Western Carolina University will welcome visiting scholar Seppo Tella, a foreign language professor with expertise in educational technology from the University of Helsinki, who will offer the public two seminars in March.

Tella will present “Multiculturalism, Technology & Global Literacy in 21st-Century Education” on Wednesday, March 11. A communitywide seminar addressing the challenges posed to contemporary higher education by a shrinking networked world, the event will begin at 2:30 p.m. in the Mountain Heritage Center’s auditorium on WCU’s campus. Light refreshments will be served.

Then, Tella will present “How Does Finland Do It? Insights on a ‘World-Best’ School System and the Finnish Approach to Teacher Development” on Friday, March 13. The event is a regionwide seminar addressing the performance of the Finnish public schooling system and will focus on the role of teacher preparation and professional development. The session will begin at 10 a.m. in Room 200 of the Haynes Conference Center on Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College’s Enka campus.

A first vice dean and professor of foreign language education at the University of Helsinki, Tella has been a member of the editorial board of the International Journal of Language, Learning and Technology and the advisory board of the International Journal of Studies in Learning, Evaluation, Innovation and Development.

Tella’s visit is sponsored by WCU’s Visiting Scholar Program, Jay M. Robinson Educational Technologies Endowment and the Office of the Provost, with the cooperation of Western Regional Education Service Alliance.

For more information, contact John LeBaron, Jay M. Robinson Distinguished Professor of Educational Technologies, by phone at (828) 227-2454 or by e-mail at jlebaron@email.wcu.edu, or Jamie Davis, assistant professor in WCU’s modern foreign language department, by phone at (828) 227-3872 or by email at jddavis@email.wcu.edu.

Maintained by the Office of Public Relations
Last Modified: Thursday, March 5, 2009