WEB NEWS RELEASE
Selected faculty will begin integrating technology into their teaching
COLLEGE PARK, MD (August 2009) - The College of Education recently selected the first cohort of Technology Fellows for its new program, Expanding the Toolkit: Innovative Teaching with Technology.
The program is a Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) Instructional Improvement Grant awarded to the College of Education this past spring for the 2009/2010 academic year. Modeled on the GATE Fellows Program, this pilot is intended to bring faculty together from across disciplines that have an interest in using technology in undergraduate teaching and learning. Selected Faculty Technology Fellows will meet throughout the year as a group, exchanging ideas and learning from each others' experiences. It is hoped that this approach will serve not only to encourage and inform technology use amongst participating fellows, but also to the college-at-large, via a culminating panel presentation by participants, summary case-studies, and mentoring of next years' fellows. Both the Office of Information Technology (OIT) and CTE are collaborators on this project.
Specifically designed for faculty instructing undergraduate teacher education candidates, the program encourages faculty to plan their courses with a keen eye towards integrating current technology into their teaching methods. Students are in turn exposed to the emerging technologies they will use in their classrooms.
"In order to plan for the critical educational needs for the 21st century, the College of Education must incorporate teaching and learning innovations brought about by new technology, media, and new ways of communication," said Dean Donna Wiseman. "Expanding the Toolkit is an exciting program that will focus on innovative ways of teaching and learning that take advantage of new and emerging technologies. It is one of several activities implemented in the college designed to focus our attention on learning for the future."
The 2009-10 Technology Fellows are:
- Assoc. Professor Kathryn Alvestad (Measurement, Statistics and Evaluation)
- Honors Program Director Christy Tirrell-Corbin (Human Development)
- Assoc. Professor Susan De La Paz (Special Education)
- Professor Debra Neubert (Special Education)
- Asst. Professor Connie North (Curriculum and Instruction)
- Lecturer/Science Coordinator Stacy Pritchett (Curriculum and Instruction)
Whether the Fellows use classroom-based presentation tools, podcasts or social networking, the goal for utilizing these technologies remains the samean enhancement of the classroom experience.
North shared that she will be integrating technology into her spring 2010 undergraduate course. "I'm planning to use clickers [i.e., wireless devices] to poll students anonymously about controversial issues. This tool could allow students to be more open and honest about issues they are afraid and/or ashamed to address aloud," said North. "It will also allow me to have a more accurate reading of my students' beliefs and attitudes than if I relied solely on written and oral communication."
North also plans to use online discussions and podcasts to enrich discussion in her classrooms.
As part of the program, the Technology Fellows' work must address at least one of the eight Maryland Teacher Technology Standardstechnology outcomes and indicators that all teacher candidates will need to achieve prior to graduation (to learn more, visit www.mttsonline.org/standards). The Fellows will attend monthly cohort meetings to discuss their progress and offer feedback. They will culminate the academic year (i.e., June 2010) by participating in a panel discussion on the lessons learned while using technology to advance the classroom experience.
"Not only will Expanding the Toolkit impact the teaching of the individuals involved in the project, but it has the potential to influence teaching and research activities throughout the College," said Dean Wiseman. "As faculty members learn new ways to integrate technology into their teaching, their students will benefit from the energy and excitement associated with integrating technology into existing and new teaching approaches."
To learn more about Expanding the Toolkit: Innovative Teaching with Technology, contact the program's coordinator, Asst. Visiting Professor Helene Cohen at 301.405.5050 or email hcohen@umd.edu.
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For more information on the College of Education, visit: www.education.umd.edu
or contact Halima Cherif, Assistant Director for Communications, at: hcherif@umd.edu
