Integrated learning begins with technology partnerships

Integrated learning, the learning theory that has gain popularity in classrooms across the country, centers on this idea of “identifying opportunities to link related content and/or skills in two or more subjects and to give students practice in meeting expectations from two or more subjects within a single unit, lesson or activity (Ministry of Education).”

It’s amazing. You can pair lessons on light pollution, urban planning, geography, astronomy,  and magnetic fields all when teaching a class on aurora borealis and australis. You can pair lessons on prisms, colour wheels, complimentary colours, RGB versus CYMK, CSS and HTML colour codes, art history, and an episode from either Dr. Who (Van Gogh) or Country Mouse and City Mouse (Monet) while studying famous artworks.

But before you can start playing connect-the-subject-dots, there’s one integrated approach that must be a part of your lesson planning: integrated technology partnerships. Just like you can’t solve an equation if you don’t know what y is, understanding and utilizing integrated technology partnership is a crucial element of sound and inspiring teaching.

Two of our favourite educational tools are D2L’s Brightspace and Google Apps for Education (GAFE). One their own, these two applications have fantastic strengths in the classroom; Brightspace allows their users to integrate content and lessons from their multiple MOOCs and GAFE has the Google Cultural Institute (which includes a wealth of archival gems and interactive content). Moreover, both understand the importance of integrating with other solutions. Brightspace and GAFE, on their own, integrate with dozens of other applications, such as PearDeck and Duolingo.

Brightspace and GAFE are a wonderful duo. Both companies, which are convenient located on the same block in downtown Kitchener, allow for integration between the two platforms. You can curate content in GAFE and have your students upload it in D2L. You can use D2L’s tests to interact with GAFE lessons. You have a completed equation with all of your work showing. Integrating Brightspace and GAFE is an A+ solution that should get you plenty of extra credit with your students.