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College of Education program brings Chilean teachers to U.S. for training By Celena E. Kusch
Mark McLaughlin (right), program director for Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center and director of the Outdoor School, discusses new environmental education standards and resources with Chilean teachers participating in the Institute for Technology-Enhanced Teaching and Learning. He said the teachers were excited to see a center that reaches so many school children with its programs. No similar centers are available to teachers in Chile. He also provided the group with Spanish books about the environment written for children. Dick Ackley—Penn State Image Resource Center Chilean teachers (photo above) introduce themselves in Spanish to Penn State faculty and administrators at the welcome event of the Penn State Institute for Technology-Enhanced Teaching and Learning. In the photo below, are, from left, Dr. Murry Nelson, professor of education and head, Department of Curriculum and Instruction; Dr. Armando Villarroel, executive director of CREAD; Dr. Patricia A. Nelson, associate dean for Outreach, Cooperative Extension, Technology and International Programs, College of Education; Dr. Patricia A. Book, associate vice president for outreach and executive director, Division of Continuing Education; Dr. James H. Ryan, vice president for Outreach and Cooperative Extension; and Marcela Moreno-Sepulveda, State College community member who served as translator during the welcome addresses. photos by Dave Shelly—Penn State Image Resource Center Teachers from Chile tour the exhibits at Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center as part of the Institute for Technology-Enhanced Teaching and Learning. Teachers from Chile work with Penn State faculty and staff to develop Web-enhanced lessons at the College of Education Technology Center. photos by Dick Ackley—Penn State Image Resource Center	For six weeks beginning in the fall, 20 master teachers from schools throughout Chile became students at Penn State to learn strategies for improving education through technology use. The teachers are part of an international program sponsored by the Chilean Ministry of Education and delivered at 22 sites throughout the world. The Penn State Institute for Technology-Enhanced Teaching and Learning was the only such technology program to take place in the United States.   “The Institute for Technology-Enhanced Teaching and Learning celebrates the global perspective on education and technology,” said Dr. Patricia A. Nelson, associate dean for Outreach, Cooperative Extension, Technology and International Programs in the College of Education. “We are delighted to develop this important program focusing on the opportunities and challenges we face every day in a world filled with technology. In this world, it is essential that we educate our teachers to make the most of these opportunities.”   Penn State’s institute matched the expertise of the College of Education’s faculty and technology specialists with the needs of Chilean teachers just beginning to explore opportunities for technology use in the schools.   Designed for teachers of grades one to eight, the program prepared the teachers to develop and teach Web-based curriculum units in science, social studies, arts and humanities. Institute faculty introduced the teachers to a variety of online curriculum resources and teaching and instructional design techniques, as well as fundamentals of computer use and Web design.   The Penn State institute was developed for the Chilean Ministry of Education through a collaboration between the College of Education, the Inter-American Distance Education Consortium (CREAD) housed at Penn State and the Division of Continuing Education. Associate Dean Nelson and Dr. Murry Nelson, professor of education and head of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, served as academic directors for the program.   According to Dr. Armando Villarroel, executive director of CREAD, Chile’s partnership with Penn State is a sign of the innovative steps the country’s leaders are taking to improve education and access to information technology.   “Chile, because of its southern geographical location, is isolated by the Andes Mountains on the west and the Pacific Ocean on the east, but it has an ambitious program to outfit all the schools with Internet technology,” he explained. “For the last six years, the Chilean Minister of Education has encouraged educators to engage with other countries in order to break the natural isolation and to experience what other countries are doing with technology and other aspects of education.”   The teachers in the program represented nearly every region of Chile, from the desert to the Antarctic. Most came from rural communities and many made their first trip to their nation’s capital in Santiago to receive the award and make the flight to the United States.   The most exciting challenge of the program, Villarroel noted, was in delivering all activities and events in the Spanish language. Lectures, discussions, hands-on exercises and informal meetings all required faculty, administrators and staff to exercise their Spanish-speaking skills.   “We are very excited about this opportunity to offer a Spanish-language learning institute,” Villarroel said. “In the recent history of outreach programs, we have not made such a commitment to teach so many students in their own language for so many weeks. This program underscores Penn State’s commitment to international outreach.”   In preparation for the event, several faculty and staff enrolled in Spanish language courses, including Eileen Pennisi, coordinator of the College of Education Technology Center, who provided much of the technical instruction and support in the computer labs. In addition, Spanish versions of software programs were installed throughout the Education Technology Center labs, and translation assistance was provided by Chilean and other bilingual members of the State College and Penn State communities.   Faculty and administrators who welcomed the Chilean teachers during a Spanish-language orientation and welcome session included program administrators and faculty chairs, as well as Dr. James H. Ryan, vice president for Outreach and Cooperative Extension; Dr. Patricia A. Book, associate vice president for outreach and executive director of the Division of Continuing Education; Dr. Lewis Jillings, associate dean of international programs; Dr. David Monk, dean of the College of Education; Maria Schmidt, director of multicultural student services; and Dr. Horst von Dorpowski, assistant dean for undergraduate and summer programs in the College of Education.   Participant Silvia Prosperina Zumarán of the Chilean Ministry of Education commented on the program’s contribution to international cultural exchange, saying, “We are cultural ambassadors representing our country and the effort our government is making so that every school in Chile can have access to this technology.”   “This Penn State initiative will have an enormous impact on thousands of children in Chile who will learn technology skills from these teachers when they return to their country,” Nelson added.   As part of the program, participants visited local public schools, including the Technology Charter School and the College of Education’s Professional Development School. Cultural events included a number of local outings, a trip to Niagara Falls and a visit to Washington, D.C., where students met with the Chilean ambassador and representatives of the Pan-American Health Organization, a group which has a longstanding partnership with CREAD to use distance education to educate health professionals throughout the Americas.   Teachers also met with members of the local community during an event sponsored by the Community International Hospitality Council and coordinated by Joanne Green, interim director of the council.   Program designers hope the Spanish-language technology institute will become a model for international outreach at other U.S. universities. Penn State Public Broadcasting also produced an eight-minute video about the program for use in sharing this model with other institutions, and the College of Education has already been invited by the Chilean Ministry to offer a second institute in the fall. An outreach program of the College of Education, CREAD—The Inter-American Distance Education Consortium, and the Division of Continuing Education University faculty exchange ideas with Chilean teachers   Penn State faculty in the Institute for Technology-Enhanced Teaching and Learning are regionally, nationally and internationally recognized experts in their fields of research and education. They have published extensively on various aspects of educational pedagogy, international and global collaboration, and technology and distance education learning.   Dr. Patricia A. Nelson, associate dean for Outreach, Cooperative Extension, Technology and International Programs in the College of Education, and Dr. Murry Nelson, professor of education and head of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, are academic directors of the institute. Faculty involved in the institute included: Dr. Nancy Dana, associate professor of education, curriculum and supervision Dr. Miryam Espinosa-Dulanto, assistant professor of education, second language teacher education Dr. Robert Hendrickson, associate dean for graduate studies, research and faculty Dr. James Nolan, professor of education, curriculum and supervision Dr. Kyle Peck, professor of education and head, Department of Adult Education, Instructional Systems and Workforce Education and Development Dr. David Post, associate professor of education, comparative and international Dr. Samuel Richard, professor of sociology Dr. Patrick Shannon, professor of education, language and literacy education Kate Sillman, assistant professor of education, science education Dr. Martin Simon, associate professor of education, mathematics education Dr. Steve Smith, professor of agricultural economics Dr. Robert Stevens, associate professor of education, educational psychology Dr. Carla Zembal-Saul, assistant professor of education, science education   Dr. Lawrence Ragan, director of the Penn State World Campus Instructional Design Team, and Michael Brahosky, multimedia specialist for the College of Education Technology Center, provided significant technology instruction. Additional coordination and support was provided by Suzanne Harpster, staff assistant.