In the third installment of our Transformation Tales series, Angie Conklin, Digital Teaching and Learning Facilitator from Onslow County Schools shares her unique experience over 30 years in NC education. She highlights the instructional technology changes she has seen over her career, her experience during a devastating hurricane with virtual learning before the pandemic, and how Onslow County has led the way with providing high quality, seamless instruction to students. Her experience as a Badged Facilitator in Cohort 3 helped her expand her toolkit to support blended learning in transformational ways.

In the second installment of our Transformation Tales series, Katie Bostian, Rowan-Salisbury Schools District SIOP coach shares her experience using blended learning to transform professional development for educators across the district. Katie shares her experience gained as a Badged Facilitator in Cohort 3. She outlines how all educators can support Multi-Lingual Learners with effective SIOP (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol) strategies supported by blended learning instructional methods.

Watch this Instructional video on how you can use Rethink K-8 Content to plan and implement station rotation in your classroom. For this lesson, we used 8th-grade Social Studies Content Module Nine, Lesson Five focusing on Homefront and Propaganda in World War II. Supporting this video you can utilize our planning document found at BIT.LY/RETHINKED8SS. Designed to utilize the Rethink Education Content found on our ⁠Available Content Document,⁠ this lesson includes:

• A teacher-led station for conferencing, scaffolding, and review
• An online station, unveiling North Carolina's homefront during World War II
• An offline station, delving into primary source documents.
• An enrichment/extension station, where students analyze propaganda posters and build persuasive arguments.

5th grade Science Educators can use this free station rotation lesson plan and video focusing on NCSCOS Standards 5.P.1 and 5.P.1.1. This video is a mini-PD on how to set up and implement the 4 stations with the support of the lesson planning document. Designed to utilize the Rethink Education Content found on our Available Content Document, this lesson includes:

• Pre and Post Assessment
• Extension and Remediation options
• Hands on Experiment
• Content Vocabulary
• Small Group Instruction

This is designed to be a mini professional development opportunity. This instructional video is designed to help educators consider implementing the FLEX model of blended learning through the use of Genius Hour / Passion Projects.  This extension activity allows for learners to drive their own learning through self-designed projects in areas of interest. Designed to be used in conversations with other educators, this interactive video allows for conversation while providing real life examples from NC educators who have implemented blended learning.  

This short video is designed to be a mini professional development opportunity encouraging educators to consider making a mindset shift from being an instructor to a facilitator of learning. This core concept of blended learning helps to increase student engagement and ownership of their learning while freeing the educator to provide more personalized and differentiated instruction.

The first episode in our Transformation Tales Series features Liz Cronan, a 27 year educator from Alexander County Schools currently working as an Instructional Coach after spending most of her career as a 5th grade teacher.  In this episode, she will share her inspirational story of how blended learning practices she learned in our Badged Facilitator Cohort transformed her educational practices increasing student engagement, building strong durable skills with students, and allowing more time to differentiate and personalize learning.

In this episode, we continue our conversation with district leaders from around the state sharing how Rethink Education has transformed their schools.  They share how NCDPI can continue to support their ongoing needs with school transformation. Join us as we take stock of the powerful work Rethink Education and its district/school partners are doing to share blended learning instructional methods and empower educators to make a difference in the lives of NC students.