In response to challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the county Office of Education partnered with the California Department of Education and its foundation to create ShiftED, a project that aims to establish systemic technology proficiency for schools and teachers across the state.
The pilot project trained five teams of education professionals from school districts in Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley, Santa Clara and Sacramento that were tasked with developing customized and comprehensive three-year roadmaps for bolstering digital literary in their respective districts and schools, according to a Santa Cruz County Office of Education release.
The culmination of those planning efforts will be showcased publicly for the first time Saturday as participating teams will have an opportunity to share their work with interested stakeholders and community members. The presentations will also be available in person at the Sacramento County Office of Education or via livestreams online.
"Digital literacy is the ability to effectively and comfortably use technology, which is essential to truly closing the digital divide," said Santa Cruz County Office of Education Chief Technology and Innovations Officer Jason Borgen in the release. "ShiftED is working to ensure educators can help students become not just consumers, but experts, builders, and creators in the digital world."
Each team developed plans that outline an overall vision, identify needs, detail educator training and incorporate self-assessments that promote digital equity in education while building capacity.
Participating individuals in the pilot program received 10 hours of hybrid training prior to developing the roadmaps including deep dives into subject matter exploring digital literacy competencies at school sites, five community of practice network meetings that shared promising practices as well as ongoing support throughout the development process.
Teams from Bayview Elementary, Gault Elementary and the Scotts Valley Unified School District participated in the program and will share the fruits of their labor from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday.
To attend the showcase, register at sccoe.link/shiftedshowcase.
IF YOU GO
What: ShiftED digital literacy in California schools showcase.
When: Noon to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 13, 2023
Where: In-person at the Santa Cruz County Office of Education 400 Encinal St., Santa Cruz or via livestream.
Registration: Visit sccoe.link/shiftedshowcase. Livestream details will be shared via email.
©2023 the Santa Cruz Sentinel (Scotts Valley, Calif.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.