WASHINGTON, DC — City School District of New Rochelle’s Alfred Menna, a school library media specialist at William B. Ward Elementary, and Jeannine Shields, an instructional technology facilitator at William B. Ward Elementary, recently joined 127 fellow educators from across the U.S., Canada, and United Kingdom for the 2015 DEN Summer Institute (DENSI), an immersive, week-long professional development experience. A global community of education professionals supported by Discovery Education, the Discovery Educator Network (DEN) connects members across school systems and around the world through social media, virtual conferences, and in-person events, fostering valuable networking, idea sharing, and inspiration. The six-day professional learning experience was held July 12-17 at American University in Washington, D.C.
DENSI 2015 featured a number of interactive seminars and hands-on workshops designed to support educators as they combine the latest technologies and digital content to create authentic digital learning environments that engage students and improve achievement. In addition, DENSI provided an opportunity for participants to connect, collaborate, and share resources, ideas and strategies for integrating the latest technologies and digital content into classroom instruction.
“We are honored to have been selected to participate in the 2015 DENSI. During thisexperience we learned from and connectedwith other enthusiastic educators from around the world who share a passion for using the latest technologies and digital content to support the success of each learner,” said Menna and Shields. “We are excited to sharethenew, creative strategies and techniquesfor integrating technology into classroom instruction with our colleagues atCity School District of New Rochelleso even more students can benefit from this great professional learning opportunity.”
Participation in theDEN Summer Instituteis open to educators recognized by Discovery Education, the leading provider of digital content and professional development for K-12 classrooms, as STAR Discovery Educators. STAR Discovery Educators are active members of the DEN and proven leaders in transforming teaching and learning. The DEN is the largest and most active professional learning network of its kind.
“Alfred and Jeannine’s selection for DENSI demonstrates their outstanding leadership and commitment to using the most innovative tools and methods to enhance students’ learning and classroom experiences,” said Lance Rougeux, vice president of learning communities and innovation for Discovery Education. “The skills and knowledge theyhavegained from this learning experience willincreasetheir students’ engagement in their own learning, and better prepare themfor success beyond the classroom.”
During the DEN Summer Institute, Menna and Shields heard about the latest trends in education from a variety of noted experts, includingTrace Dominguez, Host of TestTube’sDNews, Discovery Digital Networks;Hall Davidson, Senior Director of Global Learning Initiatives at Discovery Education; Steve Dembo, Director of Social Media Strategy and Online Community at Discovery Education; and Dean Shareski, Community Manager at Discovery Education Canada.
In addition to hearing from education experts, Menna and Shields participated in a series of interactive workshops led by the Discovery Education professional development team and other DEN members about creating digital content and integrating mobile and web-based tools into instruction; collaborated with fellow educators on a variety of educational technology projects; and shared ideas and best practiceswith their peers.
After participating in the DEN Summer Institute, Menna and Shieldswill return to City School District of New Rochellewith numerous classroom-ready multimedia projectsas well as new strategies and techniques to integrate digital resources into curriculum and instruction to transform teaching and learning.
