This post was co-written by Stacy Anne Allen and Craig Bullett
Quebec’s Digital Competency Framework, Digital Action Plan, and the new Teacher Competencies require all teachers to integrate technology. In order to support teachers and consultants, team members from LEARN’s Provincial RÉCIT for the anglophone community with the help of consultants from the Anglophone RÉCIT Network have created Digital Competency in Action (DCA) / Compétence numérique en action (CNA).
A One-Stop Site
Teachers and consultants are busy people; they rarely have time specifically allocated to learn new ways to incorporate technology into their practice. When they do have time, it often gets eaten up checking multiple sites just to find one or two applicable resources – that is, until now…
The new comprehensive Digital Competency in Action or DCA website was designed to make it easy to ensure all of the dimensions are addressed in class allowing each dimension its intended space as the context requires. We want teachers to spend less time looking for resources and more time building their students’ and their own digital competency.
The new site pulls together the best content from the existing Digital Citizenship Quebec, Inquiry Process, and the Learn and Lead, Educators’ Toolbox, and several LEARN RÉCIT pages. We also provide time-saving summaries of several ministry documents. You no longer need to visit multiple sites to find the information or resources you need!
Looking for a place to jump in? Try our DCA/CNA website treasure hunt! It is available in English and French
Accessibility to reach a wider audience
When we were designing the site, it was extremely important to us that all users could personalize settings to meet their individual needs. Accessibility tools and screen readers benefit all learners, including teachers! So, if you click on the accessibility icon, you will get a list of tools to adjust the text, fonts, contrasts, and colours. We learned a lot about Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and the Design Process; the respective pages contain resources for our diverse learners.
Focus Tools (Graphic Organizers)
When creating the site, we focused on the importance of using visuals, like graphic organizers, to help support elementary and secondary learners.
We used visuals throughout the site to support the text. We also included a wide range of our existing digital graphic organizers for teachers and students. All of the tools can be copied and personalized to meet your specific context.
Inquiry Learning and STEAM Education
As UDL illustrates, there are multiple ways to access and engage materials and demonstrate learning. Our additional resources section includes curated videos, graphics, lesson plans, online tools, professional development opportunities, and more. We chose resources that would support all educators so we’ve gathered over 800 peer-reviewed resources. The easy-to-use search filters on the left hand of the page allow you to find what you need efficiently!
Like teachers, students also need multiple ways to access content, engage in learning, and express their understanding. This is why we’ve included pages on the Inquiry Process, Open Creative Spaces (OCS), robotics, microcontrollers, coding, and blended learning. Exploring alternatives to traditional lecture and pen-and-paper assignments helps ensure all students are able to achieve their true potential and become fully engaged in the learning process.
Are your students hands-on learners? Be sure to explore the long list of STEAM challenges created by LEARN’s OCS team! The challenges are a great way to support authentic learning situations and investigate real-world problems.
Building a Community of Learners and Practitioners
We believe that teachers learn better when they collaborate. The goal of the DCA website is to provide practical and relevant resources for educators but we can’t do this alone. We need input from you!
We invite you to use the Suggest a Resource button (under the Find Additional Resources menu). Your recommendations will simplify the lives of other Quebec educators and will help support your community of practice. Similarly, if you notice a resource on the site that is out of date or no longer relevant, contact us through the DCA site so we can delete it!
Let’s take action to nurture digital competency and personalize learning environments for all students and educators.
To learn more about navigating our website, we invite you to watch the capsules below:
DCA Capsule 1: Site Overview
DCA Capsule 2: How to Find Additional Resources
