OETC Announces 2009 Qwest Grant Awardees
Qwest Foundation for Education
The Qwest Foundation has partnered with the Organization for Educational Technology and Curriculum (OETC) to award mini-grants to districts. This opportunity is through a Qwest Foundation for Education Grant to be awarded to Oregon K-12 educators who participate in their Regional Ed Tech Cadre and who demonstrate an innovative use of technology with students and or collaborate with a teacher(s) team.
The purpose of this grant is to:
- Provide opportunities for Oregon teacher(s) participating in the Regional Ed Tech Cadres to implement strategies they have learned;
- Recognize Oregon K-12 educators who are using technology in innovative ways with students;
- Increase an awareness of how teacher(s)s are using technology in the classroom; and
- Model best practices with technology integration improving student achievement.
2009 Qwest Grant Awardees
2009 Qwest Grant Winners
| District | School | Teacher | Project Title | Project Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hood River School District | Mid Valley Elementary | Ryan Munn | Alternative Reading Technologies | The team of three third grade teachers has developed a program to increase the use of technology during daily literature groups. The program will change (1) The media through which the students access written text; (2) The manner in which students collaborate and discuss text; and (3) The culminating product the students create to demonstrate understanding. |
| Springfield Public Schools | Thurston Middle School | Rhiannon Kerr | T-Town Bake Down Cooking Show | T-Town Bake-down is a student generated cooking program where students demonstrate how to make a specific food product using Oregon Environmental Health Safety and Sanitation standards, appropriate cooking techniques, and personal insight on how to cook as a teenager. Videos will be used to market the TMS Catering program; various products that are for sale each year will be featured. Each segment will be written and produced by 8th grade students in the Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) program. This project is being facilitated by FACS teacher Rhiannon Kerr, who is a member of the Ed Tech PDC and the SPS Digital Storytelling Cadre. |
| Eugene School District | Various schools | Marilyn Williams | iPLP | Eugene School District 4J seeks to integrate technology with middle school reading instruction. Reading and comprehension strategies are essential skills for middle school students and improving these skills will enable all students to access subject area curriculum and extend their learning. The Eugene School District is currently piloting the use of iPod Touches for reading comprehension strategy instruction and desires to expand and enhance these projects. This project has three goals: (1) improve student reading comprehension strategy use, (2) increase student and teacher access to technology that supports reading comprehension strategy use, and (3) increase teacher knowledge and skill in incorporating digital technology in their instruction. |
| Springfield Public Schools | Various schools | Lynn Lary | eMAST EdTech Cadre | The long-term goal is to illustrate the need for technology to be considered as an inherent part of curriculum and instruction so that future endeavors include adequate funding to support for district initiatives. As the eMAST Ed Tech Cadre, we will do this by accomplishing the following project goals: (1) developing a core team of elementary teachers (three at each grade) who will specialize in the implement as action research project on effective uses of document cameras in math/science instruction, and (3) serve as a school-wide specialists in the implementation of document cameras in math/science instruction. |
| Klamath Falls City Schools | Klamath Union High | Janice Hicks | Students Helping Farmers | The vision of the Klamath Union High School Science Department is to create a cross-discipline project involving five teachers from three science disciplines, the schools Media Specialist, and the local Oregon State University Extension Office, to conduct experiments that directly affect local farmers in our Klamath Basin. The goal is to use the Scientific Inquiry Method (H.3) to assist farmers in choosing primary and secondary crops best suited to their land. Teams of biology students will investigate which plants grow best in various soil types, using electronic and local resources. Teams of earth science students will collect soil samples from different locations in the Basin for analysis by teams of chemistry students. Based on findings from soil and plant samples, students will match soil and crop types to make recommendations for the best use of specific pieces of land. Using the data collected through research, experiments will be conducted in the school greenhouse. Plants believed to grow best in a designated soil will be planted and results will be documented. Results from student greenhouse experiments will be sent electronically to Oregon State Extension Services to be utilized in community educational presentations and recommendations to farmers. This project lends itself well to yearly implementation, creating a sustainable use of the technology for future students. |
| Bend – La Pine | La Pine Elementary | Tim Chase | Smart Kids + Smart Boards = Smart Future | Five SMART boards will be purchased and used at neighboring La Pine Schools (La Pine Elementary and La Pine 2nd Chance School) to increase awareness of technology and student achievement with engaging hands-on learning. Additionally, project funds will be used for training and professional development of the teachers who receive the boards. Goal #1: Student and teacher awareness of and familiarity with technology will be increased as a result of using the SMART Board and the related Notebook software. Goal #2 Student achievement will be increased in all subject areas through use of the SMART Board. Goal #3 Participating teachers will form a Professional Learning Community (PLC) to learn effective use of SMART Boards and Notebook software. |
| Hood River County School District | Dos Mundos Charter | Janice Patton | Literacy, Science, & Technology:Powerful Learning through Processes and Products | Technology has become the way to connect with the world, and in the future it will become a lifeline to jobs. The daunting challenge for teachers today is to ensure that all students become proficient in 21st Century skills to be successful in the new global economy. Students must learn how to use technology as daily tools incorporated into their learning. Many students have additional obstacles learning English and accessing technology at home. This grant proposal focuses on connecting literacy, science, and technology to open up powerful 21st century skills learning activities for learning academic vocabulary, and for gaining a deeper understanding of the scientific process through authentic investigations. Through this process, students will create products to be shared with other students and scientists in the Global Sun Temperature Online Project. |
| South Lane School District | Harrison Elementary | Nancy Unruh | International Classroom | The International Classroom is a timely approach that has students learning how to use technology to develop skills in geography, writing, and listening. This interactive approach utilizes a mobile lab of ten laptop computers to inspire first and second grade students to learn from the world around them, in real time, using video and audio conferencing to exchange cultural information. We believe that an early introduction to the skills of cultural competence, by affirming cultural similarities and appreciating cultural differences, will result in their ability to effectively communicate with people across cultures. We anticipate that geographic knowledge and cultural competence will become increasingly necessary to live and work in the 21st century global economy. |
