They were attending the 10th annual Aug. 22 to 24. The theme this year was Connected Community Learning: The Next Decade.

For two-and-a-half days, they heard speakers and took training sessions on new technology tools and best practices in the classroom.

Right: Teachers receive training in the latest online educational tools at ABEL Summer Institute

“ABEL is at the forefront of 21st century learning and at the interface of K to 12 and postsecondary education systems,” said Robert HachĂ©, the new vice-president research & innovation at 91ŃÇÉ«, in his opening remarks. “The ABEL program is exemplary at applying the latest research and giving teachers access to pioneering tools and support for teaching and learning.”

The conference featured . In his keynote speech, Curtis Bonk, an authority on emerging technologies for learning and author of books on how web technology is revolutionizing education, identified the top 10 trends in educational technology. Dean Shareski, a digital learning consultant from Saskatchewan, talked about learning methods that should be kept and those that need to be discarded. And Norm Vaughn, an education professor at Mount Royal University in Calgary, discussed blended learning in the classroom to foster student engagement and success.

At a celebratory luncheon, the institute also recognized ABEL members’ hard work and dedication to classroom innovation over the past 10 years.

Left: ABEL project manager Janet Murphy (left) and Anita Drossis, a teacher at Vaughan Secondary School, cut the 10th-anniversary cake

Founded in 2002, the award-winning ABEL program, based in 91ŃÇɫ’s Institute for Research on Learning Technologies, is recognized as a leading international authority on new modes of teaching, training, learning and collaboration.

Sponsors of this year’s institute included Microsoft, Apple, Pearson Education, Ektron, Mindshare Learning, Mygazines, 91ŃÇÉ« and the 91ŃÇÉ« Region District School Board.

Thanks to Microsoft, five 91ŃÇÉ« students attended the institute as delegates and received a three-year membership subscription to the ABEL program through the Microsoft/ABEL Student Undergraduate Award.

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The (YRDSB) has awarded Murphy, director of 91ŃÇɫ’s (ABEL) on applied research program in the Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation, an Outstanding Service Award.

Under Murphy’s leadership, ABEL’s team has worked with teachers in more over 100 YRDSB schools to help them better understand and integrate technology’s research impacts into their curriculum. Any teacher in 91ŃÇÉ« Region’s public district can become part of ABEL; the program is also active in the Toronto, Simcoe County and Upper Grand District School Boards.

Right: Janet Murphy

“We work with teachers from kindergarten to Grade 12 across disciplines to help them  to best use technology to support their curriculum goals in the classroom,” said Murphy, who received her award on April 25 at the YRDSB’s annual Awards Evening.

This support includes extending the reach of university research and expertise into high school classrooms. For example, , an interactive learning event led by the Faculty of Science & Engineering in May, was made accessible to schools across 91ŃÇÉ« Region through the ABEL program. Through the effective use of video conferencing, collaborative technologies and streamed on-demand video, the ABEL platform distributed the event’s science content, making it available for classroom use.

ABEL also provides technical support and facilitation to support and enhance YRDSB teachers’ professional learning through a blended learning program. Leveraging interactive technologies, ABEL delivers professional learning to the classroom or school in a variety of online formats, including real-time and/or asynchronous transmission.

“The advantage to ABEL’s approach is that it allows teachers to engage in their individual learning at a time and place convenient to them, apply their learning and then re-visit the archived session as needed. This collaborative approach allows participants to gain feedback from the group about what worked and what didn’t, and continuously improve their practice,” says Murphy. “For example, 91ŃÇɫ’s Faculty of Education recently ran a session on teaching mathematics that was streamed live and archived to ensure teachers wanting the latest numeracy pedagogy had flexible ways to access the material.”

Outstanding Service Awards reflect the YRDSB’s commitment to quality, service and teamwork. The recipients – who may include individuals, teams or departments – provide extraordinary service that has had a positive impact on the school board’s efforts to achieve its mission and goals.

Typically, those recognized have introduced positive change, significant and permanent improvements to the organization, and/or positively influenced individuals or teams around them to make great contributions.

“Janet received the Outstanding Service Award for her ongoing leadership, vision and commitment to mobilizing new knowledge for 21st-century system change,” said John Steh, manager of Leadership Development, YRDSB. “Her team’s approach has led to new organizational structures and system change, and is an excellent example of social innovation initiated by the District’s participation in the ABEL program.”

”Janet’s recognition reflects her strong leadership and the success of the entire ABEL team. ABEL’s niche is staying ahead of the technology curve in making 91ŃÇɫ’s research in ICT, pedagogy and digital media accessible to the education community from kindergarten through to Grade 12,” said Stan Shapson, vice-president research & innovation. “Through the partnership with ABEL, the YRDSB has continually demonstrated their commitment to seeking out best pedagogical practices while ensuring teachers have access to the latest professional development. For 91ŃÇÉ«, ABEL provides an institutional platform to move the latest research out to schools while helping to attract the best high school students to programs.”

About the ABEL Program at 91ŃÇÉ«

Launched with funding support from , Canada’s Advanced Research and Innovation Network, to a consortium led by Shapson, ABEL has nearly 10 years of experience helping teachers to make better use of technology. Through public and private sector partnerships and networks, ABEL has gained national recognition as a research-based authority and leader on the effective use of existing and emerging information communication technologies (ICT) within new models of teaching, learning, training and collaboration.

ABEL’s combination of networks, partnerships and research focus drive institutional transformation and create new opportunities:

• Facilitates community outreach for researchers interested in working with public school boards.
• Demonstrates the value of inter-institutional and jurisdictional collaboration by providing research and outreach platforms.
• Leads the effective use of technology in teaching, training and learning environments.
• Provides a platform for applied research, along with expertise into the effective use of interactive and collaborative technologies.

ABEL’s partners include the , the Ministry of Education’s , the (including more than 10 school boards), , the , the , the , the and many others.

By Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer.

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Registration is now open for Connected Community Learning: The Next Decade taking place Aug. 22 to 24 on 91ŃÇÉ«'s Keele campus.

Over the past decade the Internet has affected society in many ways, including democratizing access to information, creating opportunities for individual voices to be heard, sharing ideas and knowledge, allowing instantaneous responses to questions, creating social networks that expand knowing and doing, developing new regulations and policies for information access, copyright and use, digital citizenship – and the list continues. ASI 2011 asks what will the next 10 years bring?

Conference delegates will investigate this question and the power of a connected community to effectively use technology for teaching and learning. This two-and-a-half-day professional learning event features speakers and information sessions.

Keynote speaker  will open ASI 2011, delivering a speech titled “The Flat World has Swung Open: How Web Technology is Revolutionizing Education”. Bonk is professor of Instructional Systems Technology at and president of .

Left: Curt Bonk

Bonk received the CyberStar Award from the Indiana Information Technology Association, the Most Outstanding Achievement Award from the US Distance Learning Association, and the Most Innovative Teaching in a Distance Education Program Award from the State of Indiana. A well-known authority on emerging technologies for learning, Bonk reflects on his speaking experiences around the world in his popular blog, . He has coauthored several technology books, including (2009), (2008), (2006) and Electronic Collaborators (1998).

On Aug. 23, Dean Shareski, a digital learning consultant for the Prairie South School Division in Saskatchewan, will be the spotlight speaker. Shareski works with teachers and students in understanding the power of "Read/Write Web" and is a strong advocate of design and storytelling and the power of sharing.

Right: Dean Shareski

Shareski has presented and led many workshops locally, nationally and internationally.  He's been modeling much of this on his own blog () for more than six years. The site is consistently ranked among the top 100 educational blogs. He also is an adjunct professor at the University of Regina, where he's developed innovative instructional practices for pre-service teachers.

To close ASI 2011 on Aug. 24, Norm Vaughan will discuss “Student Engagement and Web 2.0 in Blended Learning”. An educator and researcher with interests in blended learning, faculty development and kindergarten to Grade 12 schooling, Vaughan is an associate professor in the Department of Education, Faculty of Teaching & Learning at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta.

Left:  Norm Vaughan

Vaughan recently co-authored the book Blended Learning in Higher Education (2008) and has published a series of articles on blended learning and faculty development. Vaughn is the co-founder of the Blended Online Design Network (BOLD), a member of the Community of Inquiry Research Group, the associate dditor of the International Journal of Mobile and Blended Learning. He serves on the editorial boards of the International Journal of Excellence in e-Learning, Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology, the Journal on Centres for Teaching & Learning, the Learning Communities Journal and the Journal of Information Fluency.

The ABEL Summer Institute is intended as both a guided and self-directed exploration of technologies as educational tools with learning engagement and knowledge building potential for all.

For more information on ASI 2011, including the agenda, click . Register early to avoid disappointment. To register online, click .

ABEL is a unit within the Office of the Vice-President, Research & Innovation. For more information about its event and programming, visit the website.

Republished courtesy of YFile – 91ŃÇɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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Please note that only resumes submitted through the described process will be considered.

The posting closes May 2, 2011.

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer

The post ABEL program seeks eCourse developer for Regional Adaptation Collaboration project (closes May 2) appeared first on Research & Innovation.

Applications are due by Thursday, January 13, 2011.

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer.

The post The ABEL Project is hiring a communications and marketing administrator appeared first on Research & Innovation.

The two-and-a-half-day professional learning event included keynote and spotlight presentations, hands-on training sessions and networking opportunities, focusing on implementing new technology tools and best practices in the classroom.

Right: Anita Townsend (left), Simcoe County District School Board's principal of curriculum services, and Anita Drossis, a teacher at Vaughan Secondary School, participated in the 2010 ABEL Summer Institute

A highlight on the first day was the keynote speech by Alec Couros, a professor of educational technology & media and coordinator of information & communications technologies at the University of Regina. His talk, “How Informal Learning Networks Can Transform Education”, demonstrated how educators can embrace informal networks such as Twitter and Facebook, and looked at how our networked future is key to the reform of teaching and learning.

The conference also included talks from Garfield Gini-Newman, a lecturer at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto, and Bill Muirhead, associate provost, academic, at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. Both speakers had unique takes on how the rapidly changing technology landscape will affect the future of teaching and learning.

Left: ASI 2010 participants discuss the course material

The ABEL program launched its new Web site and online community at the conference, giving delegates the opportunity to continue discussions and stay connected online once professional learning and networking sessions had ended. Visit the new Web site.

Private and public sector sponsors make the ABEL Summer Institute possible. This year’s ASI sponsors included Microsoft Canada, Polycom, Apple, the Ontario Research & Innovation Optical Network, Pearson Education Canada, Duplicom Presentation Systems, Mindshare Learning, Ontario’s Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat, 91ŃÇÉ«, the 91ŃÇÉ« Region District School Board, Turning Technologies Canada and Sobeys.

For more information and to view the event agenda, visit the  Web site.

Founded in 2002, ABEL is led and funded by the Office of the Vice-President, Research & Innovation at 91ŃÇÉ« and the 91ŃÇÉ« Region District School Board. ABEL has established national and international credibility as a leading authority on new modes of teaching, training, learning and collaboration.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91ŃÇɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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These questions and more will be explored in the ninth annual 2010 Summer Institute (ASI 2010) Aug. 23 to 25 at 91ŃÇÉ«'s Keele campus.

This two-and-a-half-day professional learning event, with a theme of Creating the Future Now, will feature keynote speaker Alec Couros, professor of educational technology & media and coordinator of information & communications technologies at the University of Regina, as well as spotlight speakers Garfield Gini-Newman, a lecturer at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto, and Bill Muirhead, associate provost, academic, at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT).

Right: Alec Couros

Couros has given many workshops and presentations, nationally and internationally, on topics such as openness in education, social/networked learning, instructional design, digital citizenship and critical media literacy.

Gini-Newman is working with schools and school districts across Canada, and in the United States and Caribbean, to embed critical thinking in teaching from kindergarten to graduation. He was a finalist for the Governor General's Award for Excellence in Teaching Canadian History and has been nominated for his work in the pre-service program at OISE.

Left: Garfield Gini-Newman

Muirhead is responsible for the design of UOIT's technology-enhanced learning and mobile learning programs, which provide laptop computers and academic software to all students and faculty at UOIT. With extensive experience in international research into online learning, as well as the application of information and communication technology in higher education, he has received many awards.

At this year’s ASI, delegates will investigate the role of the Internet and other interactive technologies for teaching and learning and for building and sustaining professional learning communities. In addition, the ASI will heighten awareness of how technological tools and resources enrich learning and increase overall engagement in both teaching and learning. One of the goals of the ASI is to expand opportunities for delegates to reflect as individuals, share as teams, shape new learning experiences and to benefit from ongoing professional learning.

Right: Bill Muirhead

ASI 2010 is intended as both a guided and self-directed exploration of 21st-century educational tools and knowledge-building approaches that will create the future for teaching and learning now, and prepare all learners for success. It provides an opportunity to meet face-to-face, exchange ideas and become inspired about experiences with, and the possibilities of, learning with technology.

The annual event also features presentations, group discussions and hands-on workshops to develop knowledge and ideas for the effective use of technology for teaching and learning.

Sponsors for ASI 2010 are , , , the , , , , and .

For registration information and to view the event agenda, visit the Web site.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91ŃÇɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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Professor Susan Henders, director of the 91ŃÇÉ« Centre for Asian Research, spoke about the new facilities during a recent research celebration. Her remarks are available on the Research Web site's multimedia centre.

The building, which recently received Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED),  opened in September 2009 and features approximately 84,000 square feet (net) with wireless Internet access. It currently houses 12 research centres and two research project teams, and also provides office space for the and (ABEL) group, which provide support services for researchers. The Office of the Vice-President, Research & Innovation, Office of Research Ethics and Office of Research Services occupy the fifth floor, along with extensive conference and meeting facilities (full occupant list).

Published by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer.

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Above: The 91ŃÇÉ« Research Tower, which opened in September 2009, features some 84,000 square feet of space and houses 12 research centres and two research project teams

“91ŃÇÉ« is a leading university in social sciences and humanities research, and nothing proves that more than a peer-review process,” said Mamdouh Shoukri, 91ŃÇÉ«'s president & vice-chancellor, referencing the recent successes of 91ŃÇÉ« researchers in securing a Killam Prize, two out of four of the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada’s (SSHRC) Major Collaborative Research Initiative awards, and a SSHRC Community-University Research Award.

“But having excellent researchers puts another level of responsibility on the University, which is to make absolutely sure that we have the environment and the support they need to reach their potential,” he said. “This building represents 91ŃÇɫ’s commitment to building a research culture for success.”

The 10-storey building, which recently received , opened in September 2009 and features approximately 84,000 square feet (net) with wireless Internet access. It currently houses 12 research centres and two research project teams, and also provides office space for the and (ABEL) group, which provide support services for researchers. The Office of the Vice-President, Research & Innovation, Office of Research Ethics and Office of Research Services occupy the fifth floor, along with extensive conference and meeting facilities (full occupant list).

“I think this is the best facility for social science and humanities research in the country, and our researchers deserve it,” said Stan Shapson (left), vice-president research & innovation. “In addition to many new technologies, it’s built on the Greek agora model of community that allows researchers to come together and collaborate, both with researchers across the University and with external groups. Some of the issues they’re studying can’t be solved in isolation. No one has all the knowledge or the strategy to do it all – we have to collaborate, which is also why we want the YRT to be a meeting place for the community to work with us.”

Chad Gaffield (left), , was also present for the event as part of a daylong visit to 91ŃÇɫ’s Keele campus. “We use e-communications to deepen and enrich relationships that are, at least periodically, complemented by physical contact,” he said. “The genius of the YRT is its confirmation of the importance of creating face-to-face contact and then complementing those interactions through information communications technology. It’s a new model of engaged scholarship and research.”

Professor (below, right), director of the Centre for Refugee Studies on the research tower’s eighth floor, spoke about the importance of creating neighbourhoods for researchers. Since moving into the building, McGrath has formed new research connections with peers in the 91ŃÇÉ« Centre for Asian Research, the Centre for Research on Latin America & the Caribbean, and , all of which are her neighbours on the eighth floor.

“Having neighbourliness, good meeting space and research resources under one roof is great,” said McGrath. “I hosted colleagues from all around the world here for a three-day session in the bright and spacious Conference Centre. With help from ABEL, we streamed parts of our meeting online, allowing those who weren’t able to travel here opportunities to participate. The facilities are fostering our sense of research culture and allowing us to work more collaboratively than I think we would have without it.”

Graduate students have also benefited from new space on floors six, seven and eight that was designed for them as researchers. “When you walk around the building, you see graduate students everywhere,” said Susan Henders, director of the 91ŃÇɫ Centre for Asian Research. “They’re working on projects, relaxing in the lounges and interacting with their peers. It’s quality space that brings them into the centres and fosters their work and professional development, complementing their graduate program training.”

Watch videos from the Research Tower opening, with remarks from President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri, Vice-President Research & Innovation Stan Shapson, SSHRC President Chad Gaffield, Professor Susan Henders and Professor Susan McGrath.

“One student told me that having study space made him feel valued as a researcher and professional in the making,” Henders continued. “I want to commend the University for its foresight in recognizing the critical role graduate students play in organized research units and research on the campus.”

By Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer. Photos courtesy of YFile– 91ŃÇɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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The covered Murphy's remarks at the event in an article published May 12:

The younger generations are living their lives with iPods blaring in their ears and a cellphone glued to their hand. So when they head into the classroom, it's no wonder their minds begin to wander when their teacher starts writing on the blackboard.

Learning in today's digital society was just one of the issues tackled during this week's Canada 3.0 forum, held at the Stratford Rotary Complex Monday and Tuesday.

“We’re in an old-school way of thinking and we have some work to do around that teaching culture,” said Janet Murphy, project manager for the program at 91ŃÇÉ« and the 91ŃÇÉ« Region District School Board.

She noted most schools ban cellphones, which are the “most powerful computing devices” we possess. She was quick to point out teachers and faculty are prepared to shift, but face a number of impediments along the way.

The ABEL program works with both public and private sectors to help transform learning and connect people together. She noted that young people don’t view technology as technology – it is only the older generations who see it that way. “This really is an opportunity like no other,” she said, of digital learning, calling every day a “learning day”.

The complete article is available on the .

ABEL supports the effective use of new and existing information communications technologies to encourage innovation, and provides educators and researchers with pedagogical support, technological assistance, the use of collaborative and innovative applications and tools.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91ŃÇɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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