The New Jersey Department of Education's Technology Fellowship initiative is the first of its kind in the nation. This program celebrates the accomplishments of 20 outstanding classroom teachers who effectively use technology in their classroom instruction and enables them to mentor and model their practices throughout the state. The recipients were selected through a competitive application process conducted at the district and county levels during the last few months.
The Technology Fellowship recipients are being released from their teaching responsibilities for one year (July 1, 2001 through June 30, 2002) to enable them to share their educational technology expertise, develop innovative programs, and consult with or assist schools in using technology to enhance the instructional process. Each recipient’s salary, benefits and expenses during the year will be paid through the department’s award from the USDOE Technology Literacy Challenge Fund.
During this coming school year, the 20 Technology Fellowship recipients will collaborate with the county-based Educational Technology Training Centers (ETTCs) as models, trainers, and mentors. They will also develop a web-enabled project to enrich the learning experiences of students and teachers. To assist with these activities, each recipient will be awarded a laptop computer, cell phone, and projector.
The Technology Fellowship recipients were selected because they demonstrate the effective use of instructional technology based on activities identified in the district’s approved technology plan, with particular emphasis on student achievement of New Jersey’s Core Curriculum Content Standards.
Activities for the New Jersey Technology Fellowship: Mentoring & Modeling program include disseminating successful instructional technology practices to benefit all teachers in New Jersey by engaging the fellowship recipients in:
Not only will the educational community in New Jersey benefit from their expertise and exemplary instructional technology classroom practices, but Technology Fellowship recipients will return to their school districts with a wealth of resources gathered from a year of research, development, and implementation experiences with state-of-the-art technology. We believe that this unique program will accelerate the application of educational technology practices in a comprehensive and effective manner.
