For Immediate Release: Friday, June 1, 2001

For More Information: Bob Mercer or Mike Mueller, 773-3212

(Pierre) -- Beginning June 4 and continuing through July, nearly 1,600 K-12 teachers from across South Dakota will converge on university campuses and, for the first time, in local school district classrooms to learn how to incorporate technology into their teaching.

This year’s participants in Gov. Bill Janklow’s Technology for Teaching and Learning (TTL) academies join a growing network of South Dakota educators who have been trained to use technology more effectively to improve the educational experience for their students.

"We started in 1997 training 135 teachers at Dakota State, and we've now reached more than 30 percent of the teaching force in South Dakota," Janklow said. " This year, for the first time, the sessions will expand to 32 local school district sites as well."

The TTL sessions will be offered from June 4 through June 29 at Black Hills State University, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (SDSMT), and Southeast Technical Institute, and from July 8 through August 3 at Northern State University.

Regional TTL academies will be held in June at Arlington, Bennett County, Bon Homme, Britton, Brookings, Clark, Dakota Valley, Dupree, Elk Point, Harrold, Huron, Jones County, Miller, McLaughlin, Parkston, Redfield, Wagner, Wilmot, and Winner. Regional academies in July will be held in Burke, Chamberlain, Chester, Hamlin, Huron, Kadoka, Menno, Milbank, Mitchell, Mobridge, Rapid City, Shannon County, and Sisseton.

A brand-new training experience offered this year under the TTL umbrella is Advanced TTL, a two-week residential experience at Dakota State University in Madison and the School of Mines and Technology. These advanced sessions will focus on higher-level technology skills, including video production, classroom use of personal digital assistants (PDAs), and digital photography. The advanced TTL sessions at DSU will be held June 4 – 15, June 18 - 29, and July 9 -20.

So far, nearly 2,500 teachers have taken part in the TTL experience, which represents more than 30 percent of the teaching force in South Dakota. The TTL academies are staffed by K-12 teachers who serve as instructors, with leadership provided by the Department of Education and Cultural Affairs, the Governor’s Office, and Technology and Innovations in Education (TIE). Teachers are paid a $1,000 stipend to participate in the 20-day intensive training; in addition, their school district receives $1,000 per participant to support the implementation of technology in the local school.

Other TTL-related offerings include a Distance Teaching and Learning Academy (DTL) focused on design of distance education opportunities using the state’s Digital Dakota Network; and TTL sessions for network administrators and school administrators.

The regional DTL sessions in June will be held at Avon, Belle Fourche, Chester, Geddes, McCook, Sisseton, Wall, and White River. The regional DTL sessions in July will be held at Bennett County, Canton, Flandreau, Gayville-Volin, Kadoka, Milbank, Miller, Sisseton, and White River