PSS commemorates eight years of EdTech

The CNMI Public School System hosted a virtual commencement ceremony of the Educational Technology Training Program, or EdTech, last June 13 and saw the participation of 80 program participants, Ed Tech instructors, school administrators, PSS key management, and members of the Board of Education.

During the ceremony—the program’s eighth so far—Dr. Bobby Cruz, PSS Instructional Technology and Distance Education director, said the goal of the program is to empower the CNMI’s educators with technology tools to transform teaching and learning. “This has been a year of trial and tribulation for everyone, both personally and professionally. Despite these challenges, educators from across the CNMI have decided to forge on, challenging themselves to learn and grow to advance learning for all of our children,” he said.

Lorraine Catienza, PSS Distance Education program manager, said their team continues to refine the program with their EdTech instructors to improve the quality of learning for the professionals they serve.

“Our goal is to continue to employ transformative use of technology to support teaching and learning, to prepare our students to meaningfully participate and succeed in an increasingly tech-driven world. Our educators are the key to making this goal a reality, so we continue to invest in them,” she said.

Cruz said both Education Commissioner Dr. Alfred Ada and BOE chair Janice Tenorio were in attendance to celebrate the accomplishment of the graduates. “Both leaders shared a joint message of pride for the hard work and commitment of all EdTech participants from both private and public schools to grow as professionals and embrace the role that technology plays in supporting learning in the 21st century,” said Cruz.

The EdTech Program is a year-long training program that consists of five 45-hour certification courses that delve into topics revolving around technology to support teaching and learning.

Cruz said that participants explore the diverse suite of Google tools to support teaching and learning, discuss the importance of empowering students to be digital citizens, and examine student-centered applications to produce a variety of products such as multimedia presentations, infographics, and dynamic videos.