DECEMBER 22, 2009 ISSUE
Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff, SkyLine Membership Corporation Honored for Global Learning Leadership
WCS Superintendent Dr. Marty Hemric, left, presents Joseph Miller with the Global Learning Leadership Award for Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff, with Watauga County Board of Education Chair Lowell Younce to the right. The award was presented in recognition of financial support of the school system’s plan to provide a laptop computer or similar personal learning device for each student at the new Watauga High School when it opens in 2010. Photo submitted
Kim Shepherd, pictured between WCS Superintendent Dr. Marty Hemric and Watauga County Board of Education Chair Lowell Younce, holds the Global Learning Leadership Award presented to SkyLine Membership Corporation in recognition of financial support of the school system’s plan to provide a laptop computer or similar personal learning device for each student at the new Watauga High School when it opens in 2010. Photo submitted
Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff and SkyLine Membership Corporation were each honored with a Global Learning Leadership Award from Watauga County Schools (WCS) at the Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, December 15. The two businesses were recognized for their generous financial support of the school system’s plan to provide a laptop computer or similar personal learning device for each student at the new Watauga High School when it opens in 2010.
Joseph Miller accepted the award on behalf of Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff and Customer Service Manager Kim Shepherd represented SkyLine Membership Corporation in accepting its award. Both Cheap Joe’s and SkyLine are also previous recipients of Education Partnership Awards, which are given for sustained and substantial support to Watauga County Schools students.
Watauga County Board of Education Chair Lowell Younce praised Cheap Joe’s and SkyLine and said, “Their contributions to the Global Learning Community in our schools will be a great benefit as we work to prepare students to succeed in a rapidly changing world. The commitment to education of businesses like Cheap Joe’s and SkyLine is an important reason our schools are among the very best in the state. We are extremely grateful for their generous support.”
The plan to provide personal learning technology for each student at the high school, often referred to as a “1:1” initiative, is a major component of the WCS Global Learning Community that will continue the transformation to a greater presence of 21st-century instruction in schools through the thoughtful and informed integration of technology and collaborative learning in the classroom.
Several components of the Global Learning Community have already been completed, including the installation of digital projectors in each classroom and the implementation of a new website and content management system named School Fusion.
School Fusion offers many interactive features for communications, data management, networking, creative design in learning and provides diverse opportunities for the sharing of learning and ideas within the school and globally.
Other Global Learning Community elements are proceeding rapidly, including the placement of interactive whiteboards in every classroom, installation of the equipment needed to support wireless connections in all classrooms and ongoing teacher training in the best methods for using instructional technology. Nineteen teachers recently completed Intel Master Teacher training in the “Teach to the Future” model and each master teacher will be training 10 additional staff members, for a total of 190 teachers, in the successful integration of interactive technologies this spring.
WCS Superintendent Dr. Marty Hemric said, “We are already observing so many exciting curriculum experiences in our schools with the incorporation of interactive technologies. Our students and teachers continue to demonstrate their creative talents in crafting learning with 21st-century tools. We are grateful to all of our teachers, staff and partnerships for empowering the forward movement of learning in our schools.”
The 1:1 initiative is estimated to cost $1.2 million, and full funding for the initiative has not yet been secured. State and national grants and annual technology funds are being utilized for much of the cost, but substantial funds will need to come from local businesses and individual donors to fully implement the personal learning device aspect of the Global Learning Community by August of 2010.
The funds needed to sustain the technologies in coming years will be provided through the use of the school system’s annual technology funds, as well as funds from several budget areas that will be available because of the increased movement to electronic media.
WCS and the Watauga Education Foundation (WEF) are partnering in a capital campaign to raise the additional funds required to support the 1:1 initiative.
WEF President Jay Fenwick said, “For 20 years, the Watauga Education Foundation has been helping make a difference for students and teachers. We are excited to continue our partnership with WCS helping students learn more and learn better.”
For more information about the Global Learning Community, click to the news and data page of the WCS website at www.watauga.k12.nc.us. For more information about the Watauga Education Foundation, click to www.wefnc.org.
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