Virtual Faculty Meeting August 24 Kicks Off Back-to-School Tour by State Superintendent
August 21, 2009
COLUMBIA, SC – August 21, 2009 – Superintendent of Education Jim Rex will kick off his “Back to Basics” back-to-school tour with an online faculty meeting with South Carolina teachers statewide from 4 to 5 p.m. on Monday, August 24, followed by visits to two elementary schools the next day.
The virtual meeting will be broadcast live to schools by closed-circuit Instructional TV and will also be available to schools via streaming video. Educators are encouraged to participate in groups at their schools and may e-mail questions before or during the program at [email protected]. Questioners can choose whether to identify themselves and their schools.
Thousands of educators participated in Rex’s previous two online meetings, which let local educators ask questions about K-12 issues or communicate their concerns directly to the State Superintendent.
The best way for educators to participate is via ETV’s satellite Channel 1 or, if available, through a local DES Channel (formerly called DELC). OnePlaceSC will also stream the program. For districts with an IP Streaming system, the best way to view is through the local streaming Live TV Guide.
Any teacher, administrator or staff member may also view the Internet stream on OnePlaceSC’s ETV TV Guide channel 1. Many schools may not be equipped to view live streams, however.
For the best access, educators should contact their local school media specialists or DES (Digital Education Services) operators (http://www.scetv.org/education/des/contacts.cfm).
Teachers and administrators are encouraged to watch as a group at their schools to avoid bandwidth issues.
After the live interactive broadcast, the program will be archived at Streamline SC (www.streamlinesc.org) and Educator+ (www.knowitall.org/EducatorPlus). Look for “Virtual Faculty Meeting August 24, 2009.”
The “Back to Basics” tour goes on the road Tuesday, August 25, when Rex visits Pleasant Hill Elementary School in Lexington School District One from 10:30 to 11:15 a.m. He will tour the school’s language immersion program, a public school choice offering in Lexington One. District Superintendent Karen Woodward will be present for the tour.
On Tuesday afternoon, Rex meets with the faculty at Byrd Elementary School in Aiken County from 2:45 to 3:30 p.m. He will host a roundtable discussion for teachers and administrators, including opening remarks, a questions and answers session and other school-related discussion.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: School events on Tuesday are not open to the public, but news media wishing to possibly cover these events should contact the public information office at the districts involved to make arrangements.)
