COE'S SciTEC, NICERC, and CenturyLink host Inaugural NELA RARC

On Saturday, October 22, 2016, at CenturyLink Headquarters in Monroe, LA, SciTEC in the College of Education along with NICERC and CenturyLink hosted the inaugural North East Louisiana (NELA) Regional Autonomous Robotics Circuit (RARC).  There were over 20 teams onsite competing at the middle, elementary, and highschool levels.  The students competed trying to accomplish various tasks in a limited amount of time utilizing their programmed robots. Our own AE Phillips Bullpups placed during the event also, going home with two third place trophies for their outstanding efforts!

In addition to the outstanding teams, volunteers, coaches, and parents, there were also COE partners including Louisiana Tech University Admissions representative Collin Bailey, BASH Booth's Sarah Jeffords, and AXI Education Solutions, Lisa Dick who brought exciting STEM educational tools including Promethean panels, Spheros, and Little Bit circuitry kits. This is the first of three competitions planned for the 2016-2017 academic year. The event was only possible with the help of CenturyLink Vice President Bill Bradley, Mr. Alex Bohl, Mrs. Kristy LaCroix, Ms. Jaicee Choate, Ms. Jo Ann Marshall, and numerous volunteers, coaches, parents, and teams.  To learn more about NELA RARC and how to participate in future competitions, please contact NELA RARC Competition Coordinator, Ms. Jaicee Choate at 3182572866 / jchoate@latech.edu or Lindsey Keith-Vincent at lbkv@latech.edu.

 

 

A Leader in our COE and in our State

Dean Don Schillinger has been very busy since becoming Dean of the Louisiana Tech College of Education in 2014. While serving as dean, he has reorganized the college to encourage not only efficiency during these times of budgetary constraints, but has also emphasized the establishment and implementation of innovative, synergistic, and entrepreneurial efforts among the units and divisions.

In addition to steering the COE ship, Dean Schillinger was recently elected to serve as President of the  Louisiana Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (LACTE), and he serves as the state representative to the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education, which "represents more than 800 postsecondary institutions" (http://aacte.org/about-aacte).

As President of LACTE, Dean Schillinger, represents other educational leaders from Louisiana institutes of higher education that offer teacher preparation programs. Dr. Schillinger noted that "I am very honored and humbled to be entrusted with this leadership role by representatives of the higher education teaching programs throughout Louisiana, and I will earnestly strive to function as a collaborative catalyst for raising the level of achievement, productivity and prestige of teacher education." We are overjoyed about his selection and grateful for the leadership he provides to our college and leaders across our state! Congratulations, Dean Schillinger!

COE Psychology Student wins Jim Castaneda Postgraduate Scholarship for Conference USA!

Diamond Every
Image from LATechSports.com

Congratulations to Psychology's own Diamond Every on her recent selection as the Jim Castaneda Postgraduate Scholarship recipient for Conference USA!  Dr. Donna Thomas, Psychology Department Chair and Faculty Athletics Representative Presented Every's application to the Conference USA committee earlier this year. Dr. Thomas stated,“I’m so proud of Diamond. She crushes the stereotypes many people hold about student-athletes. By earning this postgrad scholarship, she made her road to becoming a successful helping professional a little easier. Good things come to those who work, and Diamond Every worked hard for this honor. As the NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative for Louisiana Tech, I have the privilege of presenting nominees for this scholarship each year; the fact that she was a Psychology major made it even more special this year.”

Diamond is a graduate of the psychology department and is currently working on her Post-Bac obtaining necessary prerequisites for physical therapy school.  She participates and competes in track and field.  Diamond indicates that she has great interest in being, "a mentor to many young people while inspiring them to be an achieve all they would like to achieve."   Jake Cohen, Assistant Track Coach at Louisiana Tech noted that, "Diamond is an excellent student, athlete, and community member." He further describes her as a, "hard worker, dedicated, and a team leader." Coach LaMonte Vaughn insists that, "Diamond ....was an asset to achieving our team goals." She is a great representative of our College of Education and our  Louisiana Tech University, and we are thrilled about this achievement. Congratulations, Diamond!

 

To learn more about her award, check out the link below:

 

http://www.latechsports.com/sports/c-track/spec-rel/062016aab.html

 

Web Development Pop Up Class Hosted by the eLearning Research Institute (e-LRI)

The e-Learning Research Institute (eLRI) in collaboration with the Center for Entrepreneurship and Instructional Technology presented the Weekend Weebly Wobble and other Technology Management Tools to a group of budding educators and business entrepreneurs on Saturday, July 23rd. Dr. Pamela Morgan, Director of eLRI, and Mrs. Melaie Gleason hosted the event in the College of Education's Active Engagement classroom, the Think Tank. Participants first learned the importance of front loading and pre-planning and then progressed into website development using the Weebly platform. The afternoon was spent exploring a variety of business and educational applications designed to enhance the entrepreneur's websites. It was a great group and everyone, including the presenters, gained new knowledge and experience. Thanks, ladies, for offering such great educational opportunities for our campus community through the COE's eLRI.

PDRIB Offers Resources to Those Interested in Obtaining a MAT with a Concentration in Teaching Blind Students

Meaningful, rewarding careers in the field of blindness begin here!

Become Certified to Teach Blind/Visually Impaired Children in Louisiana

Scholarships are now available!

 

Through support from the Louisiana Department of Education, financial support is now available for individuals who wish to complete coursework and training with PDRIB in order to become certified in the state as a Teacher of the blind/Visually Impaired.

 

Many children with a significant visual impairment throughout our state do not have a certified teacher to help meet their learning needs, and their regular classroom teachers do not have the background or support from a trained specialist to help modify classroom materials in such a way that these children can get the education they desperately need to meet their full potential. This is where you come in!

  

      Using innovative technology and support, individuals can now complete most of our coursework online regardless of where they live.

•             No prior background or experience in blindness is necessary—we’ll teach you everything you need to know.

•             Scholarships are provided on a competitive basis to qualified persons and can cover tuition, fees, and necessary books and supplies.

 

If you already have a Bachelor’s (B.A.) degree in any area from an accredited university, have a grade point average of 2.5, obtained passing scores on the PRAXIS I and II exams, and want to join this exciting career, contact us! We Offer both a Master of Arts in Teaching with Concentration in Teaching Blind Students and a Graduate Certificate in this area. (Note that certain exams may be waived for individuals who already hold a valid teaching certificate.)

 

For program details, Click Here

•             Applications are now being accepted for Fall, 2016, with classes beginning September 7

•             Financial support is prioritized to individuals who wish to take courses on a full time basis

•             Subsequent funding is based on successful matriculation through the program

 

For more information, please contact Dr. Edward Bell at ebell@latech.edu or 318-257-4554

 

 

A Peachy Weekend for our COE!

This weekend was just Peachy for our COE students, faculty, and staff!

Over the weekend, five young women from Louisiana Tech University participated in the 2016 Miss Louisiana Scholarship Competition. Of those, we are happy to report that one of our COE's own, Miss Anna Blake, a junior kinesiology major also competed and did quite well.  She is pictured to the right in the News Star at check in. Check out the link to learn more. http://www.thenewsstar.com/picture-gallery/news/2016/06/19/miss-louisiana-contestant-move-in-day/86120768/
Anna even made it to the Top Ten! Congratulations, Anna! Your COE family is quite proud of you!

Our College clocked over 50 hours of community service for the Peach Festival this year! Pictured is PDRIB's Sheena Manuel that helped contribute to our COE volunteer time. Thanks, Sheena! We are still waiting to hear back about the total hours for all organizations and see if we won; however, win or lose, It is pretty impressive to have that kind of support from a single College within Louisiana Tech University. Thanks to all who found a way to contribute and be part of the Peach Fest experience!

AROS, a branch of the Department of Psychology had an incredibly important job this weekend, too. They began data collection related to the economic impact of the Peach Festival on our community. AROS is a supporting partner of the Ruston/Lincoln Chamber and CVB and a sponsor of the 66th Annual Peach Festival.

In addition, SciTEC in our COE helped host multiple events at the Annual Louisiana Peach Festival including the Fishing Tournament at Lincoln Parish Park and the Entertainment Tent for Kids near RailRoad Park! Check out the pictures of all of the fun!

....and this week may even be better!

Co-Directors, Drs. Carrice Cummins, Libby Manning, and Kim Kimbell-Lopez of the Literacy Center in CIL in our COE will be hosting the first annual Powerful Instruction Literacy Conference in Shreveport/ Bossier and welcoming teachers from across the region for the three day professional development in-service Tuesday through Thursday of this week. The event will be held at the Tech Center.

Drs. Jordan Blazo and Braden Romer of Kinesiology and Lindsey Vincent of SciTEC will be hosting the first Project KINES Professional Development workshop funded by the Lincoln Health Foundation. The three day event will be a precursor to the year-long implementation in AE Phillips Lab School and RJHS and serve as an introductory class meeting series for the corresponding fall graduate course for participating Lincoln Parish educators.

Camps through SciTEC's IDEA Place and Bricks4Kidz will continue this week with Worlds of Amusement and Mining and Crafting. Students will design, create, and build. A few spaces are still available if there is interest in participating!

Notre Dame's D'Agistino Visits our COE for STEM Partnership

The Louisiana Center for the Blind (LCB) is privileged to welcome Notre Dame of Maryland University Chemistry Professor Alfred D'Agostino, Ph.D. to Ruston. Dr. D'Agostino is spending a week in Ruston working with blind high school students enrolled in the Center's Summer Training and Employment Project (STEP) Program. LCB is working in partnership with Louisiana Tech University through the College of Education's SciTEC outreach initiatives, as well as the Professional Development and Research Institute on Blindness (PDRIB) to provide high-quality, fully-accessible STEM initiatives for blind and visually impaired students in kindergarten-21 programs.

As a blind person himself, Dr. D'Agostino understands how critically important it is for all students to experience hands-on, meaningful interactions with STEM-related subject matter, and we are grateful for his expertise and leadership. The Center is appreciative of Dr. Donald Schillinger, Lindsey Vincent, Dr. Edward Bell, and all of the faculty and staff at Louisiana Tech who work collaboratively to ensure greater access to fun and interesting activities designed to strengthen student skill sets in a variety of areas and through completely accessible means.

Thanks to Mr. Guillory for the blog submission above, our friends Drs. Eddy and Deese in Chemistry for use of some of their Chemistry equipment, and Dr. D'Agostino for the  visit!  We in the COE are hopeful that it is the first of many!