Advancing Technological Literacy and Skills (ATLAS) of Elementary Educators
Educating and exciting a next generation that is technologically literate requires that we engage young children in engineering and technology activities. Educators at all levels need to be comfortable bringing engineering activities and related content and pedagogy into their classrooms. The Advancing Technological Literacy and Skills (ATLAS) of Elementary Educators program works with community college faculty to infuse content related to technology and engineering into elementary and early education coursework and programs.
Goals of ATLAS
- Enrich community college elementary education courses with technology and engineering.
- Strengthen elementary educators’ knowledge of and capabilities to teach technology, engineering, and science.
- Develop articulation pathways related to elementary technology/engineering between high schools, community colleges, and four-year institutions.
- Create a cadre of community college and four-year faculty leaders that disseminate capabilities and curricular models to colleagues in the region and state.
- Increase awareness among stakeholders about the importance of effective technology and engineering elementary education programs.
ATLAS Partners
| Community Colleges | 4 Year State Colleges | Industry |
|---|---|---|
| Northern Essex Community College | Fitchburg State College | Verizon Boston Society of Civil Engineers |
| Bristol Community College | Bridgewater State College | |
| Holyoke Community College | Westfield State College University of Massachusetts, Amherst |
ATLAS News
ATLAS Highlighted in the New England Journal of TechnologyMark Reinhold, Associate Professor of Science, was one of the first community college faculty to support ATLAS and infuse engineering and technology in Physical Science courses taken by elementary education students at Northern Essex Community College. Mark was recently interviewed by Brendan Lynch of the New England Journal of Technology on the ATLAS program at NECC.
Information on Professional Development for Faculty
Course Integration Models
Examples of Student Work
Information on Student Evaluation
For information on the ATLAS program, email atlas[at]mos.org, or call 617-589-4236.
ATLAS is sponsored by the National Science Foundation Grant No. 0702853. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
