Raymond Temple Elementary School in the Centralia School District is encouraging its educators to expand their tech skills through an online learning platform.
And the effort hasn’t gone unnoticed.
The campus’ Personal Learning Pathways program has led to its recognition as a School of TechXcellence by District Administration magazine. In fact, Raymond Temple was one of just 18 schools nationwide to earn the honor, which spotlights innovative, effective and replicable technology programs that contribute meaningfully to student or operational success. HP and Intel are sponsors.
“As we challenge our students to be innovative thinkers and practitioners, school educators must lead by example,” Principal Dr. Estela Salas said. “One way to pave the way to innovative thinking is to challenge traditional models of lesson delivery and design. At Raymond Temple, we embrace the opportunity of redesigning educational opportunities by learning in innovative ways.”
Using a platform provided by Kyte Learning, the Personal Learning Pathways program enables teachers at the Buena Park campus to pick the skills they want to develop, with the goal of completing eight hours of online training.
The idea is to produce educators who are better equipped to innovate in the classroom. They also can earn prizes, as well as digital badges that can be displayed in bios or email signatures.
Earlier this month,Raymond Temple students, staff and families celebrated the honor at a monthly awards assembly.
“Students are excited to use the latest devices and applications as part of their education, which is fueled by the vision and drive of teachers, principals and district leaders,” said JD Solomon, editorial director at District Administration magazine. “We hope our readers are inspired by the integration of technology demonstrated by these honorees to launch similar initiatives in their own schools.”
The Centralia School District serves about 4,000 students at eight elementary schools in Buena Park, Anaheim and La Palma.