2006 ORION Learning Award Winner

Advanced Broadband Enabled Learning - ABEL

ABEL Program Manager Janet Murphy as she accepts the ORION Learning Award at the 2006 award presentations in Toronto June 5, 2006.



ABEL is an innovative Ontario-based program that makes use of next-generation interactive content and collaborative and videoconference technologies to deliver high-impact, real-world learning experiences to students – completely eliminating the barrier of distance in teaching and learning.

Using ORION and other advanced networks, ABEL engages students in authentic learning activities that bring learning experiences and expertise from distant locations directly to the classroom, in real-time, including virtual tours, live interactions with experts and connecting with teachers and students in other regions of the province and country. ABEL helps encourage student engagement and enhance student achievement.

The York Region District School Board, Toronto District School Board, Peel District School Board and York University – all partners in ABEL – use the program to transform their teaching and learning methods, reshape the physical structures in existing schools and cater to individual school needs.

Not only a benefit to students, ABEL offers professional development programs for teachers. Through its unique partnerships, it offers teachers access to The Curriculum Resource Bank, E-Workshops from TV Ontario, instruction on developing online resources such as the CTC and eTL courses at Seneca College, video streaming and web hosting assistance from York University, specialist courses such as Computers in the Classroom at York University’s Faculty of Education and the book study and speaker series supported by Pearson Education Canada. Through ABEL, Ontario teachers are given the opportunity to grow and learn just as their students do.

How does ABEL work in the classroom? ABEL’s use of multiple video screens powered by broadband technology enhances learning by radically changing how knowledge flows in the classroom. For example, using ABEL, David Boucher, a Canadian novelist in British Columbia, was recently able to connect with a grade 12 English class in Toronto and answer students’ questions about his work. In another example, John McCallum, Minister of National Revenue, on a recent visit to a high school in York Region, virtually ‘visited’ two other schools at the same time. Through ABEL, drama students in Calgary have received theatrical direction from experts at York University, and a Supreme Court judge in Ottawa ‘attended’ a mock trial held at York University.

The ABEL Program and participating educational institutions have received many awards including the National Award for Technology Innovation from the Learning Partnership.

For more information on ABEL, visit their Web site at www.abelearn.ca.


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