Faculty, General, Professional Development, Students

Restorative Practices Panel Discussion

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2018
5:30 – 7:30 PM
WEST VILLAGE BALLROOMS

The Annual Special Education Alumni Seminar (SEAS) will feature a panel of experts from Norwood Elementary School who will share their experience working in areas related to implementing restorative practices for culturally and linguistically diverse learners. We highly recommend this informational session and networking opportunity for students and faculty.

Email coe@towson.edu for more information

Please join the Towson University Department of Special Education for the 7th Annual Special Education Alumni Series (SEAS) Sponsored by the College of Education, the Department of Special Education, and the EMPOWER project funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of English Language Acquisition.

Faculty, General, Professional Development, Students

Dean’s Sabbatical Series: Dr. Qing Li

Computational thinking and teacher education:
What do experts say?
Dr. Qing Li

March 28, 2018
1:00 – 2:00 pm
Towson Room, Cook Library, Room 507

The proliferation of technology in our life is not only affecting the way we work and learn, but also what and how we learn. Computational thinking (CT) is recognized recently as a new basic skill that ALL students need to master so that they can become competent citizens in the 21st century. Yet, there is a dire shortage of qualified teachers who can effectively help students learn CT. To address this issue, this project investigates how teacher education can prepare our teachers to integrate CT into classrooms. Adopting the expert interview approach, this study interviewed a total of six experts across the nation, ranging from professors in tier one universities to directors in large corporations like Google. This presentation will discuss the results of this study, particularly the experts’ thoughts about how CT can be best integrated in educator preparation programs, as well as potential challenges when designing and establishing CT infused educator preparation programs.

Conferences, Faculty, General, Professional Development

SITE 2018 Conference

SITE 2018 in Washington, DC, March 26-30, is the 29th annual conference of the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education. This society represents individual teacher educators and affiliated organizations of teacher educators in all disciplines, who are interested in the creation and dissemination of knowledge about the use of information technology in teacher education and faculty/staff development. 

Faculty, General, Professional Development, Staff, Students

2018 National Teacher of the Year Finalist Kara Ball at Towson University: March 26, 2018

The College of Education welcomes the 2018 National Teacher of the Year finalist and Towson University College of Education alumna, Kara Ball on March 26, 2018.

Kara is an accomplished and award-winning Nationally Board Certified Teacher in Early Childhood Education and a 2008 Towson University Elementary Education/Special Education graduate. She is also recognized as one of the best science and math educators in the nation as a 2016 finalist for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching. She teaches 4th and 5th grade multi-age as well as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Education to military children at DeLalio Elementary School in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

Her motto is “fail your way to success” which encourages her students to take risks, persevere when challenged and view failure as a natural part of the learning process. She has helped to establish programs in her schools including Girls on the Run, STRIDE, Global Cardboard Challenge, SeaPerch Robotics, Science Olympiad, and a STEM Carnival.

We hope that you can join us for one or all of her presentations on March 26, 2018:

For Students

Top Ten Pieces of Advice for Future Teachers
Hawkins Hall 305/306
9:00 – 10:00 am

Authentic Learning Experiences in Science Education
Hawkins Hall 015
10:00 – 11:30 am

For Faculty and Students

From Towson University College of Education to Teacher of the Year Finalist:
The Story of Kara Ball
University Union, Chesapeake
2:00 – 4:00 pm

Early Childhood, Elementary Education, Faculty, General, Special Education

Four Professional Development Schools honored as Blue Ribbon Schools

The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) has selected six Maryland public schools as 2017-2018 Maryland Blue Ribbon Schools. Four of these schools are Towson University College of Education Professional Development Schools (PDS).

The Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a national and state program that recognizes and honors elementary, middle, and high schools that exhibit high performance and/ or significant improvement in student achievement.  Reducing the achievement gap for disadvantaged students is also a criterion.

The College of Education partners with Professional Development Schools (PDS) for the academic and clinical preparation of interns and the continuous development of both school system and Institution of Higher Education (IHE) faculty. The focus of the PDS partnership is improved student performance through research-based teaching and learning. The Maryland Department of Education (MSDE) requires interns complete a 100-day internship across two consecutive semesters in a Professional Development School (PDS).

The College of Education congratulates all of the 2017-2018 honorees.

Doctoral Programs, EDTL, Faculty, General, Staff

Dissertation Defense: Emily Wyatt Ziegler

Emily Wyatt Ziegler
November 21, 2017
10:00 am
Hawkins Hall, Room 110

Dissertation Title: An Analysis of Co-Construction of Knowledge and the Role of Social Networks in Asynchronous Discussions

Committee: Dr. William Sadera, Dr. Elizabeth Berquist, Dr. Scot McNary, Dr. Liyan Song

Abstract: As the use of asynchronous discussion boards have become almost commonplace throughout online instruction, those conducting research and practicing teaching in these environments still lack a clear understanding of how learning occurs and the impact of social relationships between participants in these environments. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between the co-construction of knowledge and the social network of participants within asynchronous discussions. Results of this mixed-methods study determined no discernable relationship between the co-construction of knowledge and participation within discussion boards. This study upheld the research that learning occurs mostly in the beginning stages of the co-construction of knowledge process signifying factors contribute to the prevalence of low-phase co-construction of knowledge such as objectives set for the discussion and the facilitation of learning. The study found that co-construction of knowledge was not dependent upon the number of posts contributed by an individual, suggesting minimum post requirements may not provide an accurate assessment of earning. This study adds to the growing field of research connecting learning and the social network of learners in an online discussion. Recommendations for practice included: utilizing the principles of the knowledge co-construction process and social networks to develop objectives, assessments, and facilitation techniques.