SkillsBank One-Day Workshops
SkillsBank Corp., a leading publisher of comprehensive instructional software, will offer professional development and training services to educators everywhere.
According to the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA), technology training for teachers is essential to ensure the effective daily use of computers in education. The OTA recommended that schools spend at least 25% of their total technology dollars for on-going training and staff development. SkillsBank is addressing this need with training offerings specifically directed at its own line of SkillsBank software products, as well as training on the use of technology in general.
Two training programs are offered: Integrating Technology into Schoolwide Programs, and Using SkillsBank Products in the Classroom. Both programs are one-day, hands-on workshops specifically created to give teachers and curriculum coordinators the tools they need to design and implement schoolwide technology-based programs.
Integrating Technology into Schoolwide Programs was created with the help of Mary Scott, who spent 13 years with Federal Programs in Arkansas. The program's objective is to help educators:
- fund programs,
- use federal funds collaboratively to expand purchasing power,
- use assessment tools,
- individualize instruction, and
- increase parent/teacher communication.
Using SkillsBank Products in the Classroom will help educators maximize the benefits of SkillsBank's award-winning products in their classrooms. They will learn how to:
- diagnose student strengths and weaknesses;
- use the package's extensive management system to customize instruction;
- generate reports for increased assessment and accountability; and
- correlate state and national standards to student lessons.
M. Russo, a Media Specialist at Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, comments, "I have found that teachers only use software technology when they are comfortable with, and confident about, how to use it. To develop this confidence, a continuing program of interesting, high-quality, hands-on training is absolutely necessary."
"SkillsBank's customer base is well over 16,000 institutions," says Kathleen Hurley, Senior Vice President of SkillsBank Corp. "Even though our products are easy to use, we know that many of our customers would like to have a professional trainer walk them through the products. Using technology and incorporating it into a curriculum can be greatly enhanced with a relatively small amount of training. Our customers have requested training, so we've set up 35 trainers nationwide to provide on-location training and follow-up services anywhere in the U.S."
Prices for the two programs range from $1,200 to $1,800 each* and cover up to 10 participants. Additional participants, up to 20 maximum, are optional at $100 per person. Training materials are included with both programs. As an added incentive, participants can choose to receive a free copy of CornerStone Home, the new school-to-home component for children in grades 3-8 as an alternative to the site license.
For more information, contact Joanne Dorrett, SkillsBank's Director of Professional Development and Training, (800) 725-8432, or e-mail her at: [email protected].
This article originally appeared in the 09/01/1997 issue of THE Journal.