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13th February 2013

Twelve Canadian Schools Awarded Future Shop’s Future Generation Tech Labs

Future Shop Future Generation Tech LabAfter reviewing more than 150 applications from schools seeking upgrades to their technology, Future Shop is pleased to announce grant recipients for this year’s Future Generation Tech Lab program. The 2013 program is gifting nearly $250,000 in total grants to the 12 deserving schools across Canada for classes and programs focused on students in Grade 9-12. These schools submitted applications in November and December 2012 and were judged based on the impact of the technology on student learning potential.

“We know access to the latest technology fuels inspiration and creativity in high school students and we are excited to see the results this technology will bring to these 12 deserving schools,” said Andrea Farnell, Community Relations Manager, Future Shop. “Some of the schools are already running amazing courses and the additional tech will allow them take it to the next level, while other schools are in desperate need of technology just to meet the basic needs of their students.”Future Shop

The following 12 schools are recipients of a Future Generation Tech Lab grant:

  • Britannia Secondary School, Vancouver, BC. Britannia’s unique location in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside means a large portion of the school budget is earmarked to subsidize the “basics”: school fees, supplies, team uniforms, field trips and food, leaving their technology seriously out of date. Students researching projects in the library are directed to old editions of Encyclopedia Britannica because the computers are broken. With their $25,000 grant, Britannia will upgrade technology for their library, Fine Arts program and Resource Centre.
  • Clearwater Secondary School, Clearwater, BC. This rural school’s small size means their essential senior level courses are not offered every year making it difficult for students to meet competitive university entrance requirements. Recently, the school piloted a project where, through web-based instruction, one teacher could teach two or three courses in the same room allowing Clearwater students to have access to every class they need to meet their post-secondary requirements. The $22,000 grant will allow Clearwater to purchase tablets to assist students taking the expanded course offerings to access course materials.
  • New Westminster Secondary School, New Westminster, BC. With a school the size of six city blocks, student access to computers is a very real issue for New Westminster Secondary. Serving 2,500 students, the library’s class set of 30 ten-year old computers are not adequately meeting the needs of the student population. Thanks to their $16,000 grant, the school will replace the aged computers and purchase additional units to expand the library’s tech offerings.
  • Alternative High School, Calgary, AB. Alternative High School serves students who, as a result of abuse, chemical dependencies, bullying, homelessness or learning disabilities are in the most danger of being lost from the academic stream before they can complete their high school degree. Their failing computers and ancient software are taking away from the positive and engaging environment the teachers are trying to create for students who are eager to move their lives forward in a positive direction. With their $25,000 grant, Alternative will purchase a variety of technology to better engage these students in completing their education.
  • Parkview Secondary School, Hamilton, ON. Parkview students are enrolled based on their specific educational needs; 95 per cent of the student population is on an Individual Education Plan and every student has some form of learning disability. The school is looking to improve the technology supporting their literacy and numeracy skill programs. Their $23,000 grant will be used to build a Literacy and Numeracy Lab where assistive technology like tablets, headphones and a Smartboard will give their students the help they need to develop these fundamental skills.
  • Clarke Road Secondary School, London, ON. With mismatched, donated and recycled equipment, the persevering Communications teacher and students at Clarke Road have been producing a weekly radio talk show on a local college station and broadcasting their own daily radio and TV programs at their school. It will be exciting to see what they will be able to accomplish with the new technology they’ll be purchasing with their $17,000 Tech Lab grant.
  • École secondaire de L’île, Gatineau, QC. Computer labs at École secondaire de l’île are always booked full of students doing research or word processing, leaving many classes without a way to incorporate technology into their studies. With the purchase of tablets thanks to their $25,000 grant, students in art, music and other classes will be able to access technology and enhance their learning opportunities.
  • École secondaire des Hauts-Sommets, Saint-Jérôme, QC. École secondaire des Hauts-Sommet offers students in the “Focus on Information Technology” or FIT program, a chance to learn specialized training and vocational certifications from the Cisco Networking Academy. A goal of this program is to integrate technology into every aspect of the student’s learning, a challenge due to the school’s limited resources. With their $22,000 Tech Lab grant, students in the FIT program will have an influx of technology to expand their expertise and better prepare them for future careers in IT.
  • Kennebecasis Valley High School, Rothesay, NB. The Student Center is a hub of activity for many students who attend KVHS as well as a place where they go for specific support for their academic needs. KVHS will use its $18,000 grant to purchase assistive technology including laptops, tablets and large screen monitors, which will level the playing field allowing student with exceptionalities to succeed right alongside their peers.
  • Blackville School, Blackville, NB. Approximately 70 per cent of high school students at Blackville take Journalism and Media Studies courses, learning practical applications including podcasting, video production, online publishing, photography, interview skills and writing. Using their $15,000 grant to purchase new, faster computers, software, and cameras the school aims to create a greater “work-like” atmosphere where students will have all the technology they need to excel in their studies.
  • Lockview High School, Fall River, NS. Lockview, striving to keep 1,250 students engaged and motivated while acknowledging a large variety of learning styles, piloted the use of interactive whiteboard technology with great success in the Math and Science Departments two years ago and is eager to bring this program to other areas of study. With a $25,000 Tech Lab grant to purchase more interactive whiteboards, tablets, document cameras and projectors, Lockview will bring this technology to other classes and continue to engage students of all learning styles and needs.
  • Bluefield High School, Hampshire, PEI. For students struggling with reading, access to technology is a key element of their potential for success in high school. The Bluefield resource centre teachers recognize this need but so far have been unable to provide their students with the right devices. With their $14,000 grant, Bluefield will be able to provide these students with the additional support they require improve their literacy skills.

Founded in 2008, the Future Shop Future Generation Tech Lab program has awarded more than $1.5 million in monetary grants to 48 schools seeking resources to update the classroom technology necessary to inspire, motivate and empower today’s students. The goal of the program is reducing the digital and economic divide for youth by providing them with modern technology to stay inspired as they move into post-secondary education and into the workforce.

Two additional schools receiving Samsung Hope for Children Smart School Grants totaling $20,000

Accessing from the same applications pool as the Future Shop Future Generation Tech Lab, thanks to Samsung Hope for Children, two more schools are awarded with new Smart School technology. Samsung Hope for Children and Future Shop are thrilled to name William Roper Hull School in Calgary and York Humber High School in Toronto as Samsung Hope for Children Smart School Grant recipients. Both schools will receive $10,000 each in Samsung technology for their classrooms.

“We believe that technology can make all the difference in the classroom to help advance a student’s education, so we’re proud to award two deserving schools with Samsung Hope for Children Smart School Grants,” said James Politeski, President of Samsung Electronics Canada. “We look forward to equipping this year’s winning schools with the right Samsung technologies to help take their learning to higher levels.”

  • William Roper Hull School, Calgary – This special education school supports students with complex social, emotional, behavioural and educational needs. Teachers at the school have found that technology motivated their students academically, allowing them to better express their knowledge and feelings using creative formats. Their $10,000 Samsung Hope for Children Smart School Grant will be used towards Samsung  laptops and monitors to help teach the students employability skills.
  • York Humber High School, Toronto – York Humber is a small special needs secondary school dedicated to providing essential business, technical and employability/life skills for students planning to pursue careers in the skilled trades, apprenticeships, and community businesses. The Samsung Hope for Children Smart School Grant of $10,000 will help equip a classroom with Samsung laptops and monitors.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 13th, 2013 at 6:34 am and is filed under Awards, Business News, Careers, Education, National News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
  1. Tami Quiring (@VillageGamer)
    10:36 pm on February 12th, 2013

    12 Canadian Schools Receive @FutureShop Future Generation Tech Labs Program Awards http://t.co/B9eiGLJC #edtech

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