 |
 |
|
|
|
|||
|
|||
 |
|||
Anyone,
anywhere, anytime
Distance
education laboratory honors legacy of SED mentor
By Hope Green
When Gaylen Kelley began his graduate work at BU's School of Education
in 1953, slide projectors were considered a novelty in elementary schools.
By the time he retired from the SED faculty in the mid-1990s, the digital
age was under way, computers were everywhere, and the public was beginning
to grasp the Internet's potential impact on teaching and learning.
|
|
|
|
| Gaylen
Kelley (SED'54,'59), an SED professor emeritus, and David Whittier,
an SED assistant professor of education in the department of curriculum
and teaching, in the Gaylen B. Kelley Distance Education Laboratory.
Photo by Kalman Zabarsky |
|
|
Kelley (SED'54,'59), who specialized in applying communications technology
to education, can't help but marvel at the changes he witnessed in his
40 years at BU. But from the days of reel-to-reel tape to the advent of
the CD-ROM, colleagues and alumni say that he has always generously shared
his expertise with the campus community.
The School of Education will honor Kelley's legacy on May 2, when faculty,
students, and alumni formally dedicate the Gaylen B. Kelley Distance Education
Laboratory (GK-DEL). The renovated space at SED and its furnishings are
being funded solely through alumni contributions.
"It was a wonderful experience learning from Dr. Kelley," says
Maha Karrar (SED'95), who teaches at the College of Basic Education in
Kuwait. "He's the kind of person who would always have time to talk
with you."
David Whittier, an assistant professor of education in the department
of curriculum and teaching and director of SED's Instructional Materials
Center (IMC), first proposed the idea for a distance learning center after
Kelley retired. With computers becoming ubiquitous in elementary classrooms,
he wanted to provide a space where SED students and alumni could learn
about the latest instructional technology.
The new facility contains a 10-person conference table wired so that meeting
participants can connect their laptop computers to the Internet as well
as to a projector. The projector can be used for viewing Web sites, videoconferencing,
or showing software with a voiceover.
"In the GK-DEL we can show software and talk it over with anyone,
anywhere, anytime," Whittier says. "This can help us to design,
evaluate, and revise our software as well as inform others of what we
have available."
SED faculty who specialize in early childhood education, science education,
and the teaching of writing have also expressed an interest in using the
lab. They plan to hold virtual workshops for established educators as
well as for those just entering the teaching profession.
"We will be able to have several teachers in the room connecting
with teachers in other parts of the country," says Douglas Zook,
an SED associate professor and coordinator of the master's program in
science education. "It will allow us to share our science methods
knowledge with a larger community of educators."
Whittier also envisions setting up videoconference equipment in public
schools so that student teachers or alumni can turn to SED professors
for face-to-face guidance.
"A teacher who has just graduated from our program could have a conference
with our faculty during what is typically a very difficult time -- the
first year of teaching," he says. "A large percentage of teachers
quit in their first year. We wonder if there are ways we could better
support these people, especially the ones we've educated here at BU."
Kelley had a dual role at the University for many years, dividing his
time between BU Media Services (now the Media Group), which he launched,
and teaching at SED. As the University grew, he supervised the design
of several technology-friendly classrooms and lecture halls.
In 1987 Kelley became a full-time professor, coordinating SED's Educational
Media and Technology Program. He taught in the areas of facilities design
and media program development, traveling the world as a consultant for
schools, universities, and corporations.
During the 1960s through the 1980s, students from around the world began
applying to SED's doctoral program in instructional technology. "These
students went back to their countries to establish a presence for modern
communications technology in their own countries," he says, "so
that was a very heady period for us."
Kelley was the first reader for more than 200 doctoral dissertations.
The recent fund drive for GK-DEL has spurred many alumni to get back in
touch with him.
"Reestablishing links with my former students has been very special,"
he says. "I'm obviously very pleased and honored that David has been
able to pull this project together and that so many alumni have seen fit
to contribute to it."
The dedication ceremony for the Gaylen Kelley Distance Education Laboratory on Thursday, May 2, at 6 p.m. in the SED lobby, is open to faculty, staff, and students of the School of Education, as well as alumni of the program in Educational Media and Technology. To attend, RSVP by calling Christy Olson, SED alumni officer, at 617-353-6293 or by e-mailing colson@bu.edu.
19 April 2002
Boston University
Office of University Relations