Learning
Enhance Personalized, Equitable Student Learning Experiences with Technology
Goal
Promote and support student personalized , deeper learning experiences to demonstrate workplace readiness by creatively solving complex problems, thinking critically, collaborating, communicating and demonstrating responsible citizenship.
Results (What do we want to accomplish?)
- Students will develop deeper learning skills by leveraging technology as a resource or tool.
- Educators will leverage current and emerging technologies to increase opportunities for students to follow personalized learning pathways.
- Students will apply technology effectively to support the construction and application of content knowledge and skills.
- Students will demonstrate mastery in a variety of ways, including the use of technology through the creation of digital artifacts.
- Educators will expose all students to career and college opportunities including those in the technical fields to promote workplace and college readiness through advanced coursework, mentorships and internships.
Indicators (What evidence will exist of completion?)
- Technology Integration survey to analyze technology based resources used by students and innovative learning experiences such as, but not limited to blended learning, project-based learning, and personalized learning.
- Collect information on the number of students enrolled in advanced coursework (e.g., dual enrollment, AP, IB) internships, and mentorships or receiving industry certifications.
Action (What action will be taken?)
- Research, vet, and develop digital resources for divisions to assist in providing innovative, personalized and deeper learning experiences for all students.
- Develop and revise existing policy and guidance documents to support innovative learning experiences.
- Work collaboratively with teacher and technology stakeholders to create instructional resources, including local alternative assessments, that can be used by all educators across the state to support innovative learning experiences.
- Provide virtual learning tools that deliver multiple pathways for learning through blended and fully online models in ways that increase quality of education and equity for students.
- Promote in-school and out-of-school technology-based learning opportunities (such as pursuit of industry certifications, professional licenses, and dual enrollment courses) along with career exploration, exposure, and planning opportunities.
- Provide technology and computer science cross-curricular connections starting in the elementary grades and across all disciplines to promote meaningful, real world applications of knowledge and skills and promote deeper learning opportunities aligned to the Virginia Standards of Learning.
- Prepare our students for a participatory culture by providing resources related to Internet safety, digital citizenship skills, and student awareness of and skills for personal and data privacy (as specified by the Code of Virginia § 22.1-70.20
).
Resources
Partnerships
- Institutions of higher education
- educational stakeholder groups
- professional organizations
- business and industry groups
- local school divisions
Related Resources from VDOE and Elsewhere
- Student Led Ideation Challenge
The Student Led Ideation Challenge was developed by the Innovative Solutions Consortium (ISC) in partnership with the VDOE and piloted in the 2016-2017 school year. This project, which requires students to work with real-world problems as a team, will be launched state-wide in 2017-2018. Read about the 2016-2017 winners: Loudoun students innovating well beyond their years—U.S. Navy takes notice. - College and Career Opportunities for Students
The VDOE provides several programs to assist students in preparing to attend college or pursue a career after graduation. The Governor’s STEM Academies expand options for the general student population to acquire STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) literacy and other critical skills, knowledge and credentials that will prepare them for high-demand, high-wage, and high-skill careers in Virginia. Students can earn Digital Badges after taking and passing the Workplace Readiness Skills for the Commonwealth assessment, which reflects 21 Workplace Skills as identified by a wide variety of businesses and industries located around the state. - Performance Based and Local Alternative Assessments
The VDOE is continuing its work on locally developed assessments with a focus on performance based assessments through 2020. Review the plan and timeline outlined in the April 28, 2017 Superintendent’s Memo #135-17: Update on the Implementation of Local Alternative Assessments. Further information can be found on the Performance-Based and Local Alternative Assessments page on the VDOE web site. - Virtual Learning
In Virginia, schools can provide online courses for their students in several different ways. Schools may use their own or division-created online courses, purchase particular courses from state approved Multidivision Online Providers, purchase or otherwise obtain digital material that is delivered by a local teacher as a blended learning course, or enroll students in courses through Virtual VirginiaStudents are required to complete a virtual learning experience in order to graduate. See § 22.1-253.13:4. Standard 4. Student achievement and graduation requirements (item D:9). - #GoOpenVA
Virginia is participating in the National #GoOpen campaign through our #GoOpenVA project. The goals of the project are to increase awareness of the benefits and uses of Open Educational Resources (OER); establish a community of practice to foster, create, share, and leverage Open Educational Practices (OEP); understand state and division level use of OER and how to support further implementation; encourage alignment of OER efforts with local and state strategies; and, acknowledge school division efforts to implement OER. The project is developing and piloting three OER curriculum resources (for Virginia Studies, World History and Geography to 1500, and Algebra I) during the 2017-2018 school year. These resources will be the models for other resources to be developed in the coming years. - Virginia Cyber Range
A new resource to help students learn important digital skills and also provide the Commonwealth with needed talent, the Virginia Cyber Range will “provide advanced cybersecurity training exercises for high-school and college students, revolutionize cybersecurity education within the commonwealth, and position Virginia to become a leading source of critical cybersecurity expertise for the nation.” See the article Virginia Cyber Range to Enhance Cybersecurity Education Across the Commonwealth.