Original Goals: • To establish a rapport with a school in which Thinkfinity.org videos could be produced. • To create a reproducible format that could be used to create future Thinkfinity.org videos. • To create a video series (no less than 5 videos) of interactive whiteboard enhanced lessons based on Thinkfinity.org lesson plans that demonstrate how teachers can utilize both resources.

Since that initial project, PCLC has continued this work with New York City and Westchester private and public schools. Most recently, funding has come from the Facilitator Center, an organization serving non-public schools in New York City and the Hudson Valley.

This pilot project was conceived as a way in which PCLC could use its experience and expertise to present Thinkfinity to teachers in schools with fewer technical resources than typical public schools, or with special needs for students and teachers, and then to enable those teachers to explore and utilize the resources of Thinkfinity in lessons and activities. Since we had not focused on Thinkfinity before we were interested in finding out how it would be received, and also whether the concentration of resources within Thinkfinity would help teachers move faster along the path to technology integration.

The project team consisted of the director of the Pace University Computer Learning Center, Sylvia Russakoff, and two master teachers, Babette Kronstadt and Anita Tumminelli. In addition, Debra Blaustein, a graduate student at the Pace University School of Education, assisted at many of the sessions.

January Workshops

The workshop consisted of fifteen faculty, seven staff, and three graduate assistant members of Pace, who initially looked at the Thinkfinity site in January, before the changes were made. Given the constraints of classes and timing, we taught one doctoral class, consisting of 17 students, in Educational Technology to use Thinkfinity in their classroom. A few weeks later, we asked for feedback from the students and asked how many had used the site in their teaching. Their response was not overly enthusiastic. They complained about the initial screen, which has obviously been changed since January and we did have them look at the changes. They also felt initially that many of the lessons were outdated, and at the later session, recognized the changes. The one change that they felt was still needed were lessons that promoted more differentiated instruction as well as lessons that incorporated more different types of technology.

A second Thinkfinity training session was held with an undergraduate class in March, and their opinions solicited. Their use of the site over the semester as a result of this training was very focused and tended to be using a specific lesson for a specific assignment. Interestingly, they did not see the use of the Thinkfinity as “using technology.”

Both the graduate and undergraduate groups felt that, while the training was useful, teachers would benefit from more time to integrate the Thinkfinity materials into their own curricula.

It is a briefing to the board members on the new technologies being used by Pace University to prepare Pace university students, faculty and staff on the new developments in educational pedagogies, instruction and learning.

The project will conclude at the end of May, 2008, and a final, complete report will be submitted at that time. This interim report will describe the assumptions of the project team, how the project was carried out, and highlights of the project to date.

The project team consists of the director of the Pace University Computer Learning Center, Sylvia Russakoff, and two master teachers, Babette Kronstadt and Anita Tumminelli. In addition, Debra Blaustein, a graduate student at the Pace University School of Education, assisted at many of the sessions.

The Pace Computer Learning Center has been involved in helping teachers learn to integrate technology using Internet resources since 1997, when, under a grant from the then Bell Atlantic Corporation, over 900 teachers were trained over a three year period.