Blended Learning | News

Santa Clara U To Train 100 Educators in Blended Learning

• By Joshua Bolkan
• 05/15/13

More than 100 teachers from Catholic schools run by the Diocese of San Jose will participate in a year of professional development to earn a certificate in blended learning in an effort to improve educational outcomes for students.

Scheduled to begin this June, the training is being offered through the Academy of Blended Learning, a joint effort of the diocese and the School of Education and Counseling Psychology at Santa Clara University (SCU). The academy is also part of the Saint Katharine Drexel School Initiative, a "response to the need to recommit to and bolster the levels of student academic success and to harness technology to improve student learning," according to information released by the diocese.

"Learning and teaching have changed in today's world of 'anytime, anywhere' learning," said Steve Johnson, director of the academy at SCU, in a prepared statement. "Blended learning brings together the best of what teachers, parents, and classrooms have to offer, with the best that technology and the entire world can offer."

Participants will include K-8 teachers and administrators from diocesan schools where blended learning has already been implemented and "will focus on more comprehensive and skillful use of technologies, particularly in reading and mathematics," according to a news release about the move.

The program will itself be a blended learning environment, offering teachers and administrators a selection of summer workshops, year-round activities, and ongoing support.

In addition, the academy will continue to support the Saint Katharine Drexel School Initiative through refinement of curriculum, assessment, and teaching methods.

"I am very excited about the possibility that teachers, students, and parents will all have an opportunity to learn in the most promising ways we have available today," said Kathy Almazol, superintendent of schools for the Diocese of San Jose, in a prepared statement. "This really brings us into the twenty-first century, while still holding on to everything we love about Catholic schools."

Located south of San Francisco, CA, Santa Clara University is a Jesuit institution serving more than 8,800 undergraduate and graduate students. More information about SCU is available at scu.edu.

Go to dsj.org to learn more about the Katharine Drexel School Initiative.