Focus on TEL: ABEL Project

Advanced Broadband Enabled Learning (ABEL) is developing an interactive, collaborative learning model for teacher and faculty development and education delivery. ABEL interconnects the faculties of education at York University and the University of Alberta, Seneca College faculty and teachers from school districts in Ontario and Alberta. Together with their students, teachers and faculty are using ABEL to develop an approach to education that is aligned with today's learner through the innovative use of networked technology. ABEL is funded by CANARIE (Canada's Advanced Internet Development Organization), and led by York University's Office of the Vice President - Research and Innovation.

Described as a new way of teaching teachers and faculty, ABEL is facilitating professional development in the use of broadband networks as teaching and learning tools. As well, ABEL deals with the development of teacher skills and the inter-institutional cooperation needed to support collaborative development and delivery of e-learning courses and resources. It offers a range of fully collaborative, job-embedded, professional learning choices that, although originating in various institutions, appear seamless to ABEL participants. Through videoconferencing, online discussions with experts, and other teaching and learning techniques, the project is using CANARIE's CA*net 4 research network to develop a model for an innovative, collaborative means of online professional development for teachers and faculty. At the ABEL Summer Institute 2003, Dee Elder, a Math teacher from Edmonton declares one year into the project: "We are changing schools. We are changing education as it can be delivered to our students. That is an amazing task."

Organizers intend to offer this model to teachers and faculty across Canada once it is fully developed. For more information on ABEL, visit www.abelearn.ca or contact Janet Murphy at janetm@yorku.ca.

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