Innovation Academy
Rowan-Salisbury Schools is
excited to announce the first
cohort for the Innovation
Academy. Rowan-Salisbury
was one of 13 districts that
applied for the Innovation
Academy grant through
the North Carolina Digital
Learning Initiative. Out of the
13 districts, Rowan-Salisbury
was selected to create and
implement an Innovation
Academy that would develop
and model effective digital
learning practices that would
spread across all North Carolina
K-12 public schools. Teachers
in Rowan-Salisbury were able
to apply to participate in the
Innovation Academy through
an application process and
50 Rowan-Salisbury teachers
were selected as well as 16
model demonstration sites.
The RSS Innovation Academy of
teachers is challenged to think
differently about teaching and
learning, as well as have a desire
to grow professionally. Teachers
are expected to commit for a
year, participate in school visits,
engage and complete the blended
professional development centered
around personalized learning,
and complete a digital portfolio
containing his/her proudest work.
The Innovation Academy is an
opportunity to experience best
practices, network with other
teachers, and enhance creativity,
as well as obtain exposure to
blended and personalized learning
strategies from around the district
and beyond.
On November 27th, the Innovation
Academy kickoff was held at the
Wallace Educational Forum and
teachers were able to network,
become inspired from district representatives, participate
in Google Cardboard, and learn the expectations for
the year cohort. The networking event was exciting,
informational, and full of energy. On December 5th, 20
Innovation Academy teachers went on their “Go and See”
in which they visited five schools, 13 teacher classrooms,
and experienced the RSS Coding bus, Virtual Reality, and
participated in a Lunch and Learn at South Rowan High
School. Teachers were inspired by seeing blended learning
at Knox Middle School, virtual reality at Landis elementary,
and experienced culture building at China Grove Middle and
Overton Elementary. Currently, the Innovation Academy is
working on their online module centered around the Digital
Learning Competency focus area of Digital Content and Instruction. This is
an exciting year for Rowan-Salisbury Schools as the Innovation Academy
spreads best practices throughout the district and beyond.
8 • January/February 2019• Parent Teacher Magazine
Amie W.
Caudle, MSA
Innovation Coach
Rowan-Salisbury Schools
Be an original.