LIT2T Leadership Guide

viii TO: TABLE OF CONTENTS AWELCOME MESSAGE Dear IRCC settlement language training professionals: Welcome to The LearnIT2teach Leadership Guide. This resource has been developed for you, whether you are a program administrator or lead teacher, to help you support instructors and learners in using the courseware in Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) classes or any settlement language training program. As in every sector of Canada’s economy, the field of settlement language training is challenged by current and emerging information technology. ‘IT’ is threaded through our lives and our work in ways that we could barely imagine just a decade or two ago. Integrating IT into settlement language training represents both a challenge and an opportunity for educators. We are challenged to learn new skills and change our approaches to teaching and learning, but new technology is also an opportunity to find better ways of doing things and to meet the needs and expectations of today’s newcomers. As Ray Clifford observed in 1983, “Technology will not replace teachers but teachers who do not use technology will be replaced” . Since Cliffordmade that provocative statement, we have witnessed the proliferation of computers and learning technology and the emergence of the Internet, tablets, smartphones and interactive whiteboards. How should the language programadministrator or lead teacher respond to this newworld? In the face of program funding challenges, instructors who are sometimes reluctant to change, a bewildering world of new terminology, and a constantly evolving and changing technology landscape, this manual has been written to offer you some clear guidance. By applying the knowledge and advice in this manual, you canmore effectively apply blended learning in your program. The newcomer resources in this project are based on the IRCC-funded LINC Classroom Activities books. As such, they are aligned with LINC CurriculumGuidelines, which are based on the Canadian Language Benchmarks. All project media are freely available within the LINC courseware and on the LearnIT2teach portal. Instructors can improve their professional standing through our four-stage professional development and training model and even attain a PTCT (Post TESL Certificate Training) accreditation from TESL Ontario. The project also offers Learning Technology Innovation Leadership training online, for which this manual is an important resource. The LearnIT2teach project has been on a continuous improvement cycle of its resources, personnel, partnerships and commitment to enhancing the blended learning experience across Canada. We sincerely hope that this manual eases the path to improved blended learning at your centre. We wish you complete success in your integration of new learning technologies into your program. THE LEARNIT2TEACH TEAM