College of Education Newsletter

As we near the end of another challenging yet rewarding semester, it's important to take a moment to celebrate our achievements and recharge our batteries for what lies ahead. With finals looming and deadlines approaching, it's easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of academia. However, it's equally important to remember to inject a bit of fun into our lives amidst the grading, finals, and class presentation.

I hope you can join us on Thursday, May 2, for an end of the year lunch. The plan is to provide you with some nourishment and time to relax and visit with colleagues and friends. We might even have time for a little fun during lunch. Remember, balance is key. While academic success is undoubtedly important, so is our mental and emotional well-being. By incorporating moments of joy and relaxation into our routines, we can finish this semester strong and start the next one with renewed energy and enthusiasm.

As we wrap up the semester, I want to once again express my gratitude to each and every one of you for your hard work, dedication, and resilience.

Vicki

UCA hosted the Bears Teach Summit from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. on Friday, March 8. Sixty-five students from five high schools were in attendance: Vilonia, Beebe, Bryant, Conway, and Arkansas Virtual Academy. Students began the day with inspirational keynote addresses from Jordan Summers, Education Consultant; Jada Simpson (ELSE Student); Hannah Andrews (ELSE Student), and Rachael Martinka (Middle Level Student). Students then participated in interactive sessions presented by Arch Ford Education Cooperative specialists and UCA faculty and staff. The sessions focused on educational strategies, community-building, personal development, professional development, and college readiness. Thank you to Arch Ford and UCA faculty, staff, and students who volunteered their time and expertise to make this event a success.

Ms. Laura Marshall (Department of Teaching & Learning) recently co-taught her section of Classroom Management with Dr. Jessica Herring-Watson (Department of Teaching and Learning). During the co-teach, students were taught how to use the Clips app. Ms. Marshall and Dr. Herring-Watson discussed the use of video to teach processes and procedures because of its usefulness for modeling, gave a brief intro to Clips, and then let the students work in groups to create their own procedures videos.

For more information about Clips you can visit https://support.apple.com/guide/clips/welcome/ios.

Dr. Jessica Herring-Watson (Department of Teaching and Learning) and Faith Forrest co-taught in her 6th grade math classroom at Old High Middle School in Bentonville, AR. Students used Keynote animations and audio to demonstrate their understanding of ordering rational numbers on a number line. Students in Faith's advanced math class used Stop Motion Studio and Legos to create stop motion animations solving addition and subtraction problems with rational numbers on a number line.

Faith graduated from the UCA's Middle-Level education program in 2021 , the Advanced Studies in Teacher Leadership (ASTL) program in 2022, and is currently a student in the Education Specialist in Digital Age Teaching & Learning (EDDL) program.

Students in Ms. Noël Gieringer's (Department of Teaching and Learning) Introduction to Teaching at the Middle Level class made collaborative posters to review the characteristics of a successful middle school according to the Association for Middle Level Education.

Bethany Hill, Vandy Nash, and Archie from Arch Ford recently visited Dr. Stefanie Sorbet’s (Department of Elementary, Literacy, and Special Education) Positive Classroom Environment class to discuss ways to foster family involvement and interaction in our elementary classrooms. They also shared best practices in family and school communication as well as ideas on investing in relationships with the families of the kids that we teach. We love our partnership with the Arch Ford Cooperative to support and assist preservice teachers in our K6 program.

Karryngton Benton is from Jacksonville, AR. She attended UAPTC to achieve her prerequisites for nursing. While doing so, she began substitute teaching and found her true passion: teaching. Karryngton transferred to UCA and changed her major to Middle Level Education with a focus in Math & English. She made many relationships and memories as she interned at both North Little Rock Middle School 6th Grade Campus & Carl Stuart Middle School in Conway. After graduating in December of 2023, Karryngton is proud to say that a month later she started teaching 7th & 8th grade in her very own classroom at Jacksonville Middle School.

Lance Nail is a 2015 graduate of the University of Central Arkansas Early Childhood Education (P-4) undergraduate program. He is a 3rd grade teacher at Woodrow Cummins Elementary School in Conway. In 2021, he graduated with a master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Arkansas State University. That same year, he enrolled in the Digital Age Teaching and Learning EdS program at UCA and is expected to graduate this semester. He says, “I couldn’t have chosen a better program to help me understand how to teach the diverse learning needs of students in the digital age. Thank you, UCA, for the many years of education, personal growth, and professional development.”

LaJuanda Faye Coleman has been named the Assistant Director of GEAR UP Arkansas. A native of the Arkansas Delta of Phillips County, Faye understands the importance of preparing our students for college and career readiness. She will bring the lived experiences of GUAR students and extensive administrative experience working with GEAR UP programs.

Faye has over 12 years’ experience in working with GEAR UP. She has held several GEAR UP positions with the Partnership Grant at the Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas. She has more than 15 years of college experience, having worked with GEAR UP for more than 12 years, first as a career coach, then as a parental involvement coordinator, program coordinator, assistant director, and finally as the interim GEAR UP director. As the interim director, Faye was responsible for the leadership, supervision, accountability, and full implementation of the grant as designed.

Faye holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. She is the mother of two beautiful daughters, ShaMia and Meagan, and two beautiful grandchildren, Carson and RaNiya.

Dr. Jason Trumble (Department of Teaching and Learning), along with Dr. Elizabeth Langran and Dr. Michael Searson, are editors of the new publication Exploring New Horizons: Generative Artificial Intelligence and Teacher Education.

This volume presents views into the increasing influence of generative AI on teacher education spanning theoretical insights, practical guidance, and ethical considerations. This book is structured around thematic areas of applying frameworks to impact teaching practices, creating guidelines and examining ethical issues, moving toward meaningful practice, and GenAI and the teacher education researcher. Contributions from global authors reflect on the varied applications and challenges of GenAI, advocating for a balanced, ethical, and critical approach to its use in education to prepare future educators for a landscape where educators adeptly integrate GenAI, ensuring it enhances educational quality. Focusing on practical applications, ethical considerations, and the future of teaching, the volume aims to equip educators with insights to ethically and equitably navigate GenAI's evolving role, ensuring it serves as a tool for innovative, inclusive, and effective teaching.

This book is an open-source publication and can be viewed by going to https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/223928/.

Dr. Donna Wake (Department of Teaching and Learning) and Dr. Matthew White (Department of Teaching and Learning) were invited presenters at the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education's 2024 Conference in Las Vegas. On a virtual panel, they discussed their recent book chapter "Reflections of scholars on the use of generative AI to support research," published in Exploring New Horizons: Generative Artificial Intelligence in Teacher Education by the American Association for Computing in Education. Dr. Jason Trumble (Department of Teaching and Learning) is an author and editor of the book in which this chapter appears.

This book is an open-source publication and can be viewed by going to https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/223928/.

Missed an issue? You can view past issues of the COE Newsletter by going to https://uca.edu/education/coenewsletter/.