Best Buy Canada awards $250,000 in technology grants to 15 schools through its Best in Class Fund
Written by CE Staff January, 07 2011
Christmas has come early for a number of Canadian students as they were officially announced winners of the Best in Class Fund, the annual technology grant program awarded by Best Buy, Canada's fastest growing retailer and e-tailer of consumer electronics. In total, 15 schools were presented with a collective $250,000 in technology grants in recognition of their winning proposals submitted at the start of school year.
"Every year, we at Best Buy are so inspired by the
innovative ways of incorporating technology into the classroom proposed
in the Best in Class Fund submissions," said Danielle Jang,
Communications Manager at Best Buy Canada. "We initially set out to
award ten $20,000 grants, but we were so impressed by the innovation and
quality of proposals received, that we decided to award an additional
five schools with honorable mentions each worth $10,000."
In
addition to the coveted technology grant, which will help fund schools
with new consumer electronics that support the education-focused
projects outlined in their proposals, Best Buy will also provide the top
ten schools with ongoing Geek Squad support. This will ensure the
students and teachers understand how to get as much as possible out of
this new technology and maximize the learning experience.
Conceived
as an education-focused program that inspires teachers and students to
develop compelling educational projects that will advance learning
through the integration of technology in the classroom, The Best in
Class Fund has become an increasingly popular contest among Canadian
schools and has been backed by a number of Canada's top technology and
education experts.
This year's program was championed by a
national technology advisory board who selected the ultimate winners of
the technology grants. This year's advisory board included: Dr. David
Vogt, Director of Digital Learning Projects for the University of
British Columbia's Faculty of Education; Dr. Michele Jacobsen, Chair of
Educational Studies in Language, Culture & Technology at the
University of Calgary's Faculty of Education; as well as the respected
technology experts and journalists,Marc Saltzman and Francois Charron.
"In
all of the winning proposals, students and teachers clearly outlined
breakthrough ways to incorporate new technology into their classroom or
school and showcased how this investment would add substantially to
their learning environment," said Dr. Michele Jacobsen, who was part of a
research effort earlier this year that explored the correlation between
teachers' willingness to integrate technology in classrooms and student
performance. "In order for Canadian schools to remain competitive and
best facilitate student education, Canada needs programs like The Best
in Class Fund to help us engage and teach today's tech-savvy youth."
The ten schools to receive a technology grant worth $20,000 and complimentary Geek Squad services are:
Clayburn Middle School - Abbotsford, BC
Langley Fine Arts School - Fort Langley, BC
Elizabeth School - Cold Lake, AB
Bethlehem Catholic High School - Saskatoon, SK
École W.S. Hawrylak School- Regina, SK
Daniel McIntyre Collegiate Institute - Winnipeg, MB
Crosby Heights Public School - Richmond Hill, ON (pictured)
St. Rita Catholic School - Woodstock, ON
École Secondaire Sieur-de-Coulonge - Mansfield-et-Pontefract, QC
Millwood High School - Lower Sackville, NS
The 5 additional schools to receive an honorary grant of $10,000 are:
St. Mary's High School - Calgary, AB
Shaftesbury High School - Winnipeg, MB
Sunny View Junior and Senior Public School - Toronto, ON
École Jean-Jacques-Bertrand - Farnham, QC
École Joseph-Hermas-Leclerc - Granby, QC
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