As part of yearly funding from the Geisler Penquite Foundation, the education department at Central College will host an event featuring Dr. Scott McLeod leading educational workshops March 6.
The endowment is used to enhance educational opportunities in teacher preparation and performance. Every year, as part of the Geisler Penquite Foundation Educational Excellence Fund, the department brings a well-known speaker to campus.
McLeod currently is serving as the director of innovation for Prairie Lakes Area Education Agency 8 in Iowa. He is on leave from his position as an associate professor of educational leadership at the University of Kentucky. McLeod also is the Founding Director of the UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE), the nation’s only academic center dedicated to the technology needs of school administrators, and was a co-creator of the wildly popular video series, “Did You Know? (Shift Happens).”
He has received many national awards for his technology leadership work, including recognitions from the cable industry, Phi Delta Kappa, the National School Boards Association and the Center for Digital Education. In spring 2011, he was a Visiting Canterbury Fellow at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. McLeod recently completed his first book, “What School Leaders Need to Know About Digital Technologies and Social Media.”
On March 6, McLeod will provide a teacher training workshop on the integration of technology in the classroom. In particular, he will focus on the one-to-one iPad initiative at the Pella Christian Schools. He will also be presenting in two Lunch-and-Learns and a final workshop on technology in k-12 classrooms.
All sessions are free and open to the public. All participants must register at departments.central.edu/education. The sessions will be held in the Graham Banquet Hall on campus.
Sessions:
11-11:45 a.m. Lunch & Learn – “Innovative instructional uses of technology in higher education” McLeod will highlight some innovative uses of technology in higher education to enhance awareness and prompt some initial conversation about what might be done differently at Central. The session will be as solution-oriented as possible! Bring your computer. A box lunch will be provided.
12-12:45 p.m. Lunch & Learn – “The information society is here: Are universities up to the task?” This session will be an open-ended, wide-ranging discussion on issues pertaining to technology and higher education. McLeod will solicit questions from participants at the beginning and then use those to structure the conversation. He will bring in additional examples, models, ideas and discussion items as needed to facilitate thinking. Bring your computer. A box lunch will be provided.
2:00-5:00 p.m. K-12 Educators Workshop – “Schools, technology and learning: Are we preparing students for the next 50 years or the last 50?” McLeod will begin the session by framing some student learning and technology issues that need greater attention in P-12 schools. Participants then will work together to identify some potential solutions to current challenges. This session also will include video examples of technology-infused lessons that will be discussed and evaluated together. The goal will be to facilitate greater understanding of what high-level technology integration looks like in P-12 classrooms. Participants will have ample opportunity to ask questions and discuss issues of interest. Dessert will be served.