News and Information for LearnIT2teach participants

April 29, 2021 - Issue #108

Project News

Are You Using Avenue? Instructional Design in Avenue Webinar
Avenue teachers looking to streamline their course page should check out this webinar by project mentor Bonnie Nicholas and Edmonton teacher Anne Chandler using the Book module, auto filtering and linking to hidden activities. New support materials explaining these functions are now available in the Blending Learning by Adding Resources section of the Stage 3 course and on this portal page.

Teaching in Covid-19 Times: Challenges, innovations, solutions, and opportunities
This article from the project evaluation team discusses the issues language teachers have faced globally and in Canada because of school closures and lock downs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Rather than presenting only challenges, the authors report on innovations, solutions and opportunities that have arisen during this time. A case study of a LINC (Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada) educator showcases their principled approach to enhance student engagement in an online environment. The article ends with recommendations to leverage the benefits of teaching and learning online, including effective technology-mediated teacher education.
http://bib.learnit2teach.ca/blog/teaching-in-covid-19-times-challenges-innovations-solutions-and-opportunities/

Web News

Digital learning to assume new importance, says OUP report
The vast majority of global education experts think that digital learning will be central to teaching in the coming years, according to a report published today (8 April). Ninety-eight percent of those responding to a global poll by Oxford University Press (OUP) expected a hybrid model in education – combining digital and traditional methods of teaching and learning – to become predominant. ....
https://edtechnology.co.uk/teaching-and-learning/blended-learning/digital-learning-to-assume-new-importance-says-oup-report/

On call 24/7: Your new English language teacher is powered by AI
Against the backdrop of the global pandemic where countries around the world have closed their borders to international visitors, researchers from Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University have developed an innovative way to practice speaking English with no human contact required. ...
https://www.xjtlu.edu.cn/en/news/2021/04/on-call-24/7-your-new-english-language-teacher-is-powered-by-ai

One year in, Adult Language and Learning still helping newcomers virtually
A local organization that helps newcomers adapt to their communities says it has faced a number of hurdles over the past year but continues to provide service. Adult Language and Learning, located on King Street West in downtown Chatham, was previously a hub of activity pre-pandemic, with classes, one-on-one meetings and celebratory gatherings. ...
https://www.chathamdailynews.ca/news/one-year-in-adult-language-and-learning-still-helping-newcomers-virtually

New pathway to permanent residency for over 90,000 essential temporary workers and international graduates
Today, the Honourable Marco E. L. Mendicino, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced an innovative pathway to permanent residence for over 90,000 essential workers and international graduates who are actively contributing to Canada’s economy.. ...
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/2021/04/new-pathway-to-permanent-residency-for-over-90000-essential-temporary-workers-and-international-graduates.html

Ottawa offers migrant workers new path to permanent residency
A new federal program could give thousands of temporary migrant workers ... a path to permanent residency in Canada. But some eligibility requirements, including a high level of English at the time of applying, could limit how many workers might benefit from the program, migrant worker advocates say. ...
https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/ottawa-offers-migrant-workers-new-path-to-permanent-residency

Online Learning Boom Opens New Avenues To Spread Indigenous Languages
As with almost all kinds of other schooling, the pandemic forced some classes in Indigenous languages to shut down. But it's also spurred development of virtual options to reach and recruit students. ...
https://www.npr.org/2021/02/13/967600325/online-learning-boom-opens-new-avenues-to-spread-indigenous-languages

Online Schools Are Here to Stay, Even After the Pandemic
Some families have come to prefer stand-alone virtual schools and districts are rushing to accommodate them — though questions about remote learning persist. ...
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/11/technology/remote-learning-online-school.html

Blogs

Here’s a Quick Way to Instantly Have Closed Captions
f you’re a Google Chrome 89+ user you now have access to Live Caption which is an accessibility feature that provides real-time captions for audio that plays through the browser. This is a really excellent feature for audio that runs through your browser when viewing courses that have videos or narration, especially if the audio doesn’t have captions. Check it out below. ...
https://blogs.articulate.com/rapid-elearning/heres-a-quick-way-to-instantly-have-closed-captions/

Seven Ways to Use Technology to Learn a New Language
There are a lot of great ways to learn a new language. Attending a class is a popular method. But mobile devices, the internet, and digital technology in general have thrown the doors wide open on language learning. Even without a device or an internet connection, there are also a lot of simple exercises you can practice at home ...
https://news.elearninginside.com/seven-ways-to-use-technology-to-learn-a-new-language/

Virtual Teaching Burnout - Strategies for Better Mental and Professional Health
The pandemic has brought on a new, online form to teaching as well as to learning. Students and teachers are using the virtual classroom with varying degrees of readiness. The mix of positive and negative effects of the “new normal” that is online learning creates a challenging environment that can set the stage for a major issue for teachers that must be dealt with in a timely manner – virtual teaching burnout. ...
https://www.vedamo.com/knowledge/strategies-to-prevent/

Andragogical Considerations: How eLearning Helps
The way kids learn differs significantly from the way adults learn. Likewise, there are two fields of study about how humans learn: pedagogy and andragogy. Pedagogy deals with children and their learning process while andragogy deals with adults and how they learn. Thus, to design effective learning material for adults, we need to consider andragogical factors. ... Here we will examine the 6 key aspects of adult learning and how eLearning addresses them. ...
https://elearningindustry.com/andragogical-considerations-advantages-elearning

The Power of Asynchronous Video
A set of seven articles discusses the benefits of asynchronous video and provides specific guidance about how to effectively incorporate these tools to improve learning. ...
https://er.educause.edu/blogs/2021/2/the-power-of-asynchronous-video

12 of the Best Link Shorteners That Aren’t the Google URL Shortener
A good URL shortener (aka link shortener) lets you do two things: 1. Share links that don’t use too many characters. 2. Measure performance. With URL shorteners, any long and unwieldy website address can be reduced to just a few characters in the click of a button. ...

https://blog.hootsuite.com/what-are-url-shorteners/

Professional Development

LearnIT2teach Annotated Bibliography New Resource: Countering Digital Disinformation
The March 2021 issue of TESL Ontario Contact Magazine reports on a number of topics of interest to the bibliography. One of them, WebSafe: Tools for Newcomers to Counter Digital Disinformation, describes a set of practical learning resources, one of 50 projects funded to counter online disinformation by the Government of Canada since January 2020. The other projects are listed here ...
http://bib.learnit2teach.ca/blog/countering-digital-disinformation/

The 9 Best Online Tools For Student Collaboration
From group projects to collective brainstorming and peer review, we love to get our students collaborating. Whether we are teaching in person or online, there are a ton of tools for getting our students to work together both during and after school. Here are the 9 best tech tools for student collaboration. ...
https://www.weareteachers.com/student-collaboration-tech-tools/

21 Ways to Structure an Online Discussion (Part 1 of 5)
Discussion forums. Love them or hate them, they are an essential component of online learning. They give introverted learners a chance to articulate their thoughts. They enrich the learning environment by giving everyone an opportunity to share their experiences. And they are a space for the co-creation of knowledge and meaning. ...
https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/online-education/online-student-engagement/21-ways-to-structure-an-online-discussion-part-1/

Jobs

Online English Teacher
An exciting new opportunity with Bedakid has opened! We are hiring new, enthusiastic, unique English teachers!
https://careers.tesol.org/job/42152/online-english-teacher/

Writing Content Reviewer
Achēv is developing online LINC courseware for CLB 3-5. We’re seeking one (1) experienced Writing Content Reviewer who will join a dispersed writing team from across Canada in August 2021. Check out the application process at https://bit.ly/333tQKM.

e-Resource Corner

Stories from Newcomers to Canada: A Life-Writing Project Started by EAL and Adult Educators in BC!
... Stories from Newcomers to Canada is one such BC-based creative non-fiction initiative. Started by Adult Educators and EAL instructors, the program helps newcomers author their own stories of migration in a forthcoming book, Geographies of the Heart: Life writing from Newcomers to Canada. ...
https://bcteal.wordpress.com/2021/04/27/stories-from-newcomers-to-canada-a-life-writing-project-started-by-eal-and-adult-educators-in-bc/

Baamboozle
This site created by the American Association of School Librarian has over 450,000 games across different subject areas. Users can search and access the games without setting up a premium account.
https://www.baamboozle.com/games/

New Language Solutions Inc.

 

Send an email to admin@learnIT2teach.ca or call 1-855-522-2221 to inquire about the training.

Disclaimer
The links to external web pages and job postings are for information purposes only. Neither LearnIT2teach nor its funder endorses or is responsible for their content.

About LearnIT2teach
Through funding from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, the Avenue - LearnIT2teach Project provides LINC teachers with online tools and resources and extensive training to help them implement blended learning in their programs. Visit http://learnIT2teach.ca for more information.

LearnIT2teach News is researched and compiled by Jim Edgar