LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION'S VIRTUAL INSTRUCTION WORKSHOPS BENEFIT OVER 2,500 TEACHERS AND PRINCIPALS

Dec 08, 2020
BATON ROUGE, La. -- The pandemic has made virtual instruction a new normal for students, families and educators across the nation. Earlier this school year, the Louisiana Department of Education partnered with leaders in education and technology to offer a pair of digital education workshops. So far, these sessions have helped over 2,500 educators improve how they engage students through virtual instruction. 
 
“We want our educators to be at their best no matter how they offer instruction to students,” said State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley. “The participation we’re seeing in these workshops at the state level, along with professional development opportunities being offered by systems, show a dedication from teachers and leaders to provide high-quality instruction in any setting.”
 
Since October, approximately 2,646 educators have participated in the Department’s virtual instruction workshops. That number includes teachers and principals. The Department has offered two series of workshops.
 
Effective Virtual Instruction Series
This three-part online training series helps teachers and principals understand high-quality virtual instruction and gives them tools, templates and resources for strengthening their lessons and engaging students. Leaders also receive resources to help them coach teachers and provide strong feedback to improve. The virtual training series is being provided by the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching.
 
Registration is still open for future sessions of this synchronous series, but seats are limited for each school system. Teachers should connect with their immediate supervisor to see if seats are available. More details and registration information are available at niet.org.
 
Starting December 8, Louisiana educators will have free access to three, 60-minute self-study modules that showcase different aspects of effective virtual teaching. Through these asynchronous sessions, which are similar to the live training, educators will learn about tips, templates, and strategies to use immediately in their virtual classrooms.
 
Google Skills and Best Practices for Digital Series
The LDOE partnered with Google and FriEd Technology to provide a series of webinars to enhance teachers’ Google skills and practices for digital learning. Webinar topics included Google Classroom, screencasting and digital interactive notebooks.

“The virtual learning trainings have been an asset to our district leaders in coaching teachers to plan instruction through a hybrid lens,” said Allen Parish Schools supervisor Bridget Craft. “Teachers are gaining a deeper knowledge of what a hybrid classroom should look like. We are very pleased the LDOE is partnering with NIET to deliver these virtual trainings at no cost to the district.”
 
The Department also created virtual instruction guides for educators and families. Each resource offers actionable steps educators and families can take to support high-quality instruction for students in a virtual learning setting. The family guide is available in SpanishArabicVietnameseChinese and Taiwanese.
 
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