WCCC and Indian Township Partnership Benefits Educators

Several teachers at the Indian Township School have just completed a hybrid technology course as a result of a partnership between the school and Washington County Community College. For completing the course, each of the seven students received three college credits toward degrees in education—all at no cost to the students.

“The community wants people invested in the school to move up,” Ed Tech Vanessa Harnois explained. Harnois is working on her Associate’s degree in Early Childhood Education while maintaining her full-time position at the school, a feat enabled by the flexibility of WCCC’s hybrid programs.

Hybrid courses involve both face-to-face class time as well as online participation via WCCC’s Portal learning interface. For this particular class—Teaching, Learning, and Technology—having students gain a familiarity with the online interface made sense, instructor Tatiana Osmond said.

Osmond, herself a dedicated Instructional Technologist, comes from a city where everybody knows the fundamentals of technology. “When I came here, I was a bit taken aback by the lack of familiarity with technology.” However, in many cases, Tatiana notes that students often “know more than they think they know.”

During the initial part of the course, students learned about various forms of technology including types of hardware, software, and apps. Students then completed an analysis of ten different technologies of their choice, including their usability and effectiveness in a classroom environment. Finally, the students wrote an essay on how they would integrate technology into their classes and evaluate them.

For many of the students, the knowledge was immediately pertinent. “They’re replacing some parts of my class with technology-based instruction,” Ed Tech Angel Yates said, explaining that math is now being taught partially through computer applications. Yates adds that the class has given her confidence in continuing her distance education through the University of Maine online program.
The benefits aren’t just professional, either. “It’s nice to be able to talk to my son now,” Harnois jokes, explaining her son’s affinity for social media applications and her inability to share in his enthusiasm in the past.

Now that the technology-focused course is over, the teacher-students will have the opportunity to take a course in Child and Adolescent Development, also taught by Osmond. Traveling to Indian Township and coordinating with the students is a role she thoroughly enjoys. “I have a lot of respect for people who complete their education while working full-time.”

The partnership with Indian Township is a part of WCCC’s community education program, which is actively seeking more partners. Coordinator Nichole Cote said that any school in the area that is interested in providing a similar opportunity to its educators is welcome to contact her at 454-1012.