Campus Connection

Students today — whether in grade school or college — have no memory of life without the Internet, computers or cell phones. That means teachers need to constantly explore new ways to adapt their classrooms to meet students’ technological expectations, says Dr. Marcie Wycoff-Horn, director of UW-L’s School of Education. UW-La Crosse, the School District of La Crosse and the Wisconsin Technology Initiative have partnered to bring area K-12 and college faculty together to explore the latest and the greatest technology and best practices for classroom use Monday and Tuesday, Aug. 20-21, at UW-L’s Centennial Hall. The conference goes beyond the premise of simply using new technologies in class. “You may know how to use an iPad, but are you using it in a way that is beneficial to meeting student-learning targets?,”asks Wycoff-Horn. All student teachers from UW-L are required to attend the two-day institute, called the Blended Learning Environment Institute. Wycoff-Horn says learning how to successfully blend the use of technology with the explanation of concepts is essential to these future teachers’ preparation. The conference is expected to draw various other administrators and educators from area schools including, superintendents, principals, university leadership, curriculum and technology directors, K-12 teachers, university faculty and others. The UW-L School of Education received a $75,000 Wisconsin Technology Initiative grant in April 2012 to incorporate some of the latest technologies into student-teacher learning at UW-L, including SMART boards, SMART tables, and other video recording equipment.