The goal of this project is to pilot the Tools of Engagement Project’s (TOEP) on-demand professional development model among faculty across SUNY campuses, investigating its effectiveness in expanding their pedagogy as they integrate free online Web 2.0 tools into their courses and research. Evolving instructional technologies are changing the ways we collaborate and communicate. Faculty must learn to adapt to this rapidly changing landscape. TOEP’s self-directed professional development gives faculty a platform to experiment with cutting-edge technologies, integrating them into their curricula to engage students and improve learning. Self-directed activities encourage faculty to be lifelong learners, as they become familiar with blogging, wikis, podcasting, online collaborative, and the latest web-based instructional technology tools. After acquiring deeper knowledge about how to use these tools, faculty will become more adept at embedding 21st century skills into their teaching and meeting the expectations of their students. They will also be able to use these tools to diversify assessment of student learning, going beyond traditional strategies.

A one-day conference, Friday, October 26, 2012, at The College at Brockport will help faculty and researchers understand and safeguard intellectual property rights in producing and consuming information. The May 2012 federal court decision in the closely-watched Georgia State case makes the conversation especially timely. The program will include discussion of the copyright and licensing environments in general, and alternatives to current models including the open access movement.

We propose to introduce a Laboratory Instruction Management System by implementation of electronic notebooks and computerizing data acquisition. Students will plan and document all aspects of an experiment; laboratory instructions will be incorporated into a notebook template and adjusted at the time of preparation for a new experiment. ELN is accessible to the instructor at any step; the report creation will be automatic. Instructor will be able to make the corrections directly in the ELN. Successful completion of this project should serve as a pattern for implementation of LIMS in the educational laboratory environment.

“Dreaming in Languages: Politics, Pedagogy and Technology for Language Instruction in the 21st Century” is a one-day symposium meant for language instructors at all levels in WNY. It will comprise three sessions, one on the political climate around language teaching, another on current theories on language acquisition and pedagogy and an entire afternoon session devoted to technological innovations and applications for language instruction. It will take place at Fredonia in November 2012 or March 2013. After the symposium, a website will be created to post the symposium’s materials and for teachers to share curriculum innovations.