ICCAN

 

Contents:

• Spotlight on professional development
• Key Learnings
• Q & A with Jann Beeston
• Bytes & Pieces
• iCCAN project update
• Your iCCAN team

iCCAN is made possible with funding from the Government of Alberta's Access to the Future Fund.

iCCAN Connected is published by the iCCAN Partnership: Community Learning Network, Literacy Alberta, and Volunteer Alberta.

 

For the first time in its 25-year history, the Alberta Government's Board Development Program delivered workshops via videoconference.

The four-part mini-pilot, called Making Your Work as a Board Member Easier, involved participants from Killam, Provost, Rocky Mountain House and Stony Plain.

It was sponsored by Community Learning Network, the Board Development Program, and the Community Development branch of Alberta Culture & Community Spirit.

Workshop facilitators delivered the material and facilitated discussion from the Edmonton office of Community Learning Network.

"We were hoping to have a chance to try something new and connect with people, particularly people in rural parts of the province, who are sometimes difficult to connect with," says Cheryl Nattrass, coordinator of the Board Development Program.

New perspectives

Community Learning Network Executive Director Linda Thorne, who observed some of the sessions from a webcam on her computer, said participants "really enjoyed being able to hear another board's perspective from another community."

Many had ideas for future workshop topics, including: grant writing, fundraising, being an effective board member, Roberts Rules of Order, increasing membership, dealing with difficult people, planning and conducting an AGM, and finding volunteers.

Starting small

"We wanted to keep it relatively small for the first try, to ensure good communication with the four sites," says Cheryl.

"We didn't go in with the mindset that everything was going to work perfectly," says Linda. "We just jumped right in and knew we could tweak things as we went along."

Says Cheryl: "On the first night, we discovered, half way through the program, that some of the sites had not printed out the handouts, so that was a good learning for next time."

Making it interactive

One of the principles of adult learning is shared learning, which means that everyone, not just the presenter, has life experience and knowledge to share. Creating opportunities for interaction among p·€²cipants was an important element of the workshops.

"There's lots of wisdom in the group and anything you can find to help bring that out, so that people can share ideas back and forth, is huge", says Cheryl.

She says the opportunity for people at the different sites to interact with each other was one of the most valuable aspects of the workshop.

Taking time to prepare

Presenters need to be even more polished and prepared when delivering material via videoconference, says Cheryl.

Spontaneous collaboration

A discussion about the need for a Code of Conduct (or Code of Ethics) for boards was a topic at one the sessions. During an interactive exchange among participants, one person explained that their board had developed and adopted a Code of Conduct and offered to share it with one of the other participants.

"It was great to see those kinds of serendipitous things happening," says Cheryl.

"I've participated in a couple of podcasts and webinars – but they weren't nearly as interactive as the videoconferencing," she says.

Culture of use

Cheryl was impressed by the way participants handled themselves in the workshops and with their obvious familiarity with the technology.

"People at the sites were very sophisticated in the way they used the technology and they seemed quite comfortable using symbols and being able to turn their mics on and off if they wanted to have a quiet conservation."

Linda says that the iCCAN Coffee Hour sessions and the Lunch and Learn workshops have helped foster a "culture of use" and helped people get more comfortable with the equipment.

Technical support

iCCAN project coordinator Barb Hudkins met with the presenters prior to the sessions and also sat in on all four sessions to ensure everyone was connected and that things ran smoothly.

"In the end, all sites were always up and running and we didn't have any technology issues during the workshops," says Linda.

"We could not have done it without Barb."

Another tool in the toolbox

For a program like the Board Development Program, videoconference sessions won't replace what is already working well, but the technology offers a great tool for delivering material and facilitating discussion, says Cheryl.

"The Board Development and Community Development staff enjoyed the experience so much, and we really hope to be part of another pilot so we can try some other new things and also find ways to incorporate videoconferencing into the Board Development Program."

is published quarterly by the iCCAN Partnership: Community Learning Network, Literacy Alberta, and Volunteer Alberta.
Editor: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

 

Q&A with Jann Beeston

Executive Director, Hanna Learning Centre & Project Advisor, iCCAN

What was the driver behind your decision to pursue videoconferencing for the Hanna Learning Centre a couple of years ago?

We are a community learning, literacy centre as well as a career and employment centre. We purchased videoconference suites through regional project funding from Alberta's Rural Development Fund and Alberta Economic Development.

We have challenges in that the rest of the province isn't quite ready to be delivering learning through videoconferencing, but it is a growing market. The iCCAN project is a great opportunity to deliver to each other, sharing the resources we each have with the learning, literacy, and voluntary sector networks.

You've been described by your peers on the iCCAN project as the visionary behind iCCAN. What was your thinking behind the project?

We recognized that there wasn't enough (course) content and that we needed more partnerships and relationships with service providers and other people in the field. I felt that a project that could collectively support those needs and overcome the barriers would create great strength around the province.

We also wanted to help other communities. Having been through a project development period I realized that there were many barriers to overcome and that it was not necessary for everyone to struggle through the process. There are some barriers around the technology and the connectivity, and it wouldn't necessarily cost a lot money to overcome them.

How is Alberta Advanced Education & Technology involved in iCCAN?

The funding for the current iCCAN project comes from the Government of Alberta's Access to the Future Fund. I think Advanced Education and Technology Minister Doug Horner had great vision by establishing this fund, particularly the innovation fund portion of it.

This was the first year they had funded the voluntary sector, so it was a bit of a leap of faith for them to fund this partnership, particularly with these three organizations that had no history with them.

Why is videoconferencing so important for rural Alberta?

Although we have regional support systems and regional networks we tend work in isolation in rural Alberta. Literacy programs, community based learning programs, and volunteer centres rarely have much in the way of support staff, so they are working very independently.

We really like the idea of establishing a virtual network to provide a peer support system across the province. And there is real opportunity for mentorship within that peer support network.

What's possible through iCCAN that isn't happening now? What is the potential?

One of the biggest things is learning and skill development. A goal for Hanna was to attach to post-secondary institutions, and that was one of our big motivators, but learning and skill development is so much broader than that.

I think that in the voluntary sector it's going to be about capacity building for rural development. It's going to be the opportunity for people to share knowledge and to build skills in community leaders.

The more you can build skills in individuals, the more you build civic capacity and civic engagement. If people have access to skill-building opportunities around leadership and mentorship, it's going to help build rural Alberta.

Are you using a SmartBoard?

We are going to put SmartBoards in all of our rooms with videoconference units to support the communication and learning experience.

We had a province-wide conference called Communities Without Boundaries and we had twenty-five sites, with sometimes fifteen to thirty people.

We used the Smartboard for people to ask questions, and we had the questions scrolling and a mediator would say ‘we have a question from Red Deer, we have a question from Hinton' and then the speaker would address the questions that way. It made the videoconference flow more easily.

 

• The iCCAN Lunch ‘N Learn session on Yoga at Work, presented by Judy Murphy, drew 18 participants from eight sites. Two sites had to be turned away because the session was full. A pilot project is being considered for this fall.
• The iCCAN Coffee Hour is becoming more popular. Jasper and Stettler participated for the first time.
• The Legal Resource Centre did a presentation on human rights and law to six ESL students in Provost.
• Killam and Provost showcased videoconferencing at their community open houses on May 28. During a four-way demonstration with two sites in Edmonton, programming possibilities related to agriculture, business, culture & music, health & wellness, and family & literacy development were discussed.

 

C•O•N•N•E•C•T

Join iCCAN Coffee Hour

Join your colleagues around the province for iCCAN Coffee Hour, Thursdays from 2:30 to 3:30 pm.

In addition to helping new users get comfortable with videoconferencing, this interactive and informal session promotes the exchange of ideas and sharing of information across a wide number of subject areas.

It's easy to dial in. It's informative. It's fun!

Thursday Afternoons • 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm

DIAL INTO THE iCCAN VIRTUAL MEETING ROOM:

SuperNet 199.216.149.3##4444
or Internet 139.142.188.3##4444

 

PARTNERS in learning

Money Mentors and the Legal Resource Centre are two organizations that are available for workshops via videoconference.

To book or learn more about these organizations, which have delivered workshops as part of the iCCAN Lunch N Learn series, contact them at:

Money Mentors

• Melori Melnyk
• 403-234-6198
• This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The Legal Resource Centre

• Kirsten Wurmann
• 780-451-1801
• This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
• www.legalresourcecentre.ca

 

iCCAN Lunch 'N Learn series

Learners in several Alberta communities have been engaging in several interactive workshops via videoconference this past winter and spring.

From Money Mentors to the Legal Resource Centre to Yoga teacher Judy Murphy … opportunities for learning and development are unfolding as the iCCAN project moves forward.

For more information about Lunch ‘N Learn or to share your ideas, contact:

Barb Hudkins, iCCAN Training Coordinator
Phone: 780-485-4926 • Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Desktop IP address: 75.152.234.134

 

project UPDATE

A little over one year ago, the iCCAN project got the green light, with funding from Advanced Education and Technology's Access to the Future Fund.

To date, 27 full-suite and 29 desktop equipment units have been installed in 42 communities across the province.

Working with Community Adult Learning Councils, community literacy programs, and volunteer centres across Alberta, the iCCAN project is building an integrated network of services and supports to meet regional learning needs through videoconferencing via the SuperNet.

The iCCAN project team has provided hundreds of hours of technology support, coaching/mentoring and assisting iCCAN sites in using the technology as a tool to facilitate collaboration and create a culture of use.

Multiple applications now in use

Multiple types of applications are now being used by the iCCAN partner organizations and early adopters, ranging from administrative (e.g. board meetings, iCCAN committee meetings) to developmental (e.g. "Lunch N Learn" sessions) to educational sessions (e.g. financial literacy).

Issues identified

As installation of videoconference equipment began at Phase 1 sites, it became clear that issues with connecting to the SuperNet required the cooperation of Service Alberta and the private firm responsible for SuperNet delivery, Axia.

Several meetings have been held and substantial correspondence has been exchanged in an effort to have iCCAN sites access the SuperNet.

Virtual Private Network approved

Approval from the Government of Alberta and Axia for a common Virtual Private Network (VPN) site is good news. The VPN will ensure iCCAN sites are able to seamlessly connect to each other when going across SuperNet and Internet.

 

As the iCCAN project moves into year two, the roles and responsibilities of the implementation team have been re-defined based on the experiences of the past several months. The goal of the iCCAN implementation team is to work across the project in a way that best serve the needs of iCCAN sites.

WHO DOES WHAT

Cathy King, iCCAN Project Manager

• Hired by the three partner organizations to oversee all aspects of the iCCAN project in a managerial role.
• Supports, advises and guides iCCAN implementation: installation, training, programming development and curriculum roll out.
• Works with all project partners, contractors and team members to ensure that assigned project deliverables are being met.
• Responsible for initial site consultations and working with each site to assess readiness as an early adopter.
• Works with the various entities to prepare for installation and then installation of VC equipment and initial site training.
• Troubleshoots and connects you the resources you need to get set up.
• After an initial training session, Cathy hands you over to the staff member responsible for ongoing training.

Barb Hudkins, Training Coordinator
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• Hired by iCCAN to assist with training needs.
• Once the Project Manager has installed the equipment and conducted basic VC training Barb will do follow-up training for sites.
• Conducts the initial videoconference training.
• Ensures you are comfortable with the use of the technology and can access videoconferencing opportunities.
• Provides ongoing support through coaching and mentoring.
• After you are comfortable with using the equipment she hands you over to the staff member responsible for connecting
• you to programming ideas and pilot projects.

Lisa Michetti, iCCAN Community Engagement Coordinator
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• Hired by Volunteer Alberta, Lisa assists organizations with developing colaborative VC pilot projects and sharing programming opportunities using VC.
• Works with groups to initiate pilot projects and connect iCCAN members to each other with respect to programming ideas.
• Ensures that your videoconference equipment is best used to address the learning goals of your community.

Yvonne Stewart, iCCAN Technical Support
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• Hired by Literacy Alberta, Yvonne assists organizations who are experiencing technical difficulties as they are using their equipment.
• After you are set up and comfortable using the equipment, Yvonne is your contact when things go wrong and the equipment doesn't do what you were taught it would do!

The Internet Centre

• The Internet Centre has been contracted to support all iCCAN sites with Lifesize equipment.
• Provides iCCAN networking support for seamless videoconferencing calls.
• The Internet Centre will also assist Yvonne Stewart with troubleshooting and questions of a more technical nature.

iCCAN is seeking interested Regional Resource Leaders to assist with iCCAN VC Leadership in their areas to build awareness and mentorship. Support and professional development for these roles will be implemented in September 2009. Please stay tuned for more details.