For immediate release
Dec. 14, 2017
State Board Approves Grants to Advance Digital Teaching & Learning
North
Carolina’s efforts to advance digital-age teaching and learning in the state’s
public schools are getting a boost from a new grant initiative aimed at
supporting local districts in the development and dissemination of innovative
models for digital learning.
Under
an initial round of grants approved by the State Board of Education last week,
30 school districts and one charter school will share about $1.38 million targeted to better harness technology for
instruction and student learning.
The
Digital Learning Initiative grants, most awarded at the maximum of $50,000
each, will be used by districts this school year for planning or showcasing promising
approaches to digital teaching and learning. Of the 31 grantees, 21 are designated for planning and 10 for showcase
purposes. The grants were selected from a total of 61 applications.
“We know teachers will always be the most important
part of students learning in school, and now technology can help educators personalize
learning while reducing burdens,” said Mark Johnson, state superintendent of
public instruction. “We were pleased with the quality of the applications we
received and look forward to seeing the projects in action.”
In addition to personalized learning, the work of
each grantee will focus on supporting the state’s digital learning competencies
for educators and other initiatives such as micro-credentialing and digital
literacies. Many of the
approved grants focus on
providing resources for professional development, seen as a critical foundation
supporting the adoption of effective approaches to digital learning the state’s
schools.
The
grants will help fund a number of different approaches designed to promote
digital learning. One district will use its
grant to establish a plan for
developing digital learning teams in all of its schools and to provide
extensive professional development to teacher-leaders in middle and high schools. Another district will use an
annual event focusing on robotics and engineering as a professional development
opportunity for educators from across the state. Other districts will host
conferences, at least one of which will include classroom visits highlighting
model practices for personalized learning.
The
grant initiative was authorized in 2016 by the General Assembly as part of a collaboration
between the State Board of Education and the Friday Institute for Educational
Innovation at N.C. State University to advance the state’s Digital Learning
Plan. The goal of that plan is to develop a long-term strategy that sets
directions and priorities, supports innovation, and provides resources to
enable educators and students to benefit fully from digital-age teaching and
learning.
Go here
for a list of grantees, and for more information about Digital Learning
Initiative Grants, visit http://www.ncpublicschools.org/dtl/grants/.
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