Issued by: Kathy Quirk
414-229-3144
kquirk@uwm.edu
Date: July 1, 2004
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Issued by: Kathy Quirk Date: July 1, 2004 |
MILWAUKEE – Shorewood
teachers are getting a chance to learn more about new technology for the classroom
this summer, thanks to a collaborative effort involving the Shorewood School
District, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the Army National Guard.
Teachers and administrators had a chance to learn everything from how to attach an email to how to prepare for a "distance learning" class.
The recently completed course, Workshop in Computer Instruction in the Schools, allowed teachers to practice using Web-based learning systems, videoconferencing equipment, the Internet and computer software programs. UWM faculty member Simone Conceição taught the two-week class, which was held at the Milwaukee National Guard Armory on Richards Street.
"We're trying to work with communities and nonprofits to make better use of taxpayers' dollars," says Floyd Sutton, Wisconsin distance learning technician, who helped coordinate the class using the armory's technical facilities. The military is reaching out to encourage more community use of technical resources in its facilities, he added, and the Richards armory location was close to Shorewood.
"This type of class gives the university a chance to collaborate with school districts in teaching, research and service," says Conceição, an assistant professor in UWM's School of Education, who also serves on the Shorewood School district's technology planning committee. UWM's Partnerships for Education, a Milwaukee Idea initiative, provided partial support for the class through a $3,000 mini-grant.
The teachers are at a variety of levels in using technology, says Conceição. "Some have good technology skills and others don't know what they don't know."
Teachers learned to work with a variety of new technologies, and discussed how curricula and styles of teaching could be integrated with the new tools. For example, in the segment on distance learning, teachers connected with a senior outreach/instructional design specialist at UW-Extension's Pyle Center via videoconferencing to discuss the best ways to prepare for and deliver classes at different locations. Teachers found, for example, that close-ups on students who were speaking fostered a closer classroom atmosphere. Preparation, with all materials readily available at the multiple sites, is also critical, the teachers were told.
Distance learning could potentially be used to allow one teacher to lead classes at several locations, a practical option for courses that might not have enough students in one location to make a class economically possible, notes Conceição.
Teachers were interested in the variety of ways Web-based courseware as well as computer software could be used, says Conceição. One continuing benefit that has come out of the class is the establishment of a shared message board that will allow the Shorewood educators to share tips and resources with each other.
"We're all interested in figuring out ways to reach students," says Arthur Anderson, a school psychologist with the Shorewood School District. Some students, for example, might respond better to teaching that involves visual aids like PowerPoint presentations or other graphics programs. "The whole issue of integrating technology into the classroom is exciting for us as a district."
(CONTACT: Simone Conceição, 414-229-4615, or Corliss Wood, Partnerships for Education, 414-229-2667, http://www.edpartnr.soe.uwm.edu ).