Phase III - Creating 21st Century Classrooms: Connecting the DOTS

Creating 21st Century Classrooms: Connecting the Dots

The third phase of the Title II D funding created a professional development program entitled Creating 21st Century Classrooms: Connecting the DOTS.  This professional development program is made possible through a competitive application process sponsored by the Burlington School District. The following institutes have been offered: DOTS I - Summer 2008 and held at Champlain College in Burlington DOTS II North - Summer 2009 and held at Champlain College in Burlington DOTS II South - Summer 2009 and held at Southern Vermont College in Bennington The DOTS III North and DOTS III South cohorts began work in January 2010. Professional development institutes will be held during the summer of  2010, with completion in mid-August. The Project Director for this VTcite/DOTS initiative is Ed Barry, of the Milton Town School District. Sandy Lathem (of Academic Research and Consulting Services and an adjunct professor at the University of Vermont) is co-facilitator of the program. Paul Irish of the Burlington School District oversees project management and finances.

All of our work is supported by content area experts from the Vermont Department of Education (Peter Drescher, Arlyn Bruccoli, Sigrid Lumbra, Gail Hall, Lindy Johnson, Kathy Renfrew), and well-known Vermont consultants (Kathy Barwin, Sue Monmaney, Katie Reen, Shannon Leslie, Marny Frantz, and others).

The map (above) indicates the areas of the state from which educators have been drawn. These institutes have engaged approximately 180 Vermont educators in this collaborative learning experience.

Click on the map to learn more about the schools that have been involved to date.

What are the DOTS?

21st century classrooms are ones that incorporate the best practices and research about how students learn best. These practices are often facilitated and supported by effective and intentional technology integration. The DOTS institutes combine these practices with an introduction to Web 2.0 tools and applications. To see what we mean by "connecting the dots," please review this short slide show.

The Transformation of Education in Vermont

This professional development program serves to support the Vermont Board of Education's Transformation of Education in Vermont Initiative.  To learn more about this initiative and its critical importance to Vermont's future, please click here.

To Learn More

Additional information concerning each of the DOTS - 21st Century Classroom institutes may be found by clicking on the links below for each institute.

For more information, contact Ed Barry, Sandy Lathem, or Paul Irish.