Article Contributed on: 10/2/2009 10:01:12 AM
The Morgridge Family Foundation (MFF) in Denver has awarded interactive and multimedia technology tools to Douglas County School District as part of the foundation's 21st Century Classrooms Collaboration initiative.
The foundation provides grants to bring SMART interactive whiteboards and clickers to educators across the state. Including previous MFF and Douglas County Educational Foundation (DCEF) awards, the total contribution to DCSD is over $350,000.
Most recently, 52 DCSD educators were chosen to receive the award, worth $124,000. This was the third round of awards from the foundation through a partnership with the DCEF. The DCEF matched 10 percent of the MFF award so eight more teachers received the grant. The SMART company granted another $32,400 which provided an additional 12 educators with these exciting tools.
In September 2008, DCSD received $103,000 to provide SMART boards and clickers for 40 educators, and in January 2009, DCSD received $85,000 to equip 26 educators. DCEF supported participating schools by paying for the SMARTboard stands or mounts totalling an additional $20,000.
These teachers were also invited to attend a three-day seminar by SMART Technologies on how to use the SMART boards to design dynamic and interactive lessons.
"The 21st Century Classrooms Collaboration intitiative provides exceptional professional development opportunities for our educators. It emphasizes 21st Century skills which goes beyond how to use the board or how to use the software," says Kim McMonagle, DCSD Education Technology Specialist. "What we do with the technology is meant to increase student engagement and student-led learning. Teachers gain new knowledge of how to make relevant, real-world problem-solving lessons that are collaborative and connected to global resources."
This professional development aligns with our DCSD Ends vision and District goals within the Educational Technology-Information Literacy plan to best prepare students for their future.