www.usdlc.org                       FREE TO North Carolina EDUCATORS

until September 1, 2009!
(Updated May 6, 2009)

Since the NC Department of Public Instruction is a founding member of the United Star Distance Learning Consortium (USDLC), the ongoing partnership enables ALL North Carolina Educators access to the following USDLC online professional development courses without cost THROUGH SEPT 1, 2009 (Note: Course information is updated at the beginning of each school year).

1) Achieving Academic Excellence (75 clock hours available)- all five strands 

2) Best Practices in School Library Media Programs (20 clock hours available)

3) Books, Books, Books (16 clock hours available for K-5 Teachers, 6-12 Teachers)

4) Keynote Addresses 1 and 2 (#1- 42 clock hours available; #2- 28 clock hours available)

5) Scientific Literacy (9 clock hours)  

6) Teaching with Technology (30 clock hours)
3 course options (1) Elementary (2) Middle/High School; and (3) Digital Literacy for K-12 Teachers

• CEU Credit: With 295 clock hours available, USDLC supports NC educators with an anytime, anyplace professional development for the 15 CEUs (10 clock hours = 1 CEU) required every 5 years. There are 5 requirements (technical and administrative) to earn CEU credits through USDLC. [One is that you need Adobe Reader for viewing .pdf files and to view these requirements!  A free download is available at http://get.adobe.com/reader/]
  
  
• North Carolina Schools/Educators Highlighted: Many of the videos included in the courses were filmed in North Carolina schools and feature the work of outstanding North Carolina educators and programs.
  
  
• Experienced Development Team   We are proud of our Development Team with its representation in the state and its long history working with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and NC educators! 
  
  
• USDLC / NC Partnerships  There are several events throughout the year which involve other North Carolina educational organizations.  Click here for a flyer that provides an overview of these various partnerships.
  
  
And PD in 3DVirtual!

In addition to the above courses, all events on USDLC Star Island in Second Life are all inclusive – everyone is welcome!  You do not have to have an avatar in order to participate.  All events are also carried live through Internet radio and Chatzy for non-Second Life Residents.  If you unable to participate live, you can listen to archived events.  These events are typically one-hour in length and eCertificates for real-time participation are available.  We hope to see you there!

To Participate in Courses First Check Whether Your County Has a USDLC Site ID

To take advantage of free access, your district-level PD Coordinator registers for a county-wide USDLC Site ID.  You need this USDLC Site ID in order to set up your personal account for your webfolio, evaluation, and eCertificate process.  The first step is to check whether your county has previously registered for a USDLC Site ID.

List of NC Counties and Charter Schools Registered with USDLC Site IDs  

CURRENT STATUS	SCHOOL SYSTEM CONNECTION	READY TO EARN PD CREDIT
Have personal account and ready to roll?	Check that the 5 Requirements for CEU Credit are in place	Proceed to www.usdlc-l2l.org to begin coursework
Need to set up personal account?	Obtain USDLC Site ID by contacting your County PD Coordinator or info@usdlc.org	Go to www.usdlc.org -> Login Form ->Create an Account-> Fill in the blanks->Email verification process-> new User Menu is available, select “Add Me Under Our Site License” -> USDLC administrator approves-> you receive confirmation to begin coursework   at www.usdlc-l2l.org
Need to obtain your USDLC Site ID?	Contact County PD Coordinator or info@usdlc.org	Proceed with the same steps as above

List of NC Counties Not Yet Registered  
If your county is on the above list, contact your PD Coordinator to share how they may register and receive a USDLC Site ID by email.
They will need to Create an Account (online or FAX/Mail option)

Site Coordinator Responsibilities	Participating Educator Responsibilities	Questions ?
1) Create an Account to receive USDLC Site ID 2) Distribute Site ID to all educators 3) Distribute name/email of  locally assigned evaluator to educators 4) Direct educators to create their own personal accounts	1) Check that the 5 requirements for CEU credit are in place 2) Create your own personal account Go to www.usdlc.org -> Login Form ->Create an Account-> Fill in the blanks->Email verification process-> new User Menu is available, select “Add Me Under Our Site License” -> USDLC administration approves-> you receive confirmation to begin coursework at www.usdlc-l2l.org	Contact info@usdlc.org