access.

Contact us to learn more.

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Kevin Salt
Edwin Classroom Success Facilitator

@KevinESalt

As the federal government continues to recommend that Canadians stay at home during the COVID-19 crisis, students across the country are trying to adjust to their new distance learning situation. For many teens, the past few weeks have been overwhelming. How can teachers and parents/caregivers help them navigate this stressful time? To start, we can be supportive and positive. We can show empathy and perspective. To help teens stay engaged and motivated to learn at home, we can use the educational technology available to us in a thoughtful and innovative manner.

Most teens are experiencing high levels of stress trying to manage distance learning during the COVID-19 crisis.

How Much Online Learning Is Required?

It depends on each province’s mandate. Ontario’s Ministry of Education, for example, has set guidelines for the number of hours students should spend learning at home:

• Kindergarten–Grade 6 → 5 hours per week, or 1 hour each day

• Grades 7 and 8 → 10 hours per week

• Grades 9–12 → 3 hours per week for each semestered course and 1 hour per week for each year-long course

These hours may not seem like a lot compared to regular in-school hours. However, teens may get easily overwhelmed as they’re trying to learn new technology during self-isolation and keep their anxiety in check. They aren’t able to ask teachers or classmates a quick question in real-time. Their parents may be busy trying to meet their own deadlines while working from home. Teens may be dealing with non-school issues, too, such as having a part-time, public-facing job or worrying about a parent who’s a healthcare worker. A teen’s mental health is vulnerable right now. As Erica Potter, a drama teacher at Longfields-Davidson Heights Secondary School, says in an Ottawa Citizen online article:

“ …we know that our students are probably having a real tough time as well, and we don’t want to create any additional stress that they might be feeling. Hopefully, having school, and teachers, it will bring back a bit of a sense of routine, but we’ll tread very lightly because everybody is in a different situation.”

Erica Potter
Drama Teacher at Longfields-Davidson Heights Secondary School

Getting Creative with Online Learning

Since teachers aren’t in classrooms with their students, they’ll need to think outside the box when delivering lessons. Below are a few ways to get creative and innovative with online learning (and still meet curriculum expectations) while the physical distancing order is in place.

1. School Talent Shows 

In-person talent shows have been cancelled. What happens to students who would have participated and been graded on their performance? Try hosting the show online. Encourage students to post a video of their performance on Instagram. Or host a live talent show on Google Hangouts and invite students and parents/caregivers to offer support.

2. Field Trips

Along with so many other public events, school field trips have been cancelled. With Live Learning Canada, teachers and students can take fascinating virtual field trips to museums, zoos, concerts, historical sites, laboratories, and more. Subject matter experts deliver the interactive lessons that feature destinations from around the world.

With Live Learning Canada, students and teachers can take a virtual field trip to destinations around the world, such as this live concert. (Source: https://livelearningcanada.com/live_streaming.html at 15 sec mark.)

Communicating with Students and Parents/Caregivers

It’s important for teachers to keep in regular contact with students and parents/caregivers during this unprecedented time. Try to check in often—ask how they’re doing and how their online learning is going. Encourage feedback on your lessons and show you’re there to support them. These days, teachers are getting quite innovative in the ways they choose to communicate. One user-friendly option is the Edwin Ecosystem, a resource that school boards across the country have free access to until June 30. It can be used to easily integrate various communication and education apps, such as Google Classroom, Google Meet, Edsby, Pear Deck, and We Video. Simon Flint, an educator and member of the Edwin Classroom Success Team, describes in the video below how he uses Edwin Collections to communicate with students and build online resources.

Sample screen of Simon Flint’s Edwin Collections. (Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=P1o3isSC6R0&feature=emb_title at 3:34 minutes.)

More Apps to Help with Remote Learning and Staying Connected

Below is a short list of other digital resources that could prove helpful as you navigate this uncharted territory of 100% learning at home—and teaching at home.

• Kahoot! is a popular platform where teachers create multiple choice quizzes that students answer on their tablets or computers.

• Knowledgehook is an interactive math platform that provides diagnostic assessments and sends feedback about a student’s progress to teachers and caregivers.

• ClassFlow enables teachers to create engaging, multimedia lessons that they can share with students via various digital devices (e.g., tablets or smartphones).

• Classcraft is a story driven role-play gaming software that teachers and students can use together.

• Canvas enables students to submit assignments, view their grades, and explore course content. Students and teachers send and receive messages and contribute to discussion boards.

Additional Help for Students

Many teens are experiencing high levels of stress and anxiety as they try to tackle online learning and deal with the COVID-19 crisis. Besides providing support and empathy, what else can teachers do? Try holding a Daily Pep Talk (live stream or recorded). You could also work with your staff to create a collective video to demonstrate that you are still a community, and that everyone is working together to help each other get through this crisis. Teachers at Stratford Elementary School in Prince Edward Island put together a video to say how much they miss their students, and also show them what life is like in their own homes:

Suggest to parents and caregivers that they watch your Daily Pep Talk with their child. It could be a good way to show their support during this difficult and stressful time.

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Managing distance learning during the COVID-19 crisis can be overwhelming for everyone at times. But if we work together to keep teens engaged and motivated—while also considering their mental health and well-being—we will get through this. Please share your experiences in the comments section. Thank you, and stay safe!

REFERENCES

Miller, Jacquie.
“Two million elementary, secondary Ontario students head back to school — online.” Ottawa Citizen, April 6, 2020. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/two-million-elementary-secondary-ontario-students-head-back-to-school-online/