PBS, WGVU, College of Education launch partnership

To meet the growing demand for customizable, digital resources in the classroom, PBS LearningMedia and WGVU Public Media announced an innovative partnership with the College of Education. 

Professors and students in the College of Education will have access to the PBS LearningMedia Custom Service, a media-on-demand content platform designed to support technology and digital resource integration into the classroom. WGVU is the first member station to partner in this way, to educate and empower the next generation of teachers with the latest digital tools made specifically for classroom use.

Paula Kerger, president and CEO of PBS, made the announcement during WGVU’s Fall Preview event. It is Kerger’s first visit to Grand Rapids. She said WGVU’s Engage community outreach programs inspired her visit and that WGVU is leading the way for public media.

“Education has always been at the heart of our mission, and by training the next generation of teachers, WGVU’s partnership with Grand Valley will make a tremendous impact for a new generation of teachers and students,” said Kerger.

The College of Education will use the custom service to train future teachers on how to successfully incorporate digital media to fuel deeper discussions and understanding of curriculum topics, as well as provide thousands of valuable resources for research and support. The custom platform also provides educators with the opportunity to personalize the tool for local classroom instruction by adding additional unique content.

“This partnership provides our faculty and students with invaluable access to leading-edge resources that can be used to differentiate classroom learning,” said Elaine Collins, dean of the College of Education. “Additionally, it is indicative of our commitment to serving the evolving needs of today’s students.”

WGVU Public Media and the College of Education have a long history of partnership and support for education in Michigan. The College of Education is a supporter of the WGVU Cool Teacher Contest as well as partnering for Groundswell to create opportunities for hands-on environmental learning for students. In addition, several faculty and staff members from the college serve on the WGVU Engage Education Committee.

“WGVU is very proud to collaborate with the College of Education to create an innovative partnership in support of students and future teachers,” said Michael Walenta, WGVU general manager. “Our ongoing work with PBS and the College of Education through the WGVU/PBS LearningMedia Custom Service is important as it aligns with a core principle of our mission to educate, inform and entertain.”

About PBS LearningMedia
As America’s largest classroom, teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. PBS LearningMedia, a partnership of PBS and the WGBH Educational Foundation, is a free media-on-demand service offering educators access to the best of public media and delivers research-based, classroom-ready digital learning experiences to engage students in exploring curriculum concepts that align with National and Common Core State Standards. Nationwide, more than 1.5 million teachers have registered access to more than 87,000 digital resources available through PBS LearningMedia. More information is available at www.pbslearningmedia.org.

For more information, contact Timothy Eernisse, WGVU Public Media, at (616) 331-6630 or [email protected].