The ASPIRE program is a teacher training program which began in 1988. Over the past eleven years, hundreds of teachers have been trained in integrating technology into their curriculum through their partcipation in the ASPIRE program. Teachers are now trained in the Regional Training Centers, which are located in different parts of the state. The awareness of administrators and teachers that they must find new and innovative ways to apply this technology also has led to a strong desire for training. The curriculum, training materials, support infrastructure, and trained teachers form the springboard to provide this training. 

     The ASPIRE program has defined three levels of project integration into the classroom and will provide the materials to train teachers at these levels. This will support integrating these concepts in a wider variety of classes. 

Level I Workshop  - The Level I workshop provides an introduction to the concepts of team problem solving, communication, and data gathering via the Internet. Projects at this level tend to be class modules where the class works as a team in collaboration with other classes in remote locations in order to gather and analyze data and develop results. The Level I workshops are three days long and held during the summer of 2001 at each Regional Training Center. They are open to teachers from high school, middle school, and elementary school. Level I projects are not competitive EXPO projects, but may be displayed at the EXPO in the spring. (schedule of Level 1 Workshops)

Level II Workshop  - The Level II workshop addresses more involved project development, possibly with the assistance of a mentor, and stresses the problem solving process, including generation of a math model, data analysis, developing results and conclusions, and technical writing. Solutions are based upon using existing software programs to generate data and for analysis. Level II classes could exist at the middle or high school level as part of an existing science or core subject class, allowing a project orientation while minimizing additional computer based instruction. It could also be integrated into the curriculum as a stand alone class. The Level II workshops are five days long and are being held in the summer of 2001 at Jeff Davis High School, Montgomery, and Monrovia High School, Huntsville. Level II workshops are open to middle and high school teachers. Level II projects that are developed by students during the school year are competitive projects at the EXPO in the spring.  (schedule of Level 2 Workshops) 

Level III Workshop  - The Level III workshop prepares the teacher to return to school prepared to teach computational science. It teaches all the materials from Level I and Level II and adds computational modeling through the use of a programming language. In a stand alone Level III class, students develop a scientific project on the topic of his/her choice, either individually or as a member of a team. This level mimics the scientific exploration process most closely. At this level, the student spends more time in developing a mathematical model for the project followed by a customized computational implementation of that model. Mentor interaction may be heavy and the model complexities allow for greater depth of understanding and provide more insight into problem intricacies. The result is a full and rich learning experience. The Level III workshops are two weeks long and are being held in the summer of 2001 at UAH in the Computer Science Department, Huntsville. Level III workshops are open to high school teachers. Level III projects that are developed by students during the school year are competitive projects at the EXPO in the spring.  (schedule of Level 3 Workshops)