Students in Québec will soon have access to a robust version of ChatterHigh online, where they will have fun, learn, win contests, and do fundraising—all while exploring career and post-secondary options.
ChatterHigh complements other tools used in career exploration. Students log in to the ChatterHigh website daily and complete a 10-question quiz. The quiz question 
categories include post secondary education, careers, health and safety, financial literacy, youth services, and events, among others.
Question are varied. The following are examples of typical questions: “What services are offered online at ABC organization?”, “What scholarships are available to high school students at ABC University?”, “Which career exploration tool is used by XYZ?” The question is followed by four multiple-choice answers. Clicking the “Research” button leads to the website where the answer is easily found.
Doing the research not only makes it easy to select the right answer, it also takes users to websites that are safe, reliable, and relevant. Students then spend less time searching for these websites, and and can focus on the many new areas for exploration and reflection.
Nancy Battet invited Lee Taal, founder and CEO, to present ChatterHigh at LBPSB on October 22. Taal explained that he has “gamified” career and post-secondary exploration for a simple reason—to provide a fun way for students to get into the habit of doing the research that will broaden their awareness of the enormous possibilities for their future.
“Education is not K-to-12,” says Lee, “it’s
K-to-career.”
ChatterHigh “gamifies the exploration of post-secondary and career options.” Students get points for each correct answer and for each time they do the research. Points can be redeemed for prizes or donated to “Free the Children.”
Teachers have access to the students’ and class’ statistics and can monitor their progress. A lesson plan is available for each province indicating which Learning Outcomes are supported. Those who choose to dig deeper can connect with each other in moderated discussion forums.
ChatterHigh is free to users and available 24 hours a day, all year-round. High schools in Québec are already in the ChatterHigh system so teachers and students can begin to explore the website now. Taal is constantly adding questions and research links to the database.
CEGEPs are being added now, and Taal is currently working to include universities in Quebec. He has a team of volunteers and helpers who are writing questions in French and working on a French version of the website.
Competitions add to the fun
The 1st National Post-Secondary and Career Exploration Competition (October 26, 2015, to December 4, 2015) includes prizes: $25,000 to be divided into 32 grand prize cash awards. Québec students could be ready to compete in the next regional contest, expected in the spring of 2016.
Competition can foster a surprising level of positive
school spirit and community pride while
engaging participants with critical thinking opportunities.
Getting Started
Videos are provided which explain ChatterHigh and teach users how to register and get started. Start by viewing “ChatterHigh in 60 Seconds.” After the initial setup, students can complete the daily quiz anytime, anywhere as long as they have access to a computer or a mobile device.
Nancy says that the presentation by Taal at LBPSB was a fantastic introduction to ChatterHigh. Lee says the focus right now, however, is on adding Québec content. Watch this space for updates in the coming months. To learn more, contact founder and CEO Mr. Lee Taal at lee@chatterhigh.com.
Becoming Adaptable (video)
Lee Taal talks with Road to Employment co-founder Denis Luchyshyn about the reality of the working world.
He recalls his experience learning how to learn throughout school and the great importance of becoming adaptable as his career took massive shifts.
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