Additional funding announced for Teach to the Future

UNT is one of two regional training agencies in Texas that will benefit from the Texas Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund (TIF) board's investment of $4 million to expand the Intel Teach to the Future program in the state.

Announcement of the additional funding came at a special ceremony in Edinburg on June 1. The funding will allow UNT's Texas Center for Educational Technology and a similar program at Texas A&M University to raise the goal of training 20,000 Texas teachers to 40,000 teachers.

The Intel Teach to the Future program is a worldwide initiative training teachers to apply computer technology to improve student learning. It is presented with support from Microsoft Corp.

Since the program was launched in 2000, 14 training agencies have been established to serve 16 states and 11 countries. The worldwide goal is to train 400,000 teachers by 2002.

Announcing the multi-million-dollar TIF investment, Texas Secretary of State Henry Cuellar said, "We all know that technology is the road to the future, and there is nothing better than educating our young children on which road to follow. The additional teachers who will benefit from this program will make a difference in the lives of hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren."

James Poirot, professor of technology and cognition and executive director of TCET, says, "This program allows teachers to learn how, when and where to incorporate technology tools and resources into their current lesson plans, create assessment tools and align lessons with district, state and national standards."

During the three-year project, Intel will invest $100 million worldwide ($4 million in Texas) in cash, equipment, curriculum development and program management. Microsoft will contribute some $344 million in software and program support, the single largest software donation in the company's history.

Cynthia Reed, regional manager for Intel Corp., says the TIF investment marks the first public/private collaboration for the Teach to the Future program.

BY RODDY WOLPER rwolper@unt.edu

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• Shrader appointed interim VP for development
• Merchandising, hospitality management dean fostering growth, cooperation with industry
• Sociologist studies use of self-managed work teams
• Geology trail is newest EESAT complex addition
• Journalism lab named for Fort Worth Star-Telegram editor
• UNT teams up with Army and Air Force Exchange Service for retail training
• UNT Athletics ticket packages for sale soon
• MC/PAIS moving this month
• Grandparents face special challenges when raising grandchildren
• UNT Psychology Clinic to offer group for children of divorced parents
• Elm Fork Education Center collecting plastic bottles, egg cartons for camp

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