Professional Capacity

Despite growing educator demand for online instruction, Education Week (2006) states that the vast majority of public schools in the United States still deliver instruction face-to-face. Only 35% of states provide professional development via online or distance learning. K–12 School Technology Initiative funding has helped South Carolina to emerge as a leader in the area of online professional development as evidenced by the State being highlighted in national publications such as SEEN and the Harvard Educational Press.

Guided by the Teacher Technology Proficiency Proviso, the K–12 School Technology Initiative funding is providing the opportunity for districts statewide to use an ePortfolio system for teacher technology proficiency assessment. The tool allows teachers to place themselves on an identified technology proficiency level and then receive recommendations for professional development that are aligned with the courses offered by the State Department of Education. These courses are also provided with K–12 School Technology Initiative funding. Data provided thus far through the ePortfolio project has demonstrated the positive impact of technology integration in SC schools.

Approximately 700 teachers were assessed with the ePortfolio system during the 2005-06 school year. Twenty-five percent of these teachers moved to the proficient level in the use of technology to enhance learning. As a result of this successful pilot project, South Carolina has registered over 10,000 teachers to be assessed in technology proficiency as a result of the statewide roll out during the 2006-07 school year.

South Carolina is one of 40 states whose standards for teachers include technology, and one of only 10 to require technology professional development for teachers. K–12 School Technology Initiative funding has enabled the creation of high quality technology training for teachers. The South Carolina Online Professional Development Program (SCOPD) has received accolades nationwide for its growth and making professional development a focus within the state, especially in high-poverty and high-minority schools. SCOPD offers graduate and recertification credit courses for South Carolina teachers. The K–12 School Technology Initiative funding has completely supported the creation, development, and growth of SCOPD.

K–12 School Technology Initiative funding has supported the creation of professional development by South Carolina Instructional Television (ITV) and South Carolina Educational Television (ETV). The Content Specialists at the South Carolina Department of Education work with ITV to develop and produce professional development programs/series, teleconferences and recertification courses for teachers, administrators and school staffs in our state.

In 2006, K–12 School Technology Initiative funding supported the Professional Capacity dimension by providing critical technology leadership training to South Carolina superintendents and principals. Professional development included technology strategic planning, data driven decision making, legal issues with technology, supervision, and leadership.

ETV also provides professional development to educators through satellite, Distance Education Learning Centers (DELC), StreamlineSC and Knowitall.org. In addition to the online service, K–12 School Technology Initiative funding helps ETV utilize satellite and DELCs for distribution of professional development. DELCs are educational TV centers whose cooperative mission includes ETV, the State Department of Education, and local school districts. These broadcast centers and satellites air instructional programs to all 85 school districts and the State Library centers.

The State Library offers technology integration professional development for teachers through DISCUS workshops, presentations to USC, School of Library and Information Sciences classes, exhibiting at school instructional fairs and technology forums, presentations to the SC Independent Schools Association, DISCUS orientations, and the Education Through Technology Summer Institute and more. In 2006, 857 participants (+74% over FY 05) attended 58 training sessions. Participants continue to rate training sessions as excellent or good.

The K–12 School Technology Initiative funding was used effectively by all partners to make great strides in South Carolina in providing technology professional development and supplying the vehicle to offer all types of online professional development to educators. Through training opportunities and electronic resources, teachers and administrators learned how to implement research-proven strategies to enable the effective integration of technology to support and enhance student achievement.

See what South Carolina educators are saying about StreamlineSC and other Virtual School courses:

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“Greenwood 52 has used K–12 School Technology Initiative funding to roll out Intel Teach to the Future Training for all district teachers. According to Rhonda McDowell, “Teachers participating in Intel Teach to the Future courses receive extensive instruction and resources to promote effective technology use in the classroom.  Feedback has been extremely positive and we are seeing a higher quality for technology implementation in classrooms versus just word processing or surfing the net.”

RHONDA MCDOWELL, GREENWOOD 52