Why Take a Self-Paced Course

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By Tracey Brown, Teacher Specialist, Office of Instructional Technology

Self-paced courses are designed to be flexible to your availability. Rather than signing up to attend a live session that requires you to account for travel time to and from the course site, or give up valuable hours on a weekend, you can engage with the content any time that fits in with your schedule, including before school, during lunch, after school, or even while traveling if you are connected.

The other great thing about self-paced courses is you can work entirely at your own pace. Just because someone else decided the content can be completed in two hours, if you can work through it faster because you are already familiar with some concepts, or need more time to review the content multiple times, or practice with the features, it is entirely up to you as you are in the driver’s seat.

Finally, self-paced courses can actually give you more access to an instructor than in person courses because you aren’t vying with other attendees for instructor assistance and possibly getting frustrated feeling like your questions aren’t being answered. You can send an email to your instructor any time you have a question and expect a response in 24 hours that addresses your specific question. So while you may have to wait a bit for the answer, you will get an answer to your specific question without concerns about whether it derails the time allotted for the entire session and possibly distracts other attendees.

The Office of Instructional Technology is offering some great self-paced courses this year on just about any technology tool you can think of in the district including Google Workspace, SMART Technologies, and WeVideo, but also on HOW to implement these tools into instruction with courses like Engaging Digital Learners and Paper to Digital.

Still on the fence? Here is what some of our attendees have said about self-paced courses they have attended since June of 2021:

SMART board & Notebook Basics - Over the summer, I had taken a Lumio course and they mentioned that the Smart Notebook Basics class was coming out in September. I was very excited and I joined the class as soon as I saw it. I love this course! This course has really helped me feel very comfortable using Smart Notebook. I don't have a lot of whiteboard/chalkboard space so I rely on my Smartboard so learning how to use Smart Notebook was a game changer for me. Now I put most lessons on a Smart Notebook, especially my math lessons. This course has also opened my eyes about using the Smart ink on other programs. I didn't know I can use the smart ink on Google Slides. But now I do and I love it! It has made teaching more fun for me and my lessons more engaging for my students. I make Smart Notebook lessons daily and I also look on Smart Exchange for lessons that I can use and edit to fit my needs. I forgot to mention that it also helped me to learn that I can download Smart Notebook to my personal computer. That was important since I do all my planning from my personal laptop at home. Thank you for offering this course!! It has really helped me so much!! I would recommend it to everyone!! - Teacher, Hebron Harman Elementary

WeVideo for Instruction - I learned quite a bit during this self-paced PD that I will be referring back to in the school year. One of the biggest ideas/take aways for me, was using the green screen option to model math problems. I think this is a fantastic idea for creating videos that incorporate visuals to better meet the needs of all learners. - Teacher, Severna Park Middle

Google Earth - Wow! This is a great tool to use with students. I see so many opportunities to utilize this in exploration, making connections to mathematics, as well as, having our students become global citizens. This tool would be great to use to see where our authors and illustrators come from. Research about a place in a story we've read. Also, taking virtual field trips to the zoo or aquariums. - Teacher, South Shore Elementary

Other Google Tools - I used Jamboard this past year as collaborative activities, but I didn't realize it's true potential. I can see it being used for both individual and collaborative assignments next year. Google Keep is amazing! So much better than the to-do lists and random reminders I have set for myself. I've started using it for work and personal life already and can't wait to be more organized using it next year. I am super pumped about creating a website that my parents can use. I've never seriously considered it before because I thought it was too "techie" for me, but now I can't wait to try it out! - Teacher, Marley Middle

Engaging Digital Learners - I learned so many amazing things in this PD. I want to use the virtual field trips to help to create a better field trip experience when we actually do the Walking Monument Tour of DC. I also love the sound effects and images in Discovery Ed to use as creative writing prompts to get my students excited about writing. - Teacher, South Shore Elementary

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