— courtesy Vance County Schools
Vance County Schools has begun a “We Inspire 2.0” initiative for the 2017-2018 school year as the district’s second year in training local educators on how to effectively use technology to enhance daily classroom instruction with students.
The district hosted a “Draft Day” event for this year’s initiative in the Board Room of the school system’s Administrative Services Center during the afternoon on September 12. Superintendent Anthony Jackson, wearing his “VCS Proud” baseball cap, led the festivities. He individually called up the 52 local educators involved in this year’s initative. The team of educators, which includes school administrators, teachers, counselors and media specialists, will participate in training sessions throughout the school year. The sessions will be led by blended learning experts from the Friday Institute on the campus of N.C. State University.
Educators walked the red carpet at our blended learning “Draft Day” and signed a “We Inspire 2.0” pledge banner while Superintendent Anthony Jackson, background in cover photo, called their names.
Costs for the training sessions are funded through a three-year grant secured by the school system from the Golden Leaf Foundation.
During “Draft Day,” the educators walked down – and many actually danced down – a red carpet to the front of the Board Room where they signed a “We Inspire” pledge banner to commit their time and talents to the blended learning training sessions and to lead blended learning efforts with their colleagues in their respective schools. This year’s participants join another 50-member group of educators who went through the training last school year. Together the cohort groups form a strong leadership team to lead technology teaching and learning in their schools.
All educators in Vance County Schools have laptop computers to use in classroom instruction. With the presence of computers, interactive SmartBoards and additional technology devices in local classrooms, they are able to have students engaged in technology enhanced instruction that actually compliments the efforts of teachers. Many of our students also have laptop computers, iPads, smart phones and other devices they can use in their classrooms at school and at home.