Education Technology Showcase, May 5

On May 5th, Arlington’s education technology leaders will gather for an evening of demonstrations and presentations that will showcase current technology in Arlington Public Schools and lay out a vision for the future.

The Arlington Education Foundation and the Arlington Public Schools will host the second annual Education Technology Showcase, inviting parents and residents to discuss the role technology will play in educating our students and preparing them for the future.  The event will take place on May 5th, from 6-8pm at the High School Media Center.

During the evening, elementary to high school students will demonstrate the technology that supports learning in their classrooms, including:  game development and physics simulations from Arlington High School; underwater robotics and 1:1 computing pilot programs at Ottoson Middle School; the Thompson Techsperts and ‘Explain Everything’ video projects from the Elementary Schools.

Arlington Public Schools technology leaders will be on hand to answer questions and discuss the future.  Dr. Laura Chesson, Assistant Superintendent of Schools, will present her Three Year Technology Vision for Arlington Public Schools.  Matt Coleman, Director of Mathematics K-12, will give an overview of Arlington’s code.org initiative and his vision for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) education.  Gary Blanchette and Brandy Whitney, Ottoson Technology & Engineering Teachers, will discuss the Sea Perch underwater robotics program and ‘Tech’ class curriculum updates.

AEF is working in partnership with the Arlington Public Schools to bring significant new capacities to all educational levels - from state-of-the-art facilities and equipment to teacher training and curriculum development. In 2013, AEF launched the AEF Technology Initiative, a three-year fundraising effort focused on targeted technology implementations that will jumpstart technology in Arlington Public Schools.  The first phase of the AEF Technology Initiative was a $50,000 grant awarded to the Arlington Public Schools in 2013 for the creation of the Arlington High School STEM Lab, which brought computer programming classes back to the High School.  In 2014, the goal is to raise $50,000 to expand STEM opportunities at the Ottoson Middle School, specifically by enhancing the Technology & Engineering classes with computer simulations, app development and 3D prototyping (spring 2014) and updating the Digital Citizenship and Literacy curriculum (fall 2014).

Since the spring of 2012, community donations have enabled AEF to award over $110,000 in technology grants to the Arlington Public Schools.  AEF works to support and advance public education in Arlington, Massachusetts and funds system wide initiatives and creative new projects to enhance the educational experiences of Arlington’s teachers and students.  For more information on AEF’s Technology Initiative, or to donate, visit www.aeftechnologyinitiative.org.