Keewaywin School

What is Connected North?

 

Connected North fosters student engagement and enhanced education outcomes in remote Indigenous communities. This leading edge program delivers immersive and interactive education services, through Cisco's high definition, two-way TelePresence video technology. The program is made possible through a strong ecosystem of supporters with program delivery managed by TakingITGlobal. The goal is to provide students and teachers with access to content that is engaging and innovative, with the hope of increasing feelings of empowerment in school and in life.

 

Connected North Program Model

 

Connected North provides five offerings to participating schools.

 

 

Virtual Experts & Field Trips

 

Live interactive video sessions connecting students, experts, content partners and educational venues like galleries and museums to enhance curriculum and add exciting new resources to the classroom. Past examples have included live science experiments, Q&A about life in space with an astronaut, a tour of a Roman art gallery and a session on the latest hairstyling trends.

TakingITGlobal develops unique content for the schools to access, and also works with the Centre for Interactive Learning and Collaboration and VROC to ensure customized content covering a wide range of topics is available.

 

 

Virtual Career Fairs

 

Live career fairs and virtual mentoring give students the opportunity to meet professionals in various industries and occupations and explore possible career opportunities.

 

 

Cultural Exchange

 

The program provides the opportunity to connect with other schools in the Connected North program through collaborative project based learning. This includes north to south connections and north to north connections. A teacher recently said that the program "...has for both Northern and Southern students exposed them to a broader definition of Canada and what it is to be a citizen of our country."

 

 

Teacher Capacity Building

 

Use of collaborative technology for teacher professional learning and mentorship. Professional development experts and peer mentors can instruct and interact with teachers in remote locations, providing them access to expertise that might otherwise have been very difficult to acquire.

Past sessions have featured keynotes by His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston and Mary Simon, and sessions run by organizations including Frontier College, The Red Cross, The Learning Partnership, Let's Talk Science and JUMP Math among others.

 

 

Networking Academy

 

Cisco Networking Academy is an IT skills and career building program for learning institutions and individuals worldwide. More than 5.5 million people have joined the Networking Academy and become a force for change in the global economy since 1997. From secondary schools to universities to community organizations, more than 9000 institutions in 170+ countries offer the Networking Academy curriculum.

Cisco is expanding networking academies to new locations across Canada, including the recently opened Networking Academy at Arctic College in Nunavut, to help provide the resources for communities to maintain the Connected North network.