Faculty and staff have a chance to show their use of classroom technology today at the Holmes Student Center.

“Showcase 2001: Technology for the New Millennium,” held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Duke Ellington Ballroom by NIU’s Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center, will feature 29 exhibitions from more than 30 NIU employees.

The displays give faculty and staff an opportunity to show how they integrate technology into teaching, said Laura Miller, showcase coordinator and

informational technology coordinator for the development and design center.

“It’s not just a technology show,” Miller said. “It’s a demonstration of teaching projects that incorporate a variety of technologies, including the Web. That’s what makes it unique.”

Participating employees represent a wide range of departments and have raised the total number of exhibits by 15 from last year.

Carol Scheidenhelm, coordinator for instructional technology for the development and design center, attributes this to ever-growing technology and the amount of interest NIU President John Peters has shown in bringing it to campus.

Among NIU staff showing projects is Alan Farber, assistant director of career services for the Counseling and Student Development Center.

Farber’s exhibit, “NIU Major Weblinks,” is a Web page he has been updating to give information on every undergraduate major available at NIU. Through his site (www.stuaff.niu.edu/csdc/major/weblink.htm), students can see examples of jobs in a specific major, as well as job and internship sites for that profession.

Farber said the site can be used by people on opposite sides of the college spectrum.

“The page is good for a student still not sure what major is good for them, or a senior looking for a job,” he said.

Assistant English professor Michael Day also will present at Showcase 2001. His exhibit, “Writing for Electronic Media,” will showcase a collection of classroom Web projects he helped put together.

Day thinks the event is a good resource for faculty members looking for ideas.

“Hopefully, people will get good ideas for courses that they can integrate in their own teaching,” he said.

Past participants have seen positive outcomes, Scheidenhelm added.

“There is a lot of exchange and interaction among participants,” she said. “It gives them ideas.”

This is the third year the technology showcase has been organized. The idea originally came from departments all over campus, but a huge difference between this show and most others is that it combines teaching with the technology, Miller said.

Planned along with the showcase are a vendor fair, the NIU Web Awards, raffles and prizes — all in an effort to attract more students.

The vendor fair will feature more than 20 companies displaying the latest they have to offer in computer- and technology-related products and services. Some of the companies include Apple Computer Inc., CompUSA, Microsoft Inc. and Verizon Wireless. Apple will debut its new OSX operating system.

The Web awards begin at 2 p.m. on the ballroom stage. Any Web page featured on the NIU server is eligible for an award in one of the following categories: Best Educational Web Site, Best Use of Graphics or Multimedia in a Web Site, Best Navigational Architecture, Best Interactive Web Site and Most Fun.

All guests attending the free event will be entered in drawings for door prizes, including free software and a new printer.