- SCOTTSDALE, AZ--CCS announced the winner of its second annual “Design Your Ideal Classroom” technology grant. This CCS program provides the opportunity for any K-12 educator in Arizona to apply for the chance to win a technology infused classroom and training worth thousands of dollars.
- Kristina Manning, an elementary school teacher at the Arizona School for the Deaf in Tucson, Ariz. submitted the winning application–complete with letters of support from her first and second grade students.
- Educators for the deaf rely on American Sign Language (ASL) and spoken/written English during classroom instruction. Nearly 50 percent of classroom time is spent on students leaving their seats to answer questions in ASL and then scanning for visual cues from classmates to see who the next respondent will be. During this process, students miss out on instructional content. The new audio and visual tools provided by CCS will make it possible to have 100 percent student participation without orchestrating visual turn-taking around the classroom. This will significantly increase learning time and the ability for the teacher to cover topics in greater depth.
- “I’m absolutely thrilled my class was chosen as a recipient of these interactive education tools,” said Manning. “To be able to teach using a document camera, wireless slates and student response systems will greatly reduce lost instructional time. It’s such a wonderful gift and we’re so thankful for it.”
- Arizona School for the Deaf houses students from across Arizona. Last year, Ms. Manning taught first and second grade and will retain the same group of students, now in second and third grade for the 2010-2011 school year.
- The CCS technology grant is estimated to be valued at more than $15,000. CCS will provide installation, certified training and technology for the 2010-2011 school year. CCS will award equipment to Arizona School for the Deaf including the following:
- · 1 Widescreen SMART Board Interactive Whiteboard
- · 1 NEC 40-inch Large Format LCD Display
- · 1 EPSON 450W Ultra Short-throw Projector
- · 1 eInstruction 32-pad CPS Pulse student response system
- · 1 eInstruction Mobi wireless slate system – 1 teacher and 2 students
- · 1 AverMedia CP155 document camera
- · 1 EPSON GT-500 Workforce Scanner
- · 4 RM Education TTS Tuff Cams
- CCS collected grant applications between March and June 2010 and the winner was recently selected. Educator responses to the request outlined ideas to integrate educational technology to improve teaching methods, while introducing new programs to students.
- John Godbout, founder and CEO of CCS, stated: “We hope this program continues to inspire teachers to create innovative programs for their students. We couldn’t be happier for Kristina as this equipment will be a great tool for her and her students.”
