WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., Aug. 31, 2016 — The future success of today’s students hinges more than ever on their ability to think critically, and creatively manipulate technology, media and data, according to Carnegie Mellon University project managers working on a new program sponsored by The Heinz Endowments.

Lou Karas

West Liberty University is serving as a thought partner for the new project, leading professional development efforts and supporting the cohort of Pittsburgh educators now investigating how fluency can be incorporated into their classrooms.

“We are proud to be serving as a thought partner in this planning grant which will lead to future involvement with West Virginia schools,” said Lou Karas, director of the WLU Center for Arts and Education, housed in the College of Education.

“Our vision is that students will be using technology, multimedia and data as raw materials for supporting their decisions or expressing their creativity,” said Jessica Pachuta, a project manager for the CMU Robotics Institute’s CREATE (Community Robotics, Education and Technology Empowerment) Lab. “While schools have concentrated on technical and data literacy, we want students to achieve fluency.”

Twelve teachers from eight Pittsburgh-area school systems explored how to apply the concept of data and technology fluency in their schools during workshops this summer with Carnegie Mellon researchers, led by Pachuta, Jessica Kaminsky and Beatrice Dias. These educators, including librarians, represent grades 1-12 and teach subjects ranging from physics to physical education.

Students in class at WLU’s Center for Arts and Education.

“These teachers are really entering the design space with us,” said Kaminsky, one of three project managers on the CREATE team. With support from the 14-month, $593,000 planning grant from The Heinz Endowments, the group will develop a pilot program that will then be used in schools, both in Pittsburgh and West Virginia. This will include developing tools and methods that enable students to use data and technology for asking questions and exploring their environment, for telling cohesive stories, and for articulating opinions and arguments.

The CREATE Lab will provide access to visualization software for making sense out of large datasets, to virtual reality tools and to other technologies and expertise.

The lab runs a number of projects, including a multi-state satellite network involving WLU and other universities that makes technology available to area schools and provide professional development and support to teachers.

The Center for Arts and Education at West Liberty University is a multi-faceted focused on the integration of the arts, creativity, and technology. It is located on the first floor of Main Hall, west wing. For more information contact Karas at 304.336.8247.

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