St. Leo U Ramps Up K-12 Teacher Tech Training

Saint Leo University's Education Department has opened a ground-breaking teacher training facility designed to prepare teachers to be at the forefront when it comes to new technologies in the classroom.

Housed in the main campus library, the new interactive training facility is designed to improve access for students and faculty to new tools and to integrate technology more completely into the learning experience.

"We've developed this initiative because we know that in order for our students to go out and be the best possible teachers they can be, they need to know how to make learning fun and engaging," said Candace A. Roberts, chair of the Education Department and associate professor of education. "We now require our education students to incorporate technology into their lesson plans when doing student-teaching in real-life classroom situations. We've seen big changes in their levels of confidence."

The facility is an outgrowth of a pilot program last year that featured an educational technology lab. The new facility launched this fall with space for up to 32 students.

Key features of the new facility include:

  • iPad and iPod touch;
  • MacBooks;
  • MimioVote assessment system for polling and measuring student comprehension;
  • Document camera;
  • Flip video cameras; and
  • Interactive whiteboards coupled with the MimioTeach Interactive System.

The new facility serves 100 students and 14 full-time faculty members in the education department and is open as well to the entire faculty and student body at St. Leo University.

With a main campus located 30 miles from Tampa, Saint Leo University educates more than 1,900 students on its main campus and more than 15,000 with its regional centers and online programs. The school offers a bachelor's in elementary and middle school education and a minor in secondary education, as well as graduate programs.

To learn more about Saint Leo University's Education Department, visit the program's Web site.

Featured

  • open laptop on a child-sized desk in a colorful elementary school classroom with holographic AI icons rising from the screen

    4 Ways Schools Are Using Google AI Tools for Teaching, Learning, and Administration

    In a recent blog post, Google shared an array of education customer stories, showcasing ways schools and districts are using AI tools like Gemini and NotebookLM to transform both learning and administrative tasks.

  • abstract pattern of cybersecurity, ai and cloud imagery

    Report Identifies Malicious Use of AI in Cloud-Based Cyber Threats

    A recent report from OpenAI identifies the misuse of artificial intelligence in cybercrime, social engineering, and influence operations, particularly those targeting or operating through cloud infrastructure. In "Disrupting Malicious Uses of AI: June 2025," the company outlines how threat actors are weaponizing large language models for malicious ends — and how OpenAI is pushing back.

  • horizontal stack of U.S. dollar bills breaking in half

    ED Abruptly Cancels ESSER Funding Extensions

    The Department of Education has moved to close the door on COVID relief funding for schools, declaring that "extending deadlines for COVID-related grants, which are in fact taxpayer funds, years after the COVID pandemic ended is not consistent with the Department’s priorities and thus not a worthwhile exercise of its discretion."

  • laptop displaying AI-powered educational content

    Kira Introduces AI-Generated Lesson Tool

    AI company Kira has announced a new AI-powered lesson generation tool that it says delivers complete, standards-aligned lessons that are personalized to each student.