| NCLRC Arabic K-12 Bulletin - March 3, 2014 Ahlan ya colleagues, Welcome to the Arabic K-12 Bulletin, a biweekly resource for elementary, middle, and 
| | Ahlan ya colleagues, Welcome to the Arabic K-12 Bulletin, a biweekly resource for elementary, middle, and high school Arabic teachers, administrators, and researchers. This issue of the Bulletin has some new features: Belal's activities now include a link to a video of his students engaged in the described activity; professional development now includes a "travel opportunities" section; and the MEOC book recommendation is now the "Arab American Book Recommendation," based on the annual book awards by the Arab American National Museum. While not geared specifically to K-12 students, the books featured here will often be of interest to a wide range of ages and offer interesting perspectives for American students of the Arab world. As always, if you would like to reach us please send a message to arabick12@gmail.com. Lucy Thiboutot, Editor |
▪ The Arabic K-12 Teachers Network consists of more than 1,000 educators, administrators, and researchers interested in the Arabic K-12 field in the U.S. It is a free membership provided by the National Capital Language Resource Center's Arabic K-12 Project.
▪ Recent issues of the Bulletin are archived here: http://bit.ly/10KRZi3 .
▪ All members are welcome to submit posts in English or Arabic and may do so by e-mailing their content to arabick12@gmail.com specifying their content for the listserv.
▪ This listserv is focused on elementary, middle, and high school Arabic teaching. Job openings at the university level can be found on the AATA's website .
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1. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES
2. NEW RESOURCES FOR YOUR STUDENTS AND CLASSROOM
3. GRANT OPPORTUNITIES AND JOB ANNOUNCEMENTS
4. NADA'S WEBSITES: "Diigo"
5. BELAL'S ACTIVITIES: "Dancing with a Partner"
6. ARAB AMERICAN BOOK RECOMMENDATION: "House of Stone: A Memoir of Home, Family, and a Lost Middle East"
7. CURRENT RESEARCH: "Good Teaching, Deconstructed"
8. FOCUS ON LEARNING: "Burnaby district boosts online offerings with Arabic, Greek"
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Two Master's students in Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language at University of Texas - Austin invite you to participate in a survey that will be part of a research project they are conducting for their Curriculum Design in Arabic graduate seminar. The purpose of this survey is to assess the current state of Arabic language curricular materials used at the high school level. Your participation in the study will contribute to development of a framework for future high school Arabic teaching materials. This survey is completely anonymous and will take approximately 15 minutes of your time. Link to the survey: http://svy.mk/1ewSOE7 Workshops and Webinars CLASSRoad is offering "Teaching Languages Online," a 4-week online workshop for teachers of Arabic and other languages. This course was offered previously as CLASSRoad's 2013 STARTALK summer teacher training program. If you missed it last summer, now is your chance to enroll in a unique program to develop effective online language teachers, implementing ACTFL standards and STARTALK principles. You will learn how to use connected teaching practices to deliver language instruction and assessment to anywhere/anytime learners in distance/blended contexts. Through this course, you will integrate 21st century skills, teacher effective for language learning (TELL) practices, collaborative work, digital badging, and other strategies to engage and prepare students. The course experience features video presentations by experts, online quizzes, "Facebook-style" discussion environment, collaborative work in Google Docs (Drive), Padlet, and Voicethread, blog posts regarding your progress and reflections, and badges you earn for participating, contributing, and demonstrating acquired skills. The course will run from March 29-April 26, and the registration cost for the first 25 participants is $99 by March 15. Enrollment capped at 40 participants. This course will better prepare you for CLASSRoad's upcoming 2014 summer STARTALK program. CEUs available. To learn more and to enroll: http://bit.ly/MC57na Reminder: Aldeen Foundation's six-week online course starts today, March 3-April 14, 2014: The 5 Cs in Action and Best Practices in the Arabic language classroom. The deadline for signing up has passed. Learn more at http://bit.ly/1dCmu1l and email Mrs. Thouraya Boubetra with any questions at aldeenarabiconlineeducation@aldeenfoundation.org The 2013 ACTFL Convention in Orlando is now available online. You can now purchase and view some of the same great sessions presented at the 2013 Convention for $129. Each learning session is one hour in length and can be watched multiple times until June 30, 2014. Earn up to 12 hours of continuing education credits when you view all of the material online. That includes the keynote address by Tony Wagner, one of ACTFL's Plenary sessions and a selection of 10 other sessions. Before you make your purchase, you may view short video clips of each presentation and read bios of each speaker. Once you purchase, you can view the sessions as many times as you would like. To view the sessions: http://bit.ly/1cOnUlX Professional Development Travel Opportunities Where There Be Dragons is offering a 2-week travel seminar for teachers of Arabic, and/or Cultural & Religious studies from March 15-30, 2014 entitled "Jordan: Cultural Survival & Modernity." Teachers meet with leaders of organizations, journalists, and local experts on issues of land/water rights, gender, and conflict resolution, while using their Arabic in dynamic settings. All courses include service, language intensives, leadership development and global studies. Visit the website: www.wheretherebedragons.com or call: 800-982-9203 to learn more about scholarships for teachers and educator programs. EnviroJordan offers a two-week environmental education study tour in Jordan (Aug 2-15, 2014). The program is open to private and public school teachers, administrators, curriculum specialists, environmental and science education professors, museum and nature center staff, and others. Visit Petra, the Dead Sea, and ancient castles, camping in nature reserves and the Wadi Rum desert. Hiking, camel riding, jeep touring, Bedouin music. Meetings with peers, specialists, leaders. An Amman overnight homestay. Some Arabic language learning opportunities in tandem with this, and a good opportunity for educators to integrate and collaborate across disciplines (science and Arabic). We will do some customizing to enhance the Arabic opportunity, if desired by any participant. Graduate credit and scholarships available. To learn more: envirojordan.org Professional Conferences The 61st annual NECTFL (Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) will take place March 27-29, 2014 in Boston, MA at the Marriott Copley Place Hotel. This year's theme is Sustaining Communities through World Languages. This conference offers outstanding professional development opportunities and the ability to network with other teachers of foreign languages, and is sure to include special panels for Arabic teachers. Read more here: http://bit.ly/1e7ZtoM The Second International Conference on Heritage/Community Languages will take place March 7-8, 2014 at Covel Commons at UCLA. Contact: Gerda Lobo gerdalobo@gmail.com or Claire Chik
chik@international.ucla.edu An important national policy research conference on "Internationalization of Education in the 21st Century: The Future of International and Foreign Language Studies" will take place April 11-13, 2014, at the College of William & Mary. Join leaders in academia, K-12 education, business, government, and the NGO sectors for timely research and discussion of national human resource needs and strategies for enabling U.S. educational institutions to address the broad national policy goals to ensure a globally competent citizenry and workforce; strengthen the U.S. ability to solve global problems; and produce international experts and knowledge for national needs. Register by March 15, 2014. To learn more: http://bit.ly/1jtZP8t The 17th annual National Council of Less Commonly Taught Languages (NCOLCTL) conference will take place at the Westin Hotel & Resort in Chicago Northwest, IL from April 24-27, 2014 (with pre-conference workshops scheduled for April 24, 2014). This year's theme is "Collaboration and Internationalization: Enhancing and Sustaining Quality Outcomes for LCTLs". This conference brings together professionals from academia, government, private sector, and students in the field of Less Commonly Taught Languages (LCTLs). To learn more and register for the conference: http://bit.ly/1gavjhU Call For Proposals and Papers The Foreign Language Association of Virginia provides an opportunity to share innovative teaching, technology, research and student success strategies. Send in your proposal by April 18, 2014. The Conference Committee invites proposals for active and engaging presentations on topics related, but not limited to: Supporting beginning teachers; Promoting active use of the target language; Making the most of classroom time; Supporting student learning; Active and engaging instructional strategies; Innovative instructional methodology; Innovative assessment strategies; Unique uses of technology; Technology strategies for all students including those with disabilities. To learn more and submit a proposal: http://bit.ly/1kk31CJ |
On Tuesday, March 11, 2014 at 9am CST/10am EST (5pm Baghdad time) the University of Iowa will link up with the University of Baghdad to present Book Wings, a live bilingual (Arabic/English) collaborative theatre project that uses the latest new media technologies to bring together actors, writers, directors, translators, and stage spaces 6,500 miles apart to produce one unified theatre experience, presenting 6 newly commissioned plays. The performance will be live-streamed (free and viewable by anyone with an internet connection), with a 20 minute talk-back session featuring participating playwrights, directors, and actors, immediately following the performance. Internet viewers are invited to Tweet comments and questions for the live talk-back using the hashtag #bookw. To view the live stream on March 11: http://bit.ly/1gKFVWm You may be interested in a new resource for Arabic teachers, Teaching and Learning Arabic as a Foreign Language: A guide for teachers by Karin Ryding from Georgetown University Press: http://bit.ly/MGtNLk For those living within driving distance of Glastonbury, Connecticut, Glastonbury public schools are hosting a non-residential STARTALK Arabic course for rising 3rd-6th graders, running June 30-July 25, 2014. Applications are available from the website of the Glastonbury Public Schools' Foreign Language Department at www.foreignlanguage.org. Concordia Language Villages' Al-Waha Arabic Village provides two-week and four-week residential immersion programs in Bemidji, MN. The two-week programs are open to students age 8-18, running from July 21- August 2 and from August 4-16, 2014. The four-week program (open to high school students and offering high school credit) runs from July 21- August 16. The deadline has passed for QFI student scholarships, but to learn more about the camp: http://bit.ly/1fpO8RP Middlebury-Monterey Language Academy provides a full-immersion, pre-college summer language program for middle and high school students from June 22- July 17, 2014. Qatar Foundation International (QFI) has partnered with MMLA to offer full need-based scholarships with travel assistance for 20 students studying Arabic. The application deadline is April 30. To learn more: http://bit.ly/MqKUB5 California State University provides a seven-week residential or day immersion program for high school students in San Bernardino, CA from June 18- August 7, 2014. This program awards college credit to students, and students have the opportunity to continue study throughout the year for college credit. QFI funding will provide 15 student scholarships. Rolling admission, but the earlier the application the more likely to receive financial support. For more information, please visit: http://bit.ly/NWN8JC Choate Rosemary Hall, a private boarding school in Wallingford, Connecticut, is offering students in grades 9-11 the opportunity to immerse themselves in the Arabic language and culture in Jordan. Participants spend 4 weeks in Amman from June 16-July 16. The program offers Modern Standard Arabic (at a level appropriate to proficiency) and intensive Jordanian colloquial classes. Students also explore Jordanian History and learn about traditional Islamic arts. Participants in the program will stay in pairs with Jordanian families, helping them to improve their spoken Arabic and discover Jordanian social customs and traditions. For more information: http://bit.ly/1gSeOYt To apply: http://bit.ly/1hos63t The University of North Georgia (UNG) will host the fourth summer language academy for high school rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors in June and July 2014. The Federal Service Language Academy (FSLA) is a three-week residential program for students who are interested in an immersive intensive language experience, fitness, and exploring international-related careers with the federal government. During the two three-week sessions, students will be immersed in intensive language instruction in First-Year Arabic from highly qualified teachers, participate in a daily fitness program, receive career counseling from federal agency representatives (CIA, DEA, FBI, State Department, Homeland Security, the Peace Corps and US Armed Forces), and possibly receive high school credit for successful completion of the academy. For more information: www.ung.edu/fsla Where There Be Dragons offers authentic, small-group, cultural and language immersion programs in Jordan and Morocco every summer as well as semesters for Gap Year students. All include service, local mentorship, language intensives, trekking, leadership development and global studies. Our summer programs are for ages 14+. Semesters are tailored for Gap Year & College-age students. Visit the website: www.wheretherebedragons.com or call: 800-982-9203 to learn more about scholarships and programs. You may be interested in a mobile-ready, interactive network, game-like learning resource for Arabic students called "Falooka." Falooka can be used in the classroom, or purchased for a library or language lab. It encourages Arabic language students to jump in by selecting one of nine "3-Month Challenge programs." Students gain "Ookapoints" as they teach lower level students (for money or for free); post in the News Feed on Middle Eastern culture; and form "Ookafriendships" with other Arabic language students and native instructors. Falooka is both in Modern Standard Arabic and the Egyptian dialect. It includes over 700 web pages of learning materials plus 7,000 audio recordings by native Egyptians, 80 podcasts, and over 50 videos. To learn more, visit their website: http://falooka.com/ The Lingaga: Oxford Peace Project has free video conferencing and networking for language learners and speakers, including Arabic. On the free site, teachers and students may meet native speakers, make contacts in other countries, open their own and enter virtual classrooms, post videos on their country, discuss literature and culture, and swap language learning. With students and teachers in over 25 countries registering, it is a terrific place to actually speak the language and put into practice your learning. www.lingaga.com You may be interested in this simple Arabic typing tutor to help your students learn to type in Arabic: http://www.studyarabic.com/arabic-typing-tutor The Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) now offers the Computerized Oral Proficiency Instrument (COPI), a computer-based, semi-adaptive test of Modern Standard Arabic or Spanish oral proficiency intended for use with native-English-speaking students in later years of high school, college students, and professionals. It provides language educators with a computerized, time-efficient assessment of their students' oral language proficiency in Arabic or Spanish. Performance on the COPI is rated according to the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines. For more information: http://bit.ly/Iw45aE The Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) has produced an Arabic Oral Proficiency Guide for Students. This free online tutorial helps high school and university-level students of Arabic understand and improve their oral proficiency. It teaches students how oral proficiency is rated according to the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines so that they can self-assess and set language learning goals. The tutorial features authentic examples of students speaking Arabic at different levels, tips and resources to improve oral proficiency, and student descriptions of their experiences being assessed and then using their Arabic to communicate abroad. View the site at http://www.cal.org/aop/index.php The Qatar Foundation International (QFI) is launching a new website for Arabic K-12 teachers Al-Masdar (almasdar.oercommons.org). Al-Masdar provides a platform for you to discover free resources through search strategies, to author or upload your own resources, to review resources, join groups and conversations, and collaborate with others. The site is intended to be a hub - the source - for language teaching materials, opportunities, news and events relevant to Arabic instructors. You are invited to explore it and offer your feedback by completing this survey: http://bit.ly/1gvdkWS Your advanced students may enjoy this new simplified version of Lebanese author Hoda Barakat's novel, Sayyidi wa Habibi, which comes with a set of pedagogical activities and a companion website: http://bit.ly/16vBpEc Al-Jazeera news is currently developing a special news site for Arabic language learners. Although some of the features are still in progress, it may be worth keeping an eye on as a resource for your classes: http://learning.aljazeera.net/arabic The National Middle East Language Resource Center (NMELRC), in cooperation with Qatar Foundation International and Brigham Young University Independent Study, is offering a hybrid online course for high school students. The high school implementation of Arabic Without Walls, winner of the 2010 Distance Education Course Award, covers the basics of both spoken and written Arabic and enables students to acquire real-world communication skills. This process starts with students attending a one-day course in their region and continues as they work online with a tutor and a cohort of students who form a tight-knit learning community. Students who have done so have gone on to win NSLI-Youth Scholarships to study in the Arab world. For more information on registration, cost and credit please visit: http://bit.ly/1bfmfcG . The Institute for Middle East Studies (IMES) Title VI Outreach Program at The George Washington University (Washington, DC) maintains a film and book library and Skype-a-Scholar program that is free and available to area educators. You can view a list of all of the library resources and find out more about the films using our new Film Guide which contains synopses of the films and classroom usage ideas for educators. The Skype-A-Scholar program brings university experts to your classroom through Skype, to converse with students for an in-depth, innovative learning experience. Contact imesnrc@gwu.edu for more information on these programs. American Councils for International Education coordinates the U.S. Department of State's FLEX, YES, and A-SMYLE programs, where students from the Middle East and other areas of the world have competed against their peers and earned a scholarship to come to the U.S. for a full academic year. The students live with an American host family, attend school and become a part of the family. Anyone interested in hosting an exchange student for a period of two months to a full academic year, and the ability to provide a safe, supportive, English-speaking environment is welcome to contact the programs for more information. For more information: http://inbound.americancouncils.org . The Peace Corps offers the World Wise Schools website, with cross-cultural learning resources including lesson plans, videos, publications, an online game, and more. Take advantage of these free resources to develop your students' global competencies and prepare them to be engaged, 21st century global citizens. Connecting With Teachers Connect with hundreds of Arabic teachers in America and from around the world on the Teachers of Arabic Language K-12 (TALK12) page on Facebook. Teachers can chat, swap ideas, and give each other advice: http://www.talk12.org . |
Grant Opportunities The Arab Academy Scholarship will be offered for three ACTFL members in 2014. The scholarship includes three months of access to the online Arabic program in addition to one weekly one-on-one speaking class. In addition, Arab Academy offers onsite scholarships for two ACTFL members for 8-week sessions at its Arabic language center in Cairo, Egypt. Deadline March 31, 2014. Additional details can be obtained by contacting the educational programs coordinator, Hanan Dawah, at info@arabacademy.org and http://www.arabacademy.com. ACTFL Members: If you have any questions about this scholarship, please contact Jaime Bernstein at 703-894-2900. Qatar Foundation International has announced Teacher Initiative Grants (maximum award: $1,000) to enhance Arabic programs and promote excellence in the classroom. Arabic teachers working in U.S. public or public charter schools may apply for funding to purchase books and materials; host cultural events or workshops; take students on field trips; or attend professional development conferences. Applications are due on the first of each month for awards to be announced by the end of that month, from Nov. 1 until April 1. To download the complete Request for Proposal, follow the link: http://bit.ly/17lD6I0 To apply, go through QFI's grants management portal: http://bit.ly/18XUpgj Job Openings The Arabic Summer Academy in Boston, Massachusetts is seeking applications for the position of Arabic language instructor. We are particularly interested in native and non-native speakers of Arabic from the Boston area. Responsibilities include teaching first, second, or third year Arabic to high school students in an intensive non-residential summer enrichment program in Boston, June 25th to August 2nd 2014, including teacher workshops and planning meetings. Instructors will also lead daily co-curricular activities and chaperone field trips. Instruction will be in Arabic. Requirements include high-level fluency in both Arabic and English, high school or college level experience teaching Arabic, and experience working with high school students in an academic setting. Applicants should send a letter of application as soon as possible, as applicants are already being reviewed, to director@arabicsummeracademy.org For more information: http://www.arabicsummeracademy.org Boston Latin Academy (Boston, MA) is seeking a full-time high school Arabic teacher for the 2014-2015 school year. For further information and to apply: http://bit.ly/MH4VD0 There is an immediate part-time opening for an elementary school Arabic teacher for grades K-4 with Global Language Project in Harlem, New York. This individual must be New York state certified (or interested in pursuing certification--please make this clear to the contact below) and will teach two full days, or 10 periods a week at a school in West Harlem. The teacher will use GLP's Arabic curriculum, which introduces students to language through TPR, cultural activities, music and games. The emphasis is on oral communication and learning about other cultures. Please send cover letter and resume to Elisabeth Shovers: eshovers@glpny.org. Please write 'Arabic Teacher' in the subject line of your email. Friends Seminary in New York City seeks a Middle School/Upper School Arabic Teacher for the 2014-2015 academic year. This is a one-year leave replacement position. The candidate must be able to teach Modern Standard Arabic and a Levantine dialect to grades 4 through 12. Prior experience teaching middle and high school is strongly desired. To learn more, visit the employment section of the website and click on the Arabic Teacher listing: http://www.friendsseminary.org/careers Northeast College Prep, in the Twin Cities of Minnesota, is opening Kindergarten-3rd grade in August (eventually growing to K-8th grade) and hiring founding teachers in all subjects, including Arabic. This diverse, International Baccalaureate school is committed to closing the achievement gap and will offer both Spanish and Arabic classes to all students. Minnesota teaching license or eligibility for one required. Visit careers at Northeast College Prep's website to view job descriptions and the application process: northeastcollegeprep.org. If you have any questions, contact Erika Sass at esass@northeastcollegeprep.org. |
Nada Shaath (Bell High School, CA) suggests: Diigo (http://www.Diigo.com/) Collect and organize anything. Access anywhere and easily share bookmarks, highlights, notes, screenshots, pictures. Works for PC and MAC, any browser, and android. Do you have a favorite website to share? Send us a link and a short description, and don't forget to include the name and location of your school! |
Belal Joundeya (Renaissance Academy, UT) suggests: Dancing with a Partner Give each student a small flash card from the unit you teach. Start playing a recorded song in Arabic. When you start the song the students start dancing and when you stop the music they need to ask each other a question about the flash card and after they finish they need to exchange the cards. After the students talk for 30-50 seconds start the music again and so on... It is good to do it for 5-7 minutes. Let the students know that they can't talk when they dance and they should stop dancing when the music is off and start talking. See it in action in this video: http://bit.ly/1bZgCRH |
The Arab American National Museum (http://www.arabamericanmuseum.org) recommends the non-fiction book House of Stone: A Memoir of Home, Family, and a Lost Middle East by Anthony Shadid (New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012). In spring 2011, Anthony Shadid was one of four New York Times reporters captured in Libya, cuffed and beaten, as that country was seized by revolution. When he was freed, he went home. Not to Boston or Beirut where he lives or to Oklahoma City, where his Lebanese American family had settled and where he was raised. Instead, he returned to his great-grandfather's estate, a house that, over three years earlier, Shadid had begun to rebuild. House of Stone is the story of a battle-scarred home and a war correspondent's jostled spirit, and of how reconstructing the one came to fortify the other. In this poignant and resonant memoir, the author creates a mosaic of past and present, tracing the house's renewal alongside his family's flight from Lebanon and resettlement in America. In the process, Shadid memorializes a lost world, documents the shifting Middle East, and provides profound insights into this volatile landscape. |
Good Teaching, Deconstructed
By Kim Marshall | Marshall Memo #525, February 24, 2014, http://www.marshallmemo.com I"What do great teachers do differently?" ask Jodi Newton (Stamford University/ Birmingham, AL) and Betty Winches (Homewood, AL Schools) in this article in Reading Improvement. Their study of elementary- and middle-school teachers who produced significant gains in student learning for three consecutive years yielded the following insights: • Highly effective teachers have clear learning targets and their students understand what it takes to get better and own their learning. These teachers focus on ultimate learning outcomes more than compliance with required assignments. • They create a culture of redemption. They assess frequently and see students' mistakes as a road map to improvement. • They constantly and frequently tweak their lessons in response to how students are doing. Students' learning needs are more important than lesson plans. • They ask questions that go to the heart of the subject and teach students to pose their own questions. "They are able to track misunderstandings and then clarify them for their students," say Newton and Winches. "As students learn to ask the right questions – those related to their learning targets – they begin to own the goals and maximize their learning." • They create a culture of high expectations coupled with good relationships. These are not friendships but partnerships (You and me, in this together) focused on academic achievement. "This tenacity, concern, and love for each student are obvious, yet are linked directly to unyielding aspirations for each student," say Newton and Winches. "How to Maximize Learning for All Students" by Jodi Newton and Betty Winches in Reading Improvement, Summer 2013 (Vol. 50, p. 71-74), no e-link available |
Burnaby district boosts online offerings with Arabic, Greek
By Wanda Chow, Burnaby NewsLeader | burnabynewsleader.com
Source: http://bit.ly/1hE7tNJ Introductory Arabic and Greek courses are now among the online courses offered by Burnaby school district (B.C., Canada), part of a continuing effort to keep students engaged and interested in school. While Burnaby Online offers most of the regular course offerings a typical high school student might take, it's also a venue for courses that might not have enough interest from students or teachers available to see it taught in a bricks-and-mortar school, said Kevin Brandt, the district's director of instruction in charge of Burnaby Online. It's hoped Arabic Intro 11 will attract the numerous students in Burnaby whose heritage includes the Arabic language, said Brandt, who noted the district's online courses are open to anyone in B.C. Burnaby will be one of the, if not the only, public school district to offer such a course. "It allows us to draw from students from across the province and give them the opportunity to learn Arabic." The district is working with Simon Fraser University's New Media Lab to develop the new courses, which will also include 3D animation 11, and to eventually redevelop its offerings to make them more interactive for today's students using current technology. Gone are the days when online learning was little more than correspondence courses, with worksheets, that happened to use computers, he said. Students who take online courses range from those wanting to upgrade marks, those who want to get courses out of the way so they can make room for electives, to those who can't attend regular schools due to health issues or travel. Brandt said among Burnaby Online's current students are residents of Penticton, Kelowna and Quesnel, with the furthest being a student travelling in Singapore. Last year, three kids took the courses while their family was on a sailing trip to Mexico. Elite student athletes are regulars, and include tennis and soccer players travelling in Europe. It even has a student taking the courses from New York, where she's a ballet dancer. Burnaby Online has about 1,500 students in total, although most only take one course. They're akin to 250 full-time-equivalent students, the size of a medium-sized elementary school, which is roughly how much the education ministry provides the program through per-student funding, he said. The program currently breaks even but eventually the district hopes it can become a source of revenue. Brandt said it's working on numerous other course offerings, including a 3D printing course using the emerging technology of 3D printers, language classes in Mandarin, Punjabi, Italian and German, and in a few years time, Aboriginal languages as well. The goal is to "keep [students] engaged and interested and really use the technology to drive the learning," he said. "Hopefully they won't even realize they're learning and they're just so engaged in the program." |
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