Halifax’s Chronicle Herald reports on Paul Bennett’s policy paper, entitled “E-Learning in K-12 Schools: The Prospects for Disruptive Innovation,” which contends that the Atlantic provinces have lost the e-learning initiative. Read the full article on the Chronicle Herald website.
A new report from a Maritime think tank says schools in Atlantic Canada have fallen way behind some other provinces in the use of online learning.
The Atlantic Institute for Market Studies (AIMS) released a report Thursday authored by Paul W. Bennett.
Subtitled E-Learning in K-12 Schools: The Prospects for Disruptive Innovation, the report contends Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador lost “the e-learning initiative.”
Bennett maintains the Atlantic provinces cling to bricks-and-mortar schooling, keeping students out of 21st century learning.
There’s lip service to be found in the region’s school boards from the top down, he says – “Fancy sounding and lots of discussion and froth about the potential of 21st century learning for kids,” Bennett said. “We’re not looking for whiz-bang power points and jazzy YouTube presentations.”
The co-founder of of Schoolhouse Consulting maintains real innovation from online and “blended” learning took a wrong turn around 2009, while other provinces (namely British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario) forged ahead and out of the bricks-and-mortar box.
“We need skillful teachers … equipped with the latest technology, capable of inspiring deeper education … confident to use technology to open doors – gone are the days you could babble on in brick and mortar classrooms,” he said.