Archive: Around Town

Thursday marked the official opening of the Lansing-Groton Teacher Resource and Technology Center.  The newly outfitted facility serves more than 250 teachers in the two school districts with training opportunities and other resources for professional development.  "The opening will be the first time most people will have seen the center fully equipped," said the Director Shannon Maxson. "We will have demonstrations of our new equipment and people to see the space and meet the staff."


In January the State granted $121,250 to fund the facility, only days after Senator Michael Nozzolio brought $50,000 of State money to help with startup costs.  When Director of Curriculum Deborah Pichette began working in Lansing over a year ago she was surprised to find that Lansing was one of only 37 school districts in New York State that did not have access to a teacher center. She approached Nozzolio for assistance in securing funding for a facility here.  Pichette followed up on the application process and the center opened in February. 

In early February Maxson and Pichette ordered furniture and equipment that was still being delivered this week.  "All of the furniture has arrived and has been used to equip the mobile laptop lab," Maxson reports.  "We also have the laptops. We will receive the poster maker, laminator, and die cut machine tomorrow.  We just got it put together this week, and the laptops are being configured for use. Wireless internet access is being installed this week."

The Lansing-Groton Teacher Center is only the second in the county, with the other in the Dryden school district.  Maxson says professional development opportunities will focus on seven goals including K-12 literacy, technology integration, mathematics, student-centered teaching strategies, serving at-risk students, and connecting with parents as partners in education.  A satellite center will be opened in Groton in the near future.  "Their center will be a satellite, used primarily to house materials for use on their campus," Maxson explains.  "It won't be a full-fledged center like the one in Lansing. We are in the process of assessing needs and acquiring space."


Even before it was equipped the Teacher Center provided twenty professional development workshops so far, with more being scheduled frequently. Courses have been well-attended. Teachers are able to take information back to their classrooms and apply it immediately. The Center also offers grants for the formation of professional study groups and one-day sabbaticals for teachers who need time to work on technology integration.

The main center is located on the second floor of the R. C. Buckley Elementary School in Lansing, and is open to teachers from both school districts.  "The Teacher Center is home to a variety of resources in addition to serving as a location for professional development workshops," Maxson says.  "Items recently purchased for teacher use include a poster maker, a laminator, a die cut machine, classroom materials, and professional books. The Center is also home to a wireless computer lab that includes a Smart Board. The twenty-four hour lab will be used for courses on technology integration and to train teachers in the use of educational software."

Teachers, administrators, clerical staff, school board members, PTO presidents, the board of the Lansing Library, local senators, assembly people, teacher center directors from the Southern Tier Network were all invited to the grand opening.  Senator Nozzolio attended, talking to teachers and School Board members while celebrating the opening.

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