MIAMI (WSVN) - Teachers in Miami-Dade County are sharpening their technological skills this summer.
While students are enjoying their summer break, more than 2,000 Miami-Dade Public School teachers and administrators are learning how to make the upcoming school year even better.
“Synergy 2016 is all about preparing for the ’16-’17 school year,” said Miami-Dade Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho. “So, we use the summer months to bring in principals, assistant principals and teachers to perfect the skill.”
Classrooms at Miami Jackson Senior High School is where they’re learning how to keep students engaged and how to better incorporate social media into the classroom.
“And why? Because kids already mastered it ,” said Carvalho. “So why not adapt to this new reality of digital content and social media to better communicate and teach kids?”
At Synergy 2016, educators are also learning about interactive, 3D ways to bring learning into the classroom. zSpace is a 3D experience for students that lets them learn in a virtual reality space. One example is being taught about the heart.
“Basically, just like we learned how to drive a car by driving the car,” said a zSpace representative Amie Souder. “The book was helpful, of course reading is very important, but this gives kids the experience, just like us driving that car, by learning how by doing.”
Not only is technology the talk of Synergy 2016, but teachers are learning how to support their students emotionally. “Particularly considering the emotional state that our country is facing, it is important for teachers and principals to be ready for the mindset of the children that will be arriving to our schools,” said Carvalho.
This is the third annual Synergy summer summit, and they said the results are beginning to show. “We can take pride in our hard work,” said Annie Klian, who works in the MDCPS Math Department. “We have to continue to raise the bar.”
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