CEA and Edthena provide teachers with video-powered professional development in the San Luis Valley

VALLEY – The Colorado Education Association (CEA) is partnering with Edthena to embed video observation and feedback into courses offered on COpilot, the state’s online professional learning platform.  Now, with COpilot, educators across the state can experience video feedback as part of their professional development.

“With Edthena, teachers who are taking classes on COpilot can collaborate with each other in a unique and personalized way, which is something many of them have never experienced,” said Casey Kilpatrick, director of learning services at the Colorado Education Association. “Edthena really is the best video coaching platform we looked at. It adds cutting-edge technology to our teachers’ experience.”

CEA, the state affiliate of the National Education Association, is the first association of educators in the country to launch a statewide, interactive tool delivering peer-to-peer teaching support. Trained CEA members facilitate all COpilot courses, including new courses designed to utilize the power of video coaching. Educators take these courses as part of a district initiative or to fulfill their yearly professional development requirements.

“Using Edthena, teachers can record their classroom instruction and receive feedback from other educators who they respect and trust,” said COpilot class facilitator Kim McLachlan. “Video coaching also allows teachers to become an active part of the evaluation process. Rather than sitting on the sidelines waiting for feedback, teachers can collect artifacts for their evaluation, showcasing a whole class period or specific strategy.”

With the Edthena platform, teachers quickly and easily upload videos of their classroom instruction from any video camera and then share those videos with facilitators who provide timestamped comments categorized as questions, suggestions, strengths, and notes. The platform enables teachers and facilitators to participate in collaborative professional learning cycles, identify teaching trends, and engage in ongoing dialogue about instructional best practices.

Schools, districts, and teacher education programs in nearly 30 states – including Colorado – are using the Edthena platform to make video observation an integral part of teacher induction, teacher mentoring, professional learning communities (PLCs), and peer observation.         

To learn more about COpilot, visit www.ceacopilot.org. To learn more about Edthena, visit www.edthena.com.