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Alberta’s Online Reference Centre a boon to teachers
The Online Reference Centre (ORC) makes it easier than ever before for teachers to incorporate digital resources that support inquiry-based research and information literacy skills into their curriculum planning.
ORC resources support all grades from K–12 and cover a wide variety of subject areas, including mathematics, sciences, computer sciences, human geography, psychology and art. Materials are also applicable for students in international baccalaureate and advanced placement programs and for those learning a language.
Using the ORC will support inquiry projects and will also teach students necessary information literacy skills by providing them with high-quality, professionally vetted, curriculum-aligned resources. The wide selection of newspapers, international and domestic magazines, media transcripts, periodicals, academic journals and biographies allows students to evaluate and differentiate between reliable resources. By infusing the ORC into instruction, students begin to learn the importance of accessing multiple sources and the benefits of using a proprietary database.
The benefits do not stop there. Interactive features such as text-to-speech, text translation, text prediction and embedded dictionaries/thesauri level the playing field for classrooms of diverse learners. Many ORC resources allow students to share articles through social media, subscribe to RSS feeds and download articles to MP3.
The ORC collection, which provides $1.7 million worth of resources to Alberta schools, can be accessed 24/7/365 both in school and remotely through LearnAlberta.ca. The ORC refreshes resources frequently to ensure that they continue to be an engaging, up-to-date and trusted source of information for both students and staff. Periodically teachers are encouraged to participate in provincewide resource trials and surveys to evaluate and select new resources.
To help teachers learn about the features and benefits of the resources, the ORC has developed a robust website (www.onlinereferencecentre.ca) that provides just-in-time support for teachers. The ORC support site includes training material such as guides, videos and podcasts that can be accessed when it’s convenient for teachers. ORC Coordinator Jamie Davis also holds monthly webinars highlighting ORC resources and archives these webinars on the website for teachers who aren’t able to attend the webinar.
Davis also provides professional learning support for K–12 school staff across the province. She is available to present at PD days, conventions or other school and district events and is happy to customize training to fit staff needs. Training sessions are free and can be booked through the ORC support site.
Teachers are also encouraged to join the ORC professional learning community. The ORC listserv (https://lists.talonline.ca/listinfo/orc) is a convenient way to learn more about ORC resources. You can connect with Davis and fellow teachers through Twitter (@ORC_AB) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/OnlineReferenceCentre).
By providing anytime, anywhere support for teachers, the ORC makes it easy to infuse digital reference resources that support curriculum outcomes into your classroom. Contact the ORC to learn more.
