Highlighted Initiatives

Southern Alberta's wild horses go online.

Stoney Nakoda Knowledge Holders share their knowledge, respect and spiritual connection with horses. "It is important to protect the wild horses in our traditional territories. They have always been an important symbol to our people and remain today. This web project is a beginning of all the knowledge our people hold.

Youth, elders and experts share their research and their perspectives through videos, interviews, artwork, animations, and music.

The project is made possible with the support of the Department of Canadian Heritage through the Canadian Culture Online Strategy. Partners in this project include Galileo Educational Network, the Calgary Stampede School, Maureen Enns Studio Ltd., the University of Calgary Libraries and Cultural Resources department, Stoney Education Authority, Foothills School Division and Shaw Communications Ltd.

The Mokakioyis - Meyopimâtsiwin study is an ethnoecological inquiry that digitally preserves traditional Aboriginal knowledge in an interactive online environment. The Mokakioyis/Meyopimatsiwin website enables visitors to see geographic data and hear cultural stories relating to the ancestral trails of First Nations and Métis participants. The website includes relevant artifacts that demonstrate how the First Nations and Métis communities have interacted with the environment through time and how their traditional relationships with the land and ecosystems may inform decisions regarding current environmental issues. Using this online resource, teachers, students, and life long learners are able to manipulate and analyze historic and current ethnoecological digital media.

Partners include: Canada Culture Online Department of Canadian Heritage, Kainai First Nation, Kainai Board of Education, Saulteau First Nation, School District No. 59 Peace River South's Moberly Lake School, University of Calgary, and Galileo Educational Network.

Students and teachers, working alongside Galileo Network mentors, create educational resources for Our Roots. Our Roots is a library, archive, museum and school all in one. These educational modules provide Canadian youth with engaging ways to make history personally exciting and relevant by bringing local histories into the curriculum.

• Naming the West
• History of Cowboy Culture
• Calgary Stampede and Treaty 7 First Nations: A Historical Perspective
• Millarville Archaeology
• Understanding Our Heritage Guides the Future
• Big Valley: Then and Now
• Artistry of the Land
• Richness of Words: A Journey Into the Past
• Our Farming Roots in Castor
• The Changing Family Farm in Spirit River, Alberta
• Farming in the Palliser Triangle, Rockyford, Alberta
• Riverrun: Evolution or Genocide?

Partners: Galileo Educational Network, Canadian Heritage, University of Calgary, Laval University, Foothills School Division, Chinook's Edge School Division, Grande Prairie Catholic School Division, Calgary Board of Education, Golden Hills School Division, Clearview School Division

MATH FAIRS & LESSON STUDY

Mathematics Educators from The Galileo Educational Network have partnered with Mount Royal College, Mathematics, Physics and Engineering Department , University of Calgary Math Faculty and the Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences to actively explore ways to offer a number of professional learning opportunities for K-12 math teachers.

Through this partnership three programs have evolved:

• Math Fairs - A Math Fair is a non-competitive problem solving event that gives teachers an opportunity to have their students do problem solving with a particular goal in mind. The math fair can be adapted to almost any curriculum and set of standards, and it will motivate and inspire all of the students.. We have been adding additional 'good problems' for teachers and students to use for Math Fairs and general classroom use. Learn more...

• Lesson Study is designed both to capitalize on TIMSS 1995, 1999, 2003 findings and to investigate teaching and learning issues that have been identified as locally significant. Teachers in our Lesson Study initiative meet once a month during the school year in order to learn mathematics better and to learn better mathematics. Learn more...

EMERGE

20 school jurisdictions are part of the Emerge Wireless Learning project, involving over 2000 students using laptops as part of a research project. The project also involves 200 teachers at 49 schools across the province.

The project runs until August 2010, and focuses on all aspects of laptop use in the classroom. All projects are aiming to enhance teaching and learning for specific student populations or improve student learning in targeted areas.

Galileo Educational Network is providing the professional development to the Community of Practice established to support this initiative.

Visit the initiative's website.

Partners: Galileo Educational Network, Alberta Education, Metiri, University of Calgary

INFUSING ICT IN CORE CURRICULA

This site is designed to assist teachers, teacher educators and preservice teachers to address the question: How can university faculty and preservice teachers have consistent access to the most current thinking of practitioners who are leading the way in ICT integration?

This resource is based on the research findings and recommendations of 'Coming to teaching in the 21st century'.

Visit the initiative's website

Partners: Galileo Educational Network, Alberta Education, Foothills School Divsion, Kainai Board of Education, Kainai Elders, Red Deer Catholic Regional Division, Calgary Board of Education, Monster Theatre Company, Glenbow Museum

Working with teachers and students, Galileo mentors have initiated and developed two new resources: Know the Bow and Can Bears And Humans Coexist?

• Know the Bow
• Can Bears And Humans Coexist?

Partners: Galileo Educational Network, Shell Institue Environmental Fund, Foothills School Division, Westwinds School Division, Calgary Board of Education

Leading for Today's Learners consisted of a visioning day and a two day workshop for Alberta school administrators. The focus of the workshops was to:

• Recognize and support the potential of new and emerging technologies.
• Articulate a strong professional vision for meaningful technology integration for 21st century classrooms.
• Promote technology use in supporting robust, high quality learning and teaching.

Presentation used during this workshop is available.

Partners: Galileo Educational Network, Alberta Education