St. John's News

The Title III Faculty Learning Lab and the University’s new interactive classroom technology were presented to faculty members on Thursday, February 22, in the lab’s new location in room 110 of St. Augustine Hall at the University’s Queens campus.

The lab, which also features mobile, flexible furniture, is serving as the model for future state-of the-art classrooms at St. John’s. The architects of this technology-driven learning process---Provost Julia Upton, RSM, Ph.D.; Title III Education Technology Specialist Pelham Mead, Ph.D.; Title III Co-Director for Curriculum Development Jay Zimmerman, Ph.D.; and Title III Project Coordinator Bradley Shope, Ph.D.---provided an overview of the new technology tools, the lab and the goals of the U.S. Department of Education’s five-year Title III Transforming Teaching through Technology grant. Consistent with the University’s 2004-08 Strategic Plan, St. John’s has dedicated Title III funding to leverage its investment in technology by giving the faculty the ability to develop their expertise in this area to take full advantage of the Academic Computing Initiative (ACI) and in identifying creative ways to use technology to change the curriculum.

Making Learning Active and Compelling
This federal funding is helping St. John’s train faculty teams in how to use the new technology in the classroom to help students improve their critical thinking and information literacy skills. Education Technology Specialist Pelham Mead demonstrated how to use interactive teaching tools like Polyvision Electronic Bulletin Boards, Walk N Talk TV Modules and Anystream Apreso Classroom Software Automatic Podcasting, showing how they can make learning more exciting. Julia Upton, RSM, Ph.D., Provost, St. John’s University, who has spearheaded St. John’s commitment to technology, emphasized that the mobility of the lab’s furniture adds yet another dimension by enabling teachers to transform the learning environment to suit subject matter. Podium-centered classrooms are easily converted into small discussion groups providing greater teaching creativity and student involvement.

Faculty are invited to drop by the lab for a technology demonstration. It has been constructed to accommodate large group workshops as well as individual tutoring.