San Jose State Gets $1.2 Million Grant To Prepare Teachers To Use Technology

San José State University's College of Education has received a grant of more than $1.2 million from the U.S. Department of Education for the California Model of Development project. Administered by SJSU's instructional technology department, the project is a collaborative program between the university, local school districts, non-profits and industry partners to prepare tomorrow's teachers to use technology.

According to Mary Fran Breiling, director of CAL-Mod, teachers use technology for personal productivity, but are unable to effectively integrate technology into classroom teaching. The CAL-Mod project will help these teachers use the tools of the 21st century to better educate their students, she says. The project will provide intensive technology integration training and project-based learning opportunities for master teachers, student teachers and university faculty who will work together in collaborative learning teams. Both master and student teachers will have the opportunity to learn new and emerging technologies in-depth and will produce and field-test project-based learning modules in the classroom.

Adds Breiling, the project goal is to significantly impact the quality of teaching by improving upon the technology coaching, mentoring and guidance previously experienced by student teachers.

"Working with our partners, we will increase the opportunity for a technology-rich educational experience for the students in Silicon Valley," Breiling says. These partners include: SJSU's College of Science and College of Humanities and the Arts, the Krause Center for Innovation, San José Unified School District, East Side Union High School District, the Collaborative for Higher Education, Tech Museum of Innovation and Apple Computer.

"Additionally, long-term, the project will produce a large cadre of highly technologically literate master teachers who will continue to induct pre-service teachers into the teaching profession for many years to come," she adds.

Contact: Nancy L. Stake or Ron Bottini at 408-924-1166