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Anchorage Area Teachers and Administrators Learn New Skills at Educational Technology Conference Presented by Discovery Education

September 23, 2008

The following press release is from Discover Education.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts: Stephen Wakefield, Discovery Education
240-662-2893
stephen_wakefield@discovery.com

Emily Embury, C. Blohm & Associates
608-839-9800
emily@cblohm.com

Anchorage Area Teachers and Administrators Learn New Skills at Educational Technology Conference Presented by Discovery Education

Participants learn how to utilize media and technology in the classroom

Silver Spring, Md. (Sept. 20, 2008) – On Saturday, September 20, more than 90 educators from the greater Anchorage area gathered to learn from national experts how to engage today’s generation of visual learners through the power of high-quality digital media and technology. This interactive professional development event, entitled “A Day of Discovery,” was hosted by Anchorage School District at the Anchorage School District Education Center and supported by Discovery Education. Discovery Education is a division of Discovery Communications, whose networks include Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and the Science Channel.

During the conference, Discovery Education experts taught attendees classroom-tested strategies and techniques to integrate digital media into existing curriculum to improve student achievement. Discovery Education transforms classrooms and inspires teachers with award winning digital content and services correlated to Alaskan state educational standards. Participants in the Day of Discovery also collaborated on a variety of educational technology projects, modeling the methods and techniques they will later use to pass their knowledge on to students in the classroom.

“After the Day of Discovery training, I spent the evening exploring possible resources for unit design in my classroom. Using Discovery Streaming I found material to cover the first two quarters in my curriculum guide: nonfiction, fiction, reading and writing products, which will boost the interest level in these a difficult subject's appeal in the middle school classroom. I even found quizzes to support the curriculum,” said Art LaRue, an 8th Grade Language Arts Teacher in the Anchorage School District.

Educators from the Anchorage School District, as well as the Bristol Bay Borough, Fairbanks Northstar Borough, Kenai Penisula, and the Matanuska-Sustina Borough School Districts were invited to attend this free event, which was hosted by the Anchorage School District and supported by Discovery Education as part of its ongoing effort to promote the integration of media and technology in the classroom. Participants in the Day of Discovery serve in a variety of roles throughout the region and included classroom teachers, technology coordinators, school administrators, and media/technology support staff.

“The Day of Discovery offered an opportunity for all teachers, regardless of their skill level in using technology, to walk away from the training empowered to engage students in content. The use of Discovery Streaming coupled with professional development will support a transformation in the teaching and learning process throughout the district,” said Mary Wegner, Anchorage School District’s Coordinator of Educational Technology, Elementary.

Following this conference, participants will continue to be supported in their efforts to improve student achievement through the Discovery Educator Network (DEN). The DEN is a global community of more than 88,000 active educators passionate about integrating media and technology into classroom curriculum. Through the DEN, members have free access to a wide range of technology training as well as a resource library of teacher generated projects and tools.

According to Discovery Education Director Lance Rougeux, a noted expert in the field of educational media and technology and a presenter at the Day of Discovery, “Teachers in Alaska are correct in their belief that 21st Century students are different. These students have different attention spans, new ways of social networking, and different skill sets. For this group, digital media is a very effective teaching tool and Anchorage area administrators are empowering educators with the skills they need to engage today’s students.”

Discovery Education is the producer of Discovery Education streaming, the only digital video-on-demand service scientifically proven to improve student performance in the classroom. With more than 4,000 videos and 40,000 video clips from Discovery Communications networks and leading educational publishers, Discovery Education streaming helps educators engage technology-savvy students in learning.

For more information about Discovery Education, Discovery Education streaming and the Discovery Educator Network, visit www.discoveryeducation.com, or call 800-323-9084.

About Discovery Education

Discovery Communications revolutionized television with the Discovery Channel and is now transforming classrooms through Discovery Education. Powered by the #1 non-fiction media company in the world, Discovery Education combines scientifically proven, standards-based digital media and a dynamic user community in order to empower teachers to improve student achievement. Already, more than half of all U.S. schools access Discovery Education digital services. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.

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