Cane and Braille Club: Dr. Edward Bell and Ms Sheena Manuel visit with the Morning Anchor for KTVE 10 News

Dr. Edward Bell and Ms Sheena Manuel, the Director and Outreach Specialist for the Professional Development and Research Institute on Blindness, visited with Felicia Bolten, the Morning Anchor for KTVE 10 News. They spoke briefly about the work of the Institute, its association with College of Education, and the wonderful work they are doing in educating and training people with vision loss and impairment. To learn more about the Institute, visit http://www.pdrib.com/, and to view the KTVE interview click on the link below. 

http://www.myarklamiss.com/story/d/story/braille-and-cane-club/22747/Tnix1CdUzkWe0QeLgbVuDQ

Focus on Fractions Workshops Offered by SciTEC STEM Outreach Specialists Carolyn Talton and Diane Madden

We at SciTEC are pleased to announce that January 12 and 13,  teachers from more than 25 schools in 8 Louisiana parishes will be attending a free Focus on Fractions workshop at the Waggoner Center in the Thomas Assembly Center. The workshops, which filled in a matter of days, will be taking place from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm and will be hosted by Dr. Carolyn Talton and Mrs. Diane Madden. Additional information about the content to be covered and the target grade levels can be found on the flyer attached. Based on the initial feedback , it is anticipated a second set of offerings will be posted on the Eventbrite site for the dates of the 26th and 27th of January.

A New Bayou for the IDEA Place and You!

We at SciTEC in the College of Education are excited about a unique Christmas/Holiday gift that is already in the works!.... A new Bayou IDEAs! We are excited to announce that with the help of the COE administration, we've received the ok to update the space, making changes to the pond and fountain and filling the space with new indigenous plants. We look forward to sharing it with our COE family. We would also like to extend a special thanks to Mr. Justin Hinckley for adding some holiday flair to the area with some beautiful red ribbon, ornaments, and garland!

Research Wins First Place at AAACE

Congratulations from the College of Education to Ms. Marye Elisabeth Hooker and Dr. John Harrison who were awarded first place at the 2014 American Association for Adult and Continuing Education (AAACE) National Conference for their poster session titled "From the Battlefield to the Classroom: Techniques for Engaging Veterans Diagnosed with PTSD". Ms. Hooker is a student in the Master of Arts in Counseling and Guidance program while Dr. Harrison serves as the College's Director of Graduate Studies.

For more information about the college's graduate programs visit 

http://education.latech.edu/academics/graduate/

COE Faculty Member Leads Behavior Technician Training for North Louisiana

Dr. Rich Mancil is delivering registered behavior technician training to Behavior Developmental Services in Monroe and Ruston and Holy Angels in Shreveport. The training is beneficial for any direct line personnel working directly with individuals with autism or other developmental disorders. The training involves weekly classes where participants are taught the necessary skills for effective practice through lecture, video modeling, role play, and in vivo training with clients/ students. Following successful conclusion of the training the participants will be nationally recognized by the Behavior Analysts Certification Board (BACB) as registered behavior technicians (RBT).The sessions consist of an intensive 40 hour training that includes the core tasks to be performed by behavior technicians, organized in the following areas: Measurement, Assessment, Skill Acquisition, Behavior Reduction, Documentation and Reporting, and Professional Conduct and Scope of Practice. Behavioral Developmental Services, LLC specializes in treating children with Autism, Asperger's, PDD, and other Developmental Delays. Holy Angels is a residential and training campus for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

More about Dr. Rich Mancil at:http://guiceblog.latech.edu/2014/07/29/dr-richmond-mancil-making-autism-a-focus-of-research/ 

Major Upgrade for University Planetarium

The Planetarium got a face-lift with the installation of a state-of-the-art projection system and sound system this November through a proposal written by College of Education members Lindsey Keith-Vincent (Principle Investigator), Diane Madden, and Don Schillinger. Funding received from the Louisiana Board of Regents Support Fund provides a new projection that allows videos to be projected across the entire dome, giving these videos a 3D panoramic illusion. The full dome projection system and the new sound system provide a unique, exciting, and engaging educational experience for our guests, and inspire future astronomers, astronauts, educators, and scientists. For more information about the planetarium or to schedule a tour of it or the IDEA Place, contact the Science and Technology Center (SciTEC) at: http://education.latech.edu/departments/science_technology_education_center/ 

Phone : 318-257-2866     Fax: 318-257-4753
Email: scitec@latech.edu

Counseling Psychology Ph.D. Students and Faculty Assist Red Cross with Disaster Relief

We are blessed to have so many wonderful events and items to write about each day that sometimes one of them gets overlooked. A prime example of this is the help provided to the Red Cross when disaster struck Monroe earlier this year (October, 2014). lore dickey, a Disaster Services Volunteer, was contacted by the Shreveport Chapter of the American Red Cross asking if he could help with the response to the storm. He was disappointed thinking that it wouldn't be possible as he was scheduled to teach two classes that day, but he approached his department chair, Dr. Donna Thomas with the question - "is it allowable to have my class join me in Monroe?' She agreed, and the plan was presented to the students, most of whom readily agreed.

They arrived in Monroe at about 9:30 AM. Due to the Red Cross Chapter office had no electricity. they waited for a short period of time, as people gathered, to get assignments. Soon they were provided training in the function of Damage Assessment. This is typically the 2nd area of response that Red Cross engages in after a disaster strikes. They split into two groups and were provided with "street sheets" and maps of the area.  Their job was to walk (or drive) up and down each of the streets in the neighborhoods to determine whether homes had sustained any damage. Homes are listed on the street sheets and marked as having been affected, minor damage, major damage, or destroyed.

This task is critically important - as the data that is collected about the numbers of homes and type of damage to homes is used to determine how much assistance a person will receive. It is also used to help determine the "cost" of the storm. Data from the Damage Assessment is ultimately used to determine whether federal resources will be made available, by relief agencies such as such FEMA.

While the majority of the group were conducting the Damage Assessments, one member of our group remained at the Chapter Office and helped to tally the damage assessments, prepare feeding resources, and assist with other administrative duties. The students enjoyed this activity, as it was a natural extension of the conversations they had been having during their coursework. Specifically, they had been discussing Social Justice and the ways that psychologists can help to meet the needs of people who are marginalized or disenfranchised. Pictured from left to right in the photo are:Mercedes Bonnette, Mandi Ardoin, Megan Kuhl, and lore m. dickey.

A Productive Quarter Break for Technology Enhancement

Many people often assume that because school is out, no one is here on campus. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, quarter break (at least in technology) is one of our busiest times because it is then that we have the opportunity to work upgrades and enhancement projects.

This quarter break has been no exception in that respect, but it has been one of the most notable for many reasons.

First, you may notice new gadgets mounted on the ceilings. This is because we have just completed the first phase of wireless network upgrades in the College of Education. Students and faculty should return to significantly improved wireless network performance in the areas of the building that are covered.

Areas in the buildings that are still experiencing coverage problems will be upgraded during a second, expansion phase to come later, following other requisite network upgrades. Our goal is to expand wireless coverage such that 100% of all our buildings are covered by the end of Spring Quarter.

Stennis Space Education Center Provides Workshop with Louisiana Tech's SciTEC and NASA Research Center, Grambling University, and Area School Districts

Thirty-nine middle school students and 48 pre-service, in-service, and informal educators participated in the three-part workshop presented by educators from the Stennis Space Center on October 15-16 for STEM curriculum development aligned with national standards. The workshops included hands-on, problem-based learning, and technology-based activities to engage students and teachers in science, technology, engineering and math concepts. Diane Madden, STEM Science Outreach Coordinator for SciTEC said in The Ruston Daily Leader “the parents in the community who participated with their children were as eager to learn the STEM content as their children. You know programs are successful when the participants are actively engaged and say that the time passed so quickly that they wish there was more time to learn. These were great learning experiences for all who participated.” Other participating members included the Institute for Micro-manufacturing local Boy Scout leaders and scouts, and parents representing collaboration across LaTech’s campus and North Louisiana.

In addition to this workshop SciTEC also hosted educators and counselors from NASA Stennis Space Center for a three-day “train-the-trainer” Astro Camp. Trainees included 30 high school students from the LA GEAR UP program and 17 informal and pre-service teachers. They were joined by 50 students ages 7 to 15 from north Louisiana. Dianne Madden said in an interview with The Ruston Daily Leader, “the Stennis NASA Camp was an excellent learning opportunity for the students involved in hands-on activities related to science. The students identified challenges and proposed solutions to space related situations and gained experience in STEM. They learned how using those skills can be rewarding and fun.” 

 - Visit http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/#.VHu9qTHF98E to learn more about the Stennis Space Education Center.

Kinesiology Program Helps Move Community Forward

Recently the Department of Kinesiology received the Keep Encouraging Youth to Succeed (KEYS) Champion Award from Lincoln Parish for volunteer work with Ruston Junior High students. Since 2003 the department has evolved to prepare students in broader human movement and health careers. Lanie Dornier, department head, said in an interview with The Ruston Daily Leader that “in kinesiology, we study human movement from a variety of perspectives—biomechanical, physiological, and sociological, across all those disciplines.” Their three prong program includes allied health, physical education, and wellness and fitness. Community service and engagement is also an important part of the program and the development of graduates. For example, Rhonda Boyd an instructor in the department, recently hosted a Winter Games service learning project in which students provided local senior citizens with an opportunity for entertainment and exercise through activities such as hula hooping and tossing beanbags.

State Superintendent of Schools John White Inspired by Tech - Lincoln Parish Partnership

College Of Education professors Carrice Cummins, Libby Manning, and Kim Kimbell-Lopez selected fifteen COE students to volunteer in a year-long mentor pilot program funded through the Believe and Prepare grant to provide an immersive real school setting environment in state-of-the-art facilities. Also included in this initiative are Don Schillinger and Dawn Bassinger.  Kyndal Cawthon, a senior education major said in The Ruston Daily Leader, “I have to see something to learn it and in this way I’m able to apply it.” This program helps to provide our student teachers with real-world experience in partnership with Glen View Elementary and CSE with additional Lincoln Parish school partnerships to follow in 2015.

State Superintendent of Schools John White said in the Ruston Daily Leader about his trip to Glen View Elementary School, he always looks forward to discovering something “inspiring, innovative, and new” within the folds of the Lincoln Parish education system. He went on to say “I think Tech and Lincoln Parish have a particularly unique synergy that doesn’t exist statewide.” Through Believe and Prepare we are not only trying to ensure Common Core standards are being taught efficiently in the classroom but to ensure newly-graduated teachers are confident and effective on the first day of school through application of avant-garde teaching techniques and encouraging student teachers to take a more proactive role than what was traditionally expected of them.

A .E. Phillips Laboratory School Receives an "A"

A. E. Phillips Laboratory School and the College of Education are a proud Bullpup family with the release of the Department of Education's school report cards and school performance scores (SPS). Based on our SPS, AEP is the highest ranking elementary/middle school in the state that does not have academic requirements for admission. We continue to be an "A" school with 95% of our students performing at or above grade level.  The average percent proficient for all "A" elementary/middle schools in Louisiana is 87.1%. The percent proficient for our school is 98%!