Marquette
University, in partnership with Sarah Scott Middle School,
the Wisconsin Conservatory of Lifelong Learning and Roosevelt
Middle School of the Arts, has been awarded a three-year,
$1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education.
The primary purpose of the grant, according to Heidi Schweizer
and Joan Whipp, Project Directors, is to support the use
of technology in teaching. Students who are preparing to
teach will encounter a wide variety of technological applications
in their education courses and will be linked to middle
school teachers who have established technology-rich learning
environments at the partnership schools.
The
grant provides curricular and technical support for MU faculty
in the School of Education and in the College of Arts and
Sciences to redesign undergraduate courses by infusing technology.
In addition, the grant provides the foundation for the redesign
of the Teacher Education Program. To date, the SOE has developed
a mission statement and rationale, reviewed characteristics
of exemplary programs, and identified knowledge, dispositions,
and behaviors that students in the program must demonstrate.
Lastly,
the grant will make it possible to develop a dynamic, web-based
portal to support university faculty, prospective, and beginning
teachers. The portal will establish a forum for discussion
of critical issues, improve communication, publicize opportunities
for professional growth, and share best practices.
