Contact: Maridith Geuder
In a new project funded by the federal Department of Education, four state universities and three community colleges are providing technology training in mathematics and science for current and future elementary teachers.
Coordinated by Mississippi State University, the $1.9 million, three-year effort also includes Jackson State University and the universities of Mississippi and Southern Mississippi. Together, they make up the Mississippi Research Consortium.
Meridian, Northeast Mississippi and East Mississippi community colleges also are participating.
In a workshop last week, MSU and community college faculty members learned about instructional technology and problem-based learning. On Monday [May 28], elementary teachers will arrive on campus for a weeklong workshop.
More than 120 teachers and 3,500 elementary students are expected to benefit over the three-year period, said Taha Mzoughi. An MSU assistant physics professor, he directs the project with Burnette Hamil, an assistant professor of curriculum and instruction.
The Mississippi project is part of a national program called Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology, or PT3, that focuses on providing specialized training for current and future teachers.
PT3 participants learn to use computer software applications for presentations, document preparation, spreadsheets and web-based courses. They also learn techniques for Internet research and the uses of adaptive technology for special needs students.
School districts participating in the elementary teacher workshops include Columbus, East Webster, Louisville, Oktibbeha County, Starkville, Weir, West Clay, West Point, and West Lowndes. When their training is complete, the district teachers will serve as mentors for their colleagues and for future teachers.
Mississippi State faculty members in biology, communication, curriculum and instruction, English, history, and mathematics are participating in the workshops. They will help teachers learn to incorporate technology into their own courses.
Several other MSU units also are providing staff support. These include the offices of Library Instructional Services and Information Technology Services, along with the T.K. Martin Center for Technology and Disability and the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision.
Other staff support is provided by Mississippi Project Learning Tree, Mississippi Project Wet and Mississippi Project Wild.
Among the specialized training available in the workshops is an introduction to the Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment program. Sponsored by a consortium that includes the National Science Foundation and National Aeronautics and Space Administration, GLOBE provides hands-on experience in taking a variety of scientific measurements.
"GLOBE and similar programs will enable future teachers to be involved in exciting scientific endeavors while learning to use technology in teaching science," Mzoughi said.
For more information about PT3, telephone Hamil or Mzoughi at (662) 325-7109 or visit the project web site at http://pt3.msstate.edu