FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 1999
A $165,350 TEACH Wisconsin training grant for the Madison School District and the Madison Public Library will pool city and school district resources to train staff and citizens on ways to conduct electronic research on the Internet, according to a joint announcement released today from the City of Madison, Madison Public Library and the Madison Metropolitan School District.
The grant will provide nearly 200 training sessions at public libraries and schools over the next 18 months for members of the public, school and library personnel, and parents. The training sessions will target the neediest areas of the city in terms of access, skills and comfort levels relative to technology and electronic information.
"This is a tremendous opportunity to advance our goal of opening up our schools to the broader community," said Interim Superintendent Art Rainwater. "Understanding and using information technology is vital to teachers and students. To extend that knowledge to others in our community is a real plus."
The grant will benefit 20 Madison schools with 200 teachers and serving over 9,200 students, as well as 50 direct service staff from four of seven public library sites and over 3,000 library patrons.
Training classes will be held at four middle schools (Black Hawk, O'Keeffe, Sherman and Wright), the Madison Public Library's Central library and three branches (Hawthorne, Lakeview and South Madison). The plan is to begin a 13-week session at one of the schools and the Central library this spring. The two-hour training sessions will be offered in the evening and on weekends, generally accommodating about 15 people. Training sessions will run through June of 2000.
"Technology has changed the face of education," Mayor Susan J.M. Bauman said. "Too many parents use their own lack of experience with computers to excuse their lack of involvement with their children's education. The TEACH grant enables parents to become comfortable with computers by making them familiar with the Internet, so they can participate as full partners in their children's education."
Classes will cover a wide range of information technology issues, including: Windows 95, using the World Wide Web, Internet search engines and evaluating and annotating Internet resources. In the past eight years both the school district and library have converted their traditional card catalogs to computer-based systems, yet too few teachers, library personnel and library users have the basic skills needed in the Information Age.
"The TEACH collaboration will allow librarians and teachers to work together to help people use information technology," according to Madison Public Library Director Barbara Dimick. "It helps us fulfill one of the library's strategic goals."
Grant planners hope to help the public better understand how essential information technology is to modern schools and library systems by reaching out to people through training sessions.
Madge Klais, 266-4865 (MMSD)
Jane Grogan, 266-9632 (MPL)
Public Information Office
545 W. Dayton St.
Madison, WI 53703
608-266-6270
email: mmccabe@madison.k12.wi.us
Last Modified: 1999-01-15
HTML Editor & Publisher: Chris Burch, cburch@madison.k12.wi.us
webmaster@madison.k12.wi.us