NEW YORK—Eleven Bronx public schools will receive new computers thanks to a $240,000 grant awarded to the Regional Educational Technology Center (RETC) at Fordham University. The grant, awarded by the Bronx Borough President’s Office, will not only result in 16 new laptops or desktop computers for the selected schools, but will also encourage and enhance the integration of technology into student learning.
“Our goal has been to have these technology resources allocated to local schools to complement professional development activities,” said Kathleen P. King, Ed.D., director of RETC and professor of Adult Education and Human Resource Development in Fordham’s Graduate School of Education. “Some students, teachers and schools in the area seriously need these resources. Our desire at Fordham’s RETC is to create learning opportunities that transform learners and learning.”
All K-12 public and non-public schools, including special-education programs, in the Bronx are eligible to apply for the new computers. The RETC will select recipients based on existing or planned instructional programs focused on the use of technology in the classroom, such as student Web-authoring and digital-publishing projects, and LEGO Robotics (an instructional resource supporting student robotics learning). To meet eligibility requirements, recipient schools will have to provide a timeline of their technology instruction projects, details of student activities and assessment plans to track results.
Selected schools will receive computers in mid-January, and reports of instructional programs will be provided to the RETC by Aug. 1, 2005.
The Regional Educational Technology Center (RETC) is dedicated to serving and researching the professional development needs of educators striving to improve student and teacher performance. The center’s award-winning programs serve e
