MEMORANDUM
TO:
County Superintendents
County Technology Directors
County Instructional Leaders
FROM:
Lori Whitt
Coordinator
Office of Instructional Technology
RE:
Opportunity
County Funded Technology Integration Specialist Authorization
DATE:
March 19, 2014
The Office of Instructional Technology is now accepting applications for the 2014-15
County Funded Technology Integration Specialist Cohort. The Technology Integration
Specialist program is designed for K-12 teachers who are employed by a school, county
or RESA in a position to share resources and skills with other teachers in schools.
Applicants must be full-time teachers who are willing to provide at least 10 hours of
professional development to their staff. They must also have signed commitments of
support from their superintendents, technology administrators, supervisors and/or
principals in order to be selected to participate. Teachers from all counties and all subject
areas are encouraged to apply because this professional development emphasizes the
tools that make the general education curriculum accessible to all students and targets
strategies for increased student engagement.
The WVDE will offer twenty-five $3,000 grants to counties or RESA’s employing
selected teachers to help defray the costs of the required TIS professional development.
These grants can only be awarded for teachers employed by WV public schools. The
grant funds can be used to pay costs for stipends, substitute teachers to support training,
travel expenses, conference registration fees and other costs associated with the
candidates’ participation in the required professional development. Grant award monies
cannot be used to pay tuition costs for graduate credit. Priority for these grants will be
given to those counties who have never had a teacher complete the TIS credentialing
process. Applicants that have been enrolled previously in a TIS cohort are not eligible
for the grant but are eligible to participate in the 2014-15 cohort. No more than 2 grants
will be awarded to any single county; however, counties are free submit any number of
applications with the understanding that all costs listed above will be covered through
local funds.
Teachers selected for this initiative will participate in the equivalent of 40 days (320
hours) of professional development that parallels the professional development received
by all Technology Integration Specialists (TIS) groups. The 320 hours of professional
development will include, but are not limited to the following mandatory activities:
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Completion of TIS online course work between May 2014 – September 2015
Two-day conference at the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center, Beckley,
WV on June 24-25, 2014
Five-day conference July 14–18, 2014, at the Waterfront Hotel, Morgantown, WV
One two-day face to face workshop in spring 2015
Completion of 2 blended learning courses through WVLearns
Provide evidence for digital imaging projects and blended learning with students
during the school year 2014-2015
Monthly online collaborative sessions (PLC’s)
Presentation of an electronic portfolio
Survey of principal and collaborating teachers for purposes of program evaluation
Elective professional development opportunities related to topics such as
instructional design, co-teaching strategies, assistive technology and instructional
technology integration
In addition to the required hours of professional development, the selected teachers will
receive ongoing support and mentoring in their schools by a WVDE field coordinator.
Given this support, selected teachers will provide 10 hours of professional
development to the staff at their schools during school year 2014-15.
Teachers who participate fully and successfully complete the 320 hours of professional
development will be eligible to receive an advanced credential as a Technology
Integration Specialist awarded by the WVDE Office of Professional Preparation.
To make an informed decision about whether to apply to participate, teachers must have
prior information regarding: 1) the commitment they are making and the district’s
expectations that they honor that commitment, 2) the scheduled dates of required
professional development, such as seven days in summer of 2014, 3) the benefits to the
students they teach, to their collaborative team and to them personally and 4) the
expenses covered and district procedures for documentation, reimbursement and
acquisition of equipment.
Participants are required to have a professional grade laptop, no more than 2 years old
(PC or Mac) that connects with high speed Internet access to public networks and district
LAN. Operating system must be Windows 7 or above for PC and the latest version iOS
for Macs. Laptops must have internal or external video cameras and professional
productivity software. Participants need a headset with microphone. Administrators
and/or principals should work with county technology contacts to ensure appropriate
configurations.
The potential county funded TIS must meet the following criteria:
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Hold a full time teaching position in a WV school
Hold no less than a bachelor’s degree in education from an accredited
college/university
Two or more years’ experience in a classroom setting as the main instructor or as
a Title I instructor
A flexible instructional style
A demonstrated collaborative attitude and belief in co-teaching
Demonstrated ease with using instructional technology
Demonstrated computer literacy, including word processing, communication
professionally via email, use of browser to research the Internet and experience
using presentation software
Regular access to a computer and Internet at home and school
Willingness to provide training to staff at their school
The application and assurance forms for the teacher to complete can be found at
http://wvde.state.wv.us/technology/tis/index.php. The application and the signed
assurance statements must be submitted by April 15, 2014 to:
Lori Whitt
West Virginia Department of Education
Building 6, Room 825
1900 Kanawha Blvd, East
Charleston, WV 25305
FAX – 304-558-2584 (attn.: Lori Whitt)
Please contact Lori Whitt at lwhitt@access.k12.wv.us 304-558-7880 for further
information regarding the County Funded Technology Integration Specialist project.
SB/RB/LW
cc: Staff Office of Special Programs
Monica Bean, Executive Director
Office of Professional Preparation