3 Things You'll Find at the Education Resource Center

Article by Allison Ebner | Photos by Sean Diffendall

 

Say hello to one of the best-kept secrets on campus, the Education Resource Center (ERC).

Tucked away on the first floor of the Willard Hall Education Building, the ERC is a must-visit for UD education students and faculty, educators throughout the area, and fans of young adult literature.

Along with computers, printers, document scanners, a laminator and a poster maker, the ERC provides specialized resources to support current and future educators.

UD students, faculty and staff can easily check out those resources with their UD ID. Educators outside the UD community can use the materials within the ERC and borrow them with a Community Patron card, which is available for a nominal fee.

Here’s a quick look at what you’ll find when you drop in:

Curriculum Resources

From textbooks to tests, the ERC is stocked with instructional materials that can be used by educators and student teachers alike to shape and supplement their lesson plans.

In addition to a collection of standardized tests, there are textbooks that correspond to current Delaware school curricula for all disciplines from pre-K through high school. You’ll also find a variety of classroom manipulatives—think maps, puppets, videos, games, science kits and more—to bolster student learning.

Classroom Technology

Whether preparing for certification or your next lesson, the use of technology is essential in today’s classroom. At the ERC, you can use one of 17 Swivls, simple robotic devices that hold iPads to record class lessons—a requirement of the PRAXIS and many end-of-semester projects. Student teachers can record themselves to watch back and improve their teaching skills, and educators can record their lessons to foster a flipped classroom dynamic.

You’ll also find a wide array of multimedia equipment to integrate into the classroom, including laptops, a SMARTBoard, iPads, video equipment and more. To support students in the Special Education programs, there is also a large selection of assistive technology. Here, you have access to joysticks, trackballs and switches; iPad apps and accessories for enhanced accessibility; reading pens; and voice-to-text and text-to voice software.

Trade Paperback Books

It’s an exciting time for children’s and young adult literature. In addition to the “School Library” collection of more than 25,000 books from those genres, there is a room that houses advance-release books not yet available on shelves outside the ERC.

Educators, future educators and those with a soft spot for children’s and young adult literature are encouraged to stop in to read and review the latest books. With early access to upcoming releases, teachers will know what to order for their library and get inspired on how they can update lesson plans with current titles.

 

The Education Resource Center joined the Library, Museums and Press on July 1, 2019, as a branch library.