Opportunity Thrives

On today’s episode, we explore CTE, career technical education, available throughout schools nationwide. An increasing number of districts across the county recognize the value of career and technical education and are expanding their CTE programs by creating programs of study that are rigorous and aligned with post-secondary education and career pathways.

Today we discuss strategies for establishing CTE programs to support students who struggle to graduate, tactics for effectively implementing these programs and resources that can be immediately applied within your school or district.

Our first guest, Michael Connet, the Associate Deputy Executive Director for ACTE is responsible for promoting the impact of CTE on America’s learners. In his role he also supports the development and growth of the organization’s service to professionals engaged in preparing America’s STEM learners as the next generation of workers. He leads the efforts of the organization to build relationships that harness the potential of career and technical education, including opportunities to incorporate digital curriculum, and create projects and initiatives that elevate the profession.

We are equally pleased to have Sandra Cerny on this episode. Sandra is an Online Blended Learning teacher and facilitator for Temecula Valley Unified School District in Temecula, CA. She currently teaches online CTE courses in the Business and Finance sector. She has collaborated on several curriculum writing and alignment teams for Temecula Valley, and has recently developed a Business Management pathway that is the first CTE course in the district to be delivered completely online. Sandra has been awarded a CTA Institute For Teaching Grant, and has been accepted into the 2020 CTE Online Curriculum Writing Institute as a Curriculum Writing Specialist.

This is an unprecedented time and one that has been particularly difficult on district leaders, students, and parents. While districts navigate how to manage the transition to virtual learning and shifting federal and state guidelines, families are tasked with entertaining and educating their children while still managing their work lives remotely.

These are substantial demands, and they are affecting different families in different ways. The sudden shift to eliminate all social interactions and stay home as much as possible is not easy for anyone, but can be a particularly difficult transition for teenagers and their parents.

Fortunately, there are practical strategies districts can share with families to help manage the new demands of educating their students while still juggling work and family life. In this podcast we discuss how districts can offer guidance and support while also fostering a sense of community among students, parents and teachers. 

Amy Valentine, the executive director of the Future of School, formerly known as the Foundation for Blended and Online Learning, joined us for the podcast. Future of School is a national nonprofit designed to support the growth of innovative school models integrating blended and online learning. And Dawn Holmes, an education expert who works with districts to provide increased learning opportunities, particularly for those who may be struggling, also joined us for the episode. Both Dawn and Amy provided valuable insight and advice on how to support families in navigating these challenging times.

On today’s episode, we explore CTE, career technical education, available throughout schools nationwide. An increasing number of districts across the county recognize the value of career and technical education and are expanding their CTE programs by creating programs of study that are rigorous and aligned with post-secondary education and career pathways.

Today we discuss strategies for establishing CTE programs to support students who struggle to graduate, tactics for effectively implementing these programs and resources that can be immediately applied within your school or district.

Our first guest, Michael Connet, the Deputy Executive Director for ACTE is responsible for promoting the impact of CTE on America’s learners. In his role he also supports the development and growth of the organization’s service to professionals engaged in preparing America’s STEM learners as the next generation of workers. He leads the efforts of the organization to build relationships that harness the potential of career and technical education, including opportunities to incorporate digital curriculum, and create projects and initiatives that elevate the profession. 

We are equally pleased to have Sandra Cerny on this episode. Sandra is an Online Blended Learning teacher and facilitator for Temecula Valley Unified School District in Temecula, CA. She currently teaches online CTE courses in the Business and Finance sector. She has collaborated on several curriculum writing and alignment teams for Temecula Valley, and has recently developed a Business Management pathway that is the first CTE course in the district to be delivered completely online. Sandra has been awarded a CTA Institute For Teaching Grant, and has been accepted into the 2020 CTE Online Curriculum Writing Institute as a Curriculum Writing Specialist. 

On this episode of Opportunity Thrives, we explore how to not only implement a digital curriculum program within your district but also how to ensure it meets your district goals and supports student success.  The use of online curriculum is often lumped into a single category of ‘digital learning,' however, not all programs are created equal.

When launching a new digital learning program, it is key to evaluate district priorities with the most appropriate digital learning program and how to support the success of your students. 

Josh Silver, the Director of Virtual Learning for Las Cruces Public Schools in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and Beth Pace, a Coordinator of Secondary and Middle School Curriculum at Spartanburg School District One in Campobello, South Carolina share how to evaluate your priorities, consider a variety of deployment options, and align the right content to meet staff needs and target student success.

On the fourth episode of Opportunity Thrives, we take a closer look at technology and the gender gap. We discuss the challenges of  engaging more females in computer science and some of the strategies that can be implemented to inspire these young learners to explore computer science and technology courses and pursue careers in these fields.  

Sabine Thomas, the Northwest regional manager for Code.org, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to computer science in schools and increasing participation by women and underrepresented minorities shares her insights on the show. The vision of Code.org is to provide every student in every school with the opportunity to learn computer science, just as easily as they have the chance to learn biology, chemistry or algebra. Sabine is passionate about Computer Science and Software Development and supports the organization by establishing organizational partnerships throughout the Northwest. 

Misty Christensen, a business education and AP computer science instructor at Dunwoody High School in the Dekalb County School System in Dunwoody, Georgia also joined us for the episode. After pursuing her teaching degree, she was so inspired by the computing classes she was teaching that she went back to school to get her degree in business education. Within her district, she supports Girls Who Code, the Robotics club, First Robotics Competition, and the Technology Student Association to help inspire both young men and women to pursue careers in computing. 

Online learning has given rise to a spectrum of instructional models that redefine teaching and learning in the classroom. At one end, teachers use digital content to enhance teacher-led instruction and provide remediation. At the other, the digital curriculum is leveraged to transform primary instruction and support initial credit and credit recovery programs. However, for teachers who are adding one more thing to their day job, new technology can feel overwhelming. In this episode of Opportunity Thrives, we discuss what educators need most when it comes to adopting new digital curriculum programs and some of the strategies administrators can implement to make adopting the new technology a more seamless process for teachers.

Our first guest, Laura Lee, is an editor and writer for Edutopia. Prior to her role at Edutopia, she worked as an educator with a civic education organization and then as a program administrator for two Fulbright grant programs. She has a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Maryland where she was an Eleanor Merrill Fellow. She has also worked at NPR producing content for the Washington desk, All Things Considered and Talk of the Nation. 

Shanise Goldsby, an assistant principal at Broadview Middle School in Burlington, North Carolina also joined us for the conversation. Shanise has been an educator for 17 years; 14 years as a seventh grade ELA and reading teacher and she is going on three years as an administrator. She is passionate about empowering her teachers to excel with digital curriculum and she shares specific strategies to help teachers get the resources they need to be successful. 

In this episode of Opportunity Thrives, we discuss a topic that certainly isn’t new, but has evolved with the digital age: cheating, and how to maintain digital integrity when implementing an online curriculum program for today’s middle and high school students. For as long as students have sat in a desk, they have found creative ways to cheat in order to pass a test. All of the same student motivations still apply in a digital setting, but the strategies are slightly different. Two guests on this episode, Kecia Ray and John Watson, participated in a discussion on how districts can implement safeguards and best practices to reduce the incidences of cheating and discuss where many might fall short when it comes to digital integrity.

John Watson is the Evergreen Education Group founder and primary researcher. He has two decades of experience in online learning and education technology conducting, writing, and presenting research as well as providing testimony on digital learning matters to state boards of education, legislatures, and charter school commissions. 

Dr. Kecia Ray has devoted her career to education technology and is the former executive director for the Center for Digital Education, Ray has worked as an administrator for the Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools and for the Tennessee Commissioner of Education. She was also named one of the top 10 EdTech Leaders by Tech and Learning magazine and a top 100 EdTech Influencer by EdTech Digest. She now leads K20 Connect, a network of education and technology leaders focused on building effective practices in K20 education.

In first episode of Opportunity Thrives, Kim Loomis, the former Director of Digital Learning at Nevada’s Clark County School District, the 5th largest district in the nation, shares her strategies for how, when and where to support struggling students and make the biggest impact using digital curriculum. Today, Kim is the CEO of i3DigitalPD, helping educators across the nation to grow high quality digital learning programs. She recently authored, Think Outside the Box, a book that highlights hundreds of schools and thousands of classroom teachers in Nevada’s Clark County School District and their unique approaches to implementing digital curriculum to support struggling learners.