Student teachers offered opportunity to 'ThinkBright' in classroom 12/04/06

Technology is not just for computer teachers any more. Like everywhere else on the planet, technology has hit the classroom big-time.That's why teachers-in-training at Alfred University are enthusiastic about public television's offer to them to use its "ThinkBright" Lifelong Learning resources for their classroom preparation and practice teaching.Thanks to Professor Janet Gane's connections with WNED, the Western New York Public Broadcasting Service, and PBS (Public Broadcasting System, which she has served as an education and creative consultant), Alfred University student teachers and soon-to-be student teachers have the advantage of plugging into the "ThinkBright" resources currently available to only professional educators throughout Western New York, if their school district participates."ThinkBright benefits the classroom teacher and the learner," said Gane. "I like to bring this 'tool' to the attention of my students," she said, adding she likes to avail her students to any and all types of "helps" she is aware of. The programming WNED offers includes games, homework, and subject correlations.Fledgling teachers will be "teaching kids who grew up in a media society. They're used to being entertained. They need the kind or type of stimulation that they have been used to," said Gane.The material available through ThinkBright would be difficult, if not impossible, for a teacher to find on his/her own, said Gane. With ThinkBright "the best museums, the best architectural sites, the best institutes of culture, the wonders of the world," etc. are all available for use in the classroom and easily accessed, she explained."The teacher is the first line of defense in disseminating and presenting information," said Gane. "We have to be assisting them with the tools for their trade."Another feature for teachers is the ability to submit lesson plans and ideas on the ThinkBright site, where veteran and fellow educators can comment and share thoughts and ideas.Gane states, "This is valuable for teachers-in-training as it provides insight into other ways in which educators have used this resource and integrated their lesson plans to maximize student learning." She noted that lesson material from teachers is peer reviewed before it is posted to ensure lessons meet the designated NYS standards. "So, learning continues for everyone with ThinkBright teachers and learners," she added." I believe this technology and educational direction will continue," said Gane. "Not one of us can spend an entire week or career investigating" material and traveling the world for real-life teaching examples. With ThinkBright, teachers are "cordially learning from one another and bringing the world into their classrooms with the help of technology and PBS. How wonderful for students to learn using a vehicle that embarks upon and delivers information for multiple intelligences." "Since receiving the ThinkBright training, I have already referred to the site numerous times and have even used some of its resources in micro lessons for my classes," said Casey Cutting, a senior art and design major from Endicott. (Cutting is a daughter of Stewart Cutting of Endwell, and Lois Cutting of Endicott.) "The program is a wonderful and invaluable tool for teachers.""ThinkBright is an essential tool for any educator who wishes to expand the minds of students in any subject area," said Jessica Silsby, a senior biology major from Wellsville. (She is a daughter of Angela Dunham of Wellsville.) "Its video technology is especially useful for use in the science classroom to explain how things work in the world around us; the real-life application will really help me reach students."ThinkBright is also a program that poorer schools, for example those with no money for field trips, can use to "erase the barriers" that lack of experience can create for their students, said Gane. With ThinkBright, students can "move" through the human body, "climb" the highest mountains, or go back to any period in history, she said. All with the click of a mouse.Gane sees using ThinkBright and other similar programs with teacher training as the direction education needs to take."We need to prepare students to be better citizens and to be better empowered to present themselves through ethics and standards." Education must foster "responsibility, structure and organization, respect, cooperation and collaboration."With the new standards for education, in addition to new curriculum," perhaps we "won't have the bullying and violent outbreaks" in our schools, said Gane. Students will be engaged in learning and creatively challenged. Education can be like a marathon, with people from every walk of life unified for a common cause, she said. "When most people think about PBS, it's the television programming that usually comes to mind - 'Sesame Street,' 'Nova,' 'Frontline,' 'Reading Rainbow' and 'Mr. Rogers. WNED does carry this great television programming, along with a classical FM radio station, 94.5, and a news station on AM970, but many don't know about ThinkBright, WNED's landmark lifelong digital learning service," said Alan Nowicki, manager of learning ad technology services for ThinkBright. Nowicki spent a day on the Alfred University campus introducing students to the various programs available to them."ThinkBright began as an idea many years ago to fill the need of educational programming and resources developed specifically for the community. It would combine a digital television channel (on Time Warner 21) with an interactive Web site ad community outreach," explained Nowicki. "The TV station contains children's educational programming from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and then each evening in prime time has its own theme; Tuesdays is Arts and Performance, Wednesday is History, etc. Then each month has a theme, November being Native American Heritage month, for example. So on a Tuesday in November, you might find a program on Native American art or dance. "By visiting the ThinkBright Web site (thinkbright.org) a learner or educator can then read more information or find curriculum resources about these programs to use in their classroom," continued Nowicki. "There are literally thousands of searchable lesson plans available through the site, all of which are correlated to either the New York State or the national standards.Nowicki goes on to explain: "Another resource, through the Web site, called EdVideo Online, features over 50,000 multimedia components free to all New York State K-12 and adult literacy educators, and their students. The nine NYS public broadcasting stations provide this service which allows teachers to stream and download educational videos, audio files, images and clip art, create quizzes and lessons, and access teacher guides and student handouts. They can also create and publish classroom podcasts and access a large library of PBS programs and instructional multimedia."A teacher can find a little bit of everything here from an audio file of FDR's fireside chats, or President Bush's speech on 9/11, to Ken Burn's Civil War documentary, an image of a propaganda poster, or a video on spelling," said Nowicki."Last school year we had over 10,000 teachers signed in to the service with over 25,000 videos viewed, and the more we get the word out, the more educators are using the service. Just in the first two weeks of November 2006, 5,600 videos were viewed," he added. ThinkBright Lifelong Learning services are made possible through an unprecedented grant of $2.5 million from The John R. Oishei Foundation.