SUNY Canton Early Childhood Program Lands SUNY TeachNY Grant Funding

Two SUNY Canton faculty members in the Early Childhood program are integrating video capture into student teaching experiences and internships.

Professor Maureen P. Maiocco, Ed.D., and Lecturer Christina L. Martin, recently received a $8,395 SUNY TeachNY Implementation Fund grant to support their new endeavor. The competitive funding is designed to support innovative approaches to teaching and learning.

“Traditionally, a college supervisor visited classrooms and observed student teachers implementing lesson plans,” Maiocco said. “With fully online degree options, we developed a practical way to observe our students in classroom and center-based settings regardless of their location.”

The funding will allow the program to purchase GoReact subscriptions for students. Each user will capture video using a smartphone or tablet. The video capture technology will allow students and a college supervisor to record, observe, critique and assess the student teaching experience virtually.

“It is critical that off-campus student teaching experiences meet the needs of our online learners,” said Martin. “Our grant will allow us to expand and work with all of our students both locally, and at a distance.”

SUNY Canton’s Early Childhood Care and Management Bachelor of Business Administration program includes courses related to child development, curriculum planning, program administration, leadership, and business management. The four-year degree is available online, on campus, and in flex class format, which is a hybrid version of the online and in-person classes. The rigorous Early Childhood Associate of Applied Sciences program also incorporates off-campus student experiences and is available online and in-person.

The TeachNY grants also funded initiatives at Binghamton University, the University at Brockport, the University at Buffalo, and SUNY Cortland.