E3: Employers for Education Excellence
E3: Employers for Education Excellence, based in Portland, Oregon, has used digital arts to create an innovative professional development program that encourages 21st century skills through project-based learning.
Developed in support of E3’s commitment to teacher leadership and the principles of small school design, this professional development initiative began with teams of instructors from four lead sites in E3’s statewide Oregon network. Each site team took part in a two-day, hands-on training session offered at their school, where participants collaborated to create their own video projects connected to the advocacy and outreach goals of their local programs.
The teachers then put their new skills and hands-on experience into practice, planning integrated academic units for their students that culminated in the creation of digital storytelling projects in their classes. Through fundamental notions of project-based learning and the thoughtful application of technology skills, students, like their teachers, created digital stories that encouraged them to consider questions of audience, authenticity, voice, and delivery while honing the traditional core skills required to develop topics, synthesize ideas, and present original content effectively in different mediums.
For more information, visit www.digitalartsalliance.org
