University plans to increase technology in classrooms

By the year 2005, nearly a third of IU's 264 general purpose classrooms will be outfitted with modern technology and multimedia. More than seven and a half million dollars will be spent during the five-year period to bring classrooms up to speed, installing devices such as DVD players, VCRs, Macintosh and IBM computers, touch-pad screens, digital cameras, cable TV and the Internet.\n"We know now from research that passive learning is simply not the best way to learn," said Bloomington Chancellor Kenneth Gros Louis. "Technology is a critical part of teaching and learning."\nThe upgrade is part of IU's cross-campus initiative to update the technology in the total 680 classrooms. Heading the program is the Office of the Vice President of Information Technology, University Information Technology Services and Instructional Support Services.\n"Basically, we are creating four different levels of technological classrooms, working up from elementary technology to fully advanced," said Vice President for Information Technology Michael McRobbie.\nA level one classroom is one which does not have any installed technology, but is conducive to the use of mobile technology.\nLevel two classrooms typically seat fewer than 40 and usually contain a TV/VCR and an overhead projector.\nLevel three classrooms are dubbed "Mid-range Technology Classrooms," and contain at least a large display video projector, VCR, computers with network connection and a telephone.\nLevel four classrooms are similar, but include more advanced technology systems, such as the touch-pad control system.\nIn conjunction with upgrading the technology, many of the rooms are being renovated at the same time.\nMuch of the funding for the upgrading program is coming from state legislation passed in 1999, which allots 3.6 million dollars a year to IU campuses. Of that total, the Bloomington campus uses 1.5 million.\nMark Kruzan and Vi Simpson, legislators and key supporters of the information technology legislation, visited Friday morning to see how the money had been put to use.\nThe legislators were shown the expensive technology in Woodburn 101, a level four classroom.\n"We're not just throwing money at the problem and hoping it will go away-that would be a mistake," McRobbie said. "We are providing support to continue to upgrade the technology as it changes in the future."\nGros Louis said at the end of the five years, one third of Bloomington's 264 campuses will be level three or four classrooms.\n"With the technology upgrade, we are looking to transform the campus, and yet, not change it at all," he said.\nAs more technology becomes available, the challenge is to get the faculty up to speed, he added.\n"More and more faculty will begin to take on the technology and learn it," said Beverly Teach, director of media resources for Instructional Support Services.\n"Eventually, every room will have to have advanced technology installed, because that is what will be expected"