ISTE and the Digital Arts Alliance Leadership Institute in Education

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) has joined forces with the Digital Arts Alliance organizations including Nokia, Peachpit, Pearson Education, and the Pearson Foundation to offer a new professional development initiative that promotes leadership in digital arts education: the Digital Arts Alliance Leadership Institute.

The Digital Arts Alliance Leadership Institute recognizes education teams introducing innovative digital arts projects across the United States, and provides additional leadership development specifically in the context of the new, National Education Technology Standards (NETS), which released at this year’s NECC.

The Digital Arts Alliance Leadership Institute delivers to regional education leaders across the United States intensive, hands-on professional development sessions provided by the Mobile Learning Institute, which is sponsored by Nokia and the Pearson Foundation; extended, Internet-based coaching and mentoring from a network of ISTE’s national technology trainers; and additional resources and support from Adobe, Peachpit, and Pearson Education.

Institute participants – who are recognized as Digital Arts Alliance Leadership Fellows – receive this support while working in school- or district-based leadership teams. These leadership teams build digital arts skills and share approaches to applying these skills for their own school’s advocacy and recruiting purposes. Leadership Fellows also develop shared implementation plans for integrating digital arts programming in their school or district – plans that will serve as the foundation for continued online training and leadership development during the coming year.

In the coming year, more than 100 Digital Arts Alliance Leadership Fellows will be invited to participate in regional Leadership Institute sessions across the United States.

The program will be available to five regions during the 2007–08 academic year and will become available nationally in the 2008–09 academic year.

Academic teams or individuals interested in applying for the Digital Arts Alliance Leadership Institute are encouraged to apply before September 1, 2007. For more information, visit www.digitalartsalliance.org