Since the LINC instructors in our group teach in small, rural communities across the entire Columbia Basin in southeastern B

C., once PBLA was implemented in our region we really needed to find a way for our instructors to be able to connect online since face-to-face training sessions were simply not possible.

So as a PBLA Lead Teacher and Tutela member, I decided that starting a private group would be the most logical solution since it would enable us to share files and use the live conferencing for all our sessions.

I was able to put all the materials up on the screen and use the whiteboard to make things more interactive and interesting, and I could put up all the other instructors work so that we could discuss our assignments. If someone missed a meeting then they could just watch the recording. We often used the discussion forum to post comments on some of the questions in my lead teacher lesson plans.

I have to say, if it wasn’t for our Tutela group, I’m not sure how we would have been able to facilitate our organization’s PBLA training. Thanks to Tutela, it has worked out very well, and we will be continuing to use our group’s live conferencing to facilitate our monthly PBLA meetings starting again in September.

Simplifying the PBLA training process

Our program manager created a group on Tutela for YRDSB Instructors to facilitate the PBLA training and ongoing support for our instructors during implementation in the classroom. We currently have 55 members and as new people are hired they join the group.

In order to continue to provide additional and personalized support, one of the things we did was use the video chat room on Tutela for the four sessions per month.

I did not have a lot of previous experience with facilitating online conferencing aside from using Google Hangouts with my students. The BigBlueButton was easy to use and I especially liked the fact that we could personalize the layout, share resources in real time and have more than one person participate.

We received positive feedback from our colleagues and are planning on continuing with the video chats in the new school year.

An online learning garden

For me, Tutela is an online learning garden where I can meet colleagues from across Canada. On Tutela, I can ask a question and hear from a friendly colleague in, say, the Yukon. And just thinking about it gives me goosebumps. And that’s why I shared some information about our Summer course – to tell as many teachers as possible about this exciting learning design challenge and to ask for help in reviewing and contributing resources, because I really believe in peer learning and collaboration.

Even just asking questions was helpful as it made me think deeper about what we were doing. And within 24 hours, I received replies from 2 Tutela members – 1 in Niagara Falls and 1 in Nova Scotia. Another week passed and 2 more members joined the discussion.

At first, I was a bit self conscious before posting online on Tutela about the course. However, my success with the group of 4 people boosted my confidence in using Tutela. I wasn’t looking for dozens of people to help. I just needed a few fresh eyes who would enjoy contributing to my project. And, in learning, I believe that every bit counts. Just like in a flower garden, where every single flower adds to the beauty of the garden. So go, Tutela, go!

Providing value to TESL Ontario Members

In , the TESL Ontario free webinar series officially launched on Tutela. Since the start, we have run live webinars twice monthly. Participants have the opportunity to participate in post-webinar discussions, and communicate with presenters and fellow attendees. A post-webinar survey helps us improve the hombres americanos para mujeres DanГ©s webinars and provide relevant topics.