Brandon Twp.- This fall, Amanda Goodloe will teach language arts, math and science to her students in a new environment.
In the morning, the fifth-grade teacher will instruct these core subjects in the new Instructional Technology Exploration and Collaboration Center (I-TEC), located adjacent to the Brandon Middle School, 609 S. Ortonville Road. In the afternoon, the fifth-grade students will return to Brandon Fletcher Intermediate School for non-core instruction.
‘I’m really excited,? said Goodloe about the new location. ‘I’m teaching the same curriculum, but in the learning lab. Rather than standing at the front of a room, ‘I will be walking around. The environment is a lot better and technology adds a whole other layer. I can teach more, deeper, with a better understanding and more enthused students.?
Construction on the I-TEC Center, a $2 million project funded as part of the $73 million bond approved by voters in 2006, was recently completed and a grand opening to which the public is invited is planned for 1:30-3:30 p.m., Aug. 8.
‘The I-TEC Center is an evolutionary process to deliver instruction for students,? said Technology Director Paul Spoor. ‘It’s very dynamic… What we are doing here is what we want classrooms to evolve to. In the learn lab, everything is visible and students are never too far away, no matter where they are.?
The 6,000-square-foot center is for student use first and foremost, Spoor said, but will also be used for professional development for staff and district officials are exploring the potential for corporate entities to utilize it. The center features two learn labs in which the teacher freely moves around the room and students are always looking at each other, three projectors, web cameras, and netbook computers for every student. A collapsible wall allows for large group instruction and double as conference rooms. Other small rooms allow students a quiet area to work.
While fifth-grade students will have the pilot program this year, the center will be available for all students, K-12.
For a video tour of the I-TEC Center and interview with district officials, visit ortonville411.com.