Preparation for more classes continues

This week saw limited action due to a third orientation session where I volunteered as an adviser.  Planninig, however, continued on the next round of continuing education offerings that I will be performing before the end of July. 

The courses are going to be offered during three days and cover a theme similar to my previous sessions.  I will repeat one session "Web 2.0 Tools for Educators".  A new session is being planned that introduces teachers to the concept of developing an online personal learning network, or PLN, of peers from all over the world using Twitter and Facebook.  Lastly, I will be delivering a course designed to introduce teachers to webquests as well as developing their own wikis for their classrooms.

As my practicum comes to a close, I have begun to reflect on the dynamic nature of outreach, continuing education, and economic development activities undertaken by institutions of higher learning.  These activities give an institution the flexibility in developing new revenue streams and also the power to market the intellectual capital they possess to the wider community.  Most importantly, though, the activities of these outreach programs meets the vital mission of all colleges and universities, to educate and remake society in order to maintain a solid labor force.

Three days of training

Last week was my first experience in training others through Continuing Education.  The courses were designed to help K-12 educators learn how to evaluate web applications, use Google Docs, and make their own websites using Google Sites.  The courses were taught over three days and lasted 5 hours each.

This experience brought home to me the value of institutions of higher learning in performing outreach to professional communities.  When individuals leave the world of Bachelor's or graduate degree programs and enter the workforce, their need to continue learning new skills and techniques never ends, since the demands of the workplace are not static.  Colleges and universities provide an environment where training can take place at lower cost to employers.  In this way a skilled workforce is maintained and the country's competitive edge is sharpened.