Digital Promise, Verizon Open Up Free Remote Teacher Training Pathways
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 12/08/20
Digital
Promise and Verizon have teamed up to offer free training pathways
for individual teachers, which can earn educators microcredentials.
There are three pathways currently being promoted, with more to be
offered in the next year:
-
Transitioning
to remote learning, to learn how to shift pedagogy to a remote
format, which is aligned with five microcredentials;
-
Evergreen
tools for blended and remote learning, to explore tools for
"creating online classroom spaces and meaningful blended and
remote learning experiences," which can lead to a single
microcredential;
and
-
Introduction
to instructional technology coaching, to help build coaching skills
that lead to improved teaching and learning with instructional
technology, which doesn't have its own credential but can serve as a
"supplemental resource" to existing coaching models.
Teachers
can go through the programs via standalone instruction with webinars
and learning modules or with sequenced learning courses that are
available in real-time or on-demand.
When
the training is over, Digital
Promise's microcredentials program
provides competency-based certification through assessment by
experts; and teachers receive a certificate of attendance.
The
program is part of Verizon's Innovative Learning project, which has
delivered teacher training to 14,311 teachers in 264 schools, in a
structure that has involved entire schools. Now, the two
organizations are making the training available to individual
educators.
"To
be clear, technology in and of itself won't change anything, but the
absence of access to it can change everything," wrote Lydia
Logan, executive director of the Verizon
Innovative Learning Schools
initiative at Digital Promise, in
a blog about the new program.
"Every child should have the opportunity to attend a school
where a strong instructional leader with a clear vision for school
transformation who supports teachers and learners creates a culture
of powerful learning where gaps can narrow and opportunities expand.
This should be the new normal."
Sign-up
is available through
the Digital Promise website.
About the Author
Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.