PBS TeacherLine Monthly Station Conference Call
Thursday, September 30, 2010
12pm to 1pm ET
MINTUES
Product Development
Welcome Alanna Shevak as the new Senior Manager, Instructional Design!
Alanna Shevak has joined the product development (PD) team as Senior Manager, Instructional Design. Alanna is not new to TeacherLine, she worked under the first TeacherLine grant where she led the development of 40+ reading language arts courses. Alanna continued to work with TeacherLine under the second TeacherLine grant as a temporary employee. She wrote the three Raising Readers early childhood literacy courses and KERA’s Read with Me: Developing Early Literacy with Children course. She also edited 200 Peer Connection modules. Prior to coming to TeacherLine, Alanna was a Program Director at Rock Creek Academy, a Lesson Developer at K12, Inc. and an elementary school teacher.
In her new role, Alanna will be responsible for maintenance of existing PD content and development of new content. Her new position becomes effective October 1st.
Please join us in welcoming Alanna in her new, full-time position at PBS!
New Courses Open for Fall Enrollment
We are pleased to announce two new courses -- SCIE570: Introduction to Biotechnology and MATH512: Achieving Learning Goals through Accomplished Mathematics Instruction. Both courses are open for fall enrollment and are available to TeacherLine stations to offer as a local course. An overview and demonstration of both courses was shared on the station call. You may view course content using the TL course preview account (login information is posted on TL Admin > Courses).
SCIE570: Introduction to Biotechnology is a new course from WGBH Teachers’ Domain. The course will increase the learners' awareness and understanding of biotechnology while alsofocusing on teaching strategies and the use of media in teaching biotechnology concepts effectively at the high school level (grades 9-12). Learners explore the basic concepts of biotechnology, examine the common tools and techniques of biotechnology, and learn how to incorporate biotechnology into the classroom to increase students' awareness of the industry and career opportunities. This course is a graduate level, six session, 30-hour experience.
MATH512 Achieving Learning Goals through Accomplished Mathematics Instruction from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). We are excited to have another robust mathematics course for learners and this course has the added benefit of being facilitated by a National Board Certified Teacher in mathematics. This research-based course draws upon data from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standard’s performance assessment of mathematics teachers teaching grades 6 – 12. Letting Mathematics Lead (Course 1) focuses on knowledge packages (sequences of skills and knowledge required to master complex subjects), understanding and setting mathematics goals (factual, procedural and conceptual), and defining and assessing evidence of student learning for each type of goal.
This course is a graduate level, six session, 45-hour experience for grades 6-12.
Course Retirement Plan
As we develop new courses with content providers, we are also finalizing a list of courses to retire. As we announced on the August station call, we will be reducing our course catalog. With limited resources and staff, we want to focus on maintaining a catalog of courses that are relevant, up-to-date, and are in demand. We will be announcing the list of retired courses in the next few weeks.
Operations
Current Price Guarantee Process
We are pleased to offer PBS TeacherLine stations the opportunity to lock-in the current course price and revenue share for national and/or private-national course enrollments. As shared on the August station call, course prices will increase on January 1, 2011 and revenue share will be adjusted accordingly. This new price increase will affect any courses being offered after this date. More information on the new pricing is available on TL Admin > Community > Monthly Station Calls > August 19 Minutes.
Current course prices and revenue share may be guaranteed for 2011 enrollments if at least 100 seats can be secured by November 15, 2010. To secure the current price, a simple form and a copy of the purchase order from the school/district or state education agency to the station, or a letter of commitment on letterhead from the station guaranteeing the seats, should be submitted to PBS. Multiple purchase orders from different schools may be combined to reach the 100 seat requirement to secure the current price in 2011.
The course price will be guaranteed through a promotion code set up by PBS and distributed and managed accordingly by the station. Learners will use the promotion code to enroll in a national or private-national course. If a discount is offered to the learner, the station will be billed the difference of the course price (i.e. $199 for 30hr) and the discount. The station will manage the relationship and billing with the local or state education agency purchasing the seats. The promotion code will expire at the close of the fall 2011 enrollment period, October 28, 2011. The Online Facilitator Training course and Capstone I and Capstone II are not eligible for this offer, as the course price did not change.
If you have any questions about the price guarantee process, please contact Rachel at 703-739-8122 or .
New Business Development
This is a new section of the station call that will highlight stations that have been successful aligning their education services with local and state education agencies. Today’s call focuses on Race to the Top. Of the 12 states awarded Race to the Top funds, nine have TeacherLine stations -- Tennessee, North Carolina, Massachusetts, New York, Florida, District of Columbia, Maryland, Georgia, Ohio, Hawaii, Delaware, and Rhode Island.
PBS TeacherLine Southeast - UNC-TV, SCETV Race to the Top
Over the past few years, PBS TeacherLine Southeast has recognized the importance to align with state education groups. In doing so, they have been invited to attend meetings with various education groups where they can raise the visibility of their education services and products. Most recently, Diane Lucas, UNC-TV, along with her colleagues Kathy Finger and Amanda LeeVan, SCETV, were invited to meet with North Carolina Superintendent June Atkinson and her team. The meeting was set up as a result of the PBS-CPB-CCSSO meeting held this past March. Superintendent Atkinson was very interested in TeacherLine after seeing the presentation on the TeacherLine partnership with the Georgia DOE. While it took a few months to set up the meeting, the timing turned out to be just right. The day before the meeting was held, North Carolina was awarded Race to the Top funding. PBS TeacherLine Courses were presented along with a presentation on Peer Connection given by facilitator Kelly Gump. Diane also discussed the Digital Learning Library as UNC-TV is a DLL Beta station. The meeting went very well and garnered a lot of interest. TeacherLine professional development was not originally included in North Carolina’s application for RttT funds, but Superintendent Atkinson expressed that it would be a good service for NC educators and tasked her team with reviewing and aligning courses and Peer Connection with 8 top priorities specified in NC RttT grant. TeacherLine Southeast is hopeful that a partnership with NC Department of Public Instruction will be secured.
For more information, please contact Diane Lucas at or 919-549-7064, Kathy Finger at or 803-737-3682, or Amanda LeeVan at .
Nashville Public Television - Race to the Top Funds for TeacherLine, Peer Connection, DLL
Tennessee was one of the two states that received the first round of Race to the Top funds. As the state was developing the proposal, Jo Ann Scalf emailed and called her contact at the DOE –- which happens to be a former TeacherLine facilitator and huge proponent of our courses – until a meeting could be set-up to discuss the educational services available from PBS, including TeacherLine, Peer Connection and the Digital Learning Library. Jo Ann met with the Tennessee Commissioner of Education and the Governor’s Policy Office to discuss NPT and other TN stations’ inclusion in the Race to the Top proposal. Before the presentation was over, they were sold and asked what needs to happen next for PBS education services to be included in the proposal. Jo Ann worked with national PBS TeacherLine staff on a narrative for TeacherLine courses, Peer Connection and the DLL to be included. Once the announcement was made that Tennessee received Race to the Top funding, all the TN public broadcasting station’s and PBS have and several meetings to discuss strategy and implementation.
For more information, please contact Jo Ann Scalf at or 615-259-9325.
Next station call is Thursday, October 28, 2010