Distributed Learning in Abbotsford

Our final class in the Technology for Educational Leaders course took place in the Abbotsford Virtual School (AVS) building. Called Philip Sheffield High School at its open in 1936, the school later became an elementary school and when declining enrollment forced its close in 2005, it was repurposed to house the distributed learning (DL) staff and classrooms that make up AVS.

There are (according to our instructor Brad, who is also the administrator of AVS) 70 distributed learning schools throughout BC. Distributed learning is not the same as distance education, as many of the courses involve the possibility of face-to-face interaction. In fact, the Kindergarten to grade five model is predominantly paper-based, with weekly on-site visits for classroom participation. It is in the grades 6-12 and adult education models where much of the learning is online, although students are still able to access teacher support and hands-on opportunities regularly. We got a good look at AVS' MakerSpace, including 3D printers, virtual reality gear, and the tools for making and learning about circuits. All of this is used by students with teacher guidance.


Distributed learning is not for everyone. Students need to be self-motivated and able to ask for help and interact with a teacher online, and many of those who come to AVS as a "last resort" end up returning to their catchment school. However, the concept of "any place, any pace, any time learning" is catching on, and the number of students engaging in blended learning - some classes in their regular high school, some classes through distributed learning - has grown to about 14% of the province's 550 000 students. And with distributed learning schools able to offer a wide variety of courses to smaller groups of students than is feasible in a brick and mortar high school, this number is likely to grow. 

One of the passions of teachers working in the distributed learning world is that of digital literacy. The BC Ministry of Education defines digital literacy as "the interest, attitude and abilities of individuals to appropriately use digital technology and communication tools to access, manage, integrate, analyze and evaluate information, construct new knowledge, create and communicate with others." This sure sounds like using the tools of digital technology to learn through the new curriculum, and distributed learning teachers are at the front edge of making this happen. That's why digital literacy and citizenship is so integral to what they do. It is often the expectation of adults that children who have grown up with technology (digital natives) know how to use and respect it. However, teachers are starting to realize that this is not the case; students lack the fear of pressing buttons that plagues many adults, but are often no more savvy about what is really going on in the online world than those digital immigrants who are teaching them (those of us came to these tech tools later in life, as opposed to being born into them!). So, Brad and his team of AVS staff are purposeful about making sure that the students taking courses through the distributed learning platform understand the benefits, the risks, and the responsibilities of an online presence. As blended learning expands throughout the schools, one can hope that digital literacy will become a skill understood and demonstrated by students and staff alike.