Earn While You Learn Institute Information
“As I walked across the parking lot to Krause Center, I thought about the impact that my summer at Earn While You Learn has had on my teaching career and my life. I would never have pursued a Master's Degree in IT without that prior experience. Thank YOU! Last Thursday, my superintendent told me that he intends to purchase a new computer lab for our middle school and he wants me to be the technology instructor. This is a huge leap for me!” –Sharon Regner EWYL graduate

Summary
The Earn While You Learn Institute involves a three week summer institute coupled with year-long follow-up. The program has consistently grown: eighteen teachers in Year One to ninety teachers in Year Five. The program is expanded in 2005 to two additional cohorts. Twenty teachers have been selected for the Sonoma Valley High School Cohort. Twenty teachers will comprise the San Jose Unified Science Focus Earn While You Learn Institute. The Foothill Institute is funded by the generous donations from the Krause Center for Innovation’s supporters and donors. Both the Sonoma Valley and San Jose Unified Cohorts have procured their own funding.

Each participant who completes all requirements receives a total of twelve Foothill College continuing education units and a $4000 stipend. Eight of these units and $3000 were earned during the month-long July Institute. The other four units are earned through follow-up classes during the school year. The Krause Center for Innovation (KCI) provided a scholarship for ten of the twelve units. $1000 ieawarded the following Spring after teachers completed all requirements including the technology-rich, standard based curriculum project. Each participating teacher plans a technology-infused project during the summer to be executed with their students during the school year and then entered in the California Media and Multimedia Festival the following April. Participating teachers are required to actively promote technology integration function and act as a LINC program contact in their school/district. Each participating teacher is also required to mentor and coach two other teachers at his/her school to further integrate technology into the curriculum.

Linda Ullah, the Center’s teacher in residence, and Institute’s coordinator and lead instructor, co-taught the Institute with four expert instructors. The instructors included one former Earn While You Learn participant, a SJSU Instructional Technology Masters Degree Program intern, two full-time Foothill College instructors and four high school/college student assistants.

As previously stated, Earn While You Learn participants create standards-based multimedia projects that are completed with their students during the current school year. They learn the technology tools and software necessary to successfully finish their projects. They receive yearlong follow up mentoring and coaching from the Center’s teacher in residence and the Institute’s other instructors. This follow-up support included face-to-face assistance during three follow-up workshops focused on their projects and specific software. Online assistance was provided through My eCoach, an online mentoring and coaching tool.