Read how LAEP's Humanitas program is helping infuse technology into the study of the arts Since 1993, LAEP has helped bring classrooms, schools and communities to forefront of technology

LAEP to Use Parsons Grant to Provide Advanced Technology Training for Teachers THE LOS ANGELES EDUCATIONAL PARTNERSHIP (LAEP) has received a $200,000 grant from the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation to provide advanced technology training for more than 2,000 teachers in the Los Angeles area. LAEP will use the three-year grant to develop technology-rich teaching units that will support thematic teaching in various disciplines. The format for the units will be based on LAEP's successful TELL US (Technology Enhanced Literacy and Learning in Urban Schools) training that was piloted by the Urban Learning Centers in the Spring of 1998. To develop these units, LAEP's technology services department will work closely with Target Science and Humanitas intiatives. "We are hoping this approach will mean technology-based professional development for teachers can be directly linked to engaging students in standards-based curriculum and inquiry-based learning opportunities," said Andy Dunau, LAEP's director of technology. To accomplish this, LAEP will assist teachers in making the transition from what in many instances is a limited use of technology to infusing technology into their curriculum and daily teaching. The units will use LAEP's teacher-developed online curriculum, including ARTS Online, designed to provide teachers with electronic access to art and related cultural materials; LA Access: Our Place Called Home, which provides collaborative research projects and samples of student work reflecting their local communities; and Project Inquiry, which supports high-quality science and technology instruction. "This approach will result in students and teachers useing the Internet and other technologies at home and at school to conduct authentic research and communicate with other students and teachers nationally and around the world," Dunau said. Using these materials, teachers will receive training to launch technology-rich classroom activities that are aligned with standards-based curriculum. They will also be able to use the Internet to facilitate discussions and exchange ideas with other teachers, specialists and experts in their disciplines on how to implement lessons in the classroom and how to vary lessons found online. LAEP is a non-profit education fund that works with educators, business leaders and community members to foster and support improvements in public education in the Los Angeles area.