How to Solve a Problem With Google

Leaps and bounds are made in educational technologies and two specific culprits are to blame when it isn’t applied to the classroom. The first is funding. When it comes to integrating programs like TopHat Monocle or Learning catalytics the first objections are inevitably made with the budget in mind. What about the students that don’t have phones? What about schools that can’t afford to provide the service?

The second is a bit Escher-esque: it takes education to educate. Even with a monstrous budget, a teacher could be handed all of the state-of-the-art hardware and software needed for an entire classroom to be brought to the next level of high-tech learning and still have no idea how to successfully integrate it into a lesson plan, let alone an entire subject’s worth of learning.

Fairfield University is going to address both of these education technology pitfalls this summer with the help of a Google (News - Alert) grant. Fairfield’s School of Engineering is offering an educational course for high school teachers intended to offer up innovative, creative, and exciting ways to apply Google apps in education settings. With a focus on computer sciences, which are in serious need of a shot in the arm to keep up with the constantly evolving real world, the workshop aims to give teachers the means to interest young people in science, technology, engineering and math.

Twenty high school teachers will be able to attend the workshop, now in its second year, and gain the skills and knowledge necessary to bring computer sciences into the classroom in ways that can bridge the gaps between curriculum topics, expanding existing courses and creating new ones.

How about money, though? Well, other than the fact that the workshop will be free for the 20 high school teachers to attend, upon completion of the three day course they stand to receive a $300 stipend. Led by University of Fairfield faculty, the workshop titled “Google Computer Science for High School” will run from June 26 through 28th and is open to teachers from Fairfield and New Haven Counties. Space, as stated previously, is limited.