August 06, 2021
CARSON CITY, Nev. – This week, the Nevada Department of Education (NDE) welcomed their new cohort of Digital Ambassadors,
who are the educator experts behind the Nevada Digital
Learning Collaborative (NvDLC).
This is the second annual cohort of Digital
Ambassadors, who were previously called “Digital Engineers.” The cohort is made
up of 42 educators representing Nevada’s school districts and offering expertise
across various teaching approaches, grade levels, and subject areas. Sixteen of
the 42 educators are returning from the inaugural 2020-21 class of Digital
Engineers.
“While it was created as a
pandemic-response tool, the Nevada Digital Learning Collaborative is here to
stay and continues to propel Nevada forward as a leader in digital learning,” said
Jhone Ebert, State Superintendent of Public Instruction. “Our Digital
Ambassadors are the rocket fuel behind the Nevada Digital Learning
Collaborative and I want to thank these 42 educators who have stepped up to
support this effort that is positioning Nevada as a national leader.”
Digital Ambassadors applied and were
selected to offer support in two areas: Curriculum and Content Specialist or
Professional Learning Specialist. For their time and expertise, Digital Ambassadors
will receive a stipend and have opportunities for robust professional
development and leadership.
“I am thrilled for this opportunity to hone
my professional skills and make a larger contribution to support education
across Nevada,” said Silvina Jover, a high school teacher from Desert Pines
High School in Clark County School District and a new Digital Ambassador in the
2021-22 cohort. “The Nevada Digital Learning Collaborative was a meaningful
support system for me throughout the early pandemic, and I am excited to
provide similar support to other Nevada educators.”
The NvDLC website was launched on July 14, 2020, in response to school
building closures. The website offers a robust library of more than 200 free resources
in a number of formats including books, webinars, and videos. For educators,
the NvDLC offers professional learning, high-quality curricular materials, and
instructional strategies to help them meaningfully connect with students and
families in a virtual learning environment. For students and families, it
provides support for digital learning, including a translation option to
support students and families whose native language is not English. Educators,
students, and family members can subscribe to receive updates when new resources are available.
Since its launch, NvDLC content has been viewed over 53,000 times by more than
15,000 visitors.
During its first year, with the support of Digital
Engineers, over 200 artifacts, including podcasts, video chats, how-to guides,
webinars, and live panel discussions were published on the NvDLC website. The
group also hosted two digital learning summits and seven panel discussions
throughout the 2020-21 school year.
Moving ahead, NDE, in partnership with this
cohort of Digital Ambassadors, will continue to provide robust professional
development for educators and develop classroom resources to support
high-quality learning opportunities for students. This fall, NDE will be
releasing a Statewide Digital Learning Guide to continue supporting educators,
students, and families in digital learning. In addition, the NvDLC is hosting
its third Digital Summit on October 2, 2021, which is open to all Nevada educators to attend at
no cost.
Attachments: