During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, CSTP asked “What supports do educators need right now?” and the Teacher Tech Project was one of the resources created to help teachers, families and students. Originally funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Teacher Tech Project provided information, resources and learning opportunities for teachers to develop their knowledge, skills and understanding of Learning Management Systems and instructional design for distance learning.
Resource Guides, were curated by teachers, providing information and resources for the five most commonly used Learning Management Systems in WA – Canvas, Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams, Schoology, and Seesaw. “Ask-A-Teacher” Help Desks, operated by teachers, utilized social media to engage teachers in asking and answering specific questions about the LMS platforms. Lastly, asynchronous modules about instructional design for distance learning were developed and made freely available covering topics including: community building, student engagement, differentiation, and feedback to students, to name a few.
The Teacher Tech Project concluded after school buildings re-opened and students and teachers returned to their physical classrooms.