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  “It is, by far, the most creative, collaborative, synergistic and passionate collection of educators I have ever had the blessing of working with.”

  Randy Yerrick

  Professor of Learning and Instruction

By Charles Anzalone

Published: July 21, 2010

An internationally respected University at Buffalo expert in the use of technology in education was selected to participate in a prestigious institute that brought together educators considered among the nation’s top minds in technology education.

Randy Yerrick, UB professor of learning and instruction, was among 100 individuals chosen to participate in Apple Inc.’s Distinguished Educators program, held July 12-16 in Orlando, Fla. The conference brought scholars together to develop new content and curriculum, and to learn about state-of-the-art advancements in educational technology with other Apple Distinguished Educators.

It was the 11th time Yerrick has been selected to participate. He has been a member of the Apple’s Distinguished Educators program since 1999, and is one of 1,500 kindergarten- to university-level educators from North America, Asia, Latin America and Australia specializing in educational technology leadership.

“It is, by far, the most creative, collaborative, synergistic and passionate collection of educators I have ever had the blessing of working with,” says Yerrick, who also serves as associate dean of educational technology in UB’s Graduate School of Education. Yerrick is renowned throughout the country for merging proven classroom methods with state-of-the-art technology, including podcasting, movie-making and digital photography.

Later this summer, Yerrick will present the keynote lecture at the Summer Teacher Academy at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He will speak on July 28 about how digital tools affect the learning environment in science instruction.

China is serious about committing resources to education, specifically to their students who travel abroad,” Yerrick says. “Their teacher academy, special programs through the International School and their designated resources for teachers associated with this program are a model for all countries in supporting excellence among educators.”

In addition to his keynote address, Yerrick will conduct a four-day teacher development institute at the Hong Kong International School, where he will lead a professional development seminar Aug. 2-6 for middle school and high school science teachers in China to help them find better ways of incorporating technology into their science instruction using inquiry methods of teaching.

In fact, he uses his guest lectures and appearances to spread a consistent message: These accessible technology teaching tools can be used to make classes in many curricula as fun as they are informative.

“In an era of global education initiatives, it is important to demonstrate models of collaboration and assistance to peers and policymakers who may not understand the power of modern tools,” Yerrick says.

“The world is changing and kids’ expectations are changing. With more than two-thirds of our children in this country reporting that school has little, if anything, to do with their lives outside of school, we have a choice. We can meet them where they are at using the tools and the pedagogy that is connect to them and are most culturally responsive to their lives, or we can continue with business as usual and suffer the consequences we see today.

“To me, it’s an easy choice.”