News Service

4-19-05

Virtual schooling expert to present public lecture on technology in education

AMES, Iowa -- Ray Rose, a nationally known expert on virtual schooling, will discuss national trends in virtual schooling and emerging technologies at 8 a.m. Friday, April 22, in 1204 Kildee Hall. The event is free and open to the public.

Rose is vice president of Concord Consortium, Concord, Mass. The consortium researches online learning technologies and curriculum to enhance student learning.

One third of all United States students in K-12 public schools experience some form of virtual or distance education, Rose said, so teachers and parents need to understand both the potential of the technology and effective ways of online teaching.

"People assume that face-to-face teaching is inherently better than teaching online," Rose said. "But, face-to-face is not working for everyone. Some students perform better in online environments."

Rose is at Iowa State to meet with researchers working on a United States Department of Education-funded initiative led by ISU in collaboration with four other universities. The initiative's goal is to prepare undergraduates studying teacher education to use virtual schooling. Niki Davis, director of Iowa State's Center for Technology in Learning and Teaching, leads the group.

For more information, visit http://www.ctlt.iastate.edu/research/
projects/tegivs/retreat.html or call the center office at (515) 294-6840.

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Quick look

Virtual schooling expert to discuss trends in emerging technologies and virtual teaching practices at 8 a.m. Friday, April 22, in 1204 Kildee Hall. The event is free and open to the public.