ciselc...for 21st century elearning!

How ELC Courses Support CIS Students and Schools:

Benefits to students:

1. Students benefit from interacting with students from other schools to develop critical thinking and collaborative learning skills.
2. Online learning supports a variety of learning styles, i.e., students who are intimidated or shy in a face-to-face situation, students who require additional time to reflect and respond to discussion and work, students who work better at various times of the day, i.e., late evening.
3. Students have an opportunity to take a class from a teacher other than in their school, who may have instructional strategies that provide a different approach or set of skills.
4. Students may find that learning using technology suits their learning style better and is more motivating, i.e., they like more interactive, visually appealing, more cooperative team-based online assignments.
5. Students develop appropriate online learning skills to prepare them for university and the workforce.
6. Students learn to deal with issues of interacting with other genders or cultures.
7. The courses develop 21st Century learning strategies that meet their needs and prepare them for University and the work force.
8. Courses develop student-to-student interaction rather than just teacher-to-student interaction.
9. Courses integrate best instructional practices into the curriculum, with constant review and revision for quality control.
10. Students are able to see their marks online.

Benefits to the school:

1. The school may be able to offer classes that are not available in their home school.
2. The school can offer online courses that support a variety of different learning styles to enhance their status to parents.
3. Schools can offer classes to students where the numbers do not merit running a full class, i.e., low enrolment classes. This can save on teacher costs.
4. Schools can reduce the size of large sections by having identified students take online courses to meet class size expectations.
5. Timetable conflicts for students can be resolved.
6. Students who are elite athletes or performers can take an online credit while they are in another province or country or at times that suit their special schedule.
7. Credit Recovery - students who are missing a credit (new entry) or who have not completed a required OSSD credit can pick up it using the online courses.
8. Students who wish to add variety to their school program and have the ability can take an additional credit on their own time can take an additional online course (with approval).
9. Schools are seen by parents and the community as proactive and timely in supporting and teaching 21st Century skills and Web 2.0 technology.
10. The school is providing Professional Development to their teachers in the integration of technology into the curriculum, and to their Site Administrators in understanding online learning, registration and crediting.

Benefits to Teachers:

1. Collaboration and sharing between teachers from CIS schools encourages professional growth and supports collegiality.
2. Teachers are trained to use technology effectively and appropriately in an authentic situation.
3. Teachers receive a Continuing Education Diploma from UOIT that supports their professional growth.
4. Teachers have opportunities to develop online courses using best practices and leading edge instructional approaches.
5. Teachers have opportunities to teach students from other schools and various genders.
6. Teachers have an opportunity to expand their teaching repertoire and enhance their career path.
7. Recent research by Liz Pape (Virtual High School) and Susan Lowes (Nova South Eastern University) is showing that online instructional strategies transfer to the face to face classroom when teachers return, adding richer discussion and more use of technology.

Latest News in eLearning

Where will technology be in the next 5 years?
Read this Article:

Horizon Report: Technology in Schools in the next 5 years!

ELearning is exploding! Take a look at these two articles:

*Florida Virtual School support Online Internships for Teachers


*New Jersey High Schools Won't Required Online Course. Yet.

CIS eLearning Consortium Press Releases/Articles

October 3, 2009: Financial Post Articles on ELC

March 4, 2008: Ontario Independent Schools Launch Groundbreaking eLearning Consortium

October 2008: Ontario Independent Schools’ Selects Blackboard School Central™ as Platform for Unique eLearning Consortium (CIS ELC)