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Educational Design & Technology

Leaders

Learning Technology Grant Program Overview: CSD 31

Award Years: 2018-2021

LET’s Blend: Leading Educational Transformation is targeting 36 teachers, 18 administrators, and their students from 14 public schools and 4 nonpublic schools across NYC CSDs 13 and 19 potentially impacting more than 6,148 students. Seven schools that will be served through the LTG Program are Focus or Priority schools. Both districts have high concentrations of low-income students, ELLs and/or SWDs. 

The program seeks to accomplish three main goals:

  1. To provide sustained, rigorous, comprehensive program PD to ensure educators and leaders are proficient in the integration of learning technologies;
  2. To provide technology-enhanced, culturally- and linguistically-responsive learning environments to support improved teaching and learning  by assisting educators in effectively using technology to facilitate student learning through active engagement, and by developing educators’ ability to build appropriate supports for students as needed; and
  3. To increase equitable access to high-quality digital resources and standards-based, technology-rich learning experiences. 

A major challenge for integrating blended learning technologies is that many educators do not know how to select what they need or use them effectively. Or they may try to implement them without changing instructional practices or providing students multiple paths to master content. 

LET’s Blend addresses this challenge. It is a rigorous, comprehensive model of professional development for both administrators and teachers to build distributive leadership for adopting technology innovation to promote high levels of student learning through blended and online learning solutions. The professional development will use a blend of face-to-face and online curriculum sessions to connect professional development participants from participating schools and establish a powerful professional learning community (PLC). 

Two parallel strands of PD will be offered to teachers and leaders tailored to their respective roles. Teachers will be provided with push-in and pull-out professional development on how to facilitate a blended classroom and manage an online course. School leaders will receive on-site PD to assist them with identifying the best online products for their students, and how to lead in a blended learning environment. The NYCDOE iZone, NYSCATE, ISTE, and LINC will provide the PD, and iZone will provide oversight and management of the program. 

The expected outcomes of the program are as follows: 

  • Teachers will increase their ability to incorporate blended and online learning. 
  • School administrators will develop new skills to lead in a blended learning environment. 
  • Schools will build distributive leadership capacity for supporting blended learning. 
  • Students will have greater access to digital resources to meet their academic needs and interests. 
  • Participating schools will demonstrate progression from traditional, teacher-centered classrooms to student-centered, blended classrooms through culture change, capacity growth, learning design and technology integration methodology.  
  • Students be more actively engaged and invested in their learning. 

The program will develop and maintain a website accessible to New York State school districts to share materials and resources related to the LTG.

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