PREPARING FOR EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES: A GRASS-ROOTS APPROACH TO ENHANCING K-12 EDUCATION

摘要

In the summer of 2004, Tennessee Tech University joined a partnership that included five, mostly rural, Tennessee county school systems to assist them with the development and implementation of a program called "Preparing for Emerging Technologies". The primary objectives of the program were to: enhance the rigor and relevance of existing K-12 curricula by incorporating content from emerging fields of technology, including nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology, and others; encourage students to pursue careers related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM); and, develop a better-prepared workforce in order to attract new industry and business to the partner counties. The efforts of this group resulted in a series of three professional development workshops for teachers and two summer enrichment programs for high school students. The first workshop focused on the need for including the emerging technologies in the existing curricula, the second on providing teachers with the background information and materials needed to introduce the emerging technologies in their classrooms, and the third on providing teachers with the knowledge and materials needed to prepare specific lesson plans. A unique feature of these workshops was that teachers from all curricular areas were encouraged to participate, including English, history, and social studies. The summer enrichment programs were designed to provide high school students with exposure to the emerging technologies, encouragement toward STEM-related careers, and a college experience. More than thirty different organizations representing government, industry, and education contributed to the summer enrichment programs, providing tours, demonstrations, lectures, and hands-on activities in emerging technology research laboratories and industrial facilities located throughout the State of Tennessee. This paper presents program details, lessons learned during the first year, results of participant surveys, and plans for future programs.