Virtual Co-op and Personalized Learning

Personalized Learning has been heralded as the future of a successful education system. It is hard to argue with this movement as most of us would prefer to have learning experiences designed specifically for our interests, skills and needs. With the emergence of "Personalized Learning" and advances in educational technology a powerful opportunity for students in rural school and other disadvantaged areas has become possible. Virtual Co-ops are a fascinatingly powerful way for individual students to take full advantage of high school hours and graduate with university and college as their back-up plan!

Speaking At The CyberNB CyberSmart Summit Where I Introduced My Concept Of The Cyber Garden!
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After attending the "CyberNB CyberSmart Summit" in Fredericton New Brunswick it became obvious that our province was positioning itself to be a world leader in this industry. Representatives from San Antonio shared success stories about how under the right conditions students were able to walk into cybersecurity careers right out of high school. I thought "If they can do it we can too!" Then I realized my school was not located in a major metropolis but rather a tiny rural town of about 1800 people. Finding opportunity down the street was going to be impossible and all signs pointed to giving up on this challenge. Enter the Virtual Co-op advantage!

We reached out to a New Brunswick cybersecurity leader Bulletproof Solutions who jumped at the chance to get involved in the plan I was formulating for one of our students. Liam is entering grade 12 and wants to become involved in the cybersecurity industry. Our provincial student scheduling allowed just enough flexibility for Liam to enter into both Career Explorations and Co-op Education for a total of 2 hours a day for the full year. Now that we had the time and the partners we had viable conditions for a Virtual Co-op success. 
The Plan:
Liam will study CISSP certification standards all Summer long independently. He will return and immediately engage in the virtual relationship and co-op role with Bulletproof Solutions including their mentor contact. Liam will be given real work to complete for the company while studying for his CISSP certification exam throughout the year. He will blog on www.CyberEDU.ca and share his experience and media. Bulletproof has indicated they will cover the cost of his exam writing and they have already supplied him with studying resources. Liam is positioned for success in both cybersecurity goals and personalized learning goals. 

Liam setting up his ideal cybersecurity workstation for Virtual Co-op 2017

Immediate Growth:
After learning of the experience that Liam and I had crafted for his personalized learning opportunity there was immediate interest from other sectors of the province in the Virtual Co-op process and how it could look for students pursuing their skills and careers. The Canadian Welding Association has asked that I present in July 2017 my vision of how Microsoft HoloLens and Skype could foster virtual co-op welding education opportunities for rural students in New Brunswick. With our cybersecurity venture not even at its launch date I now find myself planning a cutting-edge welding experience for students involving mixed-reality and immersive environments. It is all making 2017-2018 look like an astonishing leap forward in New Brunswick Education starting with our efforts and tiny rural school. 

A demo of how a virtual co-op Welding Program could be enhanced by HoloLens!