P.E.I.’s vision for e-learning

Edited speaking notes for Shauna Sullivvan Curley, deputy minister for education, Prince Edward Island, to the CANARIE Inc. Second Annual E-Learning Conference, Feb. 25/02. It is a pleasure to join you this morning via video conference for the 2nd Annual CANARIE E-Learning conference. I wish I could be with you in Montreal, but as the focus of the conference is electronic learning, it seems fitting that we have opted for this type of a format. You have likely heard other speakers from Prince Edward Island extol the virtues of our Island province, small is beautiful, after all. Of course, the rest of Canada was "linked" to PEI in 1997 with the completion of the Confederation Bridge. This bridge is also symbolic of the way in which PEI is "linked" to other provinces and countries in the world of information technology. Before I get into some concrete examples of how PEI used e-learning, I would like to share with you the PEI Department of Education’s vision for learning in our province:Prince Edward Island is a place where learning is highly valued. All individuals have the opportunity to develop their full social, intellectual, economic, cultural and physical potential. The Department of Education is the leader in ensuring equitable opportunities for lifelong learning. We work with individuals, communities and other partners to enable them to value the past, embrace the present and shape the future. We place the value on learning. Electronic learning has certainly changed the ways in which we learn. We need to ensure it doesn’t drive what we learn. Schools and libraries in PEI were the first in the country to be completely connected to the World Wide Web. A 2001 Statistics Canada Household Internet Use Survey found that 25.1 per cent of respondents indicated they accessed the Internet in school, well above the national average of 19.1 per cent. Other Canadian technology surveys have placed Prince Edward Island schools at, or near, the top in the areas of Internet usage, connectivity and web page design. PEI, like other Canadian provinces, is home to a successful Community Access Program (CAP). We have 74 sites across PEI – more sites per capita than any other province in Canada. There is an Internet access site within 12 minutes of every Islander. That takes us back to the small is beautiful theme. With a land area total of 5,660.38 square kilometres, it is possible to accomplish such things as tip-to-tip Internet connectivity in a lot less time than, say an area the size of Alberta or Newfoundland and Labrador. Our provincial capital is also home to the Virtual Charlottetown Smart Communities Demonstration Project. The project electronically replicates the notion of community centrality in the Town Square Internet portal that will evolve to become the community’s social, cultural and economic focal point. The Town Square will provide users with access to four Smart Services: a Learning Centre, Marketplace, Community’s Builders’ Forum and Community Exploration. The Learning Centre provides interactive online learning for local learners and distance learners anywhere in the world. Major funding partners in this initiative include the University of Prince Edward Island, Holland College and the provincial government through Technology PEI. I recently attended a framework development workshop entitled: Creating a Road Map to Guide Women in Small and Medium Businesses to Access Learning though Technology. There we discussed benefits of learning through technology, such as flexibility and increased computer literacy, and disadvantages, such as the need to self-discipline, the lack of one-to-one interaction and reliability of technology. Continuous evaluation of e-learning systems is essential to ensure that it enhances learning, not detracts from it. It is important not to get caught up with "tools and toys" and forget the students in the middle of it all.

P.E.I.’s vision for e-learning

News | 03/07/2002 5:00 am EST

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