I walked by this nondescript poster a million times on the back of a door in the teacher’s lounge. Nothing about it said kids or teaching or school. So one day, I finally read it: “Online & Blended Teacher Certification Program.” I needed some courses to complete my master’s plus 32 credits so I decided to look into the program. Naturally, the courses were all online. And it was love at first click.

The program requires you to complete two Tier 1 courses and three Tier 2 courses in addition to an online portfolio in order to become certified. I had no idea what blended learning was before I took these courses and it served as a great introduction to this emerging field. The courses are well organized and include lots of videos and graphics of blended learning in action. The reflection assignments are the most important because you actively begin to imagine what it might look like in your own classroom. This gave me the confidence to try it out for myself.

The instructors are experienced online teachers who are prompt in their grading and responding to student concerns through the Canvas Learning Management System. You even learn how to participate in an online webinar. I am now two courses away from certification and I would highly recommend these classes to anyone interested in implementing blended learning. You don’t even have to be a Clark County teacher to take them. (Note: They do cost $60 per class).

Here is a link to Clark County School District’s Online Blended Certification Program: CCSD Certification