Learning Resources Available for Ontario Teachers, Parents, and Students

http://www.osapac.org/cms/

          We have access to an abundance of technology resources for our students.....which we may not even know about!  Technology resources can support student learning, and with teacher support and guidance, these resources can coincide with students learning in the classroom.  It is through the Ontario Software Acquisition Program Advisory Committee (OSAPAC) website that you can find out which resources are available for your classroom to support student learning.  You can go to the OSAPAC website and browse the different resources and software available to educators in Ontario.  For each resource the OASPAC provides: a description with some key features; often offers a few points on why to use this resource in schools; software distribution rights; and technical information.  There are also curriculum connections (for various grades and strands) that are outlined with each resource, providing teachers with how and why they should use this resource in their classroom.  For some resources (like Bitstrip) you can download them straight from the OSAPAC link, but others you may need to contact your Ontario Educational Software Service (OESS) representative for downloading instructions.  Your OESS representative can also provide you with log-on passwords for the particular resource.  Each school district has an OESS representative, and they are easy to find.  All you need to do is go to the OESS website and click contact search. Then type in your school district and your representative’s contact information will be available to you.

Credit: http://msjonesbaker.com/Images/school-girl-using-computer.png

          On the Toronto Catholic District School Board website, I found this “Teachers Want to Know, a tip sheet for teachers to improve teaching and learning through use of Ministry licensed software and web services” document.  I found this tip sheet to be very useful for learning and navigating the OSAPAC website.  This tip sheet also outlines 12 web services licensed by OSAPAC that are available to teachers, parents and students from home and school.  I recommend checking them out and using them, as students can really benefit from using these tools simultaneously at home and at school.