Using APOP’s ICT Savvy

Are you considering using concept maps in your classroom next semester? Have you considered what effect they will have on your course outline and learning activities? Does your institution already possess concept map software? And if so, does it meet your requirements, or have you thought of trying a cloud-based solution? From there, how will you test the pedagogical activities you have designed? And, most of all, how will you evaluate your students’ work? And what about other departments and colleges: have they also attempted implementing concept maps in their classes?

Integrating a new resource or a new technology into learning

This is but one example of the challenging, but oh so exciting, process of integrating a new resource or a new technology into learning. Many of these questions about course and learning activity design, testing and evaluation can be answered by colleagues, pedagogical advisors and, sometimes by web research, however, one may need additional resources and support to make such projects a success.

Since November 2011, APOP’s services have included this type of support through collaborative projects funded by the Canada-Québec Entente. These projects aim to support local ICT initiatives in teaching and learning by helping teachers and pedagogical stakeholders in activity design and resource development.

Call for Proposals

APOP is now accepting project proposals from Anglophone sectors within the Quebec College Network. To be selected, a project must be centered around one or more of the following activities:

1. Teaching Context (Citizenship Education; Intellectual Property; etc.)
2. Planning (Program, Classroom and Work-Study Program Management; Pedagogical Strategies, Learning Environment Development)
3. Information Management (Document Research; Content Analysis; Data Storage)
4. Editing and Producing (Coaching; Equations; Concept Maps; Tests; etc.)
5. Communication (Mixed; Synchronous; Asynchronous)
6. Evaluation (Diagnostic; Formative; Summative)

But how does that translate in terms of project descriptions? Some examples of collaborative projects that can be supported by APOP are below.

APOP – Submit your ICT project

Project Examples

Software or new technological tool experiments in a specific program or department

Using clickers and an interactive whiteboard in class

• Pedagogical Expertise: Collaborative pedagogical design on the introduction of clickers into a specific program
• Workshop: Technical use of whiteboards and class strategies
• Workshop: Formative and summative evaluation with clickers

Pedagogical coaching for the integration of an object of study

Introducing concept maps into course curriculum

• Technical Expertise: Choice of a concept map editing software
• Pedagogical Expertise: Determining student skills related to concept maps to introduce in course plans
• Workshop: Technical use of concept map editing software
• Workshop: Concept maps class strategies, scenarios and assessment

Planning and development of a resource database/blog in ICT for dissemination of teaching resources

Building a wiki to house a database of pedagogical and technical applications for smart phones in the classroom

• Technical and Pedagogical Expertise: Determining the structure of the database after analysis of local needs
• Technical and Pedagogical Expertise: Search, classification and identification of resources for the database
• Workshop: Collaboration using a wiki
• Occasional Assistance: Technical questions from teachers

Developing new formats and strategies for a specific course

Changing a classroom-training course into a hybrid class

• Pedagogical Expertise: transposing classroom skills and contents online
• Workshop: Using online asynchronous and synchronous tools and platforms
• Workshop: Developing strategies and discovering software (Prezi, Google Docs, etc.) for online collaborative work.

And What is APOP’s Role?

Call management, project management and technical support are provided by the APOP Management Team as well as online customized workshops, occasional technical and technological support, pedagogical coaching, etc. If required, APOP may lend equipment for carrying out the project and professional development activities (headset, webcam).

We can assist you in structuring your project, helping you to foresee every dimension that needs to be addressed taking advantage of our 30 years of experience in the pedagogical application of ICT expertise.

With this new service, we hope to bring concrete and customized support to our users. How can APOP lend you a hand in finding technological resources for your local professional development initiatives and activities?