The ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology (TI) continues to grow. Fresh off a highly successful YouTube telethon that raised more than $41,000 for the program, some of next year’s dates have been announced. Applications are now open.
The program is growing, and educators will have the opportunity to attend sessions around the country. “We love having the teachers here at ARRL Headquarters, but we wanted to bring this program nationwide,” said ARRL Education and Learning Manager Steve Goodgame, K5ATA. Dates and details of the regional sessions are still being determined, but the hope is to touch many areas of the United States.
The application process is straightforward. Interested educators can find the web form at www.arrl.org/ti. ARRL covers all the costs of the TI, including travel, but there is a $100 application fee if the teacher is accepted.
The success generated from the program is demonstrable. “The teachers leave TI with energy and knowledge. They’ve taken that and built tremendous programs in their schools,” said Goodgame. The program isn’t necessarily designed to get young people licensed, but rather to get them thinking about radio in their other areas of study. Teachers work amateur radio and radio technology into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics lessons. Amateur radio is presented as a pathway to get hands-on with the concepts, and to use them in the real world.
There are 16 cohorts planned for the 2025 ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology. “The growth we’re seeing in TI is a result of the teachers’ experiences with the program, and the donors who enable it,” said Goodgame. The TI is funded entirely by donations to the ARRL Education & Technology Fund.