The Alberta Collaboration for Learning has built a comprehensive library of Alberta Program of Studies content in both synchronous and asynchronous formats. From 2019-2021, more than 140 professionals (teachers, editors, copy editors, proofing staff, instructional designers, curriculum specialists and online learning professionals) created a full suite of vetted year-long Alberta online K-12 courses. In addition, the Consortium has also started to replace textbooks and recommended reading resources in digital copyright-free formats. By summer 2021 they have curated more than 150 literature, science and math resources, along with a remarkable collection of 40 Alberta curriculum textbooks.
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Learn about what the Alberta Collaboration for Learning has completed so far
Where we started: Buffalo Trail Public Schools & Horizon School Division
Starting in 2019, BTPS and Horizon launched the Sharing is Caring Initiative by creating and sharing a course collection of AB Program of Studies learning standards from K-12 in all core courses, plus FSL, CALM, Physical Education, Fine Arts and CTS. Through this program, they continue to contribute to:
- Full online courses published to a shareable Hāpara course repository
- Substantial ongoing cost savings reducing core and supplemental resources and apps purchases
- Significantly reduced time for teacher preparation
- Increased instructional time for teachers
- Equitable student learning opportunities regardless of setting– home, school or blended
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Use the Alberta Sharing is Caring school division savings calculator to determine the benefit to your school division!
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View the Alberta Program of Studies K-12 Workspaces for Google
Created by educators and engineers guided by Alberta school divisions. Used by over 20 school jurisdictions in Alberta and 4,850 school divisions worldwide.
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Explore Alberta’s K-12 Workspace collection by grade
BLOG POST
Driving equity in Alberta, Canada through the spirit of collaboration
In less than two years, the Alberta Collaboration for Learning (ACL) has built a comprehensive library of Alberta Program of Studies content in both synchronous and asynchronous formats. The content addresses an increasing need for robust resources that fulfill students’ 21st century learning needs.
Mindshare Learning Moment with Robert Martellacci
Join Katrin Heim, Heather Rentz and Wayne Poncia, as they explore the Buffalo Trail Public Schools success story with remote learning, adapting to the challenges and opportunities of 2020 and the inspiration behind “Sharing is Caring.”
Find out more about Sharing is caring and hear from the contributors during our webinar series
Meet some of the creators and kickstarters of the Sharing is Caring Initiative:
“My name is Heather Rentz and I work as an Innovation Coach for Buffalo Trail Public Schools. My role is to assist and collaborate with educators and administrators in the enhancement of teaching and learning practices. I have been in education for 20 years in a wide range of classroom positions from Grade 1 to Grade 12. As a life-long learner, my teaching philosophy continues to evolve. Through the use of Hāpara, I support innovative instructional practices to meet the diverse needs of our learners in our division.”
Heather Rentz
Innovation Coach
Buffalo Trail Public Schools
“I’m Katrin Heim, a new member of the Learning Services Team in the role of Innovation Coach. I feel fortunate to have worked in Buffalo Trail Public Schools in a variety of teaching capacities over the past ten years including as a grade one and two classroom teacher, Inclusive Learning Lead and Peer Instructional Coach. Maximizing learning opportunities for children in our communities is my passion and I look forward to opportunities to collaborate with teachers across BTPS to create optimal learning opportunities for all learners.”
Katrin Heim
Innovation Coach
Buffalo Trail Public Schools
“My name is Alissa Henriet and I’ve been a teacher for 12 years in Taber Alberta, Canada. I am currently teaching Grade 2, all subjects. Hāpara was introduced to us this year as we made the shift to online teaching. It is super user-friendly and allowed me to compile all of my lessons in short, easy steps. I love to customize my Workspaces to make them work for me, and Hāpara was a one-stop shop that allowed me to create my Workspaces the way I wanted. I’m so excited that next year, all of my planning will be easy to access and find now. I will continually add and tweak my lessons as I find new materials or resources. It’s assuring to know all outcomes and essential understandings are there and easy to find, year after year!”
Alissa Henriet
Educator, Grade 2
Horizon School Division
Meet some of the district leaders:
“When I reflect on Horizon’s adoption of Hāpara, what stands out to me is the alignment of Hāpara’s structure with concept-based planning. This is an area I’m very proud of when I review our teachers’ work to date. This is relevant right now as we anticipate a new ministerial order on learning and the revised Alberta curriculum for K-6. We are working hard to ensure effective assessment also figures prominently in our Hāpara Workspaces and environment.”
Amber Darroch
Associate Superintendent
Horizon School Division
“I am thrilled to be part of the Hāpara work with Buffalo Trail Public Schools. There are so many benefits of using Hapara for our staff and students. The Sharing is Caring Project supports teachers across the province as lessons, projects, and units are developed and shared. These workspaces are advantageous for teachers whether they are teaching students in their classrooms or at home. I am amazed by the dedication of our staff who have taken on this learning opportunity. I am extremely proud of our teachers who have created materials and collaborated with others to support students.“
Rhae-Ann Holoien
Superintendent
Buffalo Trail Public Schools
Frequently asked questions: Hāpara and Alberta
What is Hāpara?
Hāpara is an instructional management tool that organizes teaching and learning workflows in G Suite to provide a seamless, high-quality educational experience. Learn more about Hāpara.
What do I get with access to the Hāpara Instructional Suite?
Check out our Buyer’s Guide to see an overview of our suite for informed purchasing decisions here: https://hāpara.com/buyers-guide/
How do I get started with Hāpara?
The best way to get started is to schedule a brief meeting with our Regional Sales Representative, Roger Nakamura. Roger works closely with schools in Alberta and can give you a tour of our instructional suite and the collection of lessons, as well as provide information on pricing and pilot opportunities that are suited to your needs. Schedule a meeting, here: https://go.oncehub.com/rogernakamura
Can I pilot the instructional suite and where can I learn more?
Yes! We are offering pilots of our suite. We will work directly with you to determine the program that fits your needs. Learn more by contacting Alberta’s Regional Representative, Roger Nakamura: https://go.oncehub.com/rogernakamura
How long does it take to implement? And will it be cumbersome for our educators?
- Time to integrate and onboard averages 3-5 days.
- Hāpara provides free consultation and professional learning opportunities specific to your educators’ needs.
- New Hāpara users will also be introduced to the Hāpara Community of thousands of educators, who use Hāpara around the world, and that can assist with real life examples and experiences.
Is Hāpara compliant with privacy legislation for Canada and the Province of Alberta?
Yes, Hāpara is compliant with Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and the Province of Alberta’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA):
Hāpara does not collect teacher or student data independent from the School Authority. Hāpara creates a secure online instruction and learning suite on top of Google’s G Suite within the Google Cloud for the use of teachers and students. Hāpara becomes the school authority’s school-in-the-cloud ensuring the security of limited, personally identifiable information.
Hāpara is one of only 446 companies to sign and guarantee commitment to the Student Privacy Pledge and is externally audited on an annual basis. https://studentprivacypledge.org/privacy-pledge/
What is the Sharing is Caring initiative and how did it start?
Spearheaded by Buffalo Trail Public Schools, the technology team wanted to create a learning platform for learners that would be available 24/7, so they would be able to access quality content at any time that was created by their teachers. Hāpara presented as the perfect hub to start working on this collection because it organizes Google Workspace for Education tools and Google Classroom according to teacher and student workflows. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, the need for the collection became greater and content creation and sharing began to take off.