Cheryl Grable, Ph.D

UALR PT3 Director

Dear Readers:

Welcome to our website at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s PT3 Project. Exactly what is PT3? I’m glad you asked.

PT3 is the nickname for a nationwide Department of Education grant program called Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers to Use Technology.  The UALR  PT3 grant is a three-year grant.  According to Tom Carroll, US Director of PT3 Grants, “Teacher preparation has emerged as a critical factor in the effective use of new technologies in education.  Federal and local agencies are investing billions of dollars to equip schools with modern computers and telecommunication networks. But these information technology investments will not pay off unless future teachers become technology-proficient educators who know how to use these new learning tools to improve learning.”

The UALR PT3 Grant is working to build strong strategies for improving the technology proficiency of future teachers.

The UALR PT3 Project will improve the ability and knowledge of future teachers through a partnership of the education faculty, arts and sciences faculty,  Community Colleges Metropolitan School Districts, and Environmental And Spatial Technology (EAST) labs, a corporate-sponsored nonprofit program.  The partnership is committed to using technology for problem based learning and teaching teachers to do so as well.  Teacher preparation programs will benefit through educational interventions addressing issues involving the “digital divide.”

 As Arkansas, the United States, and beyond become increasingly interconnected, those who are prepared to take advantage of advanced technologies will benefit and thrive.  Those who are not prepared will not be able to participate fully in the new workplace or take advantage of lifelong learning opportunities to improve their skills to keep pace with rapid changes.  Inequality of access, resources, and training will further widen disparities between the haves and the have-nots in our society.  But technology provides both a potential solution and the opportunity to create a more equitable society. The key lies in education.

The education establishment itself suffers from digital inequities.  Students in many schools lack access to home computers, up-to-date school technologies, broadband connections to the Internet, and, especially, teachers who have been prepared to teach with technology.  Districts alone cannot make up for these inequities.  Many projects within the scope of this program focus on providing digital equity solutions.