Technology gets boost from budget

Cal State Long Beach received a $1.29 million federal grant to train teachers in the use of technology in the classroom, a university spokesman announced.

A U.S. Department of Education program called "Preparing Tomorrows Teachers to Use Technology" provides $43 million in grants to 100 college campuses across the country to educate teachers in computer technology, according to CSU spokesman Ken Swisher.

Eight other CSU campuses received funds for the same program, he said.

The grant money will be used for "helping teachers to better use the Internet" as well as teaching power point presentations and other computer programs, Swisher said.

The program will train 200,000 new teachers across the country to become technologically proficient, according to California Department of Education criteria, by midsummer of 2002, according to Swisher.

"The world is changing very fast, and universities don't always change that quickly," said Robert Berdan, chair of the educational psychology, administration and counseling department.

"The focus of the grant is not directly on teachers," Berdan said. Rather, it is on developing a curriculum for training teachers to learn new technology. The grant money will be spread broadly across campus, but administering the curriculum will fall under the newly created Technology for Teaching Consortium, Berdan said.

Faculty will be able to get assistance in learning computer technology, such as Power Point or assigning homework on the Web.

"Some of us as faculty need to learn things we haven't learned before," Berdan said.

Faculty members can prepare a "personal technology plan" and come to the consortium for coaching, Berdan said.

Education students will also benefit as well, and by 2003 they will be up to date with  the standards the California Department of Education has set for new California teachers, Berdan said.