Office of Professional Development in Education in the School of Education, Health, and Human Performance Here at the College of Charleston
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Office of Professional Development OPDE Newsletter in Education Volume 10 Issue 1 January 2015 A Message From the Director Andrew Lewis, PhD First, I would like to thank each of you for partnering and supporting our office during the past year. Each year brings new challenges and 2015 will be one that includes a new State Superintendent of Education, the Read to In this Issue: Succeed (R2S) mandate Act 284, and funding choices, just to name a few. News from OPDE ………………………….2 While some of these issues are beyond our partnership roles, others will be Director Highlights: ones we can address together. REMEMBER: Our mission is to support and Beth Lovett & Paul Irwin ………...3 help you and your teachers make a positive and meaningful difference in the lives of South Carolina students. Learning Forward SC………………..4 Our office is working with various professionals around the state to develop FAQ/Staff Highlight……………………………5 coursework that will meet the R2S mandate and we hope to have courses in Seminar Info…………………….6,7 place starting Fall 2015. We support the importance of literacy Contact Information……………………...8 competencies, and look forward to providing courses that meet the Require- ment (instructional) needs of various personnel. I would like to encourage Staff Development Directors to speak with Enjoy each day of life, challenge Principals and others in your school system about offering professional your students, colleagues, peers, development course work that may currently be offered without credit. We and most importantly have a continue to facilitate an assortment of PD and Catalog (classes leading to great year. When you think of completion of a course of study at the Masters level) courses, and encourage Staff Development we want you you to visit our website http://ehhp.cofc.edu/centers/opde/, give us a call, to think the University of or send an email to see how we can help you accomplish the objectives of Charleston, South Carolina. your program. I encourage you to visit our website, give us a call, of just stop by the office if in the area to meet our group of devoted professionals willing to assist you in meeting the strategic plans you have put in place for your teachers. News from OPDE: Please be mindful of the ongoing transition our office is making to accommodate the new logo and name change for the graduate university. Our department now officially falls under the University of Charleston, South Carolina, not the College of Charleston, in regards to our graduate level course work. Assistant for Administration and Public Relations, Elizabeth Grantham, has recently been awarded the title of 2014 Exchangite of the Year. Mrs. Grantham has also recently been awarded a “Just One More” billboard award by National President Don Wright, which she earned for recruiting 22 new Exchangites in February 2014. OPDE sponsored a breakfast at the Learning Forward South Carolina, “Blending Literacy and Learning Conference.” Read To Succeed (R2S): This bill has recently come into effect for the state of South Carolina, with its mission to offer a comprehensive, systematic approach to reading which ensures that students will develop reading and writing to prepare them to be college– and career– ready. OPDE will be offering courses tailored to meet the qualifications set down by this bill in the following months We would like to extend a warm welcome to our new Graduate Assistant, Abigail Layton. A recent graduate of Indiana State University, she is completing her Masters in English here at the University of Charleston, South Carolina. 2015 Early Childhood Summit Presentations On: Play June 18th-19th, 2015 Literacy Keynote Speaker, Eric Litwin, author of “Pete the Cat” Math & Science The Summit will also feature these invited speakers: Social & Emotional Development Dr. Jean Feldman, Dr. C.C. Bates, Jessica Flowers, Lesley Fields, and the Nature Explore Workshops for Educators. DSS credits and Certificates of Attendance offered. Visit ECSummit.cofc.edu or Melanie Hofman at 843-953-2742 or [email protected] for more information! Director Highlights: Beth Lovett & Paul Irwin Beth Lovett loves helping educators learn new technology. She has been part of the Charleston County School District Educational Technology team since 2001, and in that time has provided technology professional develop- ment at every school in the county. Prior to joining CCSD she worked as a Microsoft Certified independent training consultant, and for NOAA Coastal Services Center as a data specialist. She thoroughly enjoyed earning a B.S. in Biology at Virginia Tech in 1995 and completed her M.Ed. in Secondary Biology at Kutztown University in 1996. She served as an adjunct professor for the Citadel College of Graduate and Professional Studies from 2003-2005 and for the College of Charleston Department of Professional Development since 2005 Paul Irwin graduated from Northern Illinois University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education, a Master’s Degree in Counseling Education and a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Counseling Education. After serving thirty-two years with the public school system as a Special Education teacher, Elementary Education teacher and Educational Technology Specialist, he briefly retired before re-joining the Education Technology Team with the Charleston County School District. He is currently a part-time Educational Technology Specialist for the county. Paul and Beth work together with the rest of the CCSD Educational Technology team to increase access to classroom technology and support teachers with profes- sional development. They believe technology provides 21st century learners the opportunity to excel when dynamic, engaging and innovative practices are used to meet their diverse needs. In support of that belief, Paul and Beth organize and develop graduate courses as well as other professional development opportunities for the CCSD learning community. Visit the CCSD EdTech website at http://www.ccsdedtech.com to learn more. LearningLearning ForwardForward SouthSouth CarolinaCarolina ConferenceConference Learning Forward South Carolina, an affiliate of the national professional learning organization Learning Forward, strives to ensure that every educator participates and actively engages in effective professional learning on a daily basis in order to achieve the highest level of student success. This group of professional educators invites all staff development professionals in all South Carolina district offices, schools, regional education centers, colleges of education, independent schools, members of the South Carolina Department of Education, as well as interested educators from the private sector who are interested in enhancing the educational experience to participate in this organization. This year’s conference, held on November 14, 2014, was titled “Blending Literacy and Learning” and fea- tured sessions on the Overview of Literacy: Read to Succeed, Literacy across Interdisciplinary Units, Blended Learning, and Community/Faith Based Partnerships for Literacy Success. These sessions tackled tough questions faced by educators, such as “What does the application of Read to Succeed ‘look like’ from an instructional perspective?” and “What is Blended Learning?” If interested in learning more about Learning Forward, please email [email protected] or visit learningforwardsc.org for more information. From left to right: Dr. Nan Dempsey (Learning Forward SC Immediate Past President), Elizabeth Grantham (Learning Forward SC Treasurer), Molly Spearman (South Carolina Superintendent of Education), Jason Fulmer (Learning Forward SC President), Karen Bullard (Learning Forward SC President Elect), Brett Vaughn (Learning Forward SC Board Member), Laura Horton (Learning Forward SC Board Member), Dr. Terry Pruitt (Learning Forward SC Board Member). Frequently Asked Questions: What is the University of Charleston, South Carolina? In short, this new title covers the graduate school that is part of the College of Charleston. In regards to our office, we still operate under College of Charleston’s School of Education, Health, and Human Performance, though our graduate courses are part of the University of Charleston, SC. As a result of this, the new university logo and name will be present on all documents that involve our graduate programs. For more information, visit gradschool.cofc.edu. How are EDPD courses displayed on the transcript? The C of C uses the same course number several times, however, each course is designated with a different section letter and title. Example: EDPD 820-A60, Going Google Using Chrome, Drive, and YouTube in the Classroom. EDPD 820-C60, INTEL Elements– Assessment in the 21st Century. EDPD 820-G60, Career Development Facilitator Training. These courses will be displayed on the transcript showing only the course number (EDPD 820) and the course title. The section designation (ex: A60) will NOT be displayed. OPDE Staff Highlight: Tia Brown Tia Brown is the administrative assistant of the Office of Professional Development in Education in the School of Education, Health, and Human Performance here at the College of Charleston. She holds a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Phoenix. Tia started working in the OPDE in June 2004. She is the person you contact when you have general questions for the office. Tia is also the proud mother of three children that keep her very busy; she is her family’s best friend. Likewise, she enjoys their company and loves talking to them when