PSS teaches parents educational technology on Tinian

Tinian parents who attended the CNMI Public School System’s seminar are provided certificates of completion. (Contributed Photo)

The CNMI Public School System recently hosted a seminar on Tinian to give parents strategies to engage children in 21st-century learning at home.

The parent seminar focused on educational technology also engaged parents in learning activities that utilized popular education technology tools to experience firsthand how such technological applications are used by teachers to support the curriculum and improve engagement.

The seminar was hosted by the Instructional Technology Program overseen by Dr. Bobby Cruz, director of Instructional Technology, and Lorraine Catienza, Distance Education program manager.

Also in attendance was Tinian Jr. Sr. High School principal and parent, Dionne Santos. Santos appreciated the parent seminar in her role as both instructional leader and mother, saying, “These opportunities for parents to learn are very important. I’m glad that parents were given this chance to be more cognizant of what our teens engage in with technology. It gave parents a space to learn about how technology is impacting both their lives and the lives of their children. Topics such as social media and technology in the classroom are important, and we parents need to be educated on how to talk to our children about it, to learn about what our children are doing online, and to implement strategies to help our them learn about the advantages of technology as well as ways to engage with it in a responsible and safe manner.”

Frances Santos, TJSHS PTA secretary said, “This is a wonderful opportunity for parents to engage with others and to understand the what is available for parent stakeholders and their children. Access to technology is important, and being aware of what the school offers to both parent and student was a real eye-opener for me. I am glad that the Instructional Technology Program is really focusing on helping us parents to also engage in professional learning. The more we know, the more we can be better stakeholders in helping our children learn and succeed, especially in a word of information and technology. I hope we have more events like this for parents in the future.

One of the primary goals of the Instructional Technology Program is to support parent development in the areas of technology education this school year. The program will continue its outreach efforts and provide learning opportunities for parents across the CNMI. (PR)