pd21 Professional Development Creates Computer-Savvy Educators to Enhance Student Achievement

Boston, MA (PRWEB) March 20, 2012

Pearson is partnering with the award-winning Edvation to help teachers fast-track their skills development and use of technology in the classroom with their online pd21 professional development system. Educators will be test-driving the program live at the 67th annual ASCD conference in Philadelphia March 24-26. From gaining proficiency in Microsoft Office suite to social media tools and applications like SketchUp (for learning to design) and GeoGebra (for understanding algebra), pd21 will help teachers integrate a wealth of powerful resources into their classrooms in practical and engaging ways to impact student learning and achievement.

Stefan Kohler, head of teacher effectiveness and professional development for Pearson School, said, Every day we are talking to teachers across the country and they are telling us they are hungry to accelerate their own tech abilities in order to enhance the content of their lessons and create deeper student engagement. He continued, In addition to helping them quickly improve their own skills, our partnership with Edvation will also help to speed the adoption of technology in the classroom by giving teachers a library of more than 150 project-based technology integration curriculum activities to use with students that support Math, Science, Social Studies and Language Arts in grades K-12. Each standards-based project can be immediately used in the classroom, to build confidence and proficiency and provides an opportunity to translate professional development learning into immediately effective classroom practice.

Edvations CEO Adam Smith said, Now that we have partnered with Pearson, the #1 school education company in the nation, we have the ability to reach so many more teachers who are looking to improve their individual computer skills. With Pearson, we look forward to helping educators across the country become more knowledgeable about the many ways they can individually enhance their students achievement through use of technology. He added, We have seen teachers catapult from basically zero computer literacy to working with their students to develop games and puzzles or creating photo essays within a semester. Its truly amazing to see the kind of creativity that our teachers bring to their classrooms once theyve taken advantage of the pd21 system.

pd21 meets teachers at their individual level of technology proficiency, providing various options for courses, from self-paced online tutorials to anytime/anywhere workshops that focus on meaningful technology integration and 21st Century teaching.

Kohler said one of the reasons Pearson teamed up with Edvation was because the pd21 program is proven to support systemic, district-wide success by providing for both teachers needs with research-based content, planning and learning facilities; and meeting administrators needs - with comprehensive management and reporting tools.

For more information, go to http://www.pd21.com

About Edvation

Edvation empowers educators with tools and resources to support the successful integration of technology and 21st Century skills development into standards-based curriculum and classroom practice. Providing curriculum, assessment, professional development and training solutions, Edvation is focused on the meaningful integration of technology to enhance learning and support systemic school improvement processes. With proven solutions implemented worldwide since 1996, Edvations award-winning products and services are used to support integrated state and district-level digital learning goals, improve and measure technology literacy, and provide educational leaders with the data needed for informed decision-making. For more information about Edvations award winning K-12 educational solutions visit http://www.edvation.com.

The rest is here:
Pearson Announces Online Program to Help Teachers Develop Their Personal Technology Skills for Today’s 21st Century ...