Pocatello teachers get tech grants
CenturyLink awarded three Pocatello teachers with grants Thursday through its Teachers and Technology Program. The program’s goal is to help teachers buy innovative technology to integrate into their classrooms.
To win the grant, applicants have to demonstrate a commitment to use technology to enhance their students’ entire learning experience.More than a thousand schools in Idaho applied for the grant this year, but only seven were awarded–three of which are in Eastern Idaho.
Joseph Martin, 8th-grade math teacher at Franklin Middle School, was one of this year’s winners. He was awarded $2,776 to buy a 3D printer. With experience in cutting-edge technology, he believes his students will benefit in the long run.
“By the time they move onto high school, college, graduate school, careers– they have had a foundation that prepares them well to be successful in a technology saturated economy,” said Martin.
CenturyLink has been working with the state’s education department to administer the grants for the past nine years. According to them, the level of technology requested has increased.
“We had teachers ask for a whiteboard or an ELMO document camera, pretty basic technology,” said Jim Schmit, vice president of operations at CenturyLink. “But what we’ve seen today here and yesterday up in Sugar City is teachers are buying technology and they’re really integrating it into the entire learning process.”
Pocatello Community Charter School also received a grant this year. Christena Coast and Lisa McAteer, who both teach 3rd and 4th grade at PCCS, won $5,000 to purchase iPads to improve their students’ real-world skills.
“Sometimes we aren’t able to do the things that we would like to improve the education of our students,” said Coast. “I think this grant will allow us funding from the state to improve their education at our school.”
McAteer agrees the grant will help take their classrooms to a higher level of learning.
“What we want to do is take them beyond just being able to play a game on the iPad, but actually produce quality work,” she said.
Kershaw Intermediate School in Sugar City was the third Eastern Idaho school to win the grant. They were awarded $4,800 for iPad minis.
