This four-week professional development series introduces teachers to best practices in online instruction and practical strategies that can be applied in their own online courses. This webinar series is intended for classroom-based educators making a transition to online or blended learning in preparation for potential school closures in the 2020/2021 academic year.
Each week kicks off with a brief reading and examination of current practice. Following the reading and self-assessment, participants will attend a one-hour webinar hosted by an experienced online learning practitioner. The webinar will be followed by a two-day facilitated, online discussion where participants will contemplate how the information in the webinar applies to their own instructional practice. The week will end with a personal reflection about what has been learned and how the teacher plans to implement the suggested strategies.
This professional development series includes the following focus areas:
Week 1: Essentials of Online Teaching
Week 2: Facilitating Online Discussions
Week 3: Feedback and Assessment in the Online Classroom
Week 4: Teacher Presence and Classroom Community
Teachers will spend approximately 5 hours on each topic, for a total of 20 hours of professional learning for the series. Participants that complete all sessions, evidenced by participation in the discussion activities and submission of reflections on each topic, will receive a certificate of completion for 20 hours of professional learning in the area of digital learning and online instruction.
VHS Learning is approved by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to provide professional development in the areas of Instructional Technology/Digital Learning. Massachusetts teachers that complete this webinar series will receive a certificate indicating they have earned 20 PDPs in the area of digital learning.
The cost for this webinar series is $125 per participant.