Students enjoy education, training Chew, Chat
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Reflecting on the education and training Chew and Chat our students took last week brings to mind a quote from Brian Tracy, “Continuous learning is the minimum requirement for success in any field.” The day was nothing short of amazing and full of impactful learning which will be beneficial for these future educators.
Their day was full of educational-based speakers, including individuals in educational technology, postsecondary education, apprenticeship coordinator, and an overall theme of educational support. Leslie Mitchell, ADA coordinator/student services specialist at CACC – Talladega, started off the morning by introducing our students to adaptive technology CACC students are able to check out at any of the CACC campuses. Some of the technology included The Ruby, The Pebble, a CCTV, a braille label maker, and an OrCam. These devices aid visually and/or hearing impaired students succeed in the classroom. A major takeaway from Ms. Mitchell’s speech was a difference between accommodations at the high school versus the college level, meaning college students must self-identify before they’re eligible to receive ADA services.
Paige Scott, CACC director of distance education, went over the differences between an elementary education degree and a secondary education degree and reviewed the Child Development short-term certificate that is offered through CACC, completely online. Obtaining the CHD certificate will allow students the ability to work as a pre-K teacher’s aid.
Next, Dr. Kimberly Mitchell of Jacksonville State University joined via Zoom to make our students aware of the postsecondary options available within the Career Technical Education and Professional Studies department, such as a Bachelor’s of Science in child development and family and consumer sciences education.
We had a large presence of educational technology representatives that included Learning Blade, Kuder and Alabama Public Television. Scott Mains (Learning Blade), Elizabeth Moore, Todd Tribble, and Andy Volesky (Kuder-ALabama Career Planning System) joined virtually. Mr. Mains showcased Learning Blade’s 400, 10-minute courses in a different way, opting to present as if our students were a group of teachers looking for ways to incorporate the platform into the classroom. The Kuder team reviewed how they’re able to work with schools to solve problems and fill their needs to meet state requirements such as for four-year plans and career assessments, placement practice tests and resume creation. They also reinforced that you’re able to work within education without being a classroom teacher. Tracy Carter with APT went through one of their lessons that is generally used during teacher professional development days. Her lesson introduced interactive platforms to use during presentations to keep students engaged and eager to participate.
Mercy Pilkington, AEA UniServe director 15, provided a detailed explanation on how the Alabama Education Association is involved with schools within their districts and lobby for change within the educational system. Ms. Pilkington also provided lunch for our students during our time away from our campus, and we here at CCCTC and our students are most appreciative.
Sophia Guan with Alabama Office of Apprenticeship explained the differences between registered apprenticeships and other career preparation activities, as well as the three on-the-job learning models used for registered apprenticeships. A key takeaway from this section was that no person’s path to success is the same. There are many different avenues to take to reach the same outcome.
Last but not least, we heard from Sean J. Stevens, Instructional Services, program coordinator, and Kimberly Mitchell, education specialist, educator recruitment from the Alabama Department of Education. Both went over their roles at the State Department, after beginning their educational career in the classroom. Mrs. Mitchell’s main role is to recruit Alabama teachers, while Mr. Stevens is involved on the instruction and curriculum side. Some of our students got a wake-up call once they realized certain classes are required for high school graduation in Alabama.
Thank you to our partners who made this day a day to remember, as well as Central Coosa Schools Career Coach Keslie Garrett for sharing pictures and information.
