College of Education wins technology grant

Dr. Arthur Recesso, assistant professor of Curriculum and Instructional Technology and Dr. Martha Venn, assistant professor of Special Education and Communication Disorders, received a three year grant for $906,015 from the U. S. Department of Education to fund a grant program titled "Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology" (PT3).

The PT3 grant is designed to train future teachers to use technology more effectively in the classroom and to integrate technology-based learning environments. Part of the grant will go towards increasing the emphasis on technology in the College of Education's curriculum, particularly in regard to use of technologies for assisting special education students.

"It's a collaborative grant across two departments and the Educational Technology Training Center (ETTC)," Venn said. The ETTC is a Georgia Department of Education program that trains Georgia's teachers to use technology. VSU is one of several ETTC locations around the state.

PT3 will also facilitate interaction among pre-service teachers, in-service teachers and university faculty in regard to technology use, and provide them with technical support. "I think this is an exciting opportunity to work with K-12 teachers to further integrate technology into their classrooms," Recesso said.

Finally, PT3 will develop learning systems that apply computer and videoconferencing technologies both to learning and assessment. The project will "build on the Middle Grades Catalyst Initiative (INTECH) training by infusing an assistive technology component and requiring all regular and special education students to [train] with their mentor teachers," Venn said.