Through the continued leadership of the Board of Directors and the dedication of our members and staff, during 2016 SETDA celebrated 15 years of leadership, hired a new permanant Executive Director ~ Dr. Tracy Weeks, published a new strategic plan, developed resources to advance learning in the digital age and provided opportunities for state leaders to collaborate with one another and with private sector industry leaders. Based on the needs of our members and partners, SETDA focused efforts on developing resources and provided support for ESSA, equity of access, digital instructional materials and the implementation of digital learning. SETDA continues to expand outreach including adding new Affiliate partners such as the State Instructional Materials Review Association (SIMRA) and KanRen and by providing technical assistance to state Title IIA leaders. SETDA looks forward to new opportunities to provide sustained support for state digital learning leaders. To stay up to date on SETDA’s latest work subscribe to our mailing list and follow us on Twitter @setda.
SETDA’s 2017-2020 strategic plan was adopted and released by the SETDA Board of Directors in October 2016 after extensive consultation with the membership and partners. SETDA looks forward to connecting with education leaders to implement the plan over the next three years.
Through out 2016, SETDA celebrated our 15th year which culminated with the Annual Awards Gala at the Leadership Summit in October. Take a moment to view SETDA resources and relationships “through the years”.
SETDA and Common Sense Kids Action‘s report, State K-12 Broadband Leadership: Driving Connectivity and Accesshighlights the powerful impact of state leadership in driving critical policy decisions at the national and state level to support broadband networks, bandwidth capacity and home access for low-income families. Educators, policy makers and the private sector will benefit from organized and accessible information regarding states’ broadband and wi-fi implementation for all 50 states, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Mariana Islands. The report focuses on these areas: K-12 Broadband and Wi-Fi Connectivity, State Leadership for Infrastructure, State Broadband Implementation Highlights, State Advocacy for Federal Support of Broadband.
SETDA in the News: If you missed any of SETDA’s media coverage for 2016 you can always access SETDA initiatives and staff In the News and the 2016 Press Releases.
As the year winds down, we reflect on our accomplishments from 2015. Needless to say, SETDA had a busy year! Through the continued leadership of the Board of Directors and the dedication of our members and staff, we’ve developed new reports, tools and publications to advance learning in the digital age. SETDA listened to the needs of our members and partners and focused efforts on developing resources around digital instructional materials, the implementation of digital learning, and equity of access. As we work together in our mission to build and increase the capacity of state and national leaders to improve education through policy and practice, we want to thank all of our wonderful SETDA members and partners for their knowledge and expertise. Keep reading to learn more about our 2015 resources and publications. We look forward to building on this work and new projects in 2016! To stay up to date on SETDA’s latest work subscribe to our mailing list and follow us on Twitter @setda.
Navigating The Digital Shift: Mapping The Acquisition of Digital Instructional Materials. This landmark report identifies policies and practices related to the implementation of digital instructional materials. The details included can help educate school and district administrators, policy makers and the private sector on the flexibility of state policies related to the procurement of digital instructional materials.
OER Case Studies. This online series of open educational resources (OER) case studies website supports SETDA’s work focused on digital instructional materials and offers a deep look into how these materials are implemented in a variety of educational settings.
Digital Instructional Materials Acquisition Policies for States (DMAPS). A unique online portal, the DMAPs is an online database providing state and territory policies and practices related to the acquisition of digital instructional materials in K-12 education. There is an interactive heat map so that users can view national trends as well as individual state profiles and exemplars.
Ensuring the Quality of Digital Content for Learning. This paper, published with Foresight Law and Policy, complements SETDA’s prior digital transition policy briefs by examining strategies for ensuring digital content quality.
E-rate Modernization Resources. SETDA and Common Sense Kids Action developed a toolkit for state and local policymakers and digital leaders as they navigate the modernized E-rate program.
State Digital Learning Exemplars. SETDA and the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation co-released this national report highlighting states with policies in support of 5 key areas: innovative funding streams and policy, digital content, human capacity, network infrastructure, and data management and privacy.
Building Your Roadmap For 21st Century Learning Environments. SETDA collaborated with Cable Impacts and the Partnership for 21st Century Learning to create a free planning tool for schools and educators shifting to 21st learning environments.
EdTech Update This site and newsletter brings together the widest set of industry thought leaders and uses what the audience does with the content both collectively and individually to deliver the most interesting and relevant content to each reader. The Update condenses the latest and best thinking from hundreds of sources, including top bloggers.
The Guide to Implementing Digital Learning (GIDL) is a free web-based resource designed to support school and district leaders as they work to ensure that investments in digital learning spark positive results.
Another in an occasional series of guest posts, we are pleased to feature the work and voices of state leaders. Dr. Sarah Haavind is the Curator for the Oregon Educator Network where she leads the design and implementation of an online professional learning portal.
Founded by the Oregon State Legislature’s HB3233 in the 2011 – 2013 biennium, the Oregon Department of Education’s Network of Quality Teaching and Learning is pleased to announce the launch of the Oregon Educator Network (OEN), a collaborative professional learning space for educators in Oregon and beyond. This powerful tool provides resources, online events and the opportunity to personalize professional learning by allowing educators to start and join collaborative groups based on professional interests and projects.
Collaborate and engage in dialogue about professional practice;
Share, discover and rate education resources;
Create and participate in groups, blogs and events;
Find professional development opportunities.
Most educators are interested in learning how to personalize learning for their students, yet a powerful starting point is to personalize their own learning via OEN. Utilizing the OEN collaborative learning space allows an educator to present professional credentials and lend a credible, knowledgeable voice by sharing ideas, resources, events and blogs that are used with success in the classroom, school or district-wide.
OEN’s personalization capabilities allow you, as a part of the online professional learning community, to design opportunities to follow educators you already know, or to discover new job-alike and/or interest-alike colleagues by visiting or following educators suggested for you by OEN. The more detailed you choose to make your professional learning profile, the more accurately OEN’s supporting analytics will foster meaningful connections and facilitate the discovery of educators who are working on the same challenges and/or shared interests.
This tool can be valuable to team leaders at the school, district, regional, or state levels, too. For example, a group can be initiated to solicit innovative thoughts and contributions relevant to any aspect of professional practice. Once established, the group can remain private (for your team) or public, for any members to join and contribute, share resources or links to documents, anytime, anywhere.
OEN supports and encourages collaboration among P-20 educators both in Oregon and in other states by providing a place for thought-partners to discover and connect with interest and job-alike colleagues.
What will you discover, post or share on the OEN today?
Dr. Sarah Haavind is a Senior Program Analyst at the Oregon Department of Education where she leads the design and implementation of an online professional learning portal. She was an Associate Professor of Education at Lesley University Graduate School of Education and began her career as a high school teacher. She taught online in the 1990s for The Concord Consortium where she co-authored Facilitating Online Learning (Atwood, 2000), at Lesley University in the early 2000s, and currently adjuncts at Pepperdine University in a blended Doctorate in Learning Technologies program.
Through out 2016, SETDA celebrated our 15th year which culminated with the Annual Awards Gala at the Leadership Summit in October. Take a moment to view SETDA resources and relationships “through the years”.
SETDA and Common Sense Kids Action‘s report, State K-12 Broadband Leadership: Driving Connectivity and Access highlights the powerful impact of state leadership in driving critical policy decisions at the national and state level to support broadband networks, bandwidth capacity and home access for low-income families. Educators, policy makers and the private sector will benefit from organized and accessible information regarding states’ broadband and wi-fi implementation for all 50 states, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Mariana Islands. The report focuses on these areas: K-12 Broadband and Wi-Fi Connectivity, State Leadership for Infrastructure, State Broadband Implementation Highlights, State Advocacy for Federal Support of Broadband.
The Broadband Imperative II: Equitable Access for Learning, SETDA continues to advocate for increasing robust access both in and out of school to best prepare all students for college and careers. This 2016 report expands on earlier recommendations from SETDA’s groundbreaking report, The Broadband Imperative: Recommendations to Address K-12 Education Infrastructure Needs and SETDA and Common Sense Kids Action’s State K-12 Broadband Leadership: Driving Connectivity and Access report. Recommendations include: 1. Increase Infrastructure to Support Student-Centered Learning 2. Design Infrastructure to Meet Capacity Targets 3. Ensure Equity of Access for All Students Outside of School 4. Leverage State Resources to Increase Broadband Access
Digital Instructional Materials Acquisition Policies for States (DMAPS)
E-rate Modernization Resources
Another in an occasional series of guest posts, we are pleased to feature the work and voices of state leaders. Dr. Sarah Haavind is the Curator for the Oregon Educator Network where she leads the design and implementation of an online professional learning portal. 
Dr. Sarah Haavind is a Senior Program Analyst at the Oregon Department of Education where she leads the design and implementation of an online professional learning portal. She was an Associate Professor of Education at Lesley University Graduate School of Education and began her career as a high school teacher. She taught online in the 1990s for The Concord Consortium where she co-authored Facilitating Online Learning (Atwood, 2000), at Lesley University in the early 2000s, and currently adjuncts at Pepperdine University in a blended Doctorate in Learning Technologies program.