Distance Instruction Training

Distance Instruction Training for Teachers

Hook your students into learning by creating an engaging distance learning environment, and improve your online teaching skills and learn about the best free tools to use in this online series of distance instruction courses offered by the San Mateo County Office of Education (SMCOE) in partnership with the San Mateo County Community College District (SMCCCD). To date, this course has improved participant confidence and readiness to teach in remote learning for more than 600 teachers in San Mateo County.

computer sits on the table

Course Description

This series includes five synchronous sessions with distance learning experts with experience using a variety of tools to create positive learning experiences for all students. There are three grade bands to choose from for all sessions: K-2, 3-6, and 7-12, running parallel or simultaneously.

Session Dates/Times and Registration

September 2, 3:30 PM-4:30 PM - Training Session:
Learn best practices, strategies, and tools. Engage with colleagues while applying what you learn.
September 9, 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM - Office Hours:
Trainers will recap from the training session, answer questions, and support participants.
September 16, 3:30 PM-4:30 PM - Training Session:
Learn best practices, strategies, and tools. Engage with colleagues while applying what you learn.
September 23, 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM - Office Hours:
Trainers will recap from the training session, answer questions, and support participants.
September 30, 3:30 PM-4:30 PM - Training Session:
Learn best practices, strategies, and tools. Engage with colleagues while applying what you learn.

Additional reading, research, and activities will be provided to try out in your class.

Biographies

Dr. Bianca Rowden-Quince

Dr. Bianca Rowden-Quince, known as “Dr. Bianca,” is a passionate professional, educator, consultant, and scholar with experience in combining instructional design, professional development, research design and development, executive coaching, and faculty training to support student success in higher education. With a strong knowledge of instructional design, assessment, and faculty development, Dr. Bianca’s focus at Skyline College has been working with faculty to provide instructional design services and pedagogy support that promotes student success. Additionally, her focus has been aimed at delivering workshops that share pedagogical best practices, foster collaboration between instructors, and provide creative instructional solutions to meet the needs of diverse 21st century students. In addition to her work at Skyline College, Dr. Bianca is also Adjunct Faculty in the School of Education’s Learning and & Instruction Doctoral Program at the University of San Francisco.

Tabia Lee

Tabia Lee (known simply as "Lee") has contributed to the design, implementation, and evaluation of numerous educational and professional development programs. Her commitment to teacher education, technology-infused learning, social justice, and instructional design is grounded in her experience as a National Board Certified English, Civics, and Social Studies teacher in urban American public middle and high schools. Dr. Lee prepares TK-12 and higher education faculty to work with culturally and linguistically diverse students by illuminating pedagogical and ideological intersectionality with a focus on critical literacy and teacher ideology-in-practice. Specifically, Lee guides faculty through clarifying instructional intent as it relates to face-to-face, hybrid, and online learning with an emphasis on illuminating the ways that teacher professional development informs technological engagement and is reflected in teachers’ embodied and enacted pedagogies.
Barbara Reklis

Barbara Reklis has been the Instructional Technology Specialist at the Sequoia Union High School District for the past three years. Prior to that, she taught math at Menlo-Atherton High School for thirteen years. Barbara is a Bay Area native and graduated from Gunn High School. Barbara has earned her Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Communications from UC San Diego and earned her teaching credential and Master’s degree from Boston University. She specializes in helping teachers incorporate technology into their instruction. As the Instructional Technology Specialist, Barbara has enjoyed helping teachers with anything from Canvas, SchoolCity, FlipGrid, Google, and much more.

Ben Cogswell

Growing up in the ‘80s & ‘90s, Ben Cogswell was a kid on the edge of modern technology as a product of Oregon Trail, AOL 1.0, and Carmen Sandiego! Fast forward to 2020, after 13 years in Salinas CA, he has enjoyed his time working as a teacher, coach, and edtech TOSA. Currently, this Kindergarten teacher and 2019 CUE BOLD teacher of the year loves to share his go-to strategies and awesome mindset of blending amazing pedagogy with easy to access edtech in his #KindRockets classroom. Ben was recently quoted in the NY Times and his Seesaw lessons have over 800k views.

Fernando Figueroa

Fernando J. Figueroa is currently the lead teacher for the Spanish Immersion Program at Abbott Middle School in San Mateo. Previously, he was a Teacher on Special Assignment for Data and Technology implementation. He has taught for over 20 years in urban and rural schools. He holds a B.A. and M.A. from UC Berkeley in Education and alumni of its Principal Leadership Institute. Google Certified teacher and MERIT program alumni. Over the past seven years, he has actively trained teachers and student grades K-8 on digital tools, digital citizenship, and etiquette.

Jaime Fagan

Jaime Fagan is a third grade teacher at Loomis Basin Charter School, an International Baccalaureate school. This year, she graduated from Krause Center of Innovation as a Chief Innovation Officer focusing on exploring educational change and educational innovation related to curriculum and instruction, technology infrastructure, strategic planning, and leadership. Last summer, Jaime spent her time exploring how technology, pedagogy, and content blend together in MERIT. Before Loomis, she worked as a Kindergarten/First Grade Teacher for eight years. Jaime also received her Masters in School Administration and Leadership from Notre Dame de Namur.

Juli Chang

Juli Chang is a Second Grade Teacher at Ocean Shore School in the Pacifica School District. She has more than 20 years of experience as an educator, is Google Certified-Level 1, and is a Seesaw Ambassador. Juli participated in the Krause Center for Innovation’s MERIT (Making Education Relevant and Interactive through Technology) program in 2018 and Chief Innovation Officer program in 2019. What she loves about teaching is that you are never done learning! Every school year is a chance to reflect, then collaborate with other educators to try something new. Julie is excited to collaborate and learn with you this summer.

Kim Norgaard

Currently teaching third grade at White Oaks Elementary in the San Carlos School District, Kim Norgaard has more than 26 years of education experience with students K-12. She received her BA at the University of California Santa Barbara and earned her teaching credential from Notre Dame De Namur University in Belmont. Kim have a Master’s in education, with an emphasis on curriculum design. Her thesis focused on ebooks vs. paper for students. As a recipient of over 15 curriculum grants, Kim is committed to staying abreast of current research on best teaching practices for all students. Additionally, she is a part-time instructor at Notre Dame de Namur University in the education graduate department, currently earning her administration credential.

Martin Cisneros

Martin Cisneros is currently a Director of Technology at the Santa Clara County Office of Education He has spent more than 25 years as a teacher, curriculum coach, school, district, and county office of education administrator, professional development coordinator, technology director, online education coordinator/teacher/curriculum developer, and an educational technology integration specialist for various school districts and county offices in California. He has a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership and is an original Google Certified Innovator, Google Certified Trainer, Bilingual Conference Speaker, Apple Teacher, CUE Professional Lead Learner/Rockstar Faculty/B.O.L.D. Faculty, CUE Technology Leaders Network Lead, and more. Martin has served as an educational technology consultant for various counties nationwide.

Melissa Hero

Melissa Hero is a biology teacher and technology coordinator at Carlmont High School in Belmont. She has been training and coaching teachers for fifteen years in the topics of education technology, science and NGSS, and lesson design. Melissa is a CUE Lead Learner, CUE Fall Conference Planning Committee Member, and SVCUE's Vice President. She is also a Google for Education Certified Innovator and Trainer, SMART Exemplary Educator, and Microsoft Innovator. Melissa has Leading Edge Certifications in Digital Educator, Online and Blended Teaching, and Professional Learning Leader, and is currently working on ISTE Certification. She is also part of the Exploratorium's California NGSS Teacher Leader program.

Richard Kyle Tashman

Richard Kyle Tashman, who goes by Kyle, has taught elementary school for the last 15 years, from first to fourth grade. He is currently teaching second grade at Laurel School in the Menlo Park City School District. Kyle just finished working with a group of unforgettable and resilient students during the transition to distance learning. He has also enjoyed collaborating with teachers through workshops and conferences, and sharing some great tools to keep classroom daily work even more exciting – not only for students but for teachers as well. Kyle is looking forward to working with more teachers this summer and helping them do amazing and valuable work in the coming year.

Trevor Mattea

Trevor Mattea is a former elementary school teacher at High Tech Elementary Chula Vista in San Diego, and Stevenson PACT Elementary School in Mountain View. For the past seven years, he has consulted with teachers and administrators in digital portfolios, project-based learning, parent engagement, and technology integration. As an educator, he is interested in supporting student-directed learning, fostering community, and sharing high-quality student work outside the classroom. Trevor has been recognized as a Google Certified Educator and Trainer and the Silicon Valley CUE Outstanding Emerging Teacher in 2015. He has an M.A. in Education from Stanford University and an A.B. in Political Science from Washington University in St. Louis.
Jonathan Bissell

Jonathan Bissell is Executive Director of Community, Continuing & Corporate Education (CCCE) with the San Mateo County Community College District (SMCCCD). He leads a team of diverse professionals providing innovative education, signature programs, and global impact through four operational units: CCCE Corporate Training Solutions, Silicon Valley Intensive English Program (SVIEP), Bay Area Pathways Academy (BAPA), and Community Education. Additionally, Jonathan oversees design and delivery of SMCCCD's Professional Development Academy and has co-authored several winning grants for the district, including a CA State IEPI Leadership Development grant and a U.S. Department of State YALI grant. He is an experienced educational leader with 20+ years of experience, a Certified Contract Trainer, and a Certified Executive Coach. Jonathan is a Milestone Coach with the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center’s Milestone Makers start-up founder acceleration program and recipient of the 2020 Star Performer award for Leadership by the California Community College’s Contract Education (CE) Technical Assistance Provider (TAP). He has a Master's in Applied Linguistics from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Karen Gnusti

Karen Gnusti's career has spanned over 25 years in public education as an English teacher and Principal in K-8, high school, and alternative high school settings. In addition, Karen worked at the district level overseeing areas such as English learners, career technical education, and adult school. Both a resident and parent in San Mateo County, she continues to serve San Mateo County schools through her work as an Executive Director at the San Mateo County Office of Education. Her current focus is on supporting all San Mateo County students in college and career readiness.

Winnie Hardie

Winnie Hardie is a Coordinator of Teacher Induction and Leadership Services at the San Mateo County Office of Education. Students are at the core of all she does. She is appreciative of her immigrant parents’ sacrifices and strong family values, and is shaped by poverty, nonconformity, and being a hyphenated American. Winnie has been mentored by phenomenal women who taught her to lead with courage, an equity lens, and a continual inquiry stance. She is constantly developing her authentic voice, and she is committed to setting conditions for leaders to grow and do the work that is right and just.

Cost and Continuing Education Credits (CEUs)

The training costs $225.00 per teacher for San Mateo County public school teachers. The cost is $300.00 per teacher for San Mateo County private school and non-San Mateo County teachers.

Continuing Education Credits (CEUs) are available for selected professional development opportunities. For those interested in earning CEUs, application and fees are available upon course completion.