Commerce, Texas (July 25, 2012)—Reference librarians at Texas A&M University-Commerce Gee Library hosted the third annual Technology Instruction Camp (TIC) July 9 – 10, 2012. The camp was created in 2010 to provide low cost technology training to educators in the northeast Texas region. Each year attendance has grown as educators learn about TIC. There were 19 individuals in attendance this year.
“This is the third year that we have hosted TIC,” Sarah H. Northam, interim head of reference at Gee Library. “The reference librarians put a lot of hard work into creating and planning the camp each year, and we are hoping that it will continue to grow.”
The main goal of TIC is to show educators how different types of technology can be incorporated into the classroom experience and used to create collaborative learning environments.
Reference librarians Northam, Scott Lancaster, Emily Witsell and John Atabaev partnered with Donna Stanley, technology specialist, from the Region 8 Education Service Center to create sessions for the TIC. Sessions presented were: Using Google in the Classroom, Prezi and Jing, Pinterest and Delicious, Educational Gaming, QR Codes, iPads in the Elementary Classroom and Internet Safety.
“TIC gives us a platform to connect with the community,” Northam said. “TIC is the brainchild of our library director, Greg Mitchell, who believes that librarians are always learning and playing with technology and that we could in turn provide technology training to the wider community. To me, it is one of the most rewarding things I get to do as a librarian.”
Presenters this year included David Phillips from Prairieland ISD and the Area 8 director for the TCEA, Stuart Burt from Community ISD, Tamara Remhof, head of Technology Services at A&M-Commerce Libraries and Donna Stanley. Presentations were also given by the reference librarians from A&M-Commerce.
For more information about TIC, contact Sarah Northam at Sarah.Northam@tamuc.edu or 903-886-5714.
About Texas A&M University-Commerce: Founded in 1889, Texas A&M University-Commerce is a member of The Texas A&M University System. Located in Northeast Texas, A&M-Commerce is home to more than 11,000 students, four academic colleges, a thriving graduate school, and more than 100 degree programs. As the region’s focal point of higher education, A&M-Commerce offers students facilities ranging from a world-class science building and new student center, to a fully equipped recreational facility and recently completed music hall. The university also has convenient facilities in Corsicana, Midlothian, McKinney, Mesquite, Rockwall and downtown Dallas.
About The Texas A&M University System: The A&M System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the nation, with a budget of $3.3 billion. Through a statewide network of 11 universities, seven state agencies and a comprehensive health science center, the A&M System educates more than 120,000 students and makes more than 22 million additional educational contacts through service and outreach programs each year. Externally funded research expenditures exceed $730 million and help drive the state’s economy.
