Huntington Lands Technology Grant
In this, the age of budget cutbacks, winning a grant award is becoming even more important to school districts across the country. A group of Huntington High School teachers is celebrating after successfully landing a share of large pot of monies designed to help districts utilize technology to increase literacy in various content areas.
The LI CARES grant was submitted by the three Long Island BOCES organizations. Districts were invited to apply for mini-grants worth up to $5,000 in each of three years or $15,000 in total. The funds are flowing from federal Title II-D grant monies.
Huntington’s grant writing team was led by teacher Ken Krummenacker and included faculty members Craig McKee, Joseph Cohen, Keith Mattis, and Amanda Meyer.
“Under the direction of Mr. Krummenacker, the members of the Huntington High School committee decided to write their grant for the purchase of three SMART Response ‘clicker’ units and eight hours of curriculum writing,” said David Casamento, district director of science and instructional technology.
The mini-grant was written by Mr. Krummenacker and approved by BOCES. As a result, the district will be reimbursed this year in the amount of $4,981.08. In addition to the mini-grant monies, participating teachers will each receive a web cam and headset microphone, seven hours of on-site professional development and 30 hours of online courses in each of the three years for which the grant was written.
“The purpose of the Huntington project this year is to allow students and teachers to use technology and data collection to increase students’ learning,” Mr. Casamento. “The SMART Response system is a combination of hardware (radio receiver and hand-held remotes) and software that helps teachers create formal and informal assessments. Through the use of the remotes in the classroom, teachers can quickly and easily gather data concerning student learning and achievement.”
“This three-year grant is a great opportunity for Huntington High School to make huge strides in student use of technology, Mr. Krummenacker said. “It is a phenomenal chance for us to equip Huntington students with technology they will be seeing in college and the workplace, while fostering our educational goals of making them more literate in the major content areas.”
Mr. Casamento said the system “provides instant feedback and statistical data reports that pinpoint students’ strengths and weaknesses. Teachers can efficiently monitor their students’ learning and grades. The use of remotes allows each student to participate fully in each lesson. Every student is able to respond to a teacher’s Socratic questioning.”
Huntington teachers and administrators are increasingly seeking out grant opportunities and aggressively pursuing them. “In this economic climate, grants are more important than ever,” Superintendent John J. Finello said.
The new technology obtained through the grant will enhance classroom education. “The Smart Response remotes will engage every single student in the room and enhance learning,” Mr. Krummenacker said. “The immediate data collection provided by these clickers will help the teachers to identify student weaknesses and address those areas immediately. We are all extremely excited to work with this new equipment.”
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