Kodak renews its support of the School of Education camera-sharing program

Kodak renews its support of the School of Education camera-sharing programDecember 06, 2005Patrick Farrellpmfarrel@syr.edu

Recognizing the School of Education as a leader in finding effective applications of technology to improve education, the Rochester-based Eastman Kodak Co. donated 10 new EasyShare digital cameras to the school at a presentation event held in Dean Douglas Biklen’s office Friday, Dec. 2. This is the third year Kodak has donated cameras to the school.

Students and faculty members were on hand as Ted Steans, director of human resources for Kodak Park, presented the new cameras to Biklen. The cameras and accessories are valued at about $4,000.

The new cameras will allow School of Education students and faculty members to find new uses for this technology in support of teaching. Among the ways this technology has been integrated into important areas of the school’s academic programs:

• Master’s degree candidates in the elementary education program have used the digital cameras to create electronic portfolios to document their field placements. Graduate students in a teaching course photographed and documented their teaching experiences with the children of migrant workers.
• In the instructional design, development and evaluation program, faculty and students regularly use the EasyShare cameras for projects related to instructional design in both academic and corporate environments.
• Editing software for the cameras has been installed on every computer in the school’s Digital Design Studio. This allows students to download and edit images and to work on projects together onsite.

“We deeply appreciate Kodak’s interest and support of education,” Biklen says. “The company’s gift of these cameras has made this exciting and enabling technology accessible to everyone in the School of Education.”

Syracuse University’s School of Education, a national leader in improving and informing educational practice for diverse communities, is committed to the principle that diverse learning communities create the conditions that both enrich the educational experience and provide opportunities for all to realize their full potential. The School of Education pioneered the inclusion movement in the United States, making way for all learners to participate fully and maximize the strengths of mainstream classrooms and other inclusive learning environments.