New York University is using technology to take teachers-in-training off of the campus and into the classroom by using online professional development to make it possible.

"New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development… [is] planning 'embedded teacher preparation' as part of a new online master’s degree program. Students in the one-year program will be based at urban schools in a variety of states (they have not selected the locations yet), rather than at NYU,” said the Hechinger Report.

"The aspiring teachers in this program will work in a school as part of the staff, alongside teachers. They will co-teach or teach one period a day, and for the remainder of each school day they will be involved in some kind of student-centered job, such as tutoring...The student teachers will be paid for their work,” the article said.

Institutions such as NYU are looking for ways to increase the experience teacher hopefuls have in the classroom so they are prepared for the realities they will eventually face in the career.

That’s why while students are working alongside teachers in their respective school, they will take online courses overseen by NYU faculty that will review their experience and provide relevant feedback.

"NYU has partnered with HotChalk, an education technology company, to provide the high-tech power for the project, and Torsh Talent, which provides an online video platform,” the article said.

The next step for NYU is to find school district partners, and then soon enough students will be able to enroll in the program which should be “affordable to the next generation of teachers.”

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Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

1/14/2016