FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 1, 1999
Contacts: Stanley D. Johnson, Director, Instructional Technology, District of Columbia Public School System 202/442-5666, [email protected]
David R. Taylor, Dean, Western Illinois University, College of Education and Human Services 309/298-1690, [email protected]
Kim Wisslead, Director, Ameritech TechKnowledgy Project, Western Illinois University, College of Education and Human Services (309) 298-2288, [email protected]
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PARTNERS WITH WESTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY FOR ONLINE TEACHER TRAINING
MACOMB, IL -- District of Columbia teachers now have a unique opportunity for professional development and graduate credit through Western Illinois University's College of Education and Human Services (COEHS).
According to COEHS Dean David R. Taylor, through participation in the TechKnowledgy Project, teachers can gain skills in the effective use of technology in the classroom through a cyber-based environment. A partnership between the District of Columbia Public School System and WIU, signed Feb. 25, will provide training to a potential of 1,000 teachers throughout the district in a variety of computer and multimedia technologies with applications to the classroom setting, Taylor added.
Stan Johnson, director of instructional technology for the District of Columbia Public School System, discovered the training opportunity while surfing the web.
"The beauty of the WIU program is that teachers are not held captive by location, peer pressure or time" said Johnson.
The on-line staff development model was developed by Western Illinois University's College of Education and Human Services (COEHS) through a $500,000 gift from the Ameritech Foundation. The TechKnowledgy Project was designed to address Illinois' need for intensive, ongoing teacher training in the effective use of technologies. The model was supported by the Illinois State Board of Education and based on national standards.
"The TechKnowledgy Project's online Virtual Teaching and Learning Community provides the educational community with the necessary knowledge and skills to transport learning far beyond the four walls of the classroom and the confines of the school day via the Internet," Taylor added.
This online community which meets individual teacher needs through interactive on-line training, resources and teacher collaboration opportunities was piloted and adopted by teachers in Illinois. Western Illinois University is now entering into partnerships with other educational systems across the country that want to incorporate this proven model into their staff development efforts.
The College of Education and Human Services at Western Illinois University prepares professionals to meet the humanistic and technological challenges in our changing society.
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