Teachers are changing the way they teach as high tech skills become more and more important. That's why the Albany Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce and Citizens Bank teamed up to offer teachers a high-tech summer education.
Citizens Bank VP of Public Affairs Christy Calicchia said, "They will be on a six to eight week assignment working directly with the companies and really furthering their math and science skills and then translating that to the students in the fall."
Chamber of Commerce Director of Communications John Spadafora said, "They spend the summer with these high-tech companies, get real life experience of the kind of things these companies are looking for, and they take that back to their classroom and it's just been a win-win."
Teachers are changing the way they teach as high tech skills become more and more important. That's why the Albany Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce and Citizens Bank teamed up to offer teachers a high tech summer education.
Educators were selected to participate in the Tech Valley Teacher Externship. In many ways, teachers become the students. The goal is to provide them information on the latest advancements in their field. Many feel this is not only helpful, but necessary.
Burnt Hills Ballston Lake School Teacher Pete Mody said, "There's a large gap between what our students are capable of doing and what companies want them to be able to do, and really we are the means of the cap getting covered. So if you're not prepared to delve into the world of technology, there's no hope for you to get your students where they need to be."
And while match and science always seem to be the key subjects, technology really affects everything, including the school library.
Maple Hill High School Librarian Candace Eustace said, "Librarians are the tech people of the school and we're going to bring back research skills that are important to businesses and students."
Working with a grant from the Citizens Bank Foundation, the Tech Valley Teacher Externship Program is now in its fourth year, and it looks like it will continue to grow from here.
Calicchia said, "This is really going to lay the foundation for the future for a highly educated work force."
Where the learning never ends.