Contact: Sylvia Martinez, Generation YES
(310) 944-3655
[email protected]
Georgia�s Gen Y Debuts
State Service Centers to Deliver Generation
Y Model
to Local Schools
Valdosta, GA December 1, 2003 � Generation YES and the Valdosta State University Educational Technology Training Center have announced a partnership to offer Generation Y training and implementation to local schools through regional training centers (ETTCs) throughout Georgia. This summer, staff from ETTCs all over Georgia attended �train the trainer� sessions on how to implement and coordinate local Gen Y programs.
Generation Y is a proven model of students working with teachers to improve the way technology is used in every classroom. Students and teachers collaborate to create standards-aligned technology-rich projects that increase the level of technology integration school-wide. Valdosta State University ETTC cited the strong research base supporting Gen Y and the ability to integrate with Georgia Learning Connections (GLC) as reasons for setting up this statewide model. GLC is the Georgia Department of Education's curriculum Web site that integrates the Georgia Quality Core Curriculum standards, lesson plans, Web resources, assessments, and other resources for Georgia teachers. Projects created by Gen Y students and teachers will be submitted to GLC�s database and potentially used by teachers throughout Georgia.
Exemplary Gen Y Model Delivered Locally
�We are very excited about the opportunity to take such a successful model
and make it our own in Georgia,� said Mimi McGahee, director of the Valdosta
State University Educational Technology Training Center. �By using proven,
research-based models, programs such as Gen Y show our commitment to improving
student achievement through technology integration.�. Having it delivered
by local trainers and integrating with existing resources such as Georgia Learning
Connections means that Gen Y will take on a Georgia flavor and be even more
powerful.
�Schools across the country have embraced the Gen Y model as a vital part of their technology integration plans.� said Dennis Harper, Founder and CEO of Generation YES, the publisher of the Generation Y curriculum, �It is especially effective when the model is adopted by local agencies who make it their own. Statewide models based on Gen Y, such as the Kansas Student Technology Initiative, have been extremely successful in increasing technology integration in participating schools.�
Georgia schools interested in learning more about Generation Y training and implementation should contact their regional ETTC, the Valdosta State University ETTC or Generation YES.
Generation Y
Generation Y is a methodology to improve integration of technology in all subjects
through a conscious collaboration between students and teachers. The program
focuses on today's new generation of youth as partners, and sometimes, leaders,
in bringing technology into the classroom. The Gen Y curriculum trains students
to collaborate with teachers to produce effective technology-infused lessons.
Along with educators, students become agents of change--not mere recipients
of that change. Students complete the course not only knowing how to use technology,
but also knowing how to think, solve authentic problems, make decisions, be
productive, and participate in collaboration, all key 21st century skills.
Generation Y was developed in 1996 as a federal Technology Innovation Challenge grant and has since been implemented in over 1,000 classrooms in 45 states in the United States of America and around the world. Extensive research and evaluation of Gen Y classes have found it is an effective part of teacher professional development, increases teacher use of technology in the classroom, and a way to empower students to participate in improving their schools through the use of technology.
Generation YES
Generation YES works with schools all around the world to plan, implement and
enhance student technology programs through consulting, innovative curriculum
and research-based support services. Generation YES programs focus on student-centered,
project-based experiences that impact student�s lives and increase student
involvement in school and community through technology projects. In addition
to Generation Y, the company publishes Generation TECH (student tech support
curriculum), Generation GIT (Girls Issues and Technology), and student leadership
through technology guides. (https://www.genyes.org)
Georgia ETTCs
The GA Department of Education provides leadership for the state's 13 Educational
Technology Training Centers (ETTCs). The mission of the ETTCs is to provide
high quality, low cost, convenient access to educational technology training
for educators serving, or preparing for service, in Georgia's Pre-K through
Postsecondary (P-16) schools.
Georgia ETTCs provide computer-related technology training to school systems statewide. By offering comprehensive curriculum, administrative, and technology support training for P-16 educators, administrative staff, support personnel, and technology support specialists, the ETTCs drive change in the teaching and learning process in Georgia's classrooms. (https://www.ga-edtech.org/)
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For more information:
Sylvia Martinez, Generation YES
(310) 944-3655
[email protected]
Mimi McGahee, Valdosta State University ETTC
(229) 249-2781
[email protected]
Related sites:
Press Release: https://www.genyes.org/news/1103
Generation YES: https://www.genyes.org
Georgia�s Gen Yhttps:////ettc.valdosta.edu/GenY/genyindex.htm
Valdosta ETTC: https://ettc.valdosta.edu/
Georgia Learning Connections: https://www.glc.k12.ga.us/
