The Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative’s (KVEC) kicked off its first Digitalachia Podcast on August 19. The KVEC office and its 23 partner districts are in the heart of Appalachian. We are focused on creating personalized professional learning opportunities that meet the professional learning needs of educators, which ultimately, and most importantly, create multiple opportunities for a more engaging learning environment for students. All learners are individuals and must be provided equitable opportunities for learning experiences that enable them to succeed both academically and socially.
This is where Digitalachia enters the seen.
Digitalachia was developed to inspire creativity and enable educators to network in real-time and share professional learning experiences, thus ensuring equity, access, and opportunity for all in our remote rural areas regardless of zip codes.
Through KVEC’s learning platform on theholler.org, a collection of free resources and online professional development tools are available to aid in virtual learning and teaching in non-traditional ways.
Some of the resources located at www.digitalachia.com for educators and parents providing instruction for students in the nontraditional way.
- Design Lab with a wide array of digital learning experiences
- Video Production filming tips and free screen-casting resources to help teachers create, and upload on-line lessons using Google Forms and Autocrat. virtual reality/motion capture sui
- Access to Multiple micro-credentials for educators and videorecording of KVEC’s Virtual National Micro- Credential Virtual Summit that will enable presenters and participants to learn from and with national thought leaders and practitioners –June 2020
The first podcast hosted by Robert Brown with guest, Dessie Bowling, discussed Ripple Effects, and Bouncy, a social and emotional companion for young children.
Ripple Effects was founded in 1997 by Alice Ray. Alice has long been an advocate for children and as the CEO at Ripple Effects she developed digital tools for social emotional behavior supports that address non-academic barriers to education.
Ripple Effects could provide a way to bridge the gap between the need, availability, and desire for mental health supports at the school level. It is a technology-based program that is listed on the National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP). Ripple Effects is the only children’s mental health intervention that is both comprehensive and technology based. It is the only one that is adaptive both at the level of content and learning process, so that learners find and access what best fits their personal needs. Bouncy is a key player in the Ripple Effects program, is an iPad-based, character driven, social/emotional training program for early learners. The Bouncy avatar-based apps use art, music, video, messages, games and animated adventures to motivate young students
