The Roamer Workshop will be taught online from February 4 - April 15, 2006. Teachers will be expected to spend 4-6 hours per week working with Roamer in their classrooms and participating in the online course. During this workshop, teachers will

• Learn how to program Roamer
• Learn how to manage Roamer in a classroom environment
• Experiment using Roamer in teacher created thematic lessons
• Participate in online discussions/activities with the instructors and other Roamer teachers
• Participate in online discussions with Dave Catlin, developer of the Roamer robot, and Kate Hudson, a Roamer curriculum specialist with Valiant Technology
• Connect with other teachers using Roamer in their classrooms and share experiences and ideas
• Explore online resources and additional ideas for using Roamer in the classroom
• Develop Roamer activities connected to curriculum standards

All workshop participants must have access to:

• a Roamer Robot (available from Valiant Technology,
  http://www.valiant-technology.com/usa/roamer1.htm)
• a classroom or group of students who can work with Roamer
• a computer with broadband Internet connection
• a telephone located near the computer and capable of calling a 1-800 toll free number

The Roamer Workshop is sponsored by ESSDACK and Wichita State University and will be taught online with synchronous meetings (dates and times to be determined by the instructors and teachers). During the synchronous meetings, teachers will place a 1-800 call to join a "conference call" with the workshop instructors and other teachers. At the same time, teachers will access a website where the instructors will provide online instructions and demonstrations. These will be interactive meetings and participation is required.

Course materials, class discussions, and other activities will also take place using Blackboard, a private online discussion board and file sharing course management environment. Teachers will be actively involved in these activities and will be expected to use Roamer with students in their classrooms over the course of the workshop.

Tuition: NonESSDACK member $450.00  |  ESSDACK member $225.00

Please mail check made out to ESSDACK with completed enrollment form to:

ESSDACK
1500 East 11th Avenue Suite 200
Hutchinson, Kansas 67501

Payment must be made in full before the course starts. No refunds.

Optional: Two hours graduate credit is available through Wichita State University. (Requires WSU graduate credit tuition and fees. Contact Karen.Reynolds@wichita.edu for more information.)

For more information about Roamer, visit the following sites:

• Roamer Robotics at Wichita State University
  http://education.wichita.edu/mindstorms/roamer
• Roamer, Valiant Technology
  http://www.valiant-technology.com/usa/roamer1.htm
• Terrapin Logo Roamer Resources
  http://www.terrapinlogo.com
• Roamer as a Constructivist Tool in Early Learning
  http://www.soton.ac.uk/~pgce/ict/roamer
• Ideas for Using Roamer - The Valiant User Group Magazine
  http://www.valiant-technology.com/goindex.htm

Tonya Witherspoon, an Instructional Technology Specialist, is a new member of the ESSDACK staff. She worked previously in the College of Education at WSU teaching both undergraduate and graduate teacher education courses in technology integration and providing the College of Education faculty with instructional technology support and training. Tonya has experience teaching courses such as robotics, clay animation, multimedia, web design, early childhood technology integration, and global and distance education.  Her teaching methodology provides hands-on, minds-on, meaningful experience with reflective practice. Tonya received both an M.Ed degree in Curriculum and Instruction and a Graduate Certificate in Educational Technology from Wichita State University. She has been awarded for her work in distance learning with a "Global Learning Excellence in Technology Innovation Award" and an "ISTE SIGTEL Online Learning Award." Tonya speaks internationally and writes for Prentice Hall, ISTE, Syngress Publishing, and McGraw Hill.

Karen V. Reynolds is an educational technology specialist in the College of Education at Wichita State University and manages information technology resources for the College. She earned a Master of Art in Liberal Studies with emphasis in mathematics and education, and is a former mathematics instructor. She is co-director of the robotics program at WSU and works on several grants focusing on integration of technology into the curriculum.