Category: Alaska News

AVTEC Online Professional Development Opportunity

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Online Professional Development Opportunity! January through April 2020, AVTEC – Alaska’s Institute of Technology is offering a Methods of Instruction course covering Teaching methods/styles, learning styles, responsive teachers, create learning objectives, classroom management and assessments. Contact Trish Hart for more details. trish.hart@avtec.edu.

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AVTEC Practicums

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Professional Development Opportunity: AVTECH is offering Practicums in Diesel Heavy Equipment, Maritime, Business >amp; Office Technology, Culinary Arts and Carpentry – February through April 2020. Contact Trish Hart for more information, trish.hart@avtec.edu.

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2019 Professional Development Conference Wrap-Up

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The 2019 Alaska ACTE Professional Development Conference is in the books!!!  It was a FANTASTIC 4-day event that provided hands-on learning, workshops, breakout sessions and tours of secondary and post-secondary CTE programs.  We are so energized by the quality of presenters that shared best practices at the conference!

Keynote

Dr. Kevin Fleming kicked off the conference with an inspiring message about the 4 skills and 4 steps for career planning.  Dr. Fleming shares our passion for helping students develop a career plan that stacks together skills and knowledge in preparation for the future.  He is an advocate for CTE programs and believes in the competitive advantage we give students in their preparation for future career goals.

Membership Meeting

The 2019 Membership Meeting was held on Tuesday, October 15th.  The membership voted on 3 items.

Section 4. Board Election Procedures – Passed

A Nominations and Elections Committee shall be appointed by the Board of Directors and will be responsible for nominating a slate of prospective officers, regional and sector representatives.

The Nominations and Elections Committee shall be assisted by the Secretary in conducting the election to occur during the fall, prior to the Professional Development Conference, and make public to the membership  at the Professional Development Conference with newly elected officers, regional and sector representatives taking office on November 1.

To be eligible for election as a voting member of the Board of Directors the candidate must have been a member of the Alaska ACTE for at least one year immediately prior to nomination.

In the event that not all board positions are filled by election, the newly elected President may submit to the Board of Directors at the first meeting of the new fiscal year, names of qualified individuals for direct appointment to fill the vacancies

Resolution 2019-1 – Passed

Alaska ACTE supports the reauthorization of the TVEP program for at least five years and requests the Alaska legislature continue funding this essential program. Read the full resolution here.

Resolution 2019-2 – Passed

Alaska ACTE supports HB 155 and requests the Alaska legislature to pass legislation that will provide avenues for students to incorporate CTE courses in their APS application. Read the full resolution here.

Awards

The annual awards ceremony is one of the most anticipated events of the conference.  This is a time where we recognize outstanding CTE teachers, leaders and industry partners in Alaska.  Details about this year’s winners and information can be found on the Awards Page.

Save the date

The 2020 Alaska ACTE Professional Development Conference will be October 11 – 14!  Save the date and stay tuned for more information.  We plan to continue adding full-day, hands-on workshops next year.

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Benefits of Professional Memberships

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I have been a member of different professional organizations throughout my 15 years in education and often questioned the value of those dollars. What exactly does that $125 get me? Is it worth it? You may ask yourself the same questions.

As President of the Alaska Association for Career >amp; Technical Education (AK ACTE), I want to highlight the value of your professional membership. Alaska is a big state but a small state. In CTE, it’s even smaller.  Many of you work in isolation in your school or in your community, without a peer to bounce ideas around with or ask questions. This is one of the values of being a member of the AK ACTE. We are an organization that is focused on quality Career >amp; Technical Education and providing you a network to learn and grow. As a member of the AK ACTE, you are also a member of the national ACTE. This means you have access to even more resources, professional development and networking!

In October, we will hold our annual Professional Development Conference at the Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorage, AK. This annual conference provides teachers, administrators and industry the opportunity to network and learn. Workshops, breakout sessions, keynotes, panels and educational tours focus on best practices in CTE. Every year attendees walk away with a bigger network and more tools in their instructional toolbelt. Incorporating feedback from our membership, we have developed one of the best conference lineups yet, and we hope you will attend!  Highlights include:

  • Full-Day, hands-on workshops (Sunday, Oct 13)
  • Keynote, Dr. Kevin Fleming, will talk about (Re)defining Success
  • Breakout sessions from CTE leaders will share best practices
  • Tours of AVTEC, UAA, Mat-Su School District and ASD provide an opportunity to see how other campuses are embedding CTE
  • CTE Learn portal will be revealed to membership

Lastly, but certainly what I would consider MOST important, is the opportunity to help shape the education conversation in Alaska. If you are involved in organizations like AK ACTE, you have an opportunity to engage in conversations with leaders from across the state about what our students need from a well-rounded education. CTE is critical to our state and we need you engaged and contributing to the conversation.

Being a member of AK ACTE, it didn’t take me long to experience the benefits of being involved in a professional organization and believe you will too. I look forward to serving you over the next year and hopefully I will see you in October!

Missy Fraze

Acting Director, CTE

Anchorage School District

President, Alaska ACTE

Celebrating CTE Advocacy and Opportunities

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By: Teri Cothren, President

Over the past quarter, your association has been actively carrying out the mission to align education and industry to build a strong Alaska workforce and there have been several great opportunities to celebrate Career and Technical Education (CTE)!

On April 7, 2021, the Alaska House Education Committee hosted a meeting on “reports from the field” regarding CTE around the state. Alaska ACTE was one of several presenters and had the opportunity to share about the association and how it supports CTE. Several of our partners and training and education providers also presented on the opportunities and challenges of providing CTE during the pandemic and looking ahead. Information on the hearing can be found on our advocacy page.

This legislative session has highlighted the value of and support for CTE through the sponsorship of the following bills:

  • The reauthorization of the Technical Vocational Education Program (TVEP) was again sponsored by Representative Wool and is on track to be reauthorized for three years through HB 100. The program supports the delivery of CTE across the state and is especially important in helping with Alaska’s economic recovery by reskilling and upskilling Alaskans for employment.
  • Representatives Story and Fields continued to advocate, through HB 48, to expand the eligibility requirements of the Alaska Performance Scholarship to include CTE.
  • Senator Begich introduced SB 10 to establish a grant program to provide tuition and fees to essential workers. This bill recognizes the need to provide training to Alaskans who have served the state through the pandemic or who have been displaced by the pandemic.
  • Representative Fields sponsored HB 132 to support access to pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs.

AK ACTE Clearing House Update

We continue to implement the development of the Alaska ACTE Clearinghouse to increase access to CTE instructional, general safety, and leadership resources. In February AK ACTE partnered with DEED to provide an overview during their Spring CTE Workshop. On March 24th, we partnered with Project ECHO to provide a webinar to promote how the clearinghouse can increase access to teaching resources for CTE instructors and administrators and discussed with attendees how it can strengthen CTE instruction across the state. The video recording and slide deck can be accessed here.

Do you have resources to share with your fellow CTE colleagues across Alaska? It’s an easy submission process! Just follow the instructions here.

We are also actively looking and applying for funding to support the development of the clearinghouse.

LOOKING FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT?

We are excited to be planning our annual Professional Development Conference to be in person this fall! Please save the date to join us at the Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorage on October 4-5 and stay tuned for more details in the future. We look forward to seeing you all again and reconnecting to grow and strengthen CTE in Alaska!

If you’re planning to complete some professional development over the summer, utilize your membership benefits to access the Alaska CTE Learn portal. You’ll find free resources as well as a variety of CTE continuing education credit courses that are engaging and self-paced.

NORTHWEST REGION UPDATE

By: Brett Piatela, Northwest Region Rep

Northwest Arctic Borough School District

Greetings from the Northwest Arctic! This past year has been a challenge for CTE Instructors around the state and it has been no different in our region. Educators have been forced to adjust to new technology and offer instruction remotely. As we shift back to instruction with students in the classroom, educators will be able to incorporate lessons learned during remote instruction to create robust lessons in the future.

Middle school students from the NWABSD participated in Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program (ANSEP) remotely. Students worked with a staff member onsite and were guided by ANSEP staff remotely to build projects such as marble roller coasters, a trebuchet, and each participant was also able to build their own computer!

Kotzebue High offers a design and fabrication class that utilizes a computer-aided drafting program RHINO 5 to create 3-d computer models and renders. The class also uses many different mediums for computer aided manufacturing. Students who have attended 2 years in this class are earning an industry recognized RHINO 5 level 1 user certification. They also offer the opportunity to train with state of the art drones learning valuable flying skills and content knowledge. The goal is for students to be prepared to earn their Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems certificate and become remote pilots in command.

Napaatugmiut School students went on a winter culture trip. Eight high school students, two staff members, and one community volunteer camped for two and half days off the Kivalina Trail. Students learned things from making coffee to winter survival. Along the way they learned place names in Inupiaq. They also climbed a mountain and saw a herd of caribou!

Alaska Technical Center has Post-Secondary opportunities in the northwest region. The current training programs for enrollment are: Construction Trades Technology, Process Technology, Health Care Occupations- Certified Nursing Assistant, Medical Terminology, Introduction to Health Care Professions, Professional Skills in the Workplace, and Culinary Arts.

Red Dog and Teck continue to offer their apprenticeship program for NANA shareholders. Currently Red Dog offers seven registered apprenticeships. There are six apprenticeships available with the maintenance department: industrial millwright maintenance, heavy equipment mechanic, electrical and instrumentation technician, powerhouse operator/mechanic, light vehicle mechanic, and weld combination. The mill operations offer one apprenticeship: Mill Operator.

SOUTHWEST REGION UPDATE

By: Colin Stewart, Southwest Region Rep

The South West Region of Alaska is starting to see improvements with the ability to return to In-Person Learning and Covid winding down. To keep students involved in CTE many different things have been done to facilitate distance learning opportunities.

In LKSD the CTE program has sponsored home internet packages through GCI. This at home internet access has allowed students from around LKSD to take advantage of online CTE courses they would not otherwise have access to during at home learning. These are all foundational courses that lead into full career pathways that will be offered at LKSD next school year.

Bristol Bay Region CTE:

Bristol Bay Region CTE developed a complete catalog of CTE courses for distance delivery to the pandemic. These courses were all foundational courses to lead into full career pathways. Courses included: Drone Essentials, Professional Skills for the Job Hunt, Medical Terminology, Introduction to Nautical Skills, Drivers License Prep, Alaska Business Week, Energy Literacy, and Preparing for College Success. These courses were even offered to out of region students in other rural parts of Alaska. This was a great opportunity for rural students to stay engaged in relevant CTE courses and will continue to be offered next year as additional opportunities for students.

Yuut Elitnarviat:

LKSD and Yuut Elitnarviat continue to partner in Teacher House building projects.

Annually Yuut Elitnarviat runs a comprehensive construction training program that builds a house from the ground up. Students will learn from multiple instructors in Framing, Electrical, HVAC, Plumping, Roofing / Siding, and Finish Carpentry. LKSD purchases all materials for the project then owns the house when finished. They are currently working on the third house in the series. After the houses are completed they are moved via barge or ice road into nearby villages that are in need of teacher housing. This partnership has been greatly beneficial to both entities and will continue in the future.

BOARD ELECTIONS

2021 Board Elections will be happening in October, during the Professional Development Conference. The following positions are up for election. If you are interested in running for a board seat, please submit your application here.

President Elect – 3 year term

The President-elect shall perform the duties of President in the absence of the President; succeed to the office of President for any unexpired term in the event of a presidential vacancy; assume other duties assigned to the office by these bylaws and the operational procedures as adopted by the Board of Directors. The President-Elect will transition to the President role for 1 year and then to Past-President for 1 year, totaling a 3 year term.

Secretary – 2 year term

The Secretary shall be responsible for maintaining and keeping records of all Alaska ACTE Board of Directors and membership meetings and proceedings, assist the President in the timely notification of regular Board of Directors and annual membership meetings, maintain accurate records of elections and results, ensure that the corporate records and reporting are complete and maintain historical association records.

Treasurer – 2 year term

The Treasurer shall chair the finance committee; ensure revenue and expenses are accounted for monthly and make financial reports to the Board each month; provide for an annual external review of the financial records of the association and an the report of finances be presented at the annual membership meeting;

Southwest Region Representative – 2 year term

The regional representatives of the Alaska ACTE shall recruit and communicate with regional members, serve as liaison between regional members and the Board of Directors, assist the association with building local and regional partnerships, and serve on Alaska ACTE committees.