North Carolina Virtual Public School (NCVPS), the fifth largest state-led virtual school in the United States, considers its mission to provide skills, student support, and opportunities in order for 21st century learners to succeed in a globally competitive world. Its online courses maximize student interaction in each class, and are taught by highly qualified teachers who use video, interactive whiteboards, wikis, active worlds, and online discussion tools to engage students.
Recently NCVPS took another step toward its goals by integrating streaming digital content and professional development services into online curricula. Educators and students across the state can now access Discovery Education streaming, which offers over 100,000 video clips, images, and articles aligned to state standards.
"NCVPS is committed to raising achievement and closing learning gaps for all North Carolina students by leveraging the power of world class e-learning opportunities," said Dr. Bryan Setser, executive director of NCVPS. "Allowing our educators and students to access digital content from Discovery Education is yet another way in which we are working toward producing successful 21st century learners, professionals and leaders."
NCVPS also selected Discovery Education to provide an array of professional development services for its educators. "Providing educators new tools to engage students in learning is only half of the equation," continued Dr. Setser. "The other half of the equation is providing the knowledge to implement those tools to their fullest potential."
Discovery Education will also continue to support the professional development of NCVPS educators with the professional learning community, the Discovery Educator Network (DEN). Through the 125,000-member community, educators have access to a range of technology training as well as a resource library of teacher-generated projects and tools.
"Engaging content from Discovery Education paired with the dedicated educators and administration at NCVPS is a combination that will inspire students to become life-long learners," said Coni Rechner, vice president of Discovery Education.
