Program Page Live

The IT4K12 program and schedule can now be viewed online. Visit the IT4K12 Program Page to find details on the many presentations and workshops being offered at this year’s event. Each entry identifies whether it has an education, IT or a combined focus.

Some key sessions are being repeated to provide you more opportunities to attend a variety of presentations. Recordings will not be available following the event. Be sure to use the event app to plan your days accordingly.

Note: the program is subject to change. We recommend checking back often as new sessions continue to be added leading up to the event. Presenters are encouraged to check this page just before the event to ensure times or rooms have not changed.

Amber Mac’s natural curiosity about people led her to a degree in broadcast journalism. We asked her how that curiosity led her to a career as a technology innovation specialist and in-demand speaker and facilitator.

Amber credits her mom, a computer teacher, for sparking her early interest in technology and being the ‘tech savvy’ person in their home. After her studies in journalism Amber headed to San Francisco and Boston during the dot-com boom to work with start-up ventures. Then on to Microsoft before starting her own digital agency in 2006, along with authoring books on social media, hosting pod-casts, and being an in-demand speaker.

She is an avid reader and considers it important to have a wide range of understanding of different disciplines to support her work. And she still enjoys adding side-notes into physical copies of books.

Amber shared some of her thoughts on the future of work, the role of girls and women in technology related fields, the need for carving out time to ‘be present’ in a digital world, and how to communicate in a ‘noisy’ world. A far-reaching conversation, full of insights and humour.

We’re looking forward to welcoming Amber to IT4K12. Be prepared to be engaged!

Register Now
Registration is filling up fast. Join your colleagues and members from across BC by registering now. There are two options to choose from: full event or one day admission. Registering as a group? We have made it easy to do this, so you only have to complete the online submission form once. Simply select ‘add another person’ during the registration process.

Reserve Your Stay
The Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel is offering a special event rate for attendees who would like to reserve a guest room. This rate is only available until October 22 through the online reservation system. Space is limited and available on a first come first serve basis.

Who confirmed that your students and educators are able to access the core collection resources? From school? From home?

Recommended Process: Embed the Access Widget or add the Access page link into your district or school webpage?

• We have integrated EZproxy for an improved user experience.
• By using the Access Widget or Access page link, you will ensure continuous, uninterrupted access to digital resources.
• Ongoing district maintenance is not required.

Prefer to customize your own links and pages?

• Customization will affect external access to resources.
• Several vendors, including EBSCO and GALE, enforce specific password requirements and require frequent updates.
• To maintain a customized page, contact each product vendor directly to update passwords and resolve any access issues.
• You will need to implement an internal process and schedule to ensure your district links are operating correctly.

Other support information online: new bundle information; Educator Guide and Implementation and Support Technical Guide

Join us at the annual member conference IT4K12 November 14-15, 2019. Our keynote speaker Amber Mac, is a tech expert, blogger, and speaker who brings a wealth of experience and insight into digital innovation and disruption.  Amber co-hosts a new podcast series presented by Accenture, Marketing Disrupted, which explores the evolving demands for organizations to thrive in the age of digital disruption. With Michael B, she explores the latest trends in technology and social media on their weekly SiriusXM Radio Show The Feed and Season 2 of the podcast The AI Effect won Best Technology series in 2019.  And…she co-authored the bestselling book – Outsmarting Your Kids Online.

Register now to hear this engaging entrepreneur and speaker.

Educators and students have direct access to the BC Digital Classroom digital resources from within school sites.* New this year are curated launch pages for easier access to General Magazines, Kids Magazines and Teen Magazines

View the list of all BC Digital Classroom Core Collection resources and à la carte resources. The BC Digital Classroom Getting Started Guide provides tips for use and access.

* From home a login name and password are required. Check with your district contacts for updated login information.

Member districts and independent schools are eligible to license the BC Digital Classroom collection and/or à la carte products.

The core bundle includes the majority of current products with the addition of three new products:

• Teens 101 educational mental health videos for Grades 8-12
• Tig Tag science videos for teacher instructional use in Grades 3-6,  and
• Canoe Kids digital magazine with authentic Indigenous content, Volumes 1-3

View titles for the 2019-2022 BC Digital Classroom Core Collection and the à la carte products.

Are you developing a local specialty course or creating an academy? The Board/Authority Authorized (BAA) Course Database is available as a reference for districts who are developing or revising locally approved courses to align with the new Grade 10-12 curriculum.

Districts can enter course outlines here once they have submitted their Board approval form to the Ministry of Education. Any district accessing BAA courses on the Sharing Platform must seek local approval from their Board or Authority to deliver the course locally, as per existing policy for BAA courses.

Canoe Kids is a quality authentic Aboriginal digital and print resource. During the Webinar Series for Educators: Winter & Spring 2019 Sessions, Leona Prince and Mike Silverton of ERAC’s Professional Learning Team hosted a session describing some key benefits of these resources and how to incorporate them in the classroom.

Additional recordings from the Webinar Series for Educators are available on ERAC’s Vimeo channel. If you attended a session and wish to use it as reference material or were unable to attend and would still like to learn about the resources available in the BC Digital Classroom package, visit the webinars page.

There’s still time to register for the remaining four webinars in the Webinar Series for Educators: Winter & Spring 2019 Sessions. Hosted by ERAC’s Professional Learning Team, each session offers unique insights into different products and resources in the BC Digital Classroom. Learn tips and techniques for ways EBSCO, Science Power, and Early Learning (World Book Kids) can support teaching and learning. Also learn how to locate Authentic Aboriginal Resources within the K-12 Evaluated Resource Collection.

Registration is available to all ERAC members and is best suited for educators in districts and independent schools who subscribe to any part of the BC Digital Classroom bundle. For more information, visit the Webinars page.

The Winter & Spring 2019 Webinar Series for Educators schedule is now available on the ERAC website. This series of webinars explores resources offered in the BC Digital Classroom Collection. If you missed the previous webinars, or are interested in a deeper look, register now. Register for one, two or all of the webinars. Share this information with your colleagues.

Kids Grades 4 to 6 can learn to defend their data with a no-charge new privacy game from MediaSmarts. Data Defenders shows kids how ad brokers try to collect their personal information and offers strategies to keep that information private.

As Canadians learn more about how companies collect and use their data, from influencing voting choices to selling products, they are increasingly worried about their privacy. But it’s not just adults who are at risk – marketers also target children, who are least equipped to protect themselves. Data Defenders is a timely tool to help teach important lessons about online privacy to kids.  The online game is accompanied by parent and teacher guides and a lesson plan for grades 4 to 6 that further reinforces privacy learning. All materials, including the game, can be accessed free of charge on the MediaSmarts website.

Data Defenders was made possible by financial contributions from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

Le jeu Protecteurs de données montre aux enfants comment les courtiers en publicités tentent de recueillir leurs renseignements personnels, et leur présente des stratégies pour assurer la confidentialité de ces renseignements.

Au fur et à mesure que les Canadiens en apprennent davantage sur la façon dont les entreprises recueillent et utilisent leurs renseignements, notamment en influençant les votes et en vendant des produits, ils sont de plus en plus préoccupés par la protection de leur vie privée. Mais les adultes ne sont pas les seuls exposés à un risque : les spécialistes du marketing ciblent aussi les enfants, qui sont moins bien outillés pour se protéger. Le jeu Protecteurs de données est un outil opportun pour aider à enseigner aux enfants des leçons importantes sur la vie privée en ligne.

Le jeu en ligne comprend des guides pour les parents et les enseignants ainsi qu’un plan de leçon pour les élèves de la 4^e à la 6^e année qui renforce encore davantage l’apprentissage en matière de vie privée. Tout le matériel, y compris le jeu, peut être consulté gratuitement sur le site Web de HabiloMédias.

La création du jeu Protecteurs de données a été rendue possible grâce aux contributions financières du Commissariat à la protection de la vie privée du Canada.

“Taking Your Seat at the Fire” continues the conversation around culturally responsive resources. Leona Prince, Professional Learning Team Member, shares with us ways in which we embed Aboriginal perspectives into all parts of the curriculum in a meaningful and authentic manner. Here is a quick tour of ERAC resources that can be used to support Aboriginal perspectives.

Watch the video now.

Find some examples of integrated units by clicking here.

Cari Wilson, a member of the Professional Learning Team, provides a quick “fly by” of the resources that are available to all ERAC members including the BCDC Core Collection, “a la carte” options and curriculum support material.

Watch the video now.

To access more BC Digital Classroom online resources and support, visit the BCDC website.

The collection will include Canadian websites that add value for students and educators. Today’s learners engage with a variety of media, including games, videos, web casts and interactive online tools outside the classroom. Using similar tools in the classroom will increase student engagement with the BC Curriculum and the intended learning outcomes.

As online resources expand, teachers have the daunting job of choosing resources that fit the criteria that makes them suited for classroom use. This new collection of online resources meets a baseline set of criteria that ensures each online resource is suitable for classroom use:

• Free to access
• Free of advertising
• Accessible without authentication
• More than edu-tainment
• Curriculum support

Resources that pass the preliminary criteria then go through a deep evaluation by teams of trained evaluators who are practicing BC teachers to ensure that they are relevant to students, accurate, timely, and appropriate as well as meet core and curricular competencies based on the BC Curriculum.

Fast Track Students to Quality Content

For example, the resource A Journey into Time Immemorial is from the SFU Virtual Museum and offers “an in-depth look at the culture and customs of the Sto:lo people” according to the ERAC review. The content supports grades 4 through 12 in a variety of subject areas and “is a rich source of non-fiction texts.”

The number of websites from a Google search, many of which have commercial interests, make finding suitable and safe digital learning experiences and resources challenging for teachers. Even within one site, such as NASA, finding the materials suitable for your students can be overwhelming. Having a curated collection of pre-selected sites – with specific URLs to the exact resources you are looking for – saves time and ensures that students can access digital resources that will engage and educate them.

Many interactive sites exist in a variety of subject areas including science, coding, space and language arts. Consider Storyline Online, which has celebrated actors reading to students in an engaging manner with images and illustrations included. Many students will recognize Elijah Wood from the Lord of the Rings reading Me and My Cat by Satoshi Kitamura. Each book comes with an Activity Guide that suggests ways of working with the book in the classroom including information regarding both the author and the reader.

This collection will include virtual tours, videos, web casts, demonstrations, games and more.

How To Access the New Collection

• Go to the K12 Resource Collection website and apply the website search filter to see the collections’ newly added website titles.
  • To access the complete review, click into the resource and use your district or school email address to sign in to your ERAC account. If you do not have an account, please create one by visiting the ERAC homepage.
• Access the collection using the K12 Resource Collection App