814.863.3975 innovation@psu.edu

EDUCATE

Exploring Directions in Ubiquitous Computing And Teacher Education

Mission

The mission of EDUCATE (Exploring Directions in Ubiquitous Computing and Teacher Education) is to empower faculty and future education professionals to make critically-informed decisions surrounding digital tools that support their teaching, their learning, and their inquiry and scholarship. Our goal is to foster an intellectual community where teachers and students reach beyond passive media consumption to become inspired digital producers.

What We Do

EDUCATE started as a 1:1 program for our undergraduate students in teacher education programs. However, as the landscape of technology is ever-changing, we have (with some exceptions) moved to a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) model. Now, students are asked to bring a device to courses and field experiences in the major. “Device” refers to a laptop computer or tablet with a current operating system that can capture video/audio and connection to the internet. This change creates a new problem of practice for our instructors: How do we transition to a BYOD model and still leverage technology in the classroom to enhance our teaching when not all students have the same device? EDUCATE is committed to supporting faculty by jointly exploring solutions to this issue and other pedagogical problems of practice. 

Contact Dr. Joanna Weidler-Lewis, (jrw96@psu.edu) Director of EDUCATE, for more information about how EDUCATE can support you.