Schools Power Up With Innovative Technology

When students returned for the new school year they were greeted by smiling teachers, new lesson plans and No. 2 pencils, but two lucky schools also returned to find new technology in their classrooms. North Miami Beach Senior High School (Miami Dade, Fla.) and Irmo Middle School International Academic Magnet (Columbia, S.C.) were the grand prize winners of the 12th-annual Win a Wireless Lab Sweepstakes, from CDW-G

, a leading provider of technology solutions and services to education, government and healthcare, and Discovery Education, the leading provider of digital content and professional development for K-12 classrooms. The schools each received $45,000 in technology grants, including on-site professional development from CDW-G and Discovery Education and a $5,000 Discovery Education digital media reward. The schools are already predicting how the technology will impact their classrooms this year. “Our science department is thrilled to be able to implement this technology into their lesson plans,” said Robert Jackson, principal for Irmo Middle School International Academic Magnet. “Our teachers are constantly looking for innovative ways to supplement the curriculum and guarantee that our students have the tools and resources they need to succeed. These new resources ensure that every student in our science classrooms has access to the latest digital tools needed to help them master the academic standards and develop the prerequisite skills required for college and career readiness.” North Miami Beach Senior High School also has big plans for its technology lab, sharing the resources among select American history classrooms. “We are committed to using these resources to achieve the greatest impact to student learning,” said Randy Milliken, principal for North Miami Beach Senior High School. “We empowered our teachers to develop lesson plans that integrate the technology in meaningful ways to improve instruction and student achievement.” The schools were randomly selected from more than 417,000 entries from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Since its inception, the Win a Wireless Lab Sweepstakes has awarded almost $2 million in classroom technology, including complete mobile classrooms implemented in 33 schools across 21 states. “Technology is the way of the future – and our students will dictate that future,” said Joe Simone, director of K-12, CDW-G. “CDW-G sponsors Win a Wireless Lab because it enables us to put innovative technology in K-12 schools and in the hands of our students, giving educators the opportunity to redefine the classroom experience.” “Discovery Education is thrilled to provide educators and students with today's latest digital content to successfully transition classrooms into 21st-century learning environments,” said Mary Rollins, senior vice president, Discovery Education. “These dynamic, digital resources will engage students and enhance classroom instruction beyond the limitations of traditional textbooks, promoting collaboration, creativity and participatory learning.”