SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – New Mexico teachers now have access to training that will help them teach virtually this Fall. CNM developed online workshops for teachers to learn how to optimize learning in a virtual classroom. With the help of PED and CNM Ingenuity, a non-profit affiliated with the college, the workshops will be free and available for any kindergarten through 12th grade public school teacher.
“It really was born out of a desire to support teachers, who are amazing teachers in face-to-face environments, figure out how to translate what they do into a virtual learning environment,” Erica Barreiro, Future of Work Strategist at CNM, said. The online workshop will teach educators how to plan remote lessons and keep students engaged, like using weekly welcome videos for students and interaction tools on online platforms to communicate.
“It’s a different skill set, it’s a different way of thinking about student engagement, you have to think about your curriculum differently, you have to design your lessons differently,” Barreiro said. “It doesn’t matter if you’ve been teaching for 20 years. Going into a virtual environment is basically like, you’re, you’re becoming a brand new teacher.”
The workshops will take place between August 7-18 on Zoom for up to 300 teachers at a time, allowing for up to 18,000 teachers to get free training. After August 18, a self-paced online course will be available for teachers who are unable to make the in-person presentations. Those interested can register on the CNM Ingenuity website. CNM is also working on setting up a similar series to help parents with their role in virtual learning.
“Not only the technical support, and this is really true of the teacher training too, but also the social-emotional support and strategies for how do you balance the fact that you are a co-educator in a very different way that than, we’ve traditionally engaged parents,” Barreiro said. CNM hopes to have the workshop for parents ready by mid-August.
