Avenue




Hello everyone and welcome back to another school year. The summers seem to fly by every year. 

As we prepare for our new classes remember to remove (unenroll) your old students from the class on AVENUE and do a reset to your course. You can also create a brand new class with the Course builder option. This is a great way to tailor a class to specifica student needs. 

With regard to technology, we should all remember to remove old students from you ELLII classes to release the licenses. We only have so many available per class. 

In the Google Classroom, if you are using it, do not remove your students or delete the classes. You can archive them so that the students still have access to the old material. Former students will have access to your old and new Google classrooms. New students will only see the new class on their feed. 

Last but not least, it is a great time to clean up your email inbox. If you still have unread emails from 2021 or 2022 or 2023.......It is time to purge and clean them out. 

More to come soon. See you all soon. 





The time of year we all wait for.........

We are close to the end of the school year so now is the time to review your assessments for students. How many do you have? How many does the student need? 

Remember we should have 5-8 assessments per skill, per level. The student results should be 75% to 80% complete in order to go up a CLB level. Students should go up one level at a time. 


In the picture above, you can see the class register. It is found on the "My Home" page when you first log in. It shows a summary of the student's progress. You can also click on each individual student and see the details of their progress. (Red Circle). 


Here we can see the individual progress report. The green colour is successful completion of a task. The orange/red colour shows they were not successful.

Please stay tuned for the PBLA update webinar coming up very soon. 

Click below for past webinars on various topics. 


Click below for the development of AVENUE. There have been some great updates. 







Finally spring has sprung........

Tutela Access in Avenue Update
Testing is under way for the second phase of Avenue’s integration with Tutela. The unified sign-in will soon allow (editing) teachers to import Tutela resources directly into their courses. A Moodle message (with a help file) will be sent to all Avenue teachers when it is launched.

Respect & Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples: Introductory Training for Language Instructors
Developed by Achēv through funding from the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Training, Immigration and Skills Development, all Ontario ESL instructors and administrators have been enrolled in this self-directed training course. Other Avenue instructors and administrators can request access fill out this form 

Upcoming Avenue Webinar

  • Strategies and Ideas for Using Avenue with Low CLB Learners - April 11, 2024
  • Please check TUTELA regularly for new webinars. 
HERE is a link to a very interesting article about online learning. 

Click the link below to see short videos from CRA about taxes. Very easy and quick for our classes. 

CRA has also created some translated facts sheets about taxes. 

In the webinar below, John Allan, demonstrated the available options that editing instructors can use to monitor their student's progress on their Avenue courses. Avenue Editing teachers (Stage 2+) have the privilege to set up and manipulate these tools. Note that the Instructor (non-editing) role cannot set up these tools but can use them to monitor student

Webinar - Previously recorded. 

From the TCDSB are some videos to use with PBLA Language Companions. There are, as you may know, many of these binders at schools across Canada. Many schools use them regularly and if you do, below is the YouTube link for the videos produced by TCDSB. 

TCDSB Video Collection  - For use with all levels 





It is hard to believe it is March already. We are in the home stretch now. We got this everyone!! We can do this!! 

The team at AVENUE is currently streamlining the training stages to improve completion of teacher preparation as editors of their Avenue courses. 

1. Stage 1 is being replaced by the Avenue Instructor Bootcamp course.

The Bootcamp will require 3-4 hours to complete. After completing this course, LINC and CLIC teachers will have the option of stopping and staying in the Instructor (non-editing) role. This role allows them to manage and facilitate courses they create with the Course Builder, but not add or change any content.

2. Pre-Stage 1 is being replaced by the Transition to Stage 2 course. 

The one-hour Transition to Stage 2 course will prepare teachers for becoming a course editor, so they can benefit from their new permissions when they enter Stage 2.

3. Stage 2 converted to Micro-credentials

Micro-credentials represent the organization of Stage 2 into smaller modules that may be more manageable for teachers. Stage 2 requires that the teacher put the courseware to work with their learners. In fact, much of Stage 2 represents a practicum where the teacher is putting the Avenue platform to work with their learners. 

Of the 18 – 20 hours of effort required to complete Stage 2, five to ten hours represent time on instruction (lesson planning/delivery) that the teacher would be doing in any case, and about 10 hours is time dedicated purely to professional development. 

4. Avenue Basics for Supply Teachers course

Supply teacher training has been available from LearnIT2teach for some time. It requires about 3 – 3.5 hours to complete and prepares supply teachers to facilitate another teacher’s course in the Instructor (non-editing) role.

5. Transition to Stage 2 for Avenue-trained Supply Teachers course

This 90-minute course will give temporary teachers who completed the Avenue Basics for Supply Teachers course the opportunity to enter Stage 2 and manage their own course without having to restart the training.

Using AVENUE is not a replacement for what we do in the classes. It is meant to be supplemental to what we do and can enhance our lessons in class. There is so much more for us to choose from now with the course builder. 

I am available to help any day after 2pm or on Fridays from 9 am to 12 pm and after 2 pm. We can ZOOM, talk on the phone or you can visit me at my location anytime. Hope to hear from you soon. 



WELCOME TO FEBRUARY 2024 

The LET online modules and lesson plans are a collection of learning activities that engage teachers and students with the use of technology for learning English. Newcomers understand the importance of digital literacy in their lives and LET engages them in low-stakes online interactions that will prepare them to access resources and services related to their settlement that are increasingly offered online.

The learning activities included in the LET lesson plans can be used in-class or remotely, in print or online. They were developed to support LINC instructors’ use of Blended Learning in their teaching and foster an understanding of the challenges and opportunities for integration of learning technology.

To request a copy of the LET online modules for your Avenue course complete this form.

Preview the LET online modules on Avenue hereThe self-enrolment key can be found here.


Upcoming Webinar

  • Conducting Assessment using the Avenue tools and resources (Part 1) - Assessing Listening and Reading
    Thursday. Feb 8/24 4-5 ET Click here for more info and to register. 
  • Past Webinars - AVENUE Webinars
Don't forget to visit Tutela for lots of resources - TUTELA 











WELCOME TO A NEW YEAR & NEW OPPORTUNTIES

JANUARY 2024

Please remember to check the Avenue Help pages. Everything you need is here in one place. There is also LIVE HELP in the bottom right corner of the page for immediate questions. I am available Monday to Thursday after 2 pm & on Friday from 9 to 12 and after 2 pm. Please let me know how I can help you. More updates coming soon. 

AVENUE HELP  

AVENUE STAGE 2 SUPPORT   - For anyone who is still completing stage 2. This is a requirement for all instructors at The Centre for Skills. 

PAST WEBINARS  - Here is a list of past webinars. Many are very helpful and can help with classroom support. 

LINC LEARNING SUBJECTS  -  These e-resources are appropriate for use by students working independently outside of a LINC class or inside a computer lab facilitated by a classroom instructor. In fact, the e-resources are ideal for use in a computer lab; each learning object has a lead-in page to introduce the background language and any requisite knowledge.



NOVEMBER 2023 UPDATE

A new resource has been created for instructors looking for a one-stop shop of Avenue ePortfolio training materials. The Avenue ePortfolio Instructor Resource Hub is a place to share ideas about the ePortfolio, read FAQs and offer ideas to developers through a suggestion box.

Joining the Hub is optional. It uses self-enrolment with an enrolment key. Access instructions are explained in this file or you can click this course link https://avenue.ca/classroom/course/view.php?id=4432 and use epav23 as the enrolment key.      

The course buidler continues to grow. New modules are added daily and many of the units are CLB 1 & 2 and in H5P format so every easy for the lower levels to work on. 

There is a new webinar coming up on November 23rd. Please join John Allan on November 23rd at 4 pm ET for the webinar "Speed up your Avenue course performance".  

Since the Spring of 2023, active instructors have reported that they experience long intervals between actions while editing their Avenue courses. A few known causes of this include too many topics, too much content, and overloaded question banks.  This webinar will demonstrate a few techniques to reduce a course's resources to ensure that it will streamline your Avenue editing experience in the future. Join the webinar to watch the demonstration and acquire a how to sheet for each potential solution.

Questions are welcome upon registration and during the session.

Please register on the form here

An invitation to this session will be sent to all who register on the evening of November 22. Registration will be closed at that time.

Also a past Webinar that is available on video. 

Marijke and Dori on November 15 at 1 pm ET for the webinar "Language for Post-secondary Education".  

In this session, the presenters will be taking a look at two new modules under the theme 'Attending Post-Secondary Education'  

CLB 5-6: Communicating about Choices for College  

CLB 7-8: Deciding on a College Program 

You will get an overview of the skills and real-world tasks covered in these modules, and they will discuss practical suggestions with you for teaching these modules in a blended program. If you would like, you can preview the modules in the course builder. 

                   


             AUTUMN 2023 UPDATE

Welcome to fall and the new cooler weather. Thank you so much to those who attended the first TechKnow Session. The next one will be in November (date and time TBD). Here are the new units on AVENUE for the fall.

Also below are the steps for the new Course Builder feature on AVNEUE. It is very easy and check the September update for the PDF docs for the full description and video links.

As always, if you need help, please let me know and we can work things out. Thanks. Danielle

New units – September 2023

CLB 4 Going to the Emergency Department Health

CLB 4 Understanding Job Scams Employment 

CLB 4 Telling a Friend about a Library Program* Community       

CLB 3 Understanding Debit Card Safety Banking  

CLB 3 Using Local Transportation Community  

CLB 4 Talking about a Neighbourhood Problem  Home and Neighbourhood 

 

PICTURE 1 – After you log in and go to your classroom, on the left menu choose the COURSE BUILDER.


PICTURE 2 – There are almost 400 eUnits available to us now. More are added all the time. You can choose by theme or CLB level (blue arrow). Each unit shows the CLB level, who created it & the theme or category. You can preview it with eyeball icon and if you want to use it, click the pin. (red arrows)


PICTURE 3 – You must choose at least 2 units to request a course. You can pin as many as you like and the shopping cart icon will show how many you have. When you are ready, click on the request course button. (orange circle and arrows)


PICTURE 4 – Everything in this section must be filled out completely or it will be denied.

1.    You can add to your existing course or create a brand new one

2.    There are several templates to choose from depending on your level or you can have a blank course. Then you can customize as you wish.

3.    You must give your class a name. Make it easy for you and your students.

4.    Select “The Centre for Skills” from the dropdown menu.

5.    Type in your location. All of our classes are associated with a site (online or in person)

6.    This is most important. Select the opening and closing dates for the course otherwise the students will not be able to see the work. I suggest making it from Sept 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024 so there is no complication later on.

7.    When you are ready, click submit and in less than 24 hours you will receive an email to say accepted or declined.                                


September 2023 - Welcome back to class

The Onyx/Avenue merger is now complete. There are now more than 375 EUnits and Modules available to us. Attached here are some very helpful videos to get you started. You can now also add you own courses without requesting from your Mentor. This gives us more control of the classroom and materials used in the classes. 

It is not too difficult to do but remember, before you add anything new or new students, you need to reset your class and set the start and finish dates for the course. Attached here the instructions to reset as well as the videos.

I am available every day after 2 pm and on Friday mornings for any questions or if you would like to have a quick ZOOM.

REST CLASS FOR THE NEW YEAR PDF

 Viewing the Courses PDF

Preview courses Video

Course Builder PDF

Course Builder Video

Adding EUnits PDF

Adding EUnits Video


May/June 2023 Update – We are in the home stretch everyone!!!

As we get to the end of our school year, we should begin to look at our assessments for each student and how they have progressed (or not). Remember to look at all the work the student has done in the classroom, in the Google classroom, with ELLII & with AVENUE. We are not looking just at the assessments but the other day to day work, participation in the class and attendance.

With regard to AVENUE, if you have been using it weekly, you should by now have collected 23 assessments in various skills. (January to June = 23 weeks). If you have had a student since September, you should have collected 46 assessments approximately. (September to June = 46 weeks) Avenue has changed its look recently so attached here are some screenshots of where to find the student information.

The first place is in the Class Register accessed from the Home page after you login (picture 1). When this opens, you can see all the students and their progress so far (picture 2). You can also click each student individually and see all the completed assessments and results (picture 3).

The other way to look at student progress is in the virtual binder (picture 4). On the left, choose the class and the student you wish to look at. All the artifacts will show up and you can narrow it down further to listening or speaking by choosing the box above. This is much quicker and easier to see the overall progress of your students but both ways show the same information.

Stay tuned for more on the AVENUE/ONYX merger which should be completed in September and be ready to use for the next school year. Check the link below for updated information.

Also remember to remove your students from the AVENUE classroom at the end of the school year. You also need to “RESET” the class before September. Attached here are the instructions to do that. It is very easy but takes some time to do.

Congratulations to everyone on an excellent school year. You should be proud of your work and know that most of your students appreciate you and the work do. Have a well deserved summer break and we will see you in September. Happy Summer!!!





RESET CLASS


AVENUE/ONYX MERGER UPDATES


April 2023 - Update        🎕💮⚘🌴🌳🐦

Hello everyone and welcome to spring finally. We are now very close to the end of the school year but there is still time to get some very good artifacts for your student portfolios. We will have an AVENUE session on Friday May 5 @ 11 am with updates and reviews. 

You will notice some aesthetic changes to AVENUE in the last month. Things are changing quickly on site and there is more to come in preparation for the merger with ONYX. It does have challenges too. The system is slower and there are more upgrades need to the software but this is temporary. 

Attached here are also Webinars from the AVENUE site. Most recently, there was a STAGE 2 webinar with great information about completing or reviewing the elements of that level. 

The complete list of webinars is also attached. Please let me know if you need any help. 

Avenue Past Webinars   

Stage 2 Webinar - March 23, 2023

STAGE 2 VIDEOS


March Update - Spring has sprung 

Here are some of the new and upcoming things happening at AVENUE. There will be an online session coming up soon. Please stay tuned for that information. In the meantime, I am available Monday to Thursday after 2 pm or all day on Fridays. Just drop me a line. 

New LearnIT2teach Course: Avenue Basics for Supply Teachers

This 3- to 4-hour course prepares teachers to facilitate an Avenue course in the Instructor (non-editing) role. Teachers with this role in a course can show and hide content, move content on the course page, but they cannot edit the courseware. The Instructor (non-editing) role is ideal for supply teachers who need to fill in for teachers with their own Avenue courses who must take leave for short or even extended periods of time. (Avenue teachers who have progressed to LearnIT2teach Stage 2 can facilitate a course without this training and do not need to enroll in the Avenue Basics for Supply Teachers course.)

Refreshed and Augmented Leadership Courses for 2023

The technology leadership courses were released in 2015. Since then, several hundred LINC pros have made their way through. In 2022 we decided the two halves of the leadership training were due for a deep refresh. We’ve made major changes in the past 12 months. Now the courses are updated and ready to go.

We invite LINC and CLIC professionals to request enrolment. Read on to discover how the new course builds on earlier versions, but we’ve added a new focus on learning technology standards for programs, teachers, learners and managers.

The course is mentored and delivered online through Avenue.ca. Participants in the course have self-identified as technology leaders, and their forum posts reflect valuable lessons from their local language training programs.

New PBLA Module Available: Working in Academic Groups (CLB 7-8)

Avenue teachers can visit the PBLA Sample Modules course to preview this new module from New Language Solutions. Teachers may request it through their mentor. A webinar demonstrating this and another module about Getting Ready for Post Secondary Education will be delivered on February 22.

Remember to check the development status of the new and ongoing projects on AVENUE by clicking here. https://newlanguage.ca/development-status-avenue/

Avenue-Onyx Merger (Onyxon.ca) the Moodle learning management system and web portal serving Ontario’s non-credit adult ESL and FSL programming for immigrants will be merged into Avenue.ca in 2023. This merger will coincide with the release of Avenue's new resource catalogue and automated course builder. New content on Avenue resulting from the merger will include PBLA-compatible eUnits and occupational-specific language training courses. 

New Language Solutions is also a partner of the Toronto Catholic District School Board in developing Onyxon.ca, online language resources for adult newcomers in Government of Ontario funded Non-credit ESL programs. School boards across Ontario deliver ESL instruction to newcomers who have achieved citizenship but still want to develop their English and French language skills. Onyxon.ca is currently in pilot but will eventually serve teachers, learners and newcomers across Ontario with online courseware to support blended or distance learning.

https://newlanguage.ca/development-status-onyx-to-avenue/

 Remember to also check the new updated PBLA modules regularly. They are always adding new ones or updating the older ones. 


HAPPY NEW YEAR – WELCOME TO 2023

Here are some AVENUE updates. There are some new up and coming things that are very exciting.

1.     National LINC Online Curriculum and Online PBLA (NLOC) Project – User Testing. Calling all LINC instructors: Opportunity to test new NLOC courseware! If you are a LINC instructor on avenue.ca and you’d like to add PBLA-aligned units to your course next semester, the National LINC Online Curriculum Project is pleased to share that more ready-made content will be made available for testing. This winter, Achēv is seeking LINC instructors to test up to three CLB-4 e-Units. All units will be hosted in Avenue.ca. The following new units can be added to your course(s) for this test period:  

http://learnit2teach.ca/wpnew/national-linc-online-curriculum-and-online-pbla-nloc-project-user-testing/

2.     Avenue-Onyx Merger (Onyxon.ca) the Moodle learning management system and web portal serving Ontario’s non-credit adult ESL and FSL programming for immigrants, will be merged into Avenue.ca in 2023. This merger will coincide with the release of Avenue's new resource catalogue and automated course builder. New content on Avenue resulting from the merger will include PBLA-compatible eUnits and occupational-specific language training courses.  

https://newlanguage.ca/development-status-onyx-to-avenue/

3.     Avenue has introduced a pronunciation course. Please contact your mentor for more information.

4.     Please also look at the November post for some other new modules and programs available. 


Some very helpful AVENUE sites with PDF files and videos.  - November 2022 Update.

TUTELA WEBINARS (PAST)

Avenue for Productive Tasks & Receptive Tasks. These are 2 different past webinars by Shabana Shahzad. She goes through the set up and completion of RWT assessments. How to make them more authentic and secure. Two excellent webinars that I highly recommend. 

PRONUNCIATION COURSE ON AVENUE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eawLLGesPQw (copy/paste link) 

LITERACY VIDEOS FOR STUDENTS ACCESSING AVENUE

MLA Avenue Password (vimeo.com)

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2WZZQ6irWxWCO9iJmybAJw/videos  (copy/paste link)

PDF FILES

Avenue More Help – LearnIT2Teach

AVENUE VIDEO HELP FILES 

Avenue Videos – LearnIT2Teach

ONBOARDING OF NEW STUDENTS TO AVENUE (CLB 3-5)

Onboarding New LINC Students to Avenue - YouTube

NEW MODULES FOR HIGHER LEVELS (CLB 6-8) 

PBLA eUnits/Modules on Avenue – LearnIT2Teach

The TESL Ontario conference videos are now available. Please consider watching some of the sessions listed below. The videos from the conference are available to watch on the same page you accessed the conference. (Pheedloop). All the videos from all the sessions are housed there. 

Thursday: 12PM ET, the session LINC Stakeholders - Digital Accessibility Perspectives  is on at  #TESL2022  online @learnit2teach #TESL #ESL @TESLOntario

12PM ET, the session Onyxon.ca: Ontario's Non-credit Adult ESL Web Portal is on at  #TESL2022  online @learnit2teach #TESL #ESL @TESLOntario

12PM ET, the session Maximizing the Security of Online Assessments in Avenue is on at  #TESL2022  online @learnit2teach #TESL #ESL @TESLOntario

3PM ET, the session Avenue.ca: What's New and What's Down the Road is on at  #TESL2022  online @learnit2teach #TESL #ESL @TESLOntario

4:30PM ET, the session PD in integrating Technology for Settlement Language Training is starting at  #TESL2022  online @learnit2teach #TESL #ESL @TESLOntario


OCTOBER 2022 UPDATE 👻👾💀👽👼👸💂👹😀

Here is a quick refresher for getting your AVENUE classroom ready. 

First of all remember when you delete/remove a student from the AVENUE classroom, the portfolio is untouched. Once a student is registered, it is forever and they have the portfolio that follows them from class to class or different cities or provinces. 

Secondly, to open or start your class, you should set the session dates and remember to "SHOW" your course otherwise the students cannot see it. Add students from the starting page after you log in. It is easier & it is faster from there. If you need to make changes to a student profile, also on the main log in page is the class register. You can change emails, passwords and other information as needed. You can also see their progress in the course and how many artifacts for each skill. 

Also on the main starting page are the areas where you can see the new modules and H5Ps for the different levels. Please contact your mentor to have them added or removed from your course. 

Lastly, in the CLASSROOM itself, you can personalize your classroom by adding pictures, HTML links, videos, audio and much more. 

FOR IN PERSON INSTRUCTORS

Use this in the classroom with the computers. You can monitor them while they work and help with problems in real time. 

Begin by showing them how to access or do an activity. You should use your dummy account for this so they can see an actual student account. Do not use the teacher account in student view as it will not work properly.  

Online assessments in real time in the classroom and you can monitor them while doing it. Give them a time limit then it is saved and the artifact is added directly to the online binder. 

For large classes, split the group in 2 or 3 smaller groups. If you have 20 students, you can do groups of 10 or 5 working on the computers in the classroom while other students are doing other work. You can also break up by level. Higher level students on the computers and lower level doing something else OR visa versa. 

Use it 3 times a month or once a week. That is a bare minimum expectation but if you want to use it daily, that is good too. Do what works for you and the level of your students. Read the room. If they have low computer skills then slowly integrate them into the program. 

Once they are more comfortable, assign homework on the weekends. Give them follow up activities to reinforce after a unit is completed. There are many options. 

FOR ONLINE INSTRUCTORS

Use it during your class time & share screen

Do the activities together or use it for information purposes

Higher level classes/students can be assigned work to do at home on the weekends etc.

Definitely use it for assessments (Quizzes & Assignments)

You could try to have all the students on AVENUE at the same time doing an activity while you share the same activity and walk them through it. There are also live quizzes that you can do and monitor them live with everyone in the AVENUE classroom at the same time. This is not for everyone but if you want to challenge yourself, give it a try. 

COMING SOON TO AVENUE

English Pronunciation Course
Beginner “How To” videos for literacy learners
More H5Ps for Literacy & low levels
Improvements to the grade book & student register
Artifact Inventory Page (Binder)
Tutela Integration
AVENUE Mobile App 



HAPPY SEPTEMBER - HERE WE GO AGAIN.......

Hi all. Welcome back. This is a very quick email to explain how to set up your class for the new year. 

You must do a RESET of your classes. This should be done before the first day of classes.

This is done for a few reasons:

First, it allows you to reuse the course content in this new class year.

If you have returning students but you do not reset the class, the system will show that they have already completed the work and they will have trouble accessing the materials.

Second, It saves a lot of time for us. If we don't reset, then we need to search for and delete each individual piece of work assigned. This gives us a clean slate to start the year.

There is also a link for the new modules and units available this year. contact Nancy to add them to your class. 

I am available Monday to Friday after 2 pm if anyone needs any help with AVENUE, ESLL OR GOOGLE CLASSROOM. 

Please let me know if you have any questions or need help. Danielle 

______________________________________________________________________________

If you did not do this in June, it needs to be done now. PLEASE DO THESE IN ORDER.

- Hide all the open scorms, lessons and H5P activities. 

- Download any reports you want to keep.

- Upload any reports or rubrics to student portfolios.

- Delete students using the trash can icon in the participant page. (students are NOT deleted from Avenue & their portfolio is NOT affected) DO NOT DELETE YOURSELF AS A TEACHER.

- Remember to keep a list of all the student emails & passwords for next year. If they are in your class again, this will save time. You may also be able to help another teacher if you have a student move to a different classroom.

- Once you have cleaned everything up and removed all your students from each class, the final thing is to do a class reset.

So this is not a complicated process but it takes time to do. I have attached the detailed instructions. Just follow this list step by step. It is basically a refresh of the class materials. The students keep all their information in the portfolio. They don't lose anything. Once a student is registered on Avenue (anywhere in Canada) they are there forever and can access the portfolio and binder anytime.

http://learnit2teach.ca/wpnew/Avenue_Files/Stage_2/06-Ending_a_Courseware_Delivery_Cycle/01-Resetting_a_Course_Avenue.pdf

http://learnit2teach.ca/wpnew/  - NEW MODULES. ASK NANCY TO ADD TO YOUR CLASS.



😁😀😁😄😃😁😀😄😃😁😀😄😁😀😃😄 MAY 2022 UPDATE

Hello all. We are in the homestretch now. There is not much time left for us to get organized and get all our assessments done. Remember to tag all your quizzes and assessment with E Portfolio and the skill you are testing.

The portfolio follows the student wherever they go. Just like the physical binder we gave out to students, this online version has everything in one place. This is why students should NOT be double registered with different emails. It defeats the purpose of the binder and there is no consistency. There is a way to search for old accounts. Let me know if anyone needs help with this.

Toronto Catholic District School Board has contributed five new PBLA-compatible units to Avenue. These units target reading and note-taking skills at the CLB5+ levels. The topics include:

1. Reading Product and Service Reviews

2. Getting Information From Tables, Charts and Graphs

3. Reading News and Feature Articles

4. Taking Notes While Reading

5. Taking Notes While Listening

These units can be previewed at the bottom of the PBLA Sample Modules course.If you would like these units added to your course, let your mentor know and please tell her/him the exact name of the course(s) the units should be added to.

Also check the following website for some new updates and progress on some areas of Avenue.

https://avenue.ca/development-status/

You can also find help on the help pages.

https://learnit2teach.ca/wpnew/help/avenue-support/avenue-more-help/

May 6th is our final Avenue session. Please bring your ideas, stories and suggestions. I will show you a few new things and answer any questions you may have.

As usual, I am available after 2 pm Monday to Thursday and if you need more time, we can meet on a Friday. 

APRIL 2022 UPDATE  🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼

Happy Spring everyone, even if the weather in not cooperating. We have only about 11 weeks of classes left. It is not too late to set up some Quizzes or Assignments on Avenue for your classes. Remember to tag it E Portfolio and the skill or skills being tested. This generates an artifact you can use in June when we decide student BM changes. If you start now, you can still get 10 or 11 good quality artifacts. If you want to double up and do 2 per week that is good too. 

Now is the time for us to prepare and start taking an inventory of what you have so far and what you need for student’s portfolio. Start now to look at your student’s online binders and take an inventory. 

Remember to meet with students or Friday or schedule Avenue homework for them. This could be in the form of a SCORM, some H5P activities, Read Aloud activities or extra homework assignments. 

My biggest challenge is staying up to date on the Assessment Logs. Start now and add to it weekly. 

MARK YOUR CALENDARS – May 6 will be our final AVENUE session for this year. More details to follow. 

Please let me know if you have questions or need help. I am available after 2 pm Monday to Thursday and if you need more time, we can meet on a Friday. 


MARCH 2022 UPDATE   🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀

Reminders about working with AVENUE.

1.   -  Ask students if they have used Avenue before. If so, they need to use the same email they originally registered with. The profile is created only one time per student and the portfolio follows the student where ever they go in Canada. If there are multiple accounts with multiple email addresses, there is no consistent collection of artifacts.

2.     - With the new changes to the student register, you now can change the passwords, change locations and CLB levels. I am not sure about changing the email addresses. That is the main identifier for the students. That may change in the future.

3.     - Open only the content for students. Remember to keep the lesson plans and teacher content hidden from students.

4.    -  Be sure to close or hide the topics and scorms you are finished with. Try to keep your page clutter free for the students. This is another good opportunity to login with your fake student account to see what your page looks like. Is it “too busy”? Are there too many things open at the same time? Do you still have topics open from November or earlier? Keep your page current and relevant.

5.    -  Check everything before you open it to your students. Do not use the “student view” because often you can’t see all the elements of the activity completely. Log in with your fake student account and do all the activities in real time. This will allow you to see exactly what your students will see and you will be able to answer their questions better if they have challenges.

- It is worth mentioning that AVENUE is meant to be a supplement to all the other things we use in our classrooms. Use what works for you. If you want to use everyday or only 1 day a week or use it to assign homework. It doesn’t matter how often you use it as long as we are all using in some form. 


FEBRUARY 2022 UPDATE   💕💖💗💘💙💚💛💜💝💓💟

For this term, from Feb 1 to June 17 is 20 weeks so 1 quiz or assignment per week is 20 artifacts. (5 for each skill). That is very doable over the next 5 months. I am issuing another challenge. Let's see what you can do by June 17th. 

Mark your calendars for Mid May (TBD) for another Avenue session. It will be a Q&A type session with reminders and updates. Please feel free to send me your questions and suggestions.  If anything comes up before then, I will send it out here and/or post it to the PBLA blog and Google Classroom. 
Remember that you can post anything to the Google classroom too. If you have resources, websites, videos ..... anything.... please share with all of us in The Centre Google Classroom. As Carolyn said, we should all work together as a team and support each other. 

I am available every Friday for one on one sessions. Just email me to set it up. I can also meet after 2 pm for "emergency" situations Monday to Thursday. I am here to support you with whatever I can. Danielle 



January 2022 Update

HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone. It is a new year with new energy and opportunities to improve. For this update, I have included a list of resources geared to help you become more comfortable with Avenue. There is a list of webinars & YouTube videos that are recommended and don’t forget the Avenue Challenge for February 14, 2022

Tutela Webinars (past & upcoming) – Sign in to register on Tutela. Some offer PD hours as well.

-        Nov. 1, 2021 – Google Classroom vs. Avenue

-        Nov. 25, 2021 – Using ZOOM more effectively (Kate)

-        Jan. 19, 2022 – Assessment using Avenue – This is something that I covered in both the Avenue sessions last year. It will be great for review but there is always more to learn.

-        Jan. 24, 2022 – Moodle plugins on Avenue

-        Jan. 30, 2022 – H5P (advanced usage)

https://www.youtube.com/user/learnit2teach/videos - There are many very good videos available to anyone on You Tube. Many of these videos will answer any questions you may have. Below are a few that I recommend that I found particularly helpful.

-       * Using avenue for employment training

-        * Introduction to extensive reading using Avenue - NEW

-        * Adventures in Moduleland

        As always, I am here to help & support you. Let me know if there is any way I can help you achieve your goals.  Danielle 

 


December 2021 Update

Hi all. Here is an important message about Avenue and H5P activities. Basically, we just need to make sure we close/hide all activities from students with the black logo. Going forward please only use the Blue logo H5P activities. 
Please watch the short video regarding adding activities and other things. Easy Peasy stuff that you can do to enhance your class for your students. Let me know if you have any questions after you watch it. This was sent to you work emails. 
Also attached is the link to the LIT2T YouTube page & the STAGE 2 documents. 
Lots of great videos and information that may help you along the way. 
And the last thing, Don't forget the Avenue Challenge for Feb. 14, 2022. Let me know if I can help you along the way. Danielle 
https://learnit2teach.ca/wpnew/help/avenue-support/avenue-stage-2-support/

https://www.youtube.com/user/learnit2teach/videos



November 2021 Update

Hello all and I hope you are feeling a bit better about using AVENUE with your classes. We don’t have to use it every single day. It is alright to use it one or two days a week until you become more comfortable. The first session was “the basics” and our next session will build on that knowledge. Standby for more details soon. In the meantime, feel free to contact me anytime you have questions.

Below are a few websites that may be helpful for you and my list of “Top Tips” for using Avenue.

1.Use a “dummy” student account and register yourself as a student in each of your classes

2. When logging in as a teacher or as a student, use a different browser for each account.

3. Once you have added the students take them through an assignment or activity. Do it with them together so they can see how it is done. You can also make a video for them showing how to do it.

4. Read your students abilities. Don’t force this on the students if they are not comfortable with the tech. They won’t learn if they are stressed out.

5. It is a continual learning situation. Watch the videos, read the blogs and practice on yourself or with coworkers.

Danielle 

     HELPFUL WEBSITES

-       https://avenue.ca/development-status/  - This site shows all the updates as they happen on the site.

-       https://www.youtube.com/user/learnit2teach/videos  - LIT2T has a YouTube channel with helpful videos.

-       http://learnit2teach.ca/wpnew/  - The LIT2T website has lots of great information, help pages, videos and more.

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