San Antonio, Texas, National Education Computing Conference (June 30, 2008) – PBS TeacherLine®, the premier provider of online professional development courses for preK-12 educators, recently teamed up with the San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD) to provide technology lead teachers with online professional development opportunities. The PBS TeacherLine ISTE Capstone Certificate Program is a key component of the district’s Technology Integration Lead Teacher (TILT) initiative to enhance the knowledge and skills of teachers who are responsible for instructional technology leadership in their schools, and to accelerate and improve technology integration district-wide. This opportunity was made possible through the work of PBS TeacherLine station partners, KLRN in San Antonio and KLRU in Austin, Texas.

The goal of the TILT initiative is to develop capacity within the San Antonio school district to implement the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) National Education Technology Standards (NETS) for Students and Teachers as articulated in the Texas School Technology and Readiness (STaR) Chart. In addition, the district aims to achieve Level 5 Technology Integration, which is the use of technology to extend learning beyond classroom walls in ways that encourage creativity and collaboration.

According to reports from the District’s Office of Instructional Technology Services, technology integration is slowly being introduced throughout the district, but 52 percent of educators in the district do not use technology or use it only for teacher productivity. The district aims to improve the level of integration district-wide through the TILT initiative, with the online professional development courses as an integral part of the program.

“Providing sustained professional learning opportunities aligned to state and national standards is tough, challenging and can be expensive,” points out Miguel Guhlin, director of instructional technology services. Guhlin was responsible for facilitating a $2.9 million Technology Integration in Education (TIE) grant to help teachers earn their master’s degrees in curriculum and instruction with instructional technology specialization. “In SAISD, many of our teachers already have master’s degrees, and programs like the PBS TeacherLine Capstone program enable them to extend their learning,” Guhlin says. “After reviewing several options, the PBS TeacherLine Capstone program was found to provide standards-aligned, sustained, affordable professional learning opportunities for our instructional staff. PBS TeacherLine enables a small district team to leverage online learning to impact a maximum audience. Additionally, in the Capstone program and other PBS TeacherLine courses, online course participants are expected to develop high-quality lessons and implement them with their students.

The PBS TeacherLine ISTE Capstone Certificate Program consists of a series of research-based, online facilitated courses that focus on instructional technology use, and enable teachers to demonstrate their mastery of ISTE National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS•T). In the SAISD initiative, a “district coach,” who is an experienced educator with a master’s degree, and is trained in facilitating both face-to-face and online learning, leads the Capstone courses.

Since the collaboration began in the fall of 2007, two cohorts of San Antonio teachers have been nominated and enrolled in the PBS TeacherLine program as part of the early stages of the initiative. The educator groups represent content-area teachers from the elementary, middle, high school, and academy levels. The district is on track to reach its goals with 18 teachers scheduled to earn their certification this summer, and openings for 18 more who will have the opportunity to begin the Capstone program in mid-fall 2008.

By participating in the PBS TeacherLine program, teachers conduct an in-depth study of how technology can improve teaching and learning while developing a professional digital portfolio of their work. The portfolio exhibits contain digital artifacts of the teacher’s classroom practice and reflections on how classroom projects demonstrate particular standards in action. Once certified, the Technology Integration Lead Teachers will become school leaders in developing and aligning curriculum to Technology Applications standards of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), the state-mandated set of learning objectives, at all grade levels.

“The instructional technology team of San Antonio ISD are true innovators in education,” said Holly Custard, state program director for PBS TeacherLine of Texas. “They are dedicated to teacher and student success, and have a clear vision of how to make this success a reality. We are so proud to have the PBS TeacherLine ISTE Capstone Certificate program as a core part of the TILT initiative.” PBS TeacherLine courses are offered locally to Texas educators through PBS TeacherLine of Texas, a consortium of Texas PBS member stations managed by KLRN in San Antonio and KLRU in Austin.

Participants in the TILT initiative are expected to provide ongoing professional learning opportunities to school colleagues, model technology use that is aligned to Texas state curriculum standards and ISTE NETS, and attend additional after-hours training sessions.

As part of the TILT initiative, teachers participating in the program receive laptops, digital projectors, and software as well as an online Web log to share progress and projects. Funding for the TILT initiative comes from the state technology allotment, NCLB Title II Part D funds, and local contributions.

More Information

For more details about the TILT initiative, visit itls.saisd.net/tilt or itls.saisd.net/blog. A list of links to videos of Texas educators sharing their experiences participating in the TILT program, and of Miguel Guhlin discussing the initiative, are available at tinyurl.com/6xt3qc.

Visit www.pbs.org/teacherline to learn more about PBS TeacherLine.

For more about PBS, go to www.pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org Web sites on the Internet.

About PBS TeacherLine

PBS TeacherLine is committed to helping teachers acquire the skills they need to prepare students for a successful future. PBS TeacherLine provides high-quality, affordable professional development through facilitated, online courses, collaborative learning communities, and exemplary Internet-based resources. Currently, more than 90 courses across multiple subject areas are offered. Teachers can earn continuing education units, professional development points and graduate credits for course completion. The courses have been developed in conjunction with leading education organizations, including Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL), Education Development Center (EDC), Concord Consortium, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and International Society for Technology Education. Created in 2000, PBS TeacherLine is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education for $6,046,811. This represents approximately 85 percent of the total program funding. The remaining 15 percent is funded through in-kind support from PBS and through program income.

About PBS

PBS, with its 355 member stations, offers all Americans – from every walk of life – the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and online content. Each week, PBS reaches more than 73 million people and invites them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; hear diverse viewpoints; and take front row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS’ broad array of programs have been consistently honored by the industry’s most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. PBS’ premier children’s TV programming and Web site, pbskids.org, are parents’ and teachers’ most trusted partners in inspiring and nurturing curiosity and love of learning in children.

Contacts

PBS
Kevin Dando
703-739-5073
kdando at pbs dot org
www.pbs.org

PBS TeacherLine
Melinda George
703-739-5219
mggeorge at pbs dot org
www.pbs.org/teacherline

C. Blohm & Associates, Inc.
Charlene Blohm
608-839-9800
charlene at cblohm dot com
www.cblohm.com

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