Friday Institute Hosts NC Business Committee for Education
North Carolina State University presented to a group of state business leaders on new programs within the College of Education that promote technology. The annual meeting of the North Carolina Business Committee for Education (NCBCE) was held last week at the Friday Institute for Education Innovation (FI).
Addressing the committee Governor Beverly Perdue stressed the importance of high quality education, “These formative years are critical to developing an educated populace with the skills and knowledge to be leaders in our 21st Century economy.”
The agenda included speakers who addressed building collaboration to produce globally ready and prepared students, teachers and workforce. Along with Gov. Perdue, Bill Harrison, North Carolina Sate Board of Education Chair and June Atkinson, State Superintendent of Public Instruction addressed participants at the meeting.
Dr. Hiller Spires, professor of literacy and technology and FI senior research fellow, presented to the group representing the College of Education and its current programs that demonstrate solutions which are moving North Carolina’s education agenda forward.
“Faculty in the College of Education are at the forefront of designing teacher education experiences that are creative and innovative. It’s important for business leaders to see examples of state-of-the-art educational programs that demonstrate contemporary teaching and learning," said Spires. "Our aim is to provide a dynamic learning experience for teachers so they can inspire and guide their students to higher levels of achievement.”
Spires discussed three new programs: New Literacies Collaborative, 1:1 Learning Initiative, and the New Literacies and Global Learning graduate program.
New Literacies Collaborative was launched in 2007 with support from NCBCE. This is an online professional learning network for teachers and educational researchers to share information about how emerging technologies are changing what it means to be literate in the 21st century. There are over 400 members—from North Carolina, other states and multiple countries.
The College of Education has launched a 1:1 learning initiative and will begin this new learning ecology in the fall. Incoming first year students are invited to bring their own laptop computers or other approved digital devices so that they can learn and practice teaching in a 1:1 computing learning environment. Students are required to have laptops for their sophomore year classes where they will be educated in learning and teaching in a technology-rich classroom.
The New Literacies and Global Learning graduate program is aimed at increasing teachers' capacity for teaching and learning in a rapidly changing world. New literacies—from text messaging to social networking to participating in virtual worlds—are multiple, dynamic, and always changing. Likewise, global learning is no longer a luxury, but a necessity. Since we have the capacity to communicate and work globally, the demand for global knowledge and understandings is steadily increasing. This 30-hour graduate program was launched last fall and the first cohort graduated this spring.
Teacher education is evolving to support 21st century skills and NC State University is a recognized example by the state of North Carolina on how to successfully implement new programs.