School of Education looks to utilize technology

Initiatives to use video conferencing, internet in teaching

By Kurt Esposito
Summer Editor

The School of Education is looking into new ways to utilize the use of technology, such as video conferencing and laptop computer labs with wireless internet connections, in the teaching process.

"We wanted to encourage, in anyway, faculty to use technology in interesting ways," said Richard Lesh. associated dean of the School of Education.

Bob Evans, coordinator of technical services for the School of Education, said too many graduates of the school do not have the technology skills necessary when looking for a career. He said the initiatives will better prepare students when they graduate.

Lesh said the new technology will be utilized not only by the School of Education but the other academic schools as well.

He said some of the new initiatives being set up are video conferencing classrooms, a new computer lab and a new mobile cart with 30 wireless lap top computers.

The school has already been using video conferencing, which is set up through the Internet rather than through a cable, in classes where they correspond with other classes in different cities. The system can be connected to anywhere in the world. Lesh said some of the schools they have already worked with or will work with on the system are located in such places as Australia, United Kingdom and Mexico.

He said he will be teaching a course in fall along with an Indiana University professor in fall were they will use the system to teach to students at nine different universities.

Through the video conferencing the two users can share programs such as word and power point and work on them simultaneously.

The system not only allows them to correspond with other schools but also allows them to observe classrooms in the K-12 level. Lesh said the student will be able to observe teaching methods and how grade school children react to them.

He said the technology is relatively new and Purdue is one of the first institutions to be begin using it.

The schools is also working on a new type of computer lab that will be more lap top computer and group work oriented. To do this the school's Classroom and Academic Resources Technology program is working to the help build the classroom.

"(The program) is exploring the classroom of the future. How do you expand the walls of the classroom; bring the classroom to the world and the world to the classroom?" said Husted.

The room, located on the third floor of the Liberal Arts and Education building, will offer wireless lap top computers that at connected to the Internet by a remote connector. The computer can be moved anywhere in room and be placed on mobile trapezoid-shaped tables that can put together in a variety of ways.

Husted said the furniture is designed to better accommodate small class groups so they will not have to lean over computer terminals to work with each other.

He said the room was designed to promote interaction between the teacher and the student in a computer lab by eliminating the computer monitors that can get in the way.

"I want to look in a room and not see a bunch of computers; I want to see people," he said.

The school is expected to completed by the fall.

The school is also working in conjunction with the EPICS program, an engineering program which uses students teams to focus on working on community service projects, on a cart that will offer 30 lap top computers, video conferencing equipment and a projector and will be able to be willed around to different classroom so teachers will be to use it in any classroom.

Bill Oaks, co-director of the EPICS program, said the team is designing the software and programs on the cart to be more easily used by elementary school children and their teachers.

He said the programs are being designed to more push button oriented rather than operated by installing codes. He said this will allow teacher and students to more easily reassemble computers, establish wireless connections and write software.

The cart is expected to be completed by the end of the fall semester.

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