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Professional Development with You in Mind

by Diana Benner

It’s important that we as educators model what we want our students and staff to do. If we want them to use technology well, we have to demonstrate what that looks like on a regular basis. We also have to model the principle of continuous improvement through professional development. With new research and best practices emerging at a staggering pace, there’s no better way to stay current and effective.

TCEA offers certification programs and online courses that are designed to meet your needs. They are standards-based, aligned to best practices, and are available in formats that will work with your busy schedule.

Device-Based Certification Programs

Our device-based certification programs are designed for the busy educator. These certifications are completely online and self-paced. In addition to completing online modules, participants will submit a lesson that demonstrates effective integration into a particular content area to support student learning. Participants can jump into these programs at any time of the year. They each take approximately 18 hours to complete.

Chromebook Certification (Level 1)– This certification is designed for classroom teachers who have a Chromebook, as well as those who work with students using Chromebooks. It builds a solid foundation for getting the most from the device to impact and enhance instruction. Participants in this program will also dig deeper in their utilization of Google Apps for Education tools.

iPad Certification (Level 1)– Build a solid foundation for integrating the iPad in your classroom by participating in this certification. You’ll learn how to support diverse groups of students with various iOS features, as well as receive specific tutorials on apps that you can use in your classroom to empower student learning in your content area.

Role-Based Certification Programs for Professional Development

Our role-based certifications include live webinars and online coursework. As you go through these courses, you’ll build a portfolio to document your professional learning and implementation of the information shared and skills mastered. In addition, as a capstone, you’ll develop a final project that aligns with your coursework. Though these three certifications officially begin in September each year, many participants begin at other times during the cycle and start the certification process with ease.

Campus Technology Specialist Certification– Designed for those who work with other educators to help them integrate technology effectively, this program focuses on helping you understand the tools and processes to better engage students and increase relevant technology utilization in the classroom.

IT/Technology Director Certification– Participants in this program will cover topics to help them become an effective district leader and support administrators, teachers, and students in the use of technology. Master complex decision-making skills and best practices that will help you in your day-to-day work. Learn about funding, hiring, purchasing, and more.

21st Century Administrator Certification – This program is designed for those individuals who are already in a campus leadership role or want to move in that direction. You’ll focus on building leadership skills and learning how to model technology to other staff members, as well as understanding educational technology trends and their impact on student achievement.

Online Courses

In addition to the certification and self-paced programs, TCEA also offers instructor-led online courses. These facilitated courses last from three to four weeks. The asynchronous learning design and 24/7 access to course content allows you to manage course requirements at a time that is most convenient for you within the week’s schedule. In addition, these courses offer frequent opportunities for peer-to-peer collaboration.

Effective, Engaging Professional Development – How do you take workshop offerings to the next level to make them more meaningful for your attendees? In this course, you will learn about the latest research and best practices on adult learning to ensure that your participants are still growing long after the training is over. You’ll also discuss innovative tips and tricks for guaranteeing that your message is not only heard, but also acted upon in the classroom. This online course runs from September 13 – October 3, 2016.

Personnel Management – Learn about the critical personnel issues related to hiring, documentation, firing, and team building in order to best organize your staff and help them grow as a team. This online course runs from October 11 – 31, 2016.

Hardware, Software, and Network Management – In this information-rich course, you will explore best practices, relevant documents, and current information related to the following topics that impact the role and duties of the technology leader: asset management, cloud computing, cyber safety and security, disaster recovery, network infrastructure, one-to-one implementations, open source software, records retention, TASA Visioning, and virtualization. This online course runs from November 8 – 30, 2016.

Effective Coaching for Technology Integration – Coaching educators in the area of instructional technology is challenging and important. This online course allows you to better understand this role and help you to further develop your coaching strategies for even the most reluctant of educators. This online course runs from January 10 – 30, 2017.

Budget and Finance– Knowing about good budgeting practices, types of budgets, E-Rate requirements, grants, and resources to help you with your IT finances is critical as a technology leader. You’ll learn about these, as well as receive resources that you’ll want to refer to throughout the budgeting year in your district. This online course runs from January 10 – 30, 2017.

Technology Leader Book Study – In this course, you will reflect on key questions to make application of your self-selected book to your current (and future) role as an IT/Technology Director. Prior to the beginning of this course, you will select and read a title from the approved list. This online course runs from February 21 – March 13, 2017.

If you are like me and are a lifelong learner who wants to improve your practice, then these certification programs and online courses are for you. Discounts are available for our certification programs for bulk enrollment from the same district. For more information, contact Bruce Ellis at bellis@tcea.org.

 

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