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Center faculty and staff write and apply for selected grants
throughout each academic year. The following initiatives are currently
in progress.
FIPSE Grant - Preparing Science and Mathematics Teachers to
Use Visualization in Whole-Class Inquiry-Based Instruction
Over 90% of all US classrooms now have a computer with an Internet
connection. As the prices of computer projectors edge downward,
many schools are beginning to buy them in increasing numbers.
School leaders are realizing that adding a projector to the classroom
is a more effective strategy than acquiring a second computer
for the classroom.
Our initiative will (1) generate comparative data that will highlight
the benefits of employing projection systems in instruction, (2)
identify best teaching practices under the new paradigm, and (3)
provide models and materials that encourage other teacher education
programs to prepare teachers for this shift in instruction.
Impact Project
The goal of the Impact Project is to develop resources to facilitate
appropriate uses of technology in teacher preparation programs.
The initiative has addressed secondary mathematics, science,
English, and social studies education and is funded by a grant
from a private foundation.
Integrating Technology in Teacher Education
Center faculty and graduate students explore digital technologies
that have the potential to enhance teaching and student learning,
such as graphing calculators, igital imaging, online digital resources,
handheld computers, and content-specific software and simulations.
Teaching modules and interactive applications (using Flash movies)
are developed for integrating these technologies into teacher
education programs, as well as in K-12 classrooms.
This work is disseminated through publications
in teacher education and practitioner journals, as well as through
state and national conferences, regional workshops, and local
professional development programs. Content-specific applications
are also made available online
and through CD-ROMs distributed to teachers and teacher educators.
 As
digital cameras become increasingly affordable, schools can take
advantage of their utility in the classroom to help students better
visualize abstract concepts and communicate with images.
Check out our new book on this topic: Teaching
With Digital Images: Acquire-Analyze-Create-Communicate
New Tools
- CameraScope
CameraScope is the first tool in a series to be made freely available
to educators throughout the world. CameraScope is an easy-to-use
software application that supports a wide range of digital imaging
devices, including  the
Intel QX3 digital microscope, Canon and Olympus digital cameras,
and most commonly available webcams. CameraScope can be used to
take high-quality still images, digital movies, and time-lapse
movies.
National Technology Leadership Initiative
The National Technology Leadership Initiative (NTLI)
was established with funds from a Preparing
Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology (PT3) Catalyst grant
and expanded with private funding. The initiative has funded a
number of interrelated projects designed to build information
communit ies
among PT3 grant recipients and the larger teacher education community.
The Center for Technology and Teacher Education, through the
NTLI, has co-sponsored eight National
Technology Leadership Summits with the U.S. Department of
Education in each of the past eight years. The summits have convened
leaders representing the national teacher educator associations
for the core content areas (mathematics education, science education,
social studies education, and English education).
These leaders have discussed and developed policy recommendations
for a variety of issues common to teacher education, such as appropriate
integration of technology into teacher education, the future of
ubiquitous computing in education, digital imaging in the school
curriculum, and research on technology in K-12 schools.
Bermuda Project
Center faculty members have participated since 1998 in the
XL-Bermuda Initiative to help Bermuda public senior and middle
school teachers accomplish the following goals:
- Understand the capabilities of, and effectively use, a variety
of technologies.
- Learn to appropriately integrate these technologies into their
instruction in ways that enhance student attainment of the Senior
School Curriculum Objectives.
- Become critical and reflective users of technology in order
to extend their capabilities to integrate into their teaching
technologies beyond those addressed in this program.
Center faculty members and graduate students have conducted
workshops at both the Berkeley Institute and the CedarBridge Academy
in Bermuda. In addition, Bermuda leadership teachers involved
with the mathematics, social studies, and science components have
attended workshops at the University of Virginia.
Prep Tech
As part of the Virginia Educational Technology Alliance's
PT3 Prep Tech grant, a software review laboratory is housed in the
Center to provide opportunities for pre-service and in-service teachers
to receive guided, hands-on experience with quality content-based
software applications and new peripheral interface devices. Workstations
are provided in both MAC and PC platforms and will allow small-group
exploration of software and peripherals within the content areas.
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