The kinds of mobile technology kids like to use are generally considered distractions in an educational setting, but a University of Alberta education researcher is teaming up with colleagues around the globe to examine how these devices are used in and outside the classroom—and how they might be integrated to improve literacy education.

The Faculty of Education has a proud tradition not only of producing great educators, but great educational research. Here are some recent stories you may have missed about UAlberta education researchers and the important work they do to improve teaching and learning in Alberta, in Canada and around the world.

For many, summer is a time for camping, outdoor sports and cold drinks on a warm patio. But for these educators, summer isn't about winding down—it's about catching up on research and writing, travelling to international conferences, and devoting time to exciting projects.

Tech leaders and educators around the world are pushing for more computer coding to be taught in schools to better prepare students for the future. Jennifer Lam, who will receive her bachelor of education degree Wednesday at the University of Alberta’s spring convocation, has taken the message to heart and is proving that even Grade 1 students can learn to code.

Dia Da Costa, a professor in the Department of Educational Policy Studies, is one of the organizers of the Reimagining Creative Economy Workshop taking place on the University of Alberta campus April 27 - 29.

Teachers and professionals in related fields who work with young children have a new way to upgrade their early childhood education knowledge and skills—without interrupting their careers—thanks to an online certificate program just launched at the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Education.

Reconciliation—coming to terms with Canada’s colonial roots and making room for other stories and perspectives in understanding our shared history—is a daunting process to undertake for many Canadians. A graduate student in the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Education is hoping that a unique dance performance by a group of Alberta high school students might inspire audiences to see reconciliation in a new way.

Jennifer Kelly was proud to have some of her research about black communities in Alberta on display at the legislature when the Alberta government officially recognized Black History Month at the beginning of February this year. But the University of Alberta Faculty of Education professor says it’s time to move black history from yearly observance to part of the national narrative.

“In many ways the questions around refugee youth in Canada are a window into bigger issues in Canadian society that we have a hard time talking about,” says Sara Carpenter, a professor in the University of Alberta’s Department of Educational Policy Studies.