For the third year in a row, the Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions (GSEAP) invited local educators to participate in a day of professional development to share ideas for using technology in the classroom. One hundred educators from around the state filled the Dolan School of Business dining room to participate in the open forum event. Thirty people presented topics ranging from the value of using LEGO robotics to iPad apps for educators. Doug Casey, executive director at the Connecticut Commission for Educational Technology, and representatives from Apple Education were in attendance.

“I am very happy with the way the day turned out,” said Joshua Elliott, EdD, assistant professor of the practice and director of Fairfield’s Educational Technology program. “It was our biggest Ed Tech Day yet, and it was great to see everyone come together and share such great ideas.”

Attendees moved from table to table to learn new and innovative ways to use technology in their classes. Elisavet Kousidis of Rippowam Middle School presented at the event; Kousidis will graduate in May from Fairfield’s Ed Tech program.

“Last year, I attended the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) conference and learned about station-rotation for blended learning,” said Kousidis. “Research shows that students remain engaged in a group setting for about 15-20 minutes. With station-rotation, a class can be divided so a small group of students can benefit from direct instruction from the teacher while the rest of the class rotates through various stations to learn complementary lessons. It also stretches technology dollars for the school, because fewer devices are needed at any given time.”

Representatives from Apple Education conducted iPad demonstrations covering helpful apps including screen recording and the use of augmented reality. Kevin Corcoran, executive director of Digital Learning and adjunct professor at Fairfield University, spoke to participants about Open Educational Resources (OER) including OER Commons where educators can share lesson plans and other educational resources free of charge.

Educators looking for a deeper dive into educational technology can take part in summer courses offered through the Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions, including:

Online Classes

July 1 - August 9

Special Topics: Introduction to Open Educational Resources

Students will learn the concepts and practices of Open Educational Resources including copyright law, fair use exemptions, and Creative Commons licensing. 

On-Campus, One-Week Summer Institutes

July 8 – 12

Emerging Technologies: Building and Publishing Online Books

In this hands-on course, students will learn how to build online publications and ePub books as well as examine the link between pre-computer “interactive” books and the digital capabilities that exist today.

July 22 – 26

Emerging Technologies: Unpacking the New ISTE Standards

In this course, students will unpack the student and the educator standards released by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). Students will also create their own technology-rich ISTE Standards teaching units. 

To learn more about summer course offerings, visit the website or contact Joshua Elliott, EdD, assistant professor of the practice and director of Educational Technology.