AT&T Foundation provides
grant funding for technology training

From kindergarten to college, electronic technology has more and more impact every year on young people’s education.

Determining how technology can best be incorporated in the classroom to enhance the learning process is a constant goal for professional educators, including the College of Education at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro.

The AT&T Foundation has awarded a $111,000 grant to the College of Education to support its initiatives toward preparing current and future educators to teach with technology.

"Train the Trainer" is a pilot project with the potential of benefiting young children and their teachers for years to come. Initially, ASU has chosen two school districts to set up the program.

"Linking technology directly to curriculum and instruction at kindergarten through college continues to challenge the educational community," according to Dr. John Beineke, dean of ASU’s College of Education. "This project will allow Arkansas State University and its partners, Nettleton School District and South Mississippi County School District, to move to a higher realization of integrating technology into the curriculum. We are very grateful to the AT&T Foundation for its support."

Educational programs are at the center of the AT&T Foundation’s giving, with slightly more than half of its contributions directed to such programs. "It’s in our best interest to have a talented workforce," said Eric Lewandowski, AT&T college account executive. "When we invest in programs, like this one at Arkansas State University, that increase access to and competency with technology, we help to ensure that educated workers will be available in the future."

Lewandowski represented AT&T at the grant announcement on campus today and presented a check to the College of Education.

While elementary and secondary schools in the Delta, along with college environments, have made great strides in acquiring equipment over the past three years, another need has become evident to educators at ASU.

"Providing long-term professional development that will significantly improve teachers’ ability to integrate technology into instruction is a serious need, "Beineke continued. "Arkansas State University’s College of Education has a plan to meet this challenge."

By building upon established collaborative relationships with Delta-region schools, the College of Education hopes to develop a "train-the-trainer model" for pre-service teachers, current classroom teachers, and university faculty. Through the project activities, participants will develop lessons and units that integrate technology into the school curriculum.

During the first year of the two-year pilot project, the College of Education will work with Nettleton School District in Jonesboro. South Mississippi County School District will be added the second year. The Nettleton and South Mississippi County districts have a combined enrollment of almost 4,000 students who potentially will benefit from the program.

Curriculum chosen by each district will be identified through evaluation of district benchmarks. Three-day summer institutes will provide the instruction for these professionals to learn and work together, so that collaborative teams can form and begin to support each other throughout the school year.

In the second year, first-year participants will become mentors/trainers. Mini-grant funding for these collaborative teams will enable participants to focus their learning, and conference travel will enable the learning process to be shared with other educators in the state and region.

This grant will directly train nine pre-service teachers, who will support numerous classroom teachers, and six university instructors, who will in turn impact hundreds of pre-service undergraduates, two school districts, dozens of additional classroom teachers, and hundreds of children.

The AT&T Foundation is the principal instrument for AT&T philanthropy in the United States and throughout the world. The Foundation gives grants to nonprofit organizations for innovative programs that focus on helping people achieve self-sufficiency and lead productive lives. The Foundation seeks projects that meet society’s needs and relate to AT&T’s business interests, with particular emphasis on projects that employ innovative technological solutions.

# # #

Eric Lewandowski (second from left), AT&T college account executive, presents a check from the AT&T Foundation to Dr. Les Wyatt, president of ASU. Others present for the announcement of the AT&T Foundation’s grant to ASU’s College of Education were (from left) Dr. Kim Wilbanks of Nettleton Public Schools; Dr. John Beineke, dean of the College of Education, and Dr. Kent Layton, associate professor of education.

NewsPage: asunews.astate.edu/newspage.htm  |  Back to TOP  |