Take it Home Alberta - Summer 2012 Drop in Program

The summer drop in program is for teachers, parents, grandparents and anyone else who is interested in exploring and developing materials from multiple perspectives related to the Alberta Social Studies Curriculum. See Social Studies Overview.   This summer we have two opportunities as follows:

1.  Clobal Citizenship and Heritage Program 2012 - see link (For Grades 1-12)

2. Passing on a healthy Worldview - These sessions are for teachers, parents and grandparents of students in any grade and students going into grades 7-12. The sessions will be in the evening.    Currently we have sessions from a Christian perspective see Unshakable Truth - Worldview Dialog Summer 2012.  If there is interest we may have one or more sessions from multiple perspectives.

All activities are free and open to anyone.  They will take place in room 108 at Beulah Alliance Church West Campus 178th Street and 98a Avenue.

Registration and Orientation for both programs is at 6:30 on July 4th.  If you are unable to make July 4th, send an email to factsc@gmail.com. 

Email factsc@gmail.com for more info. and how to register.

Community Networking Summer Coordinator: Job Summary

This summer, while working for FACTSnet I learned and accomplished many different things. In the position of summer business manager I learned multiple skills. Here I was in charge of doing the payroll, calculating deductions, giving out pay stubs, organizing and updating spreadsheet and helping fulfill all the financial requirements for Canada Summer Jobs. These were all things I had never done before but with guidance I have learned many valuable skills in this role.

My main goal for the summer was to develop francophone connections and networks for FACTSnet. I began translating the most relevant information from the blogs so they could be used by francophone schools, teachers, students and parents. This included information from the Parents as Coaches Network, the Alberta/Japan Network and the Social Studies Network. I made efforts to establish ties with the francophone schools in the constituencies of all the summer students. This was done by a letter outlining and inviting them to participate in our programs and to ask for their input. There was also follow up done by phone. I spent some time working with the Institut Guy-Lacombe which is a support foundation but in place by the Alberta Francophone Parents Association.

A major project done this summer was done in working with Centralata Tourism. Myself along with another FACTSnet summer student produced fictional stories based on historical facts on the Grey Nuns that will be used in schools as a teaching tool. We did extensive research and writing about the impact of the Nuns in establishing Alberta, concentrating on the St. Albert/Edmonton area. The book included curriculum ties and chapter questions for teachers. I also translated the entire book so that a French version will be available. The book will be brought to the publishers by the end of August and sold through Amazon as well as through Centralta Tourism.

In the development of the Newcomers and Visitors to Canada Network I have contributed a section highlighting the organizations and services that francophone community offers for people recently moving to Edmonton.

With the Parents as Coaches blog I made contacts with the Minister of Education office to request information about how FACTSnet participate in new initiatives that the Minister is planning.

The final major project I worked on was the Unshakable Truth study. I attended and contributed to the weekly sessions discussing the book. I also helped find ties between the book and the catholic curriculum so that teachers may be able to use the book as well as the blog as a resource.

Along with all these projects I learnt and developed many valuable skills such as how to contribute to a blog network, working as a team, communication at meetings and through email, business letter writing, networking, dialoguing and time management. Overall my summer working for FACTSnet was very successful and productive.  

Summer Education coordinator: Job Summary

My name is Lindsay Spence, and I was the Summer Education Coordinator for 2012. This summer, we as a group accomplished many things. However, with being the education coordinator comes a lot of responsibilities and goals to be met. From the beginning of the summer term, you need to be well aware of these goals. The beginning of the summer began with a comprehensive look at the social studies curriculum guidelines for grades 7-10. We looked at these grades because of their connections with the Value Based Medium of FACTSnet. Focusing on ‘responsible and global citizenship’, FACTSnet offers an open conversation to analyze and deconstruct the social studies network so it is accessible for not only students, but parents as well. I did student guides for grades 7-10, as well as student transition guides for parents grades 7-10. This was a large job. There are two more grades for both the parents and the students to be completed that could not be done this summer. On top of the student and parent guides, a lesson plan was created for teaching about homelessness was created to be taught at a conference or in a classroom at a later time. The goal is spreading knowledge about responsible citizenship, as laid out in the Alberta education curriculum. See Parents As Coaches Alberta and the Alberta Social Studies Network for views of my work completed.

            In connection with the Parents as Coaches as well as the Alberta Social Studies Network input, I, as the education coordinator, talked to parents about what their child should be expecting entering each new grade, as well as what they could do as parents to facilitate the learning process. This was an incredibly important role to play during the summer. As FACTSnet strives to connect with the community and multiple resource bases, it is important to reach out to the parents as well as the students in order to facilitate learning and what can be accomplished through schooling.

            Another main goal of FACTSnet in relation to the Summer Education coordinator is getting involvement of surrounding schools in each constituency. Teaching responsible citizenship, as well as an intricate look at the Japanese culture (as grade 8 curriculum required) is important to this organization and what we are trying to accomplish. Because of this, a letter was written up with the initiatives for the schools in relation with our organization and sent to all of the schools within each constituency. Next year, we will need to make a greater impact in the schools and actually have participation to accomplish this. However, the issue with this is that we start so late in the year, when regular schools only have 2 months left of classes.

            Another way I attempted to integrate our resources into the classroom was participating in the creation of a book of Alberta History. By writing 9 stories for “The Adventures of the Grey Nuns”, myself and another member of the team were able to get the entire book ready for publishing  with added curriculum ties for classroom use, as well as chapter summary questions. This was a large part of the summer, but it was well worth it, since we will have integrated resources connected to Alberta Education curriculums. It was a large accomplishment for myself to aid in the publishing of a book. It was something I will look back on fondly.

            After these summaries were completed, a lot of blog reconstruction and fixing needed to happen. With so many posts on this website, it is necessary to do upkeep on the website. Being a future teacher, I see simple indexing and smart use necessary to use the website efficiently. David agrees and for next summer, some editing and changes to the website will need to happen in order to create the most efficient and easily accessible resources.

            This summer was fast paced and included a high learning curve. Working with FACTSnet not only helped me learn more about what it would take to be an incredibly informed and resourceful teacher. I look forward to hearing what you have learned through your experience with this organization, and I hope you get as much out of it as I did. 

Lindsay Spence

FACTSnet Alberta/Japan Network – Summer 2012

This summer the Alberta/Japan Network went through a major overhaul, and various other blogs, which will act as an extension of this network, were also initiated. In the Alberta/Japan Network blog, a new index was created and existing posts were organized into more intuitive categories.

The area that undergone the most renovation was the Historical Places to Visit, specifically the three major cities of focus related to the Alberta grade 8 curriculum: Nagasaki, Tokyo, and Kyoto. A survey was created for each of these cities so that students could rank the historical sites based on what they would like to visit if they traveled to Japan.

A new section, University Life in Japan vs. University Life in Canada, was added to the Life in Alberta & Japan portion of this network. In this section are two interviews with Japanese exchange students who spent time at the University of Alberta.

The Japanese Value blog was changed to the Japanese Language & Culture blog. New components to this blog include a section on the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test), the JET Programme, and a post on July in Tokyo in the Culture section.

The Grade 8 Alberta/Japan Network, and the Travel Blog were also created.

It’s recommended that the old index is removed from the site, and that work gets done on the Alberta/Japan Relations section. The remaining historical places to visit also need to be updated to the same standard as the three aforementioned cities, complete with the Google maps. 

Global Citizenship and Heritage Program 2012

For teachers, parents, grandparents, and students going into grades 1-12.
 
Students going into grades 1-5 need to be accompanied by an adult or student in grades 7-12, who should come on July 4th. 

If you are unable to make July 4th, send an email to factsc@gmail.com.  

We have something for every grade, make sure your heritage and perspective is represented as follows:

1. Grades 1,2,4,5,7,9-12 - Family and community heritage projects from various perspectives, like Dutch, German, Asian, African, Catholic, Protestant.
2. Grades 3,6,8-9-12 Global Citizenship from various perspectives and various cultures depending on the grade specific cultures.

The program will take place on Wednesday afternoons from 1 to 4 pm .
All activities are free and open to anyone.  They will take place  in room 108 at Beulah Alliance Church West Campus 178th Street and 98a Avenue.


Registration and Orientation is July 4th at 6:30pm

This is part of our Take it Home Alberta Program see link for our Worldview program.

FACTSnet Summer Programs 2012

The following time line is proposed for 2012:

1. Sept. 2011 -Jan. 2012 -
1. Recruit Organizations and Individuals who will participate.
2. Identify network development priorities see possibilities below:
1. Alberta/Japan Network 
2. Parents As Coaches Network 
3. Alberta Social Studies Network
4. Newcomers & Visitors to Canada Net  
5. Alberta Language, Culture & Heritage Networks  
6. FACTSnet CTS/Community Network  
   
7. Information Technology in Educ. & the Arts  
8. Alberta Christmas Network
   
9. Tri-community Networks 
10. Uniting for Children & Youth Networks 
11. Make Fix and Recycle Summer Programs 
12. For other networking possibilities see The FACTSnet Index
2. Jan. - Feb.   -Dialogue to develop proposals to apply for summer jobs see Canada Summer Jobs. and FACTSnet Summer Jobs 2011

1. Jan. - Apr. 
1. Recruit Post-Secondary Students see FACTSnet Summer Jobs 2012
2. May -June 
1. Train Post-Secondary Students 
2. Develop programs and projects
   

   Current summer projects (2012)

   Summer 2012 Staff

    

3. Hire High School Students.
3. July - Aug.  -All students work on summer programs and projects.

Email:  info@factsnet.org to get involved or get more information. 

Summer 2012 Staff

1.      Our Summer Administrative Assistant has worked for two of our FACTSnet organizations for the past 4 summers. She is majoring in Social Studies and minoring in ESL and has a completed her Introductory Professional Term (IPT) in which she taught the grade 8 Japan curriculum. She will be participating in our summer trip to Japan. Some schools may want to follow our actual trip and plan for their own trip next year. Her email is factsuma@gmail.com.

2.      Our Alberta/Japan Network Coordinator is studying Japanese Language at U of A and is doing the research and development for our trip to Japan. Schools can get involved in this project by doing a poll on sites of most interest for students to visit related to the grade 8 Social Studies curriculum. Her email is factsabj@gmail.com.See job Description (School/Community Summer Network Coordinator)

3.      Our Education Coordinator is a Secondary Education Social Studies Major and English minor. She has completed her IPT and has done her first degree with a double Major in History and Women’s Studies. She is working on a Humanities approach which she started in her IPT. She has been working on a Social Studies Index for both parents and students. Her email is edualberta@gmail.com.- See job Description: (Education/Community Summer Network Coordinator)

4.      Our Summer Business Manager is our Francophone expert and is developing our French content. She is also coordinating our Parents As Coaches Network with other students. We are planning a information session for parents, teachers and students going into grade 7-12 about a summer drop in program. We will be dialoguing and developing resources for parents to be involved in the education of their children, at home, school and in the community.  Please pass this on to teachers and parents who may want to be part of the dialogue. Her email is factsnetbusiness@gmail.com.See job Description: (Community Network Summer Coordinator)

5.      Our Technical Coordinator is on the co-op program from NAIT and is supervising volunteer web designers. They would be available to set up school council and school Parents as Coaches networks. His email is factsum@gmail.com. See job Description: (Community Network Technical Coordinator )

Current summer projects (2012)

1.      Technical Assistance

2.     Summer Drop in Program

3.   Social Studies networks

4.      School community programs/networks

5.      FACTSnet practicum and summer student program

6.      High School work experience and curriculum projects

 

School community programs/networks

FACTSnet is involved in several school community programs. This year we are emphasizing the Social Studies program. We are looking to be involved in various activities related to the Alberta Social Studies program that your school or organizations your school has networks with. Some of our potential projects include a summer drop in program and a heritage project on the Grey Nuns. They are dependent on interest from students, teachers and parents.

We are open to working with other projects that reflect the goals and values of FACTSnet.

FACTSnet Practicum and Summer Jobs Program

In the FACTSnet practicum program, we try wherever possible to link future educators currently attending universities with schools and community organizations. (Note this is a pilot program, based on our network contacts and is not official policy of the university or school boards).  The aim is that, during education students' placement as student teachers, their mandatory "student projects" of both the Introductory Placement term (IPT), or Advanced Placement term (APT), will be linked to summer jobs, with FACTSnet community partners.

By doing this, the students will gain more knowledge into the educational world, as well as contribute to reaching the desired goals of school and community partners.

If you are an Education Student and will be going back to school next year and interested in a summer job, go to FACTSnet Summer Jobs 2013.  
 
If you are from a school or community organization and would like to partner with FACTSnet in the placement of Education Students, please email factsc@gmail.com

School - Community Programs/Networks

Schools and Community organizations participate together in FACTSnet projects, programs and networks.  In the summer community organizations hire students to work with schools during May and June and community organizations during July and August.  See FACTSnet Summer Programs 2012

Technical Assistance

Please contact: factsum@gmail.com

School/Community Summer Network Coordinator (West Edmonton, Spruce Grove)

The main tasks will be to assist our consultants and volunteers in developing school/community networks,  This will be done by contacting schools and organizations that work with families, teachers, students, parents, and seniors.  A special effort will be made to contact groups that work with, aboriginals, persons with disabilities, and newcomers to Canada and use French language.  The employee will continue development of FACTSnet networks, with an emphasis on our Alberta/Japan Network.  The employee will assist in hosting one or more community dialogues, with the view of this becoming and annual event  The employee must support our Value Based Medium approach, including the values of our partners, and work on projects with our partners, as required.  Research, training and network development may take place at various sites within and outside the constituency and over the Internet.

Community Network Summer Coordinator

The main tasks will be to assist our consultants, partners and volunteers in developing long term networks within our constituency and the province, that work with families, teachers, students, parents, and seniors.  A special effort will be made to contact groups that work with, aboriginals, persons with disabilities, and newcomers to Canada and use French language.  Networks will build on existing FACTS networks like our Alberta/Japan and Newcomers and Visitors to Canada Networks  and development of  new networks as required.  The employee must support our Value Based Medium, including the values of our partners, and work on projects with our partners, as required.  Research, training and network development may take place at various sites within and outside the constituency and over the Internet.

To learn more and/or apply go to 

Community Networking Summer Coordinator: Job Summary 2012Summer Coordinator for Community Networks - Plan 2013

FACTSnet Summer Jobs 2012

Education/Community Summer Network Coordinator

The main tasks will be to assist our consultants, partners and volunteers in developing long term educational networks (K-12 and Post Secondary) within our constituency and the province, that work with families, teachers, students, parents, and seniors .   A special effort will be made to contact groups that work with, the poor and homeless, aboriginals, persons with disabilities, and newcomers to Canada and use French language.  Networks will build on existing FACTS networks and the development of  new networks as required.  Where appropriate, the employee will research and develop curriculum resources.  The employee will help organize a Japanese culture and art network event, which we hope will be an annual event.  The employee must support our Value Based Medium including the values of our partners, and work on projects with our partners, as required.  Research, training and network development may take place at various sites within and outside the constituency and over the Internet.

For this position we are looking for an education student, who has completed their Introductory Professional Term, with a major in Social Studies and minor in English, with some ability in French.

Summer Education coordinator: Job Summary

St. Albert Heritage Summer Network Coordinator

The main tasks will be to assist our consultants and volunteers in developing school/community heritage networks,  This will be done by contacting schools and organizations that work with families, teachers, students, parents, and seniors.  A special effort will be made to contact groups that work with, aboriginals, persons with disabilities, and newcomers to Canada and use French language.  The employee will do network preparation to celebrate the 150th anniversary (in 2013) of the Grey Nuns coming to St. Albert.  The employee must support our Value Based Medium approach, including the values of our partners, work on projects with our partners, and assist in summer program business administration..  Research, training and network development may take place at various sites within and outside the constituency and over the Internet.

For this position we are looking for a bilingual Arts student with strong leadership abilities and an interest in history and Art.

Community Network Technical Coordinator (St. Albert)

This  person will investigate the use of technology (including digital media and video) in setting up community networks.   These networks involve families, teachers, students, parents, and seniors.  Special efforts will be made to include aboriginals, persons with disabilities, and newcomers to Canada and the use of French language.  Ability in web programing and blog template development an asset for this position.     The employee must support our Value Based Medium approach, including the values of our partners, as well as work on other FACTSnet projects, as required.  The employee will work on preparation for the anniversary (in 2013) of the Grey Nuns coming to St. Albert.  Research, training and network development may take place at various sites within and outside the constituency and over the Internet.

Community Network Technical Coordinator 2012 Summary

Goto FACTSnet Summer Jobs 2012 for information on how to apply.