Education that Empowers

Recognized nationally for our leadership in educational outreach, the Educational Resource Center of WGTE incorporates technology to create highly interactive learning environments for students and teachers, alike. We take great pride in providing educational resources and services that reach beyond the traditional classroom to students and educators at all levels. The Educational Resource Center at WGTE has pioneered a number of innovative professional development efforts.

As one of 8 Educational Technology Centers in the State of Ohio, the core of our work focuses on providing educational services to young people from pre-K through high school. We also provide teachers, college students, and adults with enhanced learning opportunities.

More than 8,000 teachers and education professionals and nearly 150,000 students have been assisted by the ERC (Educational Resource Center) during the past school year. Additionally, more than 7,500 educational materials were provided to teachers through our media and technology library. Professional development workshops have covered a diverse range of topics, including the use of video resources in the classroom, building web sites, using digital cameras, evaluating Internet resources, integrating software applications, writing across the curriculum, teaching science effectively, and employing the arts and drama in education.

We are very excited about the Hunting for Every Day History project, a multi-media technology education program for students in grades three, four, and five. Over the last two years, more than 1,000 teachers and 20,000 students from across Ohio participated in this fun history project that was highlighted in the Ohio Bicentennial Roadshow, a one-hour, state-wide broadcast in May, 2003, produced by WGTE. The project, made possible by a grant from the Ohio Educational Telecommunications commission and Ohio SchoolNet, encourages students to search their homes and communities for items of historical value. Students research their finds; consult with local history experts; and post pictures and descriptions on the Internet of their item’s historical significance. Results of their work can be found by visiting the project’s website at www.historyhunt.org.

Collaboration with community resources is important and necessary for the delivery of effective training and professional development. The Educational Resource Center has cosponsored a number of community educational offerings with area institutions of higher learning, cultural organizations, parks and recreation facilities, and other community resources. The Educational Resource Center serves as a one-stop-center for educational resources from other organizations, as well, including the Maumee River Crossing Bridge Discovery Boxes, the Toledo Museum of Art, and is an affiliate of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.

Supplementing the above services, we broadcast over 500 hours of instructional television, each year, for use in the K-12 classroom; we provide statewide instructional initiatives connecting teachers and students with professional experts and unique resources through a virtual educational network; facilitate basic skills and workforce redevelopment training and GED preparation; deliver a wide range of Professional Development and Continuing Education workshops; as well as offer telecourses for college credit by area colleges and universities.