Office of Public Affairs Acadia University Wolfville, Nova Scotia B0P 1X0 (902) 585-1362 Fax (902) 585-1072 News Release For Release:  March 30, 2001

School technology vision focus of new program

(Wolfville, NS) - A new grant provided by the General Electric (GE) Fund will allow the Acadia Institute of Teaching and Technology (AITT) to share the benefits of classroom-incorporated technology.  The GE Leaders Initiative Program, which will take place on campus from July 16 to 19, 2001, will provide school teams with an opportunity to gather with experts to create a vision for their school to integrate technology into classroom learning.  The teams will bring together teachers, students and administrators from schools in Nova Scotia, P.E.I., New Brunswick and Maine.

The teams, composed of two teachers, two students and one administrator, will attend workshops that will be designed to encourage the development and sharing of material related to both in-class and extra-curricular uses of technology, in addition to exposing the teams to innovative technology tools.  The seven teams will also have the chance to create and work with their own course material and software and incorporate their ideas into a technology vision for their school.

"The intent of the program, says Jennifer Bolt, Director of the AITT, is to enable key school participants to work together on a technology plan that incorporates some pragmatic and effective uses of technology."  The students will play a key role in generating ideas for technology use and in providing in-class technical support for school projects.   The GE Fund covers all program costs for schools, including travel and accommodation expenses, as well as a student honorarium for their participation.

Speaking of the importance of integrating technology within the classroom environment, Robert T. E. Gillespie, Chairman and CEO of GE Canada, says, "In a world whose future is technology and information, it is crucial that we pave a way for our society and economy by giving our children the building blocks they will need to compete and succeed.  The GE Leaders Initiative Program offered by Acadia University will help address these needs."

For more information, see http://aitt.acadiau.ca/GELeaders

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For more information contact:
Sheri Woodland
Communications Manager
Office of Public Affairs
Acadia University
(902) 585-1362
 
 
 

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Published by: The Office of Public Affairs Last revised: March 30, 2001 URL: http://www.acadiau.ca/whatsnew/newsrelease/2001/GELeadersMar30.html