September 2020 | PDCE Newsletter | UBC Faculty of Education

The new school year ahead

With schools set to open in BC on September 10, teachers are no doubt left with many questions about how exactly things will work for them and their students.

Teachers have done so much work to adapt to a new reality these past few months, and are doing a lot more now in preparation of the new school year and a return to in-person classes. The return-to-school plans will look different for each district, with some districts also considering larger scale changes and system transformations, and every teacher will need to be flexible as they navigate and adapt to this new school year ahead.

We know that despite the uncertainties the future may present, BC teachers will rise to the occasion and offer exceptional education and support to students during this unprecedented time.

We believe in you, and we're here for you!

The PDCE Team

FACULTY OF EDUCATION ARTICLES ON REOPENING SCHOOLS

Big pros, few cons of back-to-school plan for B.C. secondary students, says expert | News1130 | Featuring Dr. Wendy Poole, EDST

Pollio epidemic can teach us a lot about sending kids back to school | CBC Early Edition | Featuring Dr. Jason Ellis, EDST

Which province has the best back-to-school plan? Our experts hand out grades | The Star | Featuring Dr. Jason Ellis, EDST

Computational Participation

Creating Interactive Digital Stories with Twine

Dr. Jennifer Jenson, Professor of Digital Languages, Literacies & Cultures in the Department of Language & Literacy Education and Yvonne Dawydiak, Learning Design Manager, Teacher Education, presented to a group of teachers on August 28 as part of a week of learning for teachers with Science World: STEAM days 2020 (#STEAMdays20).

Their session focussed on the potential of Twine (an open-source tool for telling interactive, non-linear stories) as a way to engage students in "computational participation", and how teachers can engage their students in digital storytelling through Twine to support the development of literacies, including computational thinking skills.

Find out more about this session, including resources and examples from the session!

Master of Educational Technology

100% Online Graduate Program!

Looking to upgrade your skills in the field of educational technology?

The Master of Educational Technology program offers a comprehensive curriculum exploring pedagogical, implementation and development topics relevant to learning technologies and eLearning.

Program Start: January 2021

Application Deadline: October 15

Program Requirements: 30 credits (10 courses)

Format: 100% Online

Featured Certificates

UBC’s Faculty of Education is offering a program of courses that would lead to the BC Early Childhood Education (ECE) Assistant and Basic Certificates. These credentials are required by the Ministry of Children and Family Development to work in early childhood settings (ages birth to 5 years) in BC. 

BC ECE Assistant Certificate

• The Early Childhood Education Assistant Certificate allows students to work with young children in an early childhood setting under the supervision of a qualified Early Childhood Educator.

BC ECE Basic Certificate

• This certificate provides students with a basic foundation of the knowledge and skills needed to work with young children in a range of early childhood settings.

Format: 100% Online

Program Start: January 2021

Application Deadline: October 15

MOOCS | Massive Open Online Courses

Discover our self-guided MOOCs, and engage in meaningful, relevant, and necessary topics today – 100% online!

LEARN Mental Health Literacy

Building Your Mental Health Literacy

Course start: Ongoing

Cost: FREE

Optional Certificate: CAD $50 + GST

TEACH Mental Health Literacy

Teaching MHL (Ages 12-19)

Course start: Ongoing

Cost: FREE

Optional Certificate: CAD $50 + GST

Transformative Educational Leadership Program (TELP)

Congratulations to the TELP 2020 Grads!

This year we congratulate the graduates of the fifth annual TELP cohort! 32 professionals in the K-12 system and related sectors have successfully completed this 1-year program, co-led by Dr. Judy Halbert and Dr. Linda Kaser.

Meet the 2020 grads, and hear what they have to say about their experiences with the program:

telp.educ.ubc.ca/telp-grads-2020

telp.educ.ubc.ca | teljournal.ca | @UBCtelp

PDCE Viewbook

Last but not least, have you seen our Professional Learning Viewbook?

Our 2020 Viewbook outlines everything PDCE has to offer, especially for teachers and educators.

View it online!

pdce.educ.ubc.ca