May 2, 2005
UCSC receives Technology for Teaching grant
from Hewlett-Packard
By Tim Stephens
Hewlett-Packard has selected UCSC to receive a 2005 HP Technology
for Teaching grant, designed to transform and improve learning
in the classroom through innovative uses of technology.
UCSC's Jack Baskin School of Engineering will receive an award
package of HP products and a faculty stipend valued at more
than $74,000.
UCSC is one of 31 colleges and universities nationwide to
receive the grant, which includes HP wireless equipment for
use by students and faculty in the classroom. The equipment
includes wireless HP tablet PCs, a portable digital projector,
and associated equipment. The tablet PCs are lightweight laptop
computers that allow pen-based input, so that, for example,
an instructor can write notes by hand on the tablet and project
them onto a screen.
"It's like having an infinite blackboard," said Ira
Pohl, professor and chair of computer science. "We have
faculty who are already using this type of interface in their
teaching, and we'd like to combine that with ways for students
to communicate with the instructor."
For example, in a classroom where both students and instructor
have tablet PCs, the students could write answers to questions
on their tablets and the instructor could see what the students
are writing, then put a student's answer up on the screen where
the whole class could see it. The handwritten input can also
be used in combination with sound recording to record lectures,
Pohl said.
"The exciting thing is that the tablet PC is such a flexible
platform. This will enable us to do some truly innovative teaching,
taking the classroom into the 21st century," he said.
UCSC's Baskin School of Engineering, founded in 1997, offers
undergraduate degree programs in bioinformatics, computer engineering,
computer science, electrical engineering, and information systems
management, as well as graduate programs in bioinformatics,
computer engineering, computer science, and electrical engineering.
The school serves the needs of the greater Silicon Valley region
and the state of California by creating and spreading knowledge
through research and teaching, and by offering curricula that
nurture creative thinking and prepare students for productive
careers at industrial and academic settings in rapidly evolving
areas of science and engineering.
The 2005 HP Technology for Teaching grant program is awarding
grants totaling $8.5 million to 174 kindergarten through 12th
grade public schools and 31 two- and four-year colleges and
universities in the United States and Puerto Rico. HP has committed
$25 million to the three-year program, which supports HP's broader
education goal of transforming teaching and learning through
the integration of technology. More than 400 schools worldwide
have received grants since the program's inception last year.
"Technology has the power to positively transform the
learning process for both educators and students," said
Bess Stephens, vice president for philanthropy and education
at HP. "By integrating technology into their teaching,
educators can engage students in new and innovative ways to
increase achievement, and ultimately prepare them for greater
success in the classroom and beyond."
More information about the 2005 HP Technology for Teaching
program and grant recipients is available at www.hp.com/go/hpteach.
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