TakingITGlobal

Closing Comments Connected North and its providers are a valuable resource for any classroom. The content available to teachers and students alike not only provides students with Indigenous role models, content, and perspectives, but also provides access to valuable experiences from national and global figures, events, and learning opportunities. As educators, we need to embrace the technology and blend it into our classroom practice so that we can create a leveled playing field with more urban and central communities. There is a challenge in embracing new approaches and breaking from the traditional teaching styles that dominate the profession; however, it can also be an exciting opportunity that will differentiate learning and open students' eyes to what possibilities there are. C o n n e c t e d N o r t h i n O u r C l a s s r o o m Parke Trann - Connected North in Our Classroom 102 Perhaps the most important aspect of any assessment model you use is to make the session meaningful. I made the mistake of having a session for the novelty of the session. The result was students were not engaged and neither retained nor made significant connections between the presentation, themselves, or their studies. After that, I made sure that sessions were connected to the course/unit, or that the sessions were connected to an inquiry that the students were making. Further, students knew there would be follow-up activities connecting to the session that would affect their academic growth. This improved student participation through observation, and formative assessments showed higher retention and comprehension of session material. Further, students were more likely to reference and recall sessions in future inquiries and learning tasks.

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