43
Photo
Neighbors | Submitted.Boardman staff will collaborate on the Innovative Teacher Mini Grant project they recently received. Pictured, from left, are BCIS technology teacher Carrie Hurd, STEAM coach Todd Smith, Glenwood Junior High School technology teacher Tim Harker, BGJHS Principal Bart Smith and art teacher Chelsea Wisbar.
Boardman’s STEAM idea for a cross cultural project has earned a $5,000 Turning Foundation Grant.
It was one of 15 projects in a four-county area to be recognized and awarded a Turning Foundation Innovative Teacher Mini-Grant early in October.
Boardman’s project is unique, and will involve 30 middle school students from Boardman Center Intermediate School and Glenwood Junior High School. They will collaborate with students of the same age range in Thailand for cultural understanding. The students will then work with local entrepreneurs who will serve as mentors in designing an app that will be submitted for inclusion to the Apple App Store.
Glenwood Principal Bart Smith has spent time teaching in Thailand, and has relatives in the area who will enable the cross cultural exchange. A 12-hour time difference may be challenging, but the hope is to communicate through video and audio recordings, sketches and artwork, and ultimately Skype sessions.
The Turning Foundation Grant will pay for the app creation software for 30 seat licenses. It will also fund 14 HP Chromebook Laptops for students to run the app software. The focus of the app is to tackle a global challenge as it relates to students in Boardman and in Thailand.
The entire project is expected to be complete by the end of the school year, when students plan to present the project and app to the Boardman Board of Education.