DARLINGTON, SC (WBTW) The Darlington County School District hosted their annual Digital Transformation Conference at Darlington Middle School on Thursday.
Six hundred educators attended the conference and got to participate in technology learning sessions. It’s a part of the district’s focus on blended learning methods which prioritize technology in every classroom.
Starting this year, many students will get to take Apple devices home as part of the blended learning method.
“We are all about helping students build those skills that allow them to transition into any type of tools in the future. We really want to help them begin to think for themselves, so that they can learn at much deeper levels,” said Diane Sigmon, DCSD Executive Director for Technology.
Students in third through eighth grade will take home an I-Pad. High school students will receive a MacBook Air. Sigmon said it’s a way to give them access to technology.
With the devices, the district hopes to also make learning more engaging.
“The district is going through blended learning which deals with collaboration, creativity, critical thinking and communication, so that’s what I try to involve in my classroom, so that if I wasn’t in the classroom with them, they would still be in a learning environment,” said Keisa Hudson, Teacher at Hartsville Middle.
There were a total of 60 sessions at the Digital Transformation Conference. Teachers were able to learn about video editing, Apple apps, Google Drive and more.
“We want to continue providing opportunities for our teachers to continue to learn. We want students to be lifelong learners, and our teachers to be lifelong learners as well,” said Carla Jefferson, DCSD Instructional Technology Coordinator.
DCSD students go back to school on August 19th.
