Twenty one future teachers will enter their classrooms armed with iPads and big ideas for using them thanks to an award created by University of Iowa College of Education alumna Linda Baker, who earned her English and Secondary Education degrees at the UI in 1968.

This is the inaugural year of the Linda Baker Next Generation Award, presented through the college’s Teacher Leader Center. Award winners submitted plans for utilizing the iPad in their future classrooms and community service work as well as brief video presentations. The winners will use their new technology in current volunteer and outreach programs, in their practicum and student-teaching classrooms, and in their professional careers upon graduation.

Morgan Schneider says she’ll use the iPad to improve her lessons, serve as a resource, and to assist special-needs learning among other things.

“I do not believe that technology can create a good teacher, but it does have endless ways to assist a good teacher in becoming more effective and to enhance lessons,” she says.

Alex Hanna says the award inspired him to learn more about integrating iPads into his first-grade practicum classroom.

“It was an exciting experience for me as I became knowledgeable about iPad use in the classroom and saw firsthand the effectiveness of the tool, and how much first graders truly enjoyed it,” he says.

Next Generation Award winners will be recognized at a ceremony at 1 p.m. Wednesday, May 15, in the Teacher Leader Center, N140 LC. The event is free and open to the public. Please RSVP to attend at 319-335-5353 or email tlc@uiowa.edu.

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all UI-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, contact Cristina Cardenas in advance at 319-335-6111 or cristina-cardenas@uiowa.edu.