Intel Teach to the Future Program Will Train 5,400 New England Teachers to Use Classroom Computers to Improve Student Learning

CONCORD, N.H. — Intel(R) Corporation today launched the Intel(R) Teach to the Future program in New Hampshire and four other New England states, with the goal of training 5,400 teachers over the next three years. The teachers learn to do research on the World Wide Web, build Web pages, and give multimedia presentations so they can use these skills in their classrooms to stimulate student learning. The program is presented with support from Microsoft Corporation.

“Intel Teach to the Future relies on teachers training fellow teachers, so all can relate the new technology to their common classroom experience,” said Ann S. Hurd, Intel’s East Coast public affairs manager. “The master teachers, already familiar with computer technology, receive 40 hours of technology training, and 24 more hours of leadership training provided by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.”

“We’ve worked hard to equip New Hampshire’s classrooms with up-to-date computers through our Computers in the Schools and the Technology Literacy grant programs. But if we want our students to get the most out of this technology, we must make sure their teachers are trained to use technology to improve learning and student performance,” said Governor Jeanne Shaheen. “Intel Teach to the Future will help teachers learn how to make the most effective use of technology in the classroom, and help spread the use of technology across the curriculum. We welcome this partnership between industry and New Hampshire schools.”

Intel Teach to the Future will eventually train more than 400,000 teachers and millions of students in 20 countries around the world. The WGBH Educational Foundation manages the program in New England for Intel. New Hampshire Public Television in Durham is recruiting master teachers for the program in New Hampshire

Training of master teachers began this week at the Intel Teach to the Future training lab, donated by Premio Computer, at the Center for Instructional Technologies, a teacher-training facility housed at public television station WGBY in Springfield, Mass.

New Hampshire classes will be offered simultaneously at the NHPTV Broadcast Center, at Merrimack Valley High School in Penacook, and at the North Country Educational Foundation in Gorham via the Granite State Distance Learning Network. NHPTV will be the only PBS station to use interactive videoconferencing to reach teachers in remote locations of the state.

Intel Teach to the Future is built on the successes of the 1998 and 1999 Intel Applying Computers in Education (ACE) project, which trained over 3,300 teachers. ACE was presented in cooperation with Microsoft Corporation and the Hewlett Packard Company.

Fran Hearn, an English teacher in the Acton-Boxboro, Massachusetts school system, took the ACE course last summer. “When students work together to build a Web page on a class project they gain experience in collaborative learning, evaluating information, and putting subjects in context,” she said. “Students who never enjoyed English class, for example, may become more involved in a class report on an early 19th century novel if they can help their classmates build a Web page that depicts what life was like at the time. Students with different strengths and skills can make a contribution to class that they might not have made before.”

To support their training of 20 participant teachers the first year, master teachers receive a stipend and a mobile computer, as well as a $5,000 classroom equipment grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Industry Leaders Make Major Investment in Technology Education

Over three years, Intel will invest $100 million in cash, equipment, curriculum development and program management. Microsoft will contribute $344 million in software (estimated retail value) and program support, which is the single largest software donation in the company’s history. Each classroom teacher participating in the program will receive a free copy of Microsoft* Office* 2000 Professional, as well as Microsoft* Encarta* Encyclopedia 2000, so they can immediately put into practice what they have learned. Microsoft is also donating software and licenses for each of the training labs, and, in the United States, is providing master teachers with a lab kit that includes software and licenses for their districts.

“Great teachers are key to the effective use of technology to improve education,” said Sue Spezza, program manager, Professional Development Initiatives at Microsoft. “Our partnership with Intel Teach to the Future builds on Microsoft’s commitment to dramatically expand professional development opportunities for teachers.”

In addition, leading computer manufacturers including Hewlett-Packard Company, Premio Computer, IBM and Toshiba have joined Intel with equipment donations and discounts to make this the largest private industry effort to date – worth nearly a half-billion dollars – to ensure technology is used successfully in education. Other companies involved in the program include Acer, BOLData, Caliber, Mitsuba, Omnitech and Tangent.

RTA Selection and Master Teacher Training

Intel selects Regional Training Agencies (RTAs) through a Request for Proposal process. Designated RTAs receive a one-year, renewable grant to administer the training program in their areas, as well as a fully equipped training lab contributed by Premio Computer.

The Institute of Computer Technology (ICT) will conduct the training for the master teachers. The curriculum, which consists of 10 four-hour modules, is based on Microsoft Office 2000 Professional software suite.

Intel Teach to the Future is part of the Intel(R) Innovation in Education initiative, a global, multi-million dollar effort to help realize the possibilities of science and technology in education. The goal is to prepare today’s teachers and students for tomorrow’s demands. Intel develops and supports education programs that help meet the needs of students and communities worldwide through improving science, math, engineering and technology education; improving education through the effective use of technology in classrooms; and broadening access to technology and technical careers.

Intel, the world’s largest chipmaker, is also a leading manufacturer of computer networking and communications products. Additional information about Intel is available at