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Greetings from the Division of Digital Teaching and Learning as we welcome in the 2017-2018 school year! We hope you were able to get lots accomplished in your buildings this summer in preparation for the new school year, but were also able to take some time off for fun and relaxation.
We have been very busy over the summer with Beginning Teacher Summits, Home Base Tools for Teachers by Teachers and NC Digital Learning Competencies for Teachers by Teachers. These events were held in all 8 regions and feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. We have also spent time reflecting on how to best serve the field given our state’s focus on digital learning.
In this back-to-school issue of DTL InSights we have included information about various grant opportunities, future ready librarians, implementing digital instructional materials, and highlights from our summer professional learning for Home Base and Digital Learning Competencies, and other timely news that we think you’ll find valuable!
Be sure to review the Canvas Course update for the DLCs and take note of the dates for our 2017-2018 Home Base Meet-Ups. We hope you’ll be able to attend and we look forward to seeing you there!
Hope you all have a great weekend!
Cheers,
Verna
 
This summer, the Digital Teaching and Learning Team in partnership with NC RESAs hosted 8 regionally-based professional learning opportunities to support Home Base Tools and their alignment to the Digital Learning Competencies. Target applications featured were Power Teacher Pro, Schoolnet, and Canvas. Sessions were provided by our Home Base Trainers and Digital Learning Competencies Ambassadors. The Ambassadors are a cadre of educators from across North Carolina that went through a rigorous application process to provide the content.
Sessions led participants through model lessons, analysis of classroom/student work, and the exploration of best practices for integration. There were over 640 educators in attendance.
Sessions and presentations:
Home Base Tools for Teachers: July 10-13
Home Base Tools for Teachers: July 17-20
On Twitter, check out #ncdlc
 Digital Learning Competencies For Teachers
In late July and early August, the Digital Teaching and Learning Team in partnership with NC RESAs hosted regionally-based professional learning opportunities to support the implementation of the Digital Learning Competencies and the updated licensure policy requirements. Sessions were provided by our Digital Learning Competencies Ambassadors. The Ambassadors are a cadre of educators from across North Carolina that went through a rigorous application process to provide the content. Throughout the day, participants participated in Ignite Talks, Playground Sessions, Concurrent Sessions and a Digital Breakout. There were over 1110 educators in attendance.
Sessions and presentations:
Digital Learning Competencies for Teachers: July 31-August 3
Digital Learning Competencies for Teachers: August 7-August 10
On Twitter, check out #ncdlc
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Professional Learning Opportunities
The Professional Learning and Leading Collaborative at The Friday Institute for Educational Innovation invites you to join us for free professional development.
Would you like to learn with your colleagues to build capacity, develop leadership, facilitate strategic planning, and coach educators? The Friday Institute for Educational Innovation at North Carolina State University, in partnership with the Department of Public Instruction, invites you to join your colleagues in an ongoing, job-embedded cohort-based program during the 2017-2018 school year. Each program has been designed specifically for Superintendents; District Leaders; School Leaders; Instructional Coaches, Media Coordinators, Teacher Leaders, and Instructional Technology Facilitators (ITFs). Register: pllc.fi.ncsu.edu/ncdli
Learn more...
Questions? Contact Alison Graham: abgraha3@ncsu.edu
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NCWiseOwl Updates
It's time for a new school year, and we know that you are looking for great resources to use with your students! Don't forget that the resources from NCWiseOwl are free and available for students and teachers in North Carolina Public Schools.
If you haven't visited NCWiseOwl in a while, now is the perfect time! There are great resources available from Britannica, EBSCO, and Gale.
NCWiseOwl Toolkit
Also be sure to check out the NCWiseOwl Toolkit for support materials. You can find copyright information, promotional materials, and more on the toolkit, so be sure to check it out!
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NCDPI Divisions Collaborate to Provide FREE Math Screeners to the State
Members of the Integrated Academic and Behavior Systems and Exceptional Children divisions trained members of district/charter teams across the state on the use of the North Carolina Early Numeracy Skill Indicators (NCENSI) and math computation measures. NCENSI are math measures for grades Kindergarten through 3rd grade that are appropriate for screening and/or progress-monitoring. The release of these K-3 math measures is part of a larger project begun by NCDPI to ensure equitable access to quality universal screening and progress-monitoring tools across the state for FREE and OPTIONAL use.
NC has already committed, first through the implementation of Read to Achieve, to the importance of early identification and prevention activities that begin with valid and reliable screening and monitoring tools. To expand upon this important work, the first goal is to provide similar access for the area of early mathematics in grades Kindergarten- 3rd grade. After the initial training, LEAs/Charters will gain access to the materials. No statewide norms are available this year but division staff will assist districts/charters in obtaining local norms for decision-making. Measures will be further studied this school year in order to make needed modifications based on district/charter feedback.
Please contact Amy Jablonski at amy.jablonski@dpi.nc.gov with any questions.
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Home Base Meet-Ups, 2017-2018
The NCDPI Home Base Team is excited about another great year of networking and collaborative experiences through the Home Base Meet-Ups. These regionally based meetings are for Home Base participants to meet up face-to-face, network, and collaborate. You are free to attend any of the meetings according to your availability and proximity.
Save the Dates! Details and registration information for October sessions coming soon!
- East Area: 10/16, 12/4, 4/10
- South Area: 10/17, 12/5, 4/11
- North Area: 10/18, 12/6, 4/12
- West Area: 10/19, 12/7, 4/13
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NC Digital Learning Competencies for Teachers: Canvas Course Update
We are excited to announce that the NC Digital Learning Competencies for Teachers courses have been placed in the NC Canvas Commons!
DLCs for Teachers: Leadership in Digital Learning
DLCs for Teachers: Content & Instruction
DLCs for Teachers: Digital Citizenship
DLCs for Teachers: Data & Assessment
The NC Canvas Commons is by invitation only. If you have not joined and need to be added to the NC Canvas Commons, please complete the information on this link. After form submission, your sites instance will have access to the NC Canvas Consortium. Your District/Charter Canvas Admin will need to login to Canvas and accept the invite using click path: Commons, Admin, Consortium, Accept Invite. After accepting, you will be able to see all NCDPI Shared Courses.
If your district uses another LMS, please click this link to access the common cartridge files which can be utilized in other LMS platforms. Please keep in mind that your LMS must accept common cartridge files to successfully import.
To preview the course materials, you may also be interested in viewing the Google documents that have been created to mirror the course materials. Access them through these links.
Course Materials via Google Drive:
Overview page - All courses
Overview page - Data & Assessment
Overview page - Digital Citizenship
Overview page - Digital Content & Instruction
Overview page - Leadership in Digital Learning
If you would like further assistance utilizing the courses in your professional development offerings, please contact your Digital Learning Consultant. You may also contact your Digital Learning Consultant for general assistance with the competencies. You can find contact information for your consultant here.
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Navigating the Digital Shift II:
Implementing Digital Instructional Materials for Learning
SETDA expands upon the 2015 Navigating the Digital Shift report in the 2017 publication, Navigating the Digital Shift II: Implementing Digital Instructional Materials for Learning. With a focus on living and learning in the digital age. In this second publication, stakeholders will learn about states’ guidance and policies around the implementation of digital instructional materials, as well as best practices. Specifically, this report:
- Identifies the essential conditions for teaching and learning in a digital environment
- Highlights the on-going shifts in policies
- Provides an update on acquisition policies and practices
- Reports on funding options
- Suggests tips for the selection and curation of digital instructional materials
- Offers guidance on accessibility policies and practices
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Grant Information
K-12 Grants Central
K-12 Grants Central is an educator’s resource to simplify the grant application process and improve the success of obtaining grants for their districts. The content includes a monthly update on tips for creating and submitting grant applications, links to educational grant offerings and useful online grant creation tools. An interactive calendar includes upcoming grant deadlines, and site goers can download it to their individual Outlook or Gmail calendars.
The Big List of Educational Grants and Resources
Get a roundup of educational grants, contests, awards, free toolkits, and classroom guides aimed at helping students, classrooms, schools, and communities. Check this page weekly to get the latest updates!
Homework Gap Grant
The use of online tools, collateral, and multimedia has become commonplace in every type curriculum and across every grade level. Educators are quickly incorporating digital learning into classroom pedagogy because they understand the power these resources bring to the learning experience. On average, one-third of U.S. students do not have adequate Internet access when they leave school; in many urban districts, that number can reach as high as 80 percent. Ultimately, this disadvantaged position jeopardizes the student’s performance, grades, and even graduation rates.
Learn more...
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 2016 Annual Infrastructure Survey
CoSN is pleased to release the fourth annual Infrastructure Survey in partnership with AASA, The School Superintendents Association, and education researchers at MDR to assess the current state of broadband and technology infrastructure in U.S. school systems. The survey gathered insights from K-12 school administrators and technology directors nationwide, to assess key areas of concern for school districts, including affordability, network speed and capacity, reliability and competition, digital equity, security and cloud-based services.
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