New Web portal benefits K-12 education

It is now easier for teachers and students who are searching for quality educational resources, thanks to UW–Madison.

University faculty, graduate students and administrators, along with area teachers, have developed a Web site, called K-12 at UW–Madison, that enables teachers, parents, students and anyone else interested in kindergarten through 12th-grade education to browse through the hundreds of resources available to them at UW–Madison.

“There’s so much going on at the university that’s relevant to K-12 education,” says Terrence Millar, who helped develop the portal and who is a UW–Madison Graduate School associate dean, professor of mathematics and leader of the university’s K-Through-Infinity project, part of a National Science Foundation program that partners faculty, staff, graduate students and K-12 teachers to improve math and science education.

“There’s an immense variety of ways the university’s resources — from research to library services — could be useful to K-12 teachers and classrooms if made available in an accessible way,” Millar says.

With this new Web tool, these resources can be easily and quickly identified and accessed. After a short search, teachers, students and parents can locate information, materials and human resources that could aid K-12 education. Users can search by subject areas and grade levels to find outreach and partnership programs, activities and events, professional development workshops and even lesson plans.

Each entry has been written by UW–Madison faculty, researchers, graduate students or staff, and includes a description of the program and its appropriate audience, a primary contact person and any costs. Most entries include a link to a related Web site that contains additional information.

“If you were searching the university’s Web sites to find resources for teaching chemistry to high school students, you could turn up hundreds of hits and still not find what you wanted,” says Peyton Smith, assistant vice chancellor for extended programs, who helped develop the database. “K-12 at UW–Madison organizes information in an easily accessible way that’s geared toward subject and grade level.”

Science teachers, for example, can find instructional materials that aid ninth-grade biology lessons; parents can search the database for age-appropriate summer sports camps offered through UW–Madison; and students can learn about the many different sounds and ceremonies of Africa or about the science behind current news.

“UW-Madison is looked upon by teachers as the central focal point in the state for education,” says Gary Graper, a high school biology teacher at West High in Madison who participated in the development of the portal. “I have always felt that the university has played an extremely important role in providing educational resources that have helped me become a better teacher, and the portal will provide that same opportunity for others across the state and even the country. ”

And, as Millar points out, “The portal is an example of a new tool in a new medium that can serve lifelong learning.”

Right now, the portal includes more than 150 entries from various groups across campus. Smith expects more to be added and updated regularly. He encourages anyone at UW–Madison to submit information on their department’s educational resources by e-mailing K12@k12.wisc.edu or by going to the K-12 at UW–Madison Web site and clicking on “Suggestions.”

The K-12 at UW–Madison portal is a collaborative project among the Graduate School’s Professional Development Office, the Office of the Provost and University Communications; it is funded by the Evjue Foundation, the Graduate School and the National Science Foundation.

For more information, contact Athena Salaba, project manager, at asalaba@wisc.edu, 262-6134.