The Public School System’s Office of Instructional Technology & Distance Education hosted its 12th annual program showcase for the Educational Technology Training Program or EdTech.
The event was held last May 18 at the Kensington Hotel Saipan Hall and saw 200 attendees consisting of EdTech graduates, EdTech instructors, PSS key management, members from the Board of Education, and school administrators from both public and private schools.
The EdTech Program is a year-long training program consisting of five 45-hour certification courses that involve using and integrating technology to improve the quality of instruction and learning. Upon completion of the course, the amount of time put into professional development equates to 225 hours. This year, the program graduated a total of 129 participants. Throughout the program, participants explored the diverse suite of Google tools to support teaching and learning, discussed the importance of empowering students to be proactive digital citizens, and examined student-centered applications to produce a variety of products such as multimedia presentations, infographics, and dynamic videos.
Congratulatory remarks were delivered by senior director Jackie Quitugua, from the Office of Curriculum and Instruction and acting Board of Education chairperson Maisie Tenorio. PSS and BOE leadership shared a joint message of pride for the hard work and commitment of all Ed Tech participants from both the private and public schools to grow as professionals and embrace the role that technology plays in supporting learning in the 21st century.
A participant in the program, Kierah Lee, teacher aide from the Head Start Program, shared “I appreciate the chance to challenge my existing knowledge and gain fresh perspectives. All of the apps served a valuable purpose and were adaptable to each occupation, whether we used them for teaching, family partnership advocacy, or administrative work.”
Jace Pineda, classroom teacher at Gregorio T. Camacho Elementary School, shared “I have learned a variety of skills and tools throughout this program… being able to try out all the different apps/resources that could be used in my classroom—many of which I was able to try this school year.”
Lorraine Catienza, Instructional Technology director, stated, “We continue to refine the program with our amazing EdTech instructors to improve the quality of learning for the professionals we serve. Our goal is to continue to employ the transformative use of technology to support teaching and learning and prepare our educators to participate and succeed in an increasingly tech-driven world. Our educators are the key to making this goal a reality, so we continue to invest in them.” (PR)