Our last newsletter described the exciting, $750,000 grant for the BC School of Education. Now called Building Up Brooklyn, the aptly named grant has begun to pave the way for enhanced technology and innovative instruction for education majors. ITS and the School of Education have worked together closely to determine the appropriate facility and equipment, and the Facilities Department is helping to prepare the allotted space. A June 1st ribbon cutting is anticipated. Here are the latest Building Up Brooklyn developments:

• The Wireless Access Lab in 2104 James is underway, including furnishings and electrical wiring. A wireless Local Area Network (LAN) connection will be installed so that any of the mobile classrooms can be plugged into the room. The lab will have 24 flat-panel iMACS and two network-laser printers.
  
  
• Specifications have been finalized for the 4 mobile classrooms, which have been ordered. These classrooms on wheels include lockable carts that accommodate 24 laptops, printers and network equipment. The carts are approximately 5’ wide by 2’ deep by 4’ tall.
  

Building Up Brooklyn will allow students to observe “best practices” in teaching. With the use of videography, students will see master teachers at work in two ways on their iMAC screens: in recorded, digitized video and in live videoconferencing, in which our students will converse with teachers and their students. Ultimately, all education majors will gain valuable experience with the use of the Wireless Access Lab and mobile classrooms.