TAAI+Program+Development

=Teaching Anyone Anywhere Institute=

The TAAI is a **Draft Concept**.

Possible Activities:

 * Speaker Series
 * Weekly or Biweekly Chat Series
 * Site Visits
 * Knowledge Base Creation
 * Grant Writing
 * Field Experiences

Need:
The TAAI is a collaboration of ResulTech Schools & the Schools We Need Project, the University of Maine Farmington, and Niagara University designed to bring the strengths of each organization to bear on the challenges of the others.

The Institute focuses on three specific needs:
 * How to address the needs of diverse learners from diverse cultures.
 * How to integrate technology into teaching and learning in meaningful ways
 * Designing Real World Learning Experiences and other strategies beyond direct instruction.

The Institute leverages the following strengths:
 * Niagara University's connection with urban and minority schools and strong multicultural education program
 * University of Maine Farmington's experience with technology integration and working with the Maine Learning Technology Initiative
 * ResulTech Schools and the Schools We Need Project's experience in creating Real World Learning Schools, including Buffalo's Academy School@44

Approach:
TAAI is a non-traditional Institute. Instead of educators collaborating in a single location at a single time, TAAI leverages distance learning technology, social networks, and face-to-face visits to bring together pre-service teachers, in-service teachers, and higher education faculty from diverse locations in Maine, New York, and elsewhere, on an ongoing basis.

The institute will promote the sharing of ideas and experiences, helping educators get into classrooms and talk with master teachers and other experts on how they "make things happen."

Activities may include the following:
 * Focus groups, discussions, collaborative work sessions, and guest speakers and presentations (both face-to-face and via video conference)
 * Site visits, tours, field experiences, and classroom observations (both in person and via video)

For example, a guest speaker in Maine may be broadcast to Niagara University and the Q&A session includes discussion from both locations. Or a team of visiting UMF pre-service teachers make a 15 minute video focusing on the Academy School's program; the video is then analyzed and discussed by Academy School Staff, as well as faculty and preservice teachers at both NU and UMF.