Canadian Government Executive - Volume 23 - Issue 1

January 2017 // Canadian Government Executive / 27 Design vital for the successful operation of the network: Explore, Share and Create. Explore is a generally accessible on- line space that works as a hub for blogs, eBooks, webinars, courses, self-directed learning modules and online book clubs as part of its Professional Learning Op- portunities subsection. Explore also houses curated resources from the Min- istry of Education, blogs from teachers, research and digital resources to support parents as partners in learning. Share and Create are spaces that are only available to educators in Ontario. As part of the Share platform, there are over 200 educator-initiated groups like Full- Day Kindergarten (FDK), 21st Century Learning and Teaching, Inquiry-Based Learning, Digital Literacy in the Class- room, Blogging, Mathematics Instruc- tional Strategies for Student Success that are sharing knowledge and resources to enhance teaching and learning. While Create, on the other hand, is a space dedi- cated to collaborative and participatory online project development in both for- mal and informal settings. It took two years of discussions consist- ing of conceptual design, prototypes, nu- merous face-to-face and online teacher focus groups meetings to shape TeachOn- tario. Since its launch in March 2016, the community has grown to over 7,500 reg- istered user-educators from across the province from all 72 districts including the English Public, English Catholic and French Language sectors. Teachers are thus shaping TeachOntario, says Grose, to “serve educators with dynamic content and professional learning opportunities.” The intensity of use is a good measure of the program’s success. An example of this comes from Vicky Walker, a teacher at Superior Collegiate High School in Thunder Bay. This educator, according to Grose, is a long-time fan of the Kingston (Ontario) rock band The Tragically Hip. Walker “decided to use the band’s lyr- ics to teach Canadian history.” Walker worked with her students to create paintings, rap music, a website and anal- ogies to showcase what the Tragically Hip means to the Canadian identity. Her story was shared on the TeachOntario platform to serve as a motivation to oth- er teachers to collaborate with their stu- dents in fresh ways to bring technology into the education mix. As with any new program though, TeachOntario had its share of challeng- es. “We knew that to build the platform it would take an intentional balance of research regarding effective constructiv- ist online design, and the requirements teachers identified as most conducive to an online environment where they could authentically ‘learn out loud’ together. This required an intentional strategic approach that included collaboration, thought and time,” Grose added. Dur- ing the early stages, it became apparent that someone needs to act as the central point to connect everyone together and be proactive in building the culture and technical aspects of the program. A com- munity manager was identified for such a role and was provided by TVO. Through the hard work of key stake- holders in the Ontario’s educational community, principal partnerships and educators, TeachOntario has become a centre for teachers to collaborate with colleagues and build a mentorship across Ontario. This program has provided the means for educators to be challenged, ac- cording to Grose, “to stretch their think- ing, access new ideas and perspectives, and co-develop richer, more collaborative approaches to foster the well-being and growth of our students.” The leadership role of this new social network where Ontario educators have a “one-stop shop for 21st-century knowl- edge exchange and professional develop- ment” didn’t go unnoticed. TeachOntario was awarded the Platinum 2015 Deloitte IPAC Public Sector Leadership Award for demonstrating “outstanding leadership by taking bold steps to improve Canada through advancements in public admin- istration and management” in 2016. “This win is no small feat,” Lisa de Wilde, CEO of TVOntario wrote in a blog post the day after the award ceremony. “TeachOntario rose to the top from 100 nominations submitted by a variety of other public organizations across Cana- da. Most importantly, the award is a testa- ment to the dedication of Ontario’s teach- ers who are working together to make classroom learning even better. This is a win for Ontario’s teachers.” But this is not the end, according to Grose. Instead, it is a really exciting time for the organization as it is in the process of creating mPower, a fun and innovative online game-based resource that builds problem-solving, critical thinking and math skills for learners in Kindergarten to Grade 6. “As the popularity of online gam- ing among young Canadians continues to grow, it is a natural fit to leverage digital game-based learning to tap into kids’ in- nate love of games so that learning math is fun,” says Grose. On the professional learn- ing series side, TeachOntario is working to broaden that knowledge centre and fea- ture exemplary and innovative teaching and learning practices. TeachOntario has become a centre for teachers to collaborate with colleagues and build a mentorship across Ontario. — Karen Grose, Vice President of Digital Learning at TVO