Area schools get grants for digital cameras

By Naomi Dillon

July 20, 2000 Web posted at: 3:23 PM EDT (1923 GMT)

ELGIN, Illinois (Daily Herald) -- Students attending a Community Unit District 300 school or a private school in the area will soon be producers of their own learning thanks to a federal grant.

The Carpentersville-based district recently received $225,000 through the Technology Learning Challenge Fund for Project Kid Vid - a proposal that will bring digital cameras into the classroom and turn students into directors, actors and scriptwriters.

Elgin Area School District U-46 also received $225,000 - the largest amount awarded through the 4-year-old program. In total, $15.9 million was funneled to the state to spread among 92 school districts.

Bill Conrad, State Board of Education's associate superintendent for learning technology, said the amount was partly based on the size of the district and the level of poverty. Larger districts- 8,000-plus students- received larger grants.

	More from Daily Herald
	Jobs Autos

Conrad said the district's proposal had to meet federal and state criteria, which included providing teachers with computer training, connecting students to the Internet and making engaged learning part of the curriculum.

In addition, the state is especially interested in seeing districts achieve state learning standards.

"Particularly in reading and mathematics, since those are areas the board of education has identified as areas of improvement," Conrad said.

This is the second time a District 300 proposal has impressed state education officials. In 1998, the district received $225,000 for Project Engage - a program that purchased laptops, trained teachers and assisted students in creating Web sites on everything from dinosaurs to travel handbooks for countries abroad.

Besides the 20 schools in the district, area private schools like Immanuel Lutheran and St. Margaret Mary Catholic schools -- whom the district is required to involve -- have Web sites.The same will be true with Project Kid Vid which is aimed at improving fifth-grade math achievement.

"We choose fifth grade because we felt we could reach as many students as possible," said district Technology Coordinator John Lodolce. "By middle school kids are already being divided into different classes."

Lodolce said every participating school will receive a digital camera and computer software. Not only will teachers receive training on how to make digital videos, but consultants will be hired to help students produce videos on various math concepts.

"These videos could be just a straight teaching video on, for example, long division," he said. "Or they could be really creative."

Lodolce said the students will not only benefit from the video itself, but the process of making the video.

"They'll have to think about what makes a good story and writing the script will help them in reading," he said. "And then they have to decide, should this video have five minutes of intro and 30 seconds of transition, which includes math."

For more Local news, myCNN.com will bring you news from the areas and subjects you select.

CO, Colorado Springs, KKTV CO, Denver KCNC CO, Denver, KWGN IL, Chicago, WGN IL, Decatur, WAND IL, East Peoria, WEEK IL, Quincy, KHQA   IA, Des Moines, KCCI KS, Wichita, KAKE KS, Topeka, KTKA KS, Wichita, KWCH MN, Minneapolis/St. Paul, KMSP MO, Kansas City, KCTV MT, Billings KTVQ   MT, Great Falls, KFBB ND, Fargo, KXJB ON, Barrie, NEWVR ON, Toronto, CITYTV WI, Green Bay, WLUK WI, Milwaukee, WISN