Office of Public Affairs
(315) 312-2265
Oct. 15, 2003
CONTACT: Richard Bush, 312-3011
TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE TO PLUG INTO SUNY OSWEGO
OSWEGO -- Hundreds of teachers and students from
around the state will converge at SUNY Oswego for the college's 64th
annual Department of Technology Conference on Oct. 30 and 31.
"This is the largest technology teacher conference
in the state, and this year's edition will be the largest conference
we've ever organized," said Richard Bush, the conference chair and an
assistant professor in SUNY Oswego's technology department.
Themed "No Child Left Behind," the conference will
feature more than 60 sessions in Park and Wilber halls and 22
exhibitors in the Sheldon Hall lower lobby.
While there will be sessions addressing how the
federal No Child Left Behind Act impacts teaching requirements, the
conference theme reflects that "technology education is a way to make
sure no child is left behind," Judith Belt of the technology department
explained.
Michael Hacker, co-director of the Center for
Technological Literacy at Hofstra University, will present the keynote
address, "Technology and Its Partner: The National Science Foundation,"
at 10:45 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 30. Hacker is one of several national or
international speakers who will address the conference, Bush said.
Many of the people presenting and attending are
program alumni, Bush said. This includes 1981 graduate Andrew Newton,
who will discuss Adventure High School, a West Virginia charter school
he founded a decade ago to offer at-risk children a technology-based
curriculum.
The technology department sent around 1,900
invitations to teachers "from Long Island to Buffalo, Plattsburgh to
Binghamton," Bush said. He expects around 400 teachers from colleges
and high schools to attend, with many bringing their students.
"There are professional development issues at the
local, state and international level on technology education that will
be addressed at the conference," Bush said. Sessions also will showcase
technological and teaching innovations such as robotics, Web-based
instruction, three-dimensional graphic design and computer-based
architectural tools.
Many people attend because Oswego is recognized as a
leader in technical education, Belt said. "For the past few years,
Oswego has graduated the most technical education and certification
students of anyone in the state," Belt said. "Last year, our graduates
tended to have multiple job offers because there is such a need for
technology teachers and because Oswego is recognized as a place to find
teachers in this field."
SUNY Oswego students also participate in the
conference, including members of the "Energy Technology" class who will
offer rides on some of the Global Electric Motorcars the campus
recently received from DaimlerChrysler and the New York Power Authority.
All the members of the college's technology
department lend their expertise in some way to organize the event, Bush
said. "It's going to be a really great conference," he predicted. "The
diversity and the number of presentations are impressive."
For more information about SUNY Oswego's 64th annual
Department of Technology Conference, visit www.fallconference.com.
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