The three resources below are the collaboration tools the FSJSS group decided to focus on as they were an important part of our teaching amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Resource 1: Google Slides

Rationale:

With the onset of Covid-19, many teachers and learners were forced to work remotely from home. One of the biggest hurdles educators and learners have faced is continuing their collaboration and communication with learners. Collaboration, according to Yu et., al. is essential as it “provides a way for educators to form a virtual community of learners in which members can engage in individual thinking, share opinions and beliefs and provide feedback for professional and personal growth and change (Yu, Pennell and DiGangi, 2000, p. 417). Various digital tools are available to assist both educators and learners in keeping paths of communication open and to facilitate collaboration efforts. Using the Berkeley Library Critical Evaluation, it will become evident for the support and use of Google Slides, available through Google Suite, in assisting in both teaching and learning collaborative processes.

Berkeley Critical Evaluation: 

Authority This video was created by Deirdre Houghton, a Social Studies and Careers teacher, and a District Careers Coordinator within the Nechako Lakes School District, in collaboration with Gary Soles and Andrew Vogelsang. Deirdre is currently a master’s student at the University of Victoria, in Curriculum Implementation. Google Slides has been a new digital tool that Deirdre has enjoyed using throughout her master’s program and can see the benefits it can provide to educators and learners alike. Although Google Slides is a corporate-owned platform and was initially created for business purposes, Deirdre recognizes that it has valuable properties supportive of educational processes.
Purpose This video was created as part of a Masters of Education project to assist others in learning the collaborative properties of Google Slides, and how this platform can assist in both teaching, learning and communicating.
Publication

/Format

 Created a Youtube video (web-based), using OBS and Movie Maker, then posted it to our the Remote Teaching Resources web-page.
Relevance This ‘Google Slides’ video was created to assist educators and learners working collaboratively, while at the same time remotely from school, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It illustrates various characteristics that support collaboration and communication while teaching and learning.
Date of Publication This video was published on 25 July 2020 and is currently up to date with the latest version of Google Slides
Document-ation The primary source used in the ‘Google Slides’ video, was Microsoft Teams. Although this is made clear in the video, there is no actual citation listed. Behind the scenes, OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) was used to do the recording and YouTube was the media site employed to upload and hold the video.

Resource 2: Microsoft Sway

Rationale: 

This video tutorial resource was created to show educators different technologies they may not have been familiar with. As employees of School District 91 is an Office 365 district, we thought it important to show some of the aspects within Office 365 that teachers and students may not use. Office 365 is owned by Microsoft and has gained a high share of educational and business use in the world, which can be seen as a negative in the terms of corporate reach and monopoly. That being said, the choices are limited by the district and Office 365 has some highly functional platforms for education that will help students engage and demonstrate their learning.

Berkeley Critical Evaluation:

Auhority This video was created by Andrew Vogelsang,  a computer information and media design teacher in collaboration with fellow Fort St. James Secondary School teacher’s Deidre Houghton and Gary Soles. Andrew has been educating students using many different platforms: Microsoft Office 365, Google Suite, Adobe, Autodesk, and open source software (Blender, OBS ETC) for almost a decade. Andrew looks for the most functional platform that will meet each specific student’s needs; whether it is corporate owned or open source. 
Purpose The purpose of this resource is to introduce people to Microsoft Sway. This is aimed at educators but can be used by all as a starting point on the platform. This tutorial is broad, basic, and not aimed at experienced Sway users.
Publicaion/

Format

 “The Basics of Microsoft Sway as an Educational Tool” was published on the FSJInquiresYouTube channel and later disseminated on the Uvic EdtechRemote Teaching blog site.
Relevance With the mad scramble for educators and students to traverse these incredibly challenging times of distance/hybrid learning of Covid-19. This tutorial focuses on a platform of the Microsoft Office 365 suite that is relatively new (2015) and underutilized. This platform is a blend of Word, PowerPoint, and Publisher. This tutorial is very relevant as it allows others to see the functionality of the platform and to try to incorporate it into their teaching. 
Date of Publication This was published on July 25th/ 2020.
Documena-tion The sources used in this Microsoft Sway video tutorial are:

OBS, Movie Maker, and Microsoft Sway.

Resource 3: Microsoft Teams Video

Rationale:

When the Covid 19 pandemic first hit and our school district began its transition to distance learning, via asynchronous and synchronous cloud based tools, they decided to exclusively use Microsoft 365 products. This meant for teachers, the only online digital collaboration tool they were able to access was Microsoft Teams. As such, there was an immediate need to help one another figure out how to effectively use this platform for communication with each-other, administration, parents, and students. Furthermore, this platform was supposed to also aid in digital classroom management and organization. As this transition became more immediate, we wanted a quick introductory resource video that could fulfill the preliminary training need from the perspective of a local teacher. This video resource has been created as a retroactive response to that need. 

Berkeley Critical Evaluation:

Auhority This video was created by Gary Soles, the industrial arts teacher, at Fort St. James Secondary School in British Columbia Canada, in collaboration with Deirdre Houghton and Andrew Vogelsang (also teachers at FSJSS). Soles has an interest in education technology as is evident by his current enrolment in the UVic Master’s of Educational Technology degree program. While enrolled in his undergraduate degree he also worked for a number of years as a wireless internet and computer technician. In his professional practice, he is currently working to digitize and enhance the technology of the trades shops at Fort St. James Secondary School. As such, he is familiar with 3d graphic design software, such as Aspire, and CNC coding platforms. His point of view for this video is from the perspective of an active teacher, wanting to aid others in learning a new and often overwhelming digital resource. 
Purpose Soles created this resource as an easy to follow, introductory guide, on utilising Microsoft Teams as a digital collaboration tool for classrooms, interacting with colleagues, or managing meetings. The intended audience is for teachers that are new to Microsoft Teams, and want a little help to get started. 
Publicaion/

Format

 The ‘Microsoft Teams Tutorial’ video was originally published on the FSJInquires YouTube channel, and later published on EdTech Remote Teaching blog. This video was originally released on 25 July 2020 in .MKV file format. 
Relevance The ‘Microsoft Teams Tutorial’ video was created as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. There has been a need for simple tutorial videos based on platforms mandated by school districts, from the perspective of the potential users. As such, this video covers the introductory aspects of Microsoft Teams, for teachers to feel more comfortable using the platform.  
Date of Publication This video was published on 25 July 2020, and is currently up to date with the latest version of Microsoft Teams. 
Documena-tion The primary source used in the ‘Microsoft Teams Tutorial’ video, was Microsoft Teams. Although this is made clear in the video, there is no actual citation listed. Behind the scenes, OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) was used to do the recording and YouTube was the media site employed to upload and hold the video.