The Year Ahead with SETDA
As the first month in 2017 comes to a close, the SETDA staff and Board of Directors looks forward to the exciting work ahead of us for the year. Below are several areas of focus and updates on SETDA initiatives for 2017.
Federal Transition
With a new administration comes the opportunity to build new relationships. While we wait for a Secretary of Education to be confirmed and the subsequent hiring of Deputy and Under Secretary positions as well as a new Director of the Office of Education Technology, SETDA is working with CoSN, ISTE, CDE, and SIIA to develop an advocacy platform and resources for members and partners. These resources will lead up to an Advocacy Day on May 11, 2017, which will include Hill visits for our members and partners.
Instructional Materials
On February 9, SETDA will release of the Guide to Quality Instructional Materials, a free online toolkit to support the vetting and curation of quality instructional materials for all learners. The toolkit includes sections on planning, budget, selection, implementation, and effectiveness with specific details of several state and district vetting processes. Join the webinar release by registering today.
SETDA is in the process of updating and expanding the Digital Instructional Materials Acquisition Policies for States http://www-setda-org.www.setda.org. Updates will be released in the spring of 2017 and include the addition of policies related to accessibility, details about state content management systems and RFPs. In addition, SETDA will release a national report with data analysis related to the implementation of instructional materials.
Additionally, SETDA is excited to partner with the Office of Educational Technology to lead a coalition of organizations who support state and district leaders who have committed to using openly licensed resources for teaching and learning through the #GoOpen Initiative. Over the next year, SETDA will coordinate convenings and the release of resources for states, districts, and schools who are building capacity to incorporate OER as a partial or full strategy towards instructional materials.
Finally, SETDA is launching an online community of practice, focused on the implementation of digital instructional materials, Essential Elements for Digital Content will launch mid-February and include guest content area experts and facilitated discussions.
Transformative Digital Learning
In June, 2017, at the Emerging Technologies and Leadership Forum, SETDA will release professional learning modules for state leaders to use in their work with districts and schools to plan and implement scaling and sustainability efforts as states transition to digital learning. Along with the modules, SETDA will release Influencer communication toolkits to provide support to state leaders in work with state boards, parents, teachers, and other important stakeholders.
Broadband and Infrastructure
In September 2016, SETDA released The Broadband Imperative II: Equitable Access for Learning. This work will continue to be highlighted during 2017 via a series of monthly webinars focused on the 4 recommendations, advocating for increasing robust access both in and out of school to best prepare all students for college and careers. This first webinar was January 23 at 4pm ET, the archive can be accessed here: http://www.edweb.net/.5a4f49b8/ The next webinar is February 22 at 3pm ET.