Did You Know... Edugains

Did You Know…

Edugains.ca is website that is designed to improve learning and teaching. Edugains was created by the Ontario Ministry of Education as a resource for classroom teachers. It provides curriculum based resources that tie in to K-12 classrooms in Ontario, in pretty well every subject area.

Some of the resources available on the site are:

21^St Century Learning: This ties directly into our course, as we are looking at the integration of technology in the classroom. The 21^st Century Learning section on Edugains provides resources on digital citizenship, information about the incorporation of blended learning into the classroom (as well as Blended Learning PLCs), and provides research about how 21^st century learning supports teachers and learners in Ontario.

Financial Literacy: In today’s world, young people need to have the skills required to make good, informed choices about a variety of things, such as money management, considering financial choices, and the ability to stay financially stable. Edugains has a variety of resources to aid in financial literacy, and, more specifically, the resources provided have been adapted for a variety of subjects and grade levels. For example, a lesson is provided for MEL3E (mathematics for everyday life) related to considering the idea of net earnings vs. profits, which allows them to practice skills related to earning and spending.

Mathematics: I have been making use of the edugains website in mathematics for a number of years, as I helped my mathematics co-ordinator do some of the storyboarding for one of the resources available on Edugains. One of the main academic supports that Edugains provides is CLIPS, which are a series of interactive mini-lessons that provide opportunity for instruction as well as assessment for learning. They are web-based, which allows for the incorporation of blended learning into the classroom. Further to CLIPS, another resource, Gap Closing, is designed to do specifically that – close the gap. It was created to help students who need additional support in math, and there is an ePractice section that is meant to help build mathematical confidence in students that struggle in math.

While I have not had the opportunity to explore Edugains much outside of the available math resources, clearly this website has applications to a variety of different subject areas and grade levels, and as such I thought it would be useful to describe to you all!