Wired magazine reports on Eyebeam’s seventh annual Digital Day Camp in New York. The summer program lets students work with computer game developers. This year’s program focused on urban design projects.
Streaming-video ruling is only partial victory for Acacia
MediaPost.com reports on the latest developments in the legal fight between streaming-video provider Acacia Technologies Group and members of the pornography industry, who claim they do not have to honor Acacia’s Digital Media Transmission patents. A California judge gave Acacia a partial victory on July 12. (See Schools’ streaming video use at risk)
Mass. community college making most of its federal grants
MassLive.com reports on how Springfield Technical Community College is using new technology to educated hundreds of students with diagnosed learning disabilities. Grants from the National Science Foundation and U.S. Department of Education made the school’s technology initiative possible.
100 Pennsylvania schools getting a big dose of handhelds
The Bucks County Courier Times reports on seven suburban Philadelphia schools that won a state Hands-on Technology grant to buy dozens of handheld computers for classroom use. The seven schools were among 100 Pennsylvania schools that won such grants, which combined for more than $1 million in funding.
Oklahoma’s Garrett urges push for more school technology
The Oklahoman newspaper reports on Oklahoma state schools Superintendent Sandy Garrett’s call for more technology in the classroom. Speaking at an annual leadership conference, Garrett said: “Students who have access to high-tech tools and toys outside of school find classes without such access to be antiquated and irrelevant to their real world.”
Free educational videos and guides on math, science, and more
For the past 25 years, ConocoPhillips Co. has been producing high-quality educational videos and teachers’ guides for math, science, and environmental topics. These materials have been offered to qualified teachers for free and have been seen by millions of junior high and high school students. These free teaching guides and videos cover topics ranging from math and science to problem solving and protecting wildlife. To order one of ConocoPhillips’ educational films, visit the Teaching Tools web site or fax your request to (570) 822-8226.
Free copy boards with every projector purchase
For a limited time, with every purchase of a PLUS Vision U5 series projector, school administrators also will receive a free copy board with their order. The U5 series is PLUS Vision’s newest value-based projector line geared for the education market. The PLUS Vision copy boards allow for text and drawings to be copied directly from the board’s surface to a memory card, eliminating the need to connect to a PC. PLUS Vision said it paired these two products for education because recent studies indicate that students who are taught with interactive technology, like a copy board and a projector, tend to be more engaged in the classroom.
$25,000 for community improvement
Teams of middle school students are invited to enter the Christopher Columbus Awards, a free awards program that challenges students to explore opportunities for positive change in their communities. Teams of up to four students and a coach must identify a community issue and use the scientific process to solve it. Finalist teams win an all-expenses-paid trip to Walt Disney World, where they will compete for U.S. Savings Bonds and the $25,000 Columbus Foundation Community Grant to help bring their idea to life. Coaches may be teachers, parents, community leaders, or mentors. Teams do not need to be affiliated with a school to enter.
Up to $550,000 for innovative science projects
The Toyota TAPESTRY Grants for Teachers program will award up to $550,000 in grants to K-12 science teachers this year. Sponsored by Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc. and administered by the National Science Teachers Association, the program will make 50 grants of up to $10,000 each and 20 “mini-grants” of $2,500 each. Interested teachers should propose innovative science projects that can be implemented in their school or school district over a one-year period. Toyota TAPESTRY projects must demonstrate creativity, involve risk-taking, possess a visionary quality, and model a novel way of presenting science.
$500,000 to improve student achievement in Kansas City schools
The Sprint Achievement Program will provide grants exclusively for Greater Kansas City area teachers to develop and implement programs in their classroom that expand classroom resources, improve student enrichment opportunities, and foster professional development for teachers. Sprint’s support will include financial, in-kind, and volunteer resources to help provide enhanced learning opportunities for students and fill areas of critical need as identified by local teachers. Sprint will offer a limited number of grants, ranging from $500 to $5,000 per grant, twice a year. The first grant session begins Oct. 1 and ends Oct. 31. In all, Sprint expects to donate more than $500,000 in monetary, in-kind, and technology contributions in the Kansas City region during the 2004-05 school year.
