NLU - PT3 Chronicle

As always, much has been happening with our PT3 grant in the past few months. This second edition of the PT3 Chronicle is to update everyone about recent events and future plans. We have begun many new projects since our last Chronicle publication and are excited about beginning new adventures this fall.

In April we welcomed another cohort to the Wisconsin PT3 program. There are 16 members of this group, all seeking certification in elementary education. We were pleased to see their comfort level in using technology and are enthusiastic about their ability to incorporate the necessary technology tools into their classroom practice. Cohort 19, who welcomed them with their usual bountiful feast of delicious food, joined them on the first night of class. These are always helpful in getting us through the long evenings!

In March, I attended the SITE (Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education) conference with Cindy Anderson, our Milwaukee Technology Integration Specialist. We were able to talk to the strengths of the PT3 program and discuss the challenges that we have faced. It was a wonderful opportunity to gather feedback and learn about other PT3 programs and technology innovations throughout the country.

We have been working to integrate all aspects of our newfound understanding into the PT3 program. Rob Bowe, the Technology Facilitator for the grant, has been working on streamlining the creation of electronic portfolios. We were fortunate in having Pennie Olson teach Practicum II this spring to our elementary cohort WC19. She moved the group along in defining expectations around portfolios and other documentation. Not only did she work with the WC19 group, but also invited the other cohorts into presentations that applied to their future portfolio development. In addition we had Vito Dipinto teaching Elementary Science methods this spring. He was able to integrate technology into much of his coursework, including a field trip to the Milwaukee Zoo, which included the taking of movies to be scanned into a Hyper Studio program.

This summer many students will be completing their projects for the last quarter of their Foundational Studies work. On September 8^th, all with share their work in a culminating celebration of their research. Much has been learned regarding the development and day-to-day processes of an on-line course and the student feedback has been invaluable.

We are beginning to look at the recruitment of new cohorts for the fall of 2001 and already have many signed up for both elementary and secondary cohorts in Milwaukee. In addition, it is our expectation that we will start cohorts in Prince George’s County, Maryland and Prince William County, Virginia sometime this fall. At this point we will need to fully invest all students in the process of communicating with other cohorts who will have valuable perspectives to share.

Since January, 30 NLU faculty, both from the College of Education and College of Arts and Sciences, have participated in technology workshops as a result of the grant. We now have student research interests posted on the website, as well as faculty research interests. It is our hope that like topics can be linked and a research partnership can form between cohort participants and NLU faculty.

Many look forward to a brief respite during the summer weeks for time with family and friends. This program is certainly intense in its nature and demanding in its design. Our hope is to provide all students with enough support structures to manage the program and learn what is necessary to become outstanding teachers, confident in their ability to integrate technology.

A benefit for entering PT³ MAT program students is that they receive a laptop computer. This is just the beginning of the infusion process. A common notion seems to be that new teachers already know, perhaps through osmosis, how to integrate technology into the curriculum. Currently, this just isn't the case. NLU's PT³ program is aimed at ameliorating this situation.

The principal route to technology infusion is incremental, based upon increasing personal familiarity with the computer and its capabilities. Students must become familiar with the WebCT site through which they access syllabi, e-mail, and course related chat. For their courses, they create or capture drawings and photos, giving them further experience in using the computer. Increasingly during the program, they use their computers in the preparation and submission of their class work and in the preparation of projects. As their comfort level with the computer increases, the level of integration of technology into the curriculum is taken further by requiring the creation of study units and lessons that utilize web sites and software packages as supplemental activities. Finally, they take their newly developed skills into their student teaching experience in the form of technology rich, engaging learning activities.

Another primary infusion method of our program is to have each student create a personal electronic portfolio that can be copied onto a CD-ROM. The purpose of this is threefold. First, it is an excellent way for students to present themselves to perspective employers. Second, it allows students and their instructors to review the progress made over the course of their pre-service training. Third, and most important, it requires that students develop and use many technical skills in useful and meaningful ways.

program are very fortunate to be provided with this resource offered through the partnership with the Milwaukee Public Schools.

Elementary Education Cohort 19 has very busy. The students have completed the second of the three part Education Foundations sequence offered primarily on-line. There seemed to be a lot less stress about the on-line portion as students gained familiarity with it. The initial problems associated with learning a new website like WebCT were quickly resolved and things are running much more smoothly now.

Cohort 19 also took a Science Methods with Vito Dipinto and the Practicum 2 seminar with Pennie Olson. In addition, they were out in the field practice teaching and being observed. Laura Nemetz was at Milwaukee Education Center helping 8^th graders use computers for a major research project. Cecelia Stingley was at Garfield Elementary helping 3^rd grade students using computer software. Gail Saler and Anne Grimes were at Grant Elementary. Both of their cooperating teachers seem very pleased with the technology skills they are brought to the class. Joan Brisco and Alane Roberts worked with Vanguard teachers at Manitoba Elementary. We are very grateful to the Vanguard group for working with our students and modeling technology integration in the classroom. National-Louis has been well represented at Zablocki Elementary this quarter. Joan Fecteau, Karen Walters, Robert Melian, Linda Ruby, Beth Smith and Peter Zeller were all doing their practicum there. Karen was the first to be observed presenting a lesson. She did a great job with her lesson on plants. Beth went on a field trip to a farm with her 1^st grade group and learned how to make the most of an outdoor fieldtrip during a downpour. Carole Grant-Edgerton worked with 3^rd graders at Wisconsin Avenue Elementary and Kristin Heinz was at 27^th Street Elementary. Jenny Boemmel and Samerah Hasan did their fieldwork outside of Milwaukee. Many of the students were able to use aspects of their virtual zoo and other science activities developed in Science Methods in their practicum experiences.

Cohort 20 students took their second Foundations class and the Introduction of Exceptional Children and Adolescents course. Cindy Anderson came in as a guest speaker and demonstrated a wide variety of adaptive technology devices and applications that increase access for students with learning, motor and/or sensory difficulties. We hope to have many of the devices and software programs available for students to check out for use in their student teaching experiences.

Since the NLU/PT³ web site at http://pt3.nl.edu, was created in the Fall of 2000, it has undergone constant revision and change. Although, the site's primary function is to attract prospective students and to explain what the PT³ M.A.T. program is all about, it also serves other purposes to different populations within the University.

In particular, faculty and student contact information has been added to the web site. As members of the University faculty have been introduced to the PT³ web site and completed our training seminar (for information see the "Faculty Training" area on the site), we have added their names as resources for our students to contact. It is our hope that mutually beneficial links can be forged between students and faculty whereby exemplary approaches to teaching can be discussed and applied. If you are interested in joining our Online Community, we welcome your expertise and willingness to exchange ideas with our students.

For the 45 pre-service teachers on the Milwaukee Campus, the site, via our WebCT area, provides links to a significant portion of their course materials. Here, our students find syllabi, calendar of events, special projects, and more. In addition, our "Online Community" constitutes the basis for their communication with volunteer faculty members from other Colleges and Program Areas. Currently a majority of our students access the web site on a daily basis.

As you all know, the word "calendar" is derived from the Latin word kalends or calends, which was the Roman name for the first day of the month. Other Latin words related to daily time keeping were nones and ides (and of course, a cohort was a unit in the Roman Army). The nones, in the ancient Roman calendar fell on the 9^th day before the ides. And the ides fell on the fifteenth of the month, thus, "beware the ides of March." Well, actually, the ides fell on the 15^th day of the months of March, May, July and October, but on the 13^th day of the other months.

Somewhat confusing, eh? And that is the link to the PT³ calendar for the next year or so -- it is somewhat confusing.

Faculty training sessions are scheduled for:

Tuesday mornings on October 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30; 2001;

Thursday mornings on January 31, February 7, 14, 21, and 28, 2002; and finally:

Tuesday mornings on April 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30, 2002

While the training is four meetings, 5 dates have been specified to allow a session to be made up in case one date is unusable for what ever reason.

These sessions will occur in either Evanston or Wheeling.

NLU's Milwaukee Campus has benefited from the PT3 grant. Now housed in the campus' library is an 80 piece educational software library consisting of the latest and greatest titles available. The purpose of this collection is to provide students and teachers with access to resources found in many schools. Students can check out the software to help supplement the lessons they teach. By practicing the integration of technology in their Practicum and Student teaching experiences, our students get a chance to experience first hand the benefits of a technology friendly classroom. A printed list of these programs is readily accessible on the campus or from our website. A very user friendly database is also available to assist students in finding software for the grade level and subject area of interest.