Galileo Educational Network – Inspiring a Passionate Commitment to Learning
Author(s): Sharon Friesen, Michele Jacobsen, Barb Brown
Published in: Galileo Educational Network, Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary
Young children are growing up in a digital age and are entering school with various technological experiences. This initiative and research project was designed to explore effective uses of technology to support learning in kindergarten to grade four between 2012-‐2014 in four school jurisdictions in Alberta. Early learning and technology research is part of the Government of Alberta’s ongoing classroom research into best practices in classroom technology integration. This research also supports Alberta’s Inspiring Education vision (Alberta Education, 2010), the Learning and Technology Policy Framework (Alberta Education, 2013b), the Government of Alberta’s Ministerial Order on Student Learning (Alberta Education, 2013a) and the expectation for all learners as engaged thinkers to develop competencies in using “technology to learn, innovate, collaborate, communicate and discover” (Alberta Education, 2010, p. 1).
Purpose of the research:
- Ongoing, continuous improvement
- Identify and share promising practices
- Capture student learning and engagement
- Capture teacher learning and engagement
- Document appropriate use of technology for learning
- Identify and address system affordances and constraints for using technology with young learners