The University of San Diego's Mobile Technology Learning Center (MTLC) is pleased to announce the establishment of its' Faculty Innovation Grants program.  The Faculty Innovation Grants program provides research opportunities for faculty in the area of mobile technology as it relates to education.  As the Mobile Technology Learning Center continues to develop, we hope to become recognized as academic frontrunners in this rapidly developing area of academia.  The Faculty Innovation Grants program will provide opportunities for the faculty of USD that will facilitate research interests while working to establish the USD’s MTLC as leaders in this field.

GRANT APPLICATION

Spring 2012 Grant Recipients

Mobile Technology in Kenyan Secondary Schools

Assistant Professor Heather Lattimer has been awarded a Faculty Innovation Grant through the MTLC to investigate potential applications for the use of mobile technology in secondary school educational contexts in sub-Saharan Africa. Dr. Lattimer will be partnering with the teachers and students of Daraja Academy in Nanyuki, Kenya to experiment with approaches that students and teachers might use to enrich, extend, and transform learning through the use of mobile devices. The project will also incorporate significant professional development and support for Daraja’s teachers, including site visits to Daraja by experts in educational mobile technology, on-going support and coaching through web-based video conferencing, participation in local, regional and international conferences by participating teachers.

The Innovative Teaching Studio Project

Assistant Professor Joi Spencer has been awarded a Faculty Innovation Grant through the MTLC to the Innovative Teaching Studio. The purpose of the studio to support practicing, novice, and pre-service teachers in strengthening their instructional practice. Through the use of numerous tools, including lesson study, backwards design, action research and other reflective- instructional practices, the Teaching Studio supports the development of learner-based instructional practices.

A primary goal of the studio is to serve as a web-based location for the viewing and dissemination of “teaching cases.”  These video cases, developed in conjunction with local pk-20 teachers, will document the process of teacher development towards more student-centered/student-responsive instructional practices. These video cases will address an array of instruction-based research questions vital to the work of teaching in today’s 21st century classroom including:

• How do we support teachers in adopting learning-based instructional practices?
  
• What is the role of technology in shaping the instructional practices at the 21st Century School?
  
• What is the process of adopting school-wide learner-centered/instructional-centered models?

Read More: Teaching Studio Project