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NASA SIGNS TECHNOLOGY AGREEMENT WITH LONGWOOD
UNIVERSITY
NASA Langley Research Center's Office of Education and the
National Institute for Technology Policy and Research (NITPR) at
Longwood University, South Boston, Va., have signed a memorandum of
agreement to conduct collaborative activities that demonstrate how
educational technology can be used to deliver pre-college and
university content and programs.
The goal is to research advanced educational technology models
that have potential to impact student achievement. NITPR will
design the methodology, collect the data, and analyze the results
as part of the alliance.
This technology-focused strategic educational partnership will
provide services for over 75,000 K-12 students and lifelong
learners in 22 rural school districts and seven colleges and
universities throughout Southside and Southwest Virginia. With the
aid of instructional technology, educators will now have access to
NASA science, technology, engineering, and mathematics materials as
well as assistance in professional and curriculum development.
NASA Langley Research Center's Office of Education is making its
five award-winning distance learning programs – NASA's Kids
Science News Network, NASA SCIence Files™, NASA CONNECT™,
NASA LIVE, and NASA's Destination Tomorrow™ – available
as part of the alliance. These research-, inquiry-, and
standards-based programs are developed in collaboration with
Christopher Newport University, Newport News, Va.
"These programs span the educational horizon from "ready to
learn" through adult (lifelong) learners and offer educators,
students, parents, and adult learners a unique opportunity to learn
about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics," says Dr.
Thom Pinelli, Educational Technology and Distance Learning Officer
at NASA Langley.
NITPR and NASA hope to bring the power of the Internet and NASA
resources together in an integrated way by using the regional
education video conferencing network recently completed by NITPR
and the Southside Virginia Regional Technology Consortium (SVRTC).
SVRTC, managed by the NITPR, is a state-sponsored program
consisting of 22 public school divisions in the Southside and South
Central regions of Virginia.
"We want to bring quality content to the classroom, not only
through professional development for teachers, but also through
student access to video and Internet resources, as well as live
interaction with NASA experts," says Linda Townsend, Instructional
Technology Design Specialist, NITPR.
Dr. Carole Cameron Inge, Executive Director of NITPR, is also
enthusiastic about the alliance. "The goal is to make learning
authentic and fun using real-world scenarios that challenge
students to think and learn using higher order brain-based skills,"
says Inge. "The NASA LIVE videoconferencing program is one of
several NASA programs planned for the coming year. The partnership
hopes this will bring educational opportunities to rural Southside
that are presently available in more affluent communities."
NITPR has been researching and developing innovative teaching
methods, models, and practices for the region and state. Working
with local public school divisions, state agencies and the federal
government, the project identifies voids in educational knowledge
or skills and then researches the best way to fill those voids.
For more information about other educational programs available
through NASA Langley's Center for Distance Learning, visit:
dlcenter.larc.nasa.gov
For more information about Longwood University's NITPR project,
contact Dr. Carole Cameron Inge, Executive Director, at
434/517-0717, or carole@nitpr.us.
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