I received my BEd in 2006 and have spent much of my career in small, primarily First Nations schools all over BC. I have been in Fort St James as a classroom teacher and District Teacher on Call since 2015.   This has provided me with the opportunities to teach at all levels in a wide variety of subjects. I am an active part of the Humanities and Inclusive Education (formerly Special Education), assisting with curriculum development and implementation, support, and IEP creation. I have found a niche in the development and maintenance of Grade 11 and 12 Social Studies courses (Genocide Studies, Comparative Cultures, Comparative Religions, Philosophy and Social Justice). I have discovered a passion for authentic and active learning in English and Social Studies. This was nurtured and expanded with my 6-month assignment last year in a Kindergarten classroom that focused on place-based learning. Incorporating local Indigenous knowledge is a key component of the district’s work towards reconciliation and a specific focus of mine.  Inclusion of the four domain learning framework (social, emotional, physical, spiritual) has become the foundation of my planning and implementation.  

Currently, the aforementioned Social Studies courses are on a WordPress site and TEAMS, with WordPress being used primarily to share the courses with other districts. These platforms have aided in the asynchronous delivery of the courses, even prior to the pandemic. This approach has enabled the courses to change and grow each year and become better. The courses are primarily learner-driven following the constructivist/connectivist theory of teaching.  Unlike some other ‘online’ courses, I and the other facilitators are able to edit the content on the fly. Students are able to submit work and communicate synchronously or asynchronously, whichever suits their needs best.   

Research question draft: How has the digital divide affected student success in rural communities? 

The pandemic brought to light the digital divide that exists in Fort St James and the communities that it supports. I would like to investigate how this divide has affected student success in small/Northern communities. If possible, I want to look at access specifically to word processing devices (such as laptops), not limiting it to cell phones and reliable internet. 

 

Edit:  I would like to see if there has been research done on student success in ‘wired’ schools or connected classrooms.

 

References 

Bates, A.W. (2015). Teaching in a digital age: Guidelines for designing teaching and learning. Vancouver BC: Tony Bates Associates Ltd. 

Carleton University. (2017). Theories of learning [Video file]. 

LaFever, M. (2016). Using the medicine wheel for curriculum design in intercultural communication: Rethinking learning outcomes. Promoting Intercultural Communication Competencies in Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-1732-0.ch007 [link to https://www.lincdireproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Using-the-Medicine-Wheel-for-Curriculum-Design-in-Intercultural-Communication.pdf]   

Siemens, G. (2002). Instructional design in elearning. Retrieved from http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/InstructionalDesign.htm