The Library of Congress Adventure of the American Mind project kicks off with Upstate teachers meeting and receiving laptops.

The Library of Congress (LOC) has awarded Furman University more than $1 million, since 2000, towards the initiation and maintenance of the Adventure of the American Mind (AAM) project, which links K-12 educators to the LOC's American Memory Historical Collection for the National Digital Library.

The LOC helped to establish the AAM program at Furman with a three-year grant for $250,000 annually. In 2001, Furman began offering the course, ED: 195 Integrating Technology into the Curriculum, to train K-12 teachers with the technological skills needed to integrate historical data from the LOC's American Memory digital collection into their classroom curriculum.

In 2002, the LOC awarded Furman an additional $500,000 to fund its Center for Teaching and Technology, a new AAM training facility. The center will be housed in Hipp Hall, the university's newest academic building -- scheduled to open fall 2002.

Furman's AAM co-project directors - Dr. Nelly Hecker, responsible for the AAM curriculum, and Dr. Pat Pecoy, in charge of technology education - have shared responsibility since the program's beginning, and they are also full-time professors. Hecker has been at Furman since 1979 and is chairperson for the Department of Education. Pecoy has been at Furman since 1986 and is a professor of French in the Department of Modern Languages and Literature, with prior experience training teachers in technology.

For Furman's program, which serves Upstate school districts, South Carolina Congressmen Jim DeMint and Lindsey Graham choose 10 schools to participate in the project each academic year. From the applicant pool a selection committee from Furman picks two teachers from each of these schools. Individuals who teach different grade levels and different disciplines are chosen to increase a school's exposure to the LOC's available material. Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson, Oconee, Pickens and Union county school districts, as well as upstate private schools, have participated in the program.

AAM training is a 15-week, three-hour course consisting of extensive technological instruction; i.e., WebQuest, PowerPoint, and LOC site search. Each participant receives a laptop with wireless, Internet connection to keep -- provided they adhere to all program requirements. Upon successful completion of the course, teachers earn three hours of graduate credit that may be applied towards a degree program or re-certification.

In order to complete AAM program requirements, teachers:

 * Integrate content from the LOC American Memory digital collection into their curriculum;
 * Create a web page designed so K-12 students find curriculum-related American Memory data;
 * Mentor a colleague at their school;
 * Instruct colleagues in the creation of curriculum-related web page strategies based on content from the American Memory collection.

According to Hecker, the lesson plans created by teachers are unique in content and presentation. While addressing literacy, social studies and technology standards, teachers find creative ways to introduce and extend understanding of information presented in the original documents that are part of our national treasure. The American Memory Collection then becomes "a textbook" for South Carolina children.

This past spring, Furman received an additional $50,000 grant from the LOC to begin a pilot program that will allow 10 teachers to enroll in the course presented by streaming video. The individuals will be required to meet on Furman's campus once a month; however, the majority of the weekly, three-hour classes will be taught online from the university. If successful, this program will be ideal because some teachers have been required to travel extensively to participate in the course, normally held on a weeknight during the school year.

According to Pecoy, at the inception of Furman's program, she and Hecker brought their individual talents to the table but their areas of expertise have since meshed. She also says the success of Furman's program is due to a collaborative effort that includes Furman President Dr. Shi, as well as staff members Sheila Manchester in grants administration, Willie Hillstock in financial services, Lori Law who handles purchasing, Jennifer Queen, administrative assistant, and Shawanna Berry, a former teaching assistant and 2002 Furman alumna.

With the vision of North Carolina Congressman Charles Taylor, the Education and Research Consortium of the Western Carolinas (ERC) started the AAM project in 2000 as a pilot program for western North Carolina with the participation of four educational institutions -- Brevard College, Mars Hill College, Montreat College and Western Carolina University. The program is currently a part of the curriculum at seven institutions, including Furman University, Southern Illinois University and South Mountain Community College in Arizona.

By the end of the 2001-2002 academic school year Furman University had trained 80 K-12 teachers while, through the mentoring program, a total of 120 had been trained. The next AAM course is scheduled to begin fall 2002.

-- Aynoka Bender