Minister Participates in Distance Education Music Class

A group of high school students from different schools in rural Newfoundland and Labrador shared their music class with a special guest today, as the Honourable Clyde Jackman, Minister of Education, participated in an Applied Music 2206 class delivered by music teacher Andrew Mercer, located in Spaniard’s Bay.

“It is truly remarkable how the Department of Education’s Centre for Distance Learning and Innovation (CDLI) continues to utilize the latest in technology to offer a wide range of programming to students in rural and remote regions, where declining enrolments and the availability of specialist teachers might otherwise have limited their opportunities,” said Minister Jackman. “It was a pleasure to play guitar with these students, via videoconferencing, and to witness first-hand how distance education is making teachers with expertise in specific subject areas available to students in rural and remote areas.”

Minister Jackman said the Provincial Government and school districts are finding innovative ways to deliver programming that make the most effective use of teaching resources. Through distance education, teachers with expertise in specialty areas such as chemistry, physics, French, mathematics, music, skilled trades and more – are able to connect in real time to students in small schools.

Students are, for example, able to take Applied Music 2206 (Guitar, Violin and Piano) via CDLI, as well as Experiencing Music 2200, in which students learn musical concepts such as songwriting and musical literacy and study music from around the world. CDLI has also teamed up with Debut Atlantic for the 2013-14 touring season. Every classical and jazz musician taking part in Debut Atlantic will be connecting with CDLI music students via videoconferencing to answer questions and to perform throughout the year. These events are also being streamed to all interested schools throughout the province to be viewed on computers and interactive whiteboards.

Since 2004, more than $60 million has been invested in CDLI to support distance education in rural and remote communities. CDLI currently offers over 40 courses to about 1,000 students in 110 high schools in rural, remote and isolated regions. For more information on CDLI, visit: www.cdli.ca/. 

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Media contact:
Heather May
Director of Communications
Department of Education
709-729-0048, 697-5061
heathermay@gov.nl.ca 

2013 09 18                              9:15 a.m.