Suzie Boss, Writer, Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory

Not all learners are alike. That's just as true for adult learners as it is for school-aged children.

Providing professional development workshops tailored to meet the needs of specific audiences is the idea behind the brand-new Intel® Innovation in Education Institute. Instructional leaders, curriculum specialists, classroom teachers, and others involved in using technology in education will be able to select workshop topics from a menu of course offerings.

Institute workshops will demonstrate how to make the most of the growing number of free tools and resources already available on the Intel Innovation in Education Web site. Hands-on sessions, conducted in a technology lab setting, will show educators how to make the most of free Web tools and resources such as:

• It's a Wild Ride: A video and Web-based case study featuring three middle school teachers who created an interdisciplinary, technology-infused project about designing roller coasters
• Seeing Reason: A causal mapping tool that helps students construct models of their own thinking
• Innovative Lesson Plans: Exemplary ideas for project-based learning that integrate technology, designed by teachers in the real world of the classroom
• Effective Technology Integration: Tools and ideas to help instructional leaders motivate and inspire teachers, students, and community members to make effective use of technology in the classroom

Institute workshops can be delivered as a series of training events or as stand-alone sessions. Sessions range from 90 minutes to three hours in length. Course descriptions include equipment requirements as well as specific learning goals for participants.

Information about upcoming dates and locations of workshops will be available soon on the Intel Innovation in Education Web site. Meanwhile, interested participants can receive updates by registering to receive an online version of this newsletter at intel.com/education/site_support/news_registration.htm.

Organizations interested in hosting an Intel Innovation in Education Institute program can learn more about scheduling and other criteria by sending an e-mail request to ilene.aginsky@intel.com.