Society & Culture

UGA College of Education specialists to unveil new website dedicated to technology integration

UGA College of Education specialists to unveil new website dedicated to technology integration in the classroom

Athens, Ga. – A new website that provides resources for teachers on how to create 21st century classrooms with a focus on technology integration, information literacy and emerging technologies will be unveiled by University of Georgia technology specialists at a national conference this month.

The College of Education’s Office of Information Technology will demonstrate the Teacher’s Corner website to about 20,000 education professionals at the annual National Educational Computing Conference June 24-27 at the World Congress Center in Atlanta.

The Teacher’s Corner goes beyond providing information about hardware and software. For example, the site suggests having students design and produce their own podcasts-digital audio recordings that can be easily shared on the Internet-and describes how hardware such as USB-linked digital microscopes and user-interactive whiteboards can enhance the learning experience. The site also aids teachers in following the National Educational Technology Standards, a set of guidelines for employing technology in the classroom.

Teacher’s Corner is a way to share UGA’s resources and expertise with the public, said Sandi Glass, OIT executive director and website project leader.

The site represents more than a year’s collaborative research and development by Glass and a team of staff and students, including Kristi Leonard, senior information technology manager; Peter Norris, information technology manager; Dave Wynne, instructional services team; Betsy Alpert, master’s student in language and literacy education; Craig Shepard and Michael Tsao, both doctoral students in instructional technology. The team created the Teacher’s Corner as a public service and outreach project.

“We have the privilege of serving faculty, teacher candidates, and staff through our work with the UGA College of Education. This support includes recommending technology resources and providing ideas to use technology to enhance communication, productivity, and instruction. The Teacher’s Corner website is our way of providing one site where educators and students can check out the latest technology and see how these technologies and integration strategies can be used in their classrooms.”

The site will be updated frequently to keep information current. Additionally, OIT will seek recommendations for content and improvement from in-service teachers.

The NECC is presented by the International Society for Technology in Education, a non-profit organization dedicated to leadership and teacher education for the improved use of technology in K-12 classrooms. The conference will feature hands-on workshops, lectures, interactive sessions and discussions with leaders in the education field.

The Teacher’s Corner is accessible online at

http://www.coe.uga.edu/k12.

More on National Educational Computing Conference 2007 at

http://center.uoregon.edu/ISTE/NECC2007/.