Technology and creativity go hand in hand, especially in the ULM Department of Curriculum and Instruction.

The department hosted about a dozen students from Cypress Point Elementary Friday, Oct. 26 in Strauss Hall. The group turned ideas into posters, using tools like the World Wide Web.

ULM professional block student in Elementary Education Lindsey Crum (left) works with Cypress Point University Elementary School sixth-grader Jasmine Claiborne as Ava Pugh, professor and Coordinator of Elementary Education and Professional Block, looks on. Student volunteers from ULM's professional block conducted a service learning session where as they incorporated the Cypress Point student's gator themed ideas into a power point presentation and poster.

Professional Block education students shared their technology skills with the students, and both the students and the teacher candidates worked together to create high-quality printed posters in a ULM computer lab.

"This is an excellent way to introduce students to the ULM campus and allow them to learn through the Internet," said Ava Pugh, a professor of curriculum and instruction.

This initiative is funded through a $9,000 grant secured earlier this year for "Future Teachers: Outreach and Empowerment with Technology," obtained by ULM's Pugh and Mike Beutner, an associate professor in the department. In this outreach program, local school officials will send at least 10 groups of K-12 students to ULM.

In an earlier statement, Beutner said, "It's a guaranteed way for students to be encouraged through success to pursue higher education in the future," he said. "They're going to have a great time. We're also sending a message that technology is easy. I doubt many of the visiting students know PowerPoint - they'll be able to use it within an hour."

The grant provides valuable community outreach, said Wayne Brumfield, vice president for Student Affairs.

"The service-learning grant by Dr. Pugh and Dr. Beutner provides great opportunities for our curriculum and instruction students to interact with K-12 students in a meaningful, deliberate way."

The "ULS Serves" grants are made possible by a $1.2 million grant awarded to the University of Louisiana System by Learn and Serve America to increase the capacity of service-learning in its eight universities over a three-year period.

While at ULM, the students will also eat lunch at Schulze Cafeteria.

For more information, contact Ava Pugh at (318) 342-1282 or apugh@ulm.edu


Photo by Richard Lupo, University Photo Services