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UW-Madison School of Education Online News - January 2007
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Welcome to the UW-Madison School of Education Online News, a monthly update on School and campus news and resources.

IN THIS ISSUE: January 2007

• New Book Makes a Case for the Educational Power of Computer Games
• Research: Equality of Educational Opportunity
• Tandem Press Puts Art Video Online: "People Living their Passion"
• WISCAPE Provides Links to Higher Education Resources
• RPSE Identifies Disability-Related Resources
• OEO Offers Online Course on Virtual Museums
• Educational Opportunities Are Plentiful in Jan. & Feb.
• Dancers Perform and Begin Celebrations of the Dance Program’s 80th Anniversary
• 21st Annual Careers Conference - Jan. 29-31
• Educational Policy Studies’ Spring-Semester Conference - Feb. 7-8
• Annual High School Dance Workshop & Entrance Auditions - Feb. 24
• International Education Conference - Mar. 19-20
• WEBGEM: UW Debuts Digital Portal to Lakeshore Nature Preserve
• Kudos to . . .

NEW BOOK MAKES A CASE FOR THE EDUCATIONAL POWER OF COMPUTER GAMES
In a global economy where good jobs demand innovative thinking, American education must move beyond its "skill and drill" curriculum and embrace creative learning technologies, such as computer and video games, to prepare young people for the world of global competition. So argues David Williamson Shaffer, education science professor and author of the new book How Computer Games Help Children Learn (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007). Shaffer's book draws from more than a decade of his work on "epistemic games" - games in which players learn to think in innovative and creative ways to solve complex problems.
Read more

RESEARCH: EQUALITY OF EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY
A new research paper by Adam Gamoran, director of the Wisconsin Center for Educational Research, and Daniel Long, Wesleyan University sociology professor, looks at what things are like 40 years after the 1966 landmark study by James Coleman and colleagues, “Equality of Education Opportunity.” Among Gamoran and Long’s findings: Following marked reductions in racial isolation during the 1970s and 1980s, segregation increased during the 1990s, and on some indicators, levels of segregation are nearly as high today as they were in 1966.
Read more

TANDEM PRESS PUTS ART VIDEO ONLINE: “PEOPLE LIVING THEIR PASSION”
Now available online is a beautiful video describing the work that goes on at Tandem Press, a self-supporting print-making studio affiliated with the School’s Department of Art. Videos of prints being designed and then pulled from presses, combined with interviews of artists such as Judy Pfaff, David Lynch, and Sam Gilliam, provide an “up close and personal” view of the print-making process. The video runs on Quicktime, which can be downloaded for free. (You’ll need to scroll down to the bottom left of Tandem’s homepage to get to the video link to “People Living Their Passion.”)
View the Tandem website

WISCAPE PROVIDES LINKES TO HIGHER EDUCATION RESOURCES
If you’re researching (or are simply interested in) issues in higher education, you’ll want to check out this resource provided by the Wisconsin Center for the Advancement of Postsecondary Education (WISCAPE). Its online list includes links to educational associations, organizations, councils, and commissions; higher education research and policy centers and institutes; publications and journals focusing on higher education; and foundations and philanthropy resources.
Check it out

RPSE IDENTIFIES DISABILITY-RELATED RESOURCES
The new website of the Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education (RPSE) features a helpful “resources” section that provides links to community, disability-related, and professional resources in the areas of rehabilitation psychology and special education. Note: The resources link is listed in the ribbon at the top of the RPSE homepage.
Check it out

OEO OFFERS ONLINE COURSE ON VIRTUAL MUSEUMS
You’ll need to register soon for this unique online workshop that will explore the latest methodologies and technologies used to implement virtual museums in K-12 classrooms. Sponsored by the School’s Office of Education Outreach (OEO), the online workshop will be guided by staff educators from the Milwaukee Public Museum. The four-week web-based course begins Feb. 5 and will be offered via Learn@UW, making it ideal for educators with busy schedules. Check the website for registration and course details.
Check it out

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES ARE PLENTIFUL IN JAN. & FEB.
The School’s Office of Education Outreach (OEO) offers a variety of educational opportunities for K-12 professionals in early winter. Among the options are “Conflict Resolution in the Classroom” (Jan. 25-26); “The Third Annual Arts, Curriculum, and Community Series: Quilting Communities - Learning Circles” (Feb. 2); “Assistive and Instructional Technology, and Universal Design Strategies to Enhance Achievement for All Students” (Feb. 5); and “Wisconsin Treasures: Think Like a Historian” (Feb. 28). Course details and registration information can be found on the OEO website.
Check it out

DANCERS PERFORM AND BEGIN CELEBRATIONS OF THE DANCE PROGRAM’S 80TH ANNIVERSARY
The School’s dancers will wisk away the winter doldrums with upcoming performances that include "Home Works,” the first performance by Li Chiao-Ping Dance as an Overture Center for the Arts resident dance company (Jan. 25-27); and Peggy Choy’s “Women of the Scarred Earth: Age of Fire (Feb. 1). Also, the Dance Program begins its anniversary celebrations with a series of events, Feb. 21–23, that will explore the history of dance in Lathrop Hall and its relationship to modern dance greats, culminating with a “Nikolais Dance Theater Concert” on Friday, Feb. 23, in the Wisconsin Union Theater.
View the Dance Program’s calendar

21ST ANNUAL CAREERS CONFERENCE - JAN. 29-31
This premier national conference focuses on all aspects of career development and education for work, with sessions for practitioners who serve anyone from youth to adults. Features include more than 150 practitioner sessions, off-site tours to workplaces, hands-on technology sessions, outstanding keynote speakers, and much more.
Check it out

EDUCATIONAL POLICY STUDIES’ SPRING-SEMESTER CONFERENCE - FEB. 7- 8
“Education and Educational Research in an Era of Accountability: Insights and Blind Spots” is the focus of the annual spring-semester conference sponsored by the Department of Educational Policy Studies. Richard F. Elmore, the Gregory R. Anrig Professor of Educational Leadership at Harvard University and co-director of the Consortium for Policy Research in Education, will present the keynote address on Wednesday evening at 7:00 at the Pyle Center. The conference is free and open to the public; pre-registration is not required. A conference agenda is available on the department’s website.
Get the details

ANNUAL HIGH SCHOOL DANCE WORKSHOP & ENTRANCE AUDITIONS - FEB. 24
This annual workshop for high school and college-transfer students includes a full day of master classes in modern, ballet, and world dance taught by the UW-Madison Dance Program's multi-talented faculty, staff and guest artists. Newly introduced program auditions also will be held on this date, and incoming freshmen will have an opportunity to simultaneously audition for a generous dance scholarship for the upcoming academic year. Audition applications and workshop pre-registration information are available online.
Get the details

INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION CONFERENCE - MAR. 19-20
Mark your calendar and register early for the 2007 Wisconsin Council for the Social Studies and International Education Conference to be held at the Madison Marriott West Hotel. This year’s conference, “The Challenges of Citizenship and Literacy in a Global Society,” offers stimulating sessions, thought-provoking keynote speakers, and a full afternoon of workshops that focus on teaching social studies and international and global education. The conference is sponsored by the Wisconsin Council for the Social Studies and the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis. Note: The deadline for presentation proposals has been extended to Jan. 15.
Get the details

WEBGEM: UW DEBUTS DIGITAL PORTAL TO LAKESHORE NATURE PRESERVE
Your memories are sure to be stirred with this new UW portal. It’s a digital treasure trove brimming with cutting-edge maps, evocative photos, ecological information, and the rich history of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Lakeshore Nature Preserve. One of its most innovative features is an interactive map that allows users to view different layers of the preserve, showing vegetation, hydrology, soils, topography, surviving and vanished historical sites, and aerial photos. Enjoy!
View the site

KUDOS TO . . .

• Michael Apple, John Bascom Professor of curriculum and instruction and educational policy studies, who was awarded a Doctor of Letters from McGill University in recognition of his academic achievements in the field of critical education.
• Dean Bowles, emeritus professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, who was the only non-Latvian to receive “honors” during the 10th anniversary celebration of the founding of Vidzeme University College in Latvia.
• Kathleen Horning, director of the Cooperative Children’s Book Center, who received the 2006 Distinguished Alumni Award from the UW-Madison School of Library and Information Studies.
• William Morgan, emeritus professor in the Department of Kinesiology, who received the Hetherington Award, the highest honor bestowed by the American Academy of Kinesiology and Physical Education for those providing outstanding leadership and significant contributions to those fields.
• John Rudolph, associate professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, who received the History of Education Society’s Best Article Prize for his essay “Epistemology for the Masses: The Origins of ‘the Scientific Method’ in American Schools.”

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