Litchfield, CT, July 24-28, 2006 - High school teachers from across Connecticut looked into the future of education at the Connecticut Career Choices Summer Institute, hosted at EDUCATION CONNECTION in Litchfield. The Center for 21st Century Skills @ EDUCATION CONNECTION held a week-long workshop educating teachers in the new blended online courses being introduced in several Connecticut high schools beginning this fall. The blended learning environment is a teacher directed curriculum utilizing online materials with students in the classroom. Courses including Foundations of Health Science and Technology (introducing students to the myriad of careers in healthcare), E-Commerce (educating students about internet businesses and entrepreneurship) will be taught in schools from Berlin to Stratford, Hartford to Salisbury, and many other districts in Connecticut. The Center for 21st Century Skills also launched a blended learning curriculum, Information Technology Research and Development for its very successful program, the Information Technology Leadership Academy (ITLA). ITLA, a year-long project and competition focused on student innovation, will be kicking off its 8th season this September at twenty Connecticut high schools.
Teachers at the Summer Institute eagerly explored all three of these blended learning environments. Jam-packed with a variety of resources including student blogs and portfolios, activities, online assignments, and a vast amount of multimedia and new ways to interact with classmates, students have an array of opportunities to learn. While only a handful of the educators present at the Summer Institute had worked in an online learning space before, the response was overwhelmingly positive. “I learned a tremendous amount of valuable information this week! I am excited about teaching the class, and am so glad I signed up”, said one teacher. “Overall, I thought that this was a first-class workshop. I learned a lot and I am very excited to be part of this program”, said another. Many students are in for a unique educational experience when they return to school this fall, and these dedicated teachers are looking forward to providing them with one.
Click here to view photos from the event via CT Career Choices