Within the framework of the College’s Teacher Training Program, on October 30 and November 13 two online seminars were held on the topic of distance learning, titled “Thriving as a Digital Teacher.” The seminars were carried out in collaboration with the Prep Digital Department of Arizona State University.* 

Fifty-five (55) Heads of Academic Departments, divided into two groups (Junior High – High School and Kindergarten – Elementary School) participated. The first part of the program provided three “live” meetings, interspersed with asynchronous lessons (Asynchronous Playlist), that lasted a total of 20 hours. The third meeting will take place on Friday, December 4.

Topics covered by the Arizona State University trainers during the first two seminars included: 

1: Building an Online Community - Relationships

2: Best Practices in Digital Teaching

3: Best Practices in Asynchronous Teaching and Online Course Design

4: Academic Integrity and Discussion Based Assessments

5: Best Practices in Modern Day Teaching

6: Web 2.0 Tools and Strategies for Collaboration and Engagement 

During the second semester of this academic year, a new series of seminars will be offered.

The program focuses on distance learning (synchronous and asynchronous) and aims to familiarize teachers with best practices and state-of-the-art digital educational tools to stimulate interest and effective student learning.  Teachers are exposed to a wide range of materials and strategies that they immediately deploy in their classes.  They then observe the effectiveness of these new practices, exchange experiences and engage in discussions with other teachers.

The Heads of Department and Coordinators who are participating in the program will serve as multipliers and share their acquired knowledge and skills with colleagues in their respective departments. Thus, all of our School’s teachers will be trained in the latest educational technology applications in order to be able to design attractive and effective lessons for their students. Our goal is for digital classrooms to approximate the quality of in-person teaching and learning. 

 *Arizona State University (ASU) is among the top universities in the world and a pioneer in online education. ASU’s Prep Digital Department leverages the experience of the past decade to support online and hybrid learning for K-12 schools in the U.S. and elsewhere.