Presented by Holly Brzycki, Supervisor of Online Learning, Capital Area Intermediate Unit (CAOLA); Nartarshia Sharpe, M.Ed., MBCT, School Counselor, Dean of Students, Crossroads FLEX High School (NC); and Dr. Allison Powell, Chief Academic Officer, Evergreen Education Group, and Program Chair, Digital Learning Annual Conference (DLAC) 2024
Sponsored by Digital Learning Collaborative
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During the pandemic, all learners became online learners. The experience each student had during mandatory lockdowns is now how they and their families define online learning. With that in our rearview mirror, this edWebinar explores ways that online, blended, and hybrid learning leapfrogs emergency remote teaching (ERT) when students are in the center and high-quality online learning models are designed.
K-12 leaders share different ways they revisioned digital learning’s “job to do” in their districts and approaches that have worked in deepening the quality of online learning for their learners in very different contexts. They share strategies for designing and refining digital learning programs, processes to check for and ensure quality, and different supports that engage both families and students in online learning.
They share a number of free resources, including specific ways to identify quality online teaching and learning, ways to help students and families change their understanding of online learning, and a view of the digital learning landscape, today’s and tomorrow’s. An overview of the Digital Learning Annual Conference (DLAC), where hundreds of sessions dig deeper into learning models, quality program standards, and more real-life advice and examples from digital learning pioneers are also shared.
This recorded edWebinar is of particular value to education leaders in K-12 districts, schools, Intermediate Units, and state agencies with online programs.
About the Presenters
Holly Brzycki is an educator and change agent who embodies the spirit of selfless sharing, support, and collegiality across the digital learning field. Holly has supervised the Capital Area Online Learning Association (CAOLA) since 2009. In her tenure, the program grew into the largest online learning consortium in the state of Pennsylvania, serving 140 schools from 11 different Intermediate Units. In this role, she has been a trailblazer and advocate for online learning options for students across Pennsylvania and has become a national leader in the field advocating for all students by networking with colleagues from other virtual schools, consortiums, and digital learning vendors. In these conversations, she offers her expertise, lessons learned, and other insights to help programs succeed. Holly is not afraid to speak up for what is best for students above all else and exemplifies student advocacy.
Nartarshia Sharpe is currently the Dean of Students at Crossroads FLEX High School, North Carolina’s first hybrid learning high school. Nartarshia is one of the inaugural staff members of Crossroads FLEX High School. Prior to this role, she served as an academic school counselor and a crisis response school counselor at a comprehensive high school, served as a program manager in the central office, and began her career as a middle school teacher. Nartarshia is a graduate of UNC Charlotte where she earned a B.A. in psychology and a minor in sociology. She holds two master’s degrees from NC State University, one in curriculum and instruction and the other in school counseling. She is also National Board Certified in K-12 School Counseling. In her free time, Nartarshia loves photography and traveling.
Dr. Allison Powell is Chief Academic Officer for Evergreen Education Group and serves as Program Chair for the Digital Learning Annual Conference (DLAC). She is former VP of the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL), which provided leadership in K-12 blended, online, and competency-based learning. Dr. Powell helped write the National Standards for Quality and other reports to expand and improve the field of K-12 digital learning. Dr. Powell taught in both face-to-face and online environments and has been working in online learning for over 15 years. After teaching in a blended environment, the Clark County School District (NV) asked her to help start the virtual high school in the fifth-largest school district in the country. She helped train, build courses, oversee technology, and educate leaders on the benefits of online learning. Dr. Powell regularly shares her expertise by speaking and has served on boards for schools and organizations. She completed her doctorate in educational technology from Pepperdine University.
Learn more about viewing the live presentation and the recording, earning your CE certificate, and using our new accessibility features.
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Digital Learning Annual Conference (DLAC): Delivering on the real promise of online, hybrid and digital learning.
DLAC is the Digital Learning Collaborative’s (DLC) signature event and will be held February 26-28, 2024, at the JW Marriott in Austin, TX. DLAC 2024 promises extended programming, additional hours, and a wider breadth of professional learning opportunities. This unique conference offers immersive learning, personalized pathways, global networking, and a full agenda with 20 hours of sessions and 30 hours of programming on all aspects of digital learning from which to choose.
Our attendees join the DLC and attend DLAC to network and learn with colleagues from the broad spectrum of digital learning programs and contexts. DLAC is the place for K-12 digital learning leaders, practitioners, researchers, and policymakers to share, learn, and debate best practices, share challenges and successes, and celebrate innovations in online learning.