Calvin Holds Workshops for Mentor Teachers
June 8 - 9
August 16 - 18

During the summer months,Calvin University hosted 2 sets of workshops to help practicing teachers prepare for the academic year ahead. On June 8 and 9, practicing teachers came to Calvin to learn about Knightvision as a communication and management tool and how it could be used effectively in teaching.

Then on August 16 - 18, teachers returned to learn the technology skills needed to develop their own class web site. 

These workshops were designed for teachers who are or will be mentoring student teachers, and were funded in-part by two mini-grants from COATT.  Both workshops were divided into sequential half-day sessions.

June workshop sessions covered:

• Knightvision communication tools - virtual chat, discussion board, email, collaboration, assignments, and the digital drop box
• Knightvision’s assessment and survey tools – quizzing, online assessments, and surveys
• Knightvision’s online gradebook and statistical tools
• Development by mentor teachers of an electronic seminar environment to augment their current work with pre-service students
• Understanding COATT certification and standards for an MCOATT Award.

August workshop sessions covered:

• Introduction to basic web design and planning a web-based classroom environment.
• Learning how to use Macromedia Dreamweaver to create their own web site.
• Learning how to use Macromedia Fireworks as an editing and graphics creation tool.
• Learning how to create feedback forms, image maps, photo albums and other features.

Upon completion of the second workshop, teachers had an understanding of the pedagogical impact of a well-designed web-based environment along with the skills to develop a web-based environment that would positively impact their students’ learning experiences. Teachers left the workshop eager to share the new learning resources they had developed with their students and provide a good model for pre-service teachers.